Neighborhood trees touched with gold, the brief glory before their long sleep.
We had a very nice night out at our friends' house, lots of food and conversation and a late homecoming. I took Dora for a midnight turn around the block, then fell into bed.
Was awakened early this morning by frantic Dora, who doesn't usually wake up early and --- as it turned out --- had a digestive upset and REALLY needed to go out. I took her outside, walked her around, waited until she seemed to have emptied herself thoroughly, then put her back to bed with a little breakfast of oatmeal soaked in beef broth. Now she's soundly back to sleep in her crate, and I hope that that's the end of that. I'll give her a second oatmeal breakfast before we leave for church. Oatmeal generally does the trick, binding things together in the digestive tract, while the beef broth restores any needed hydration.
So I didn't sleep as long as I had intended, and now I'm up, but it's Sunday, and once Mass is over, I can come home and loll about.
I posted my night-out outfit after I got home, but ICYMI, here it is again:
I keep being surprised by how much I love this brown Leila dress. I didn't expect to like the color at all. This dress was listed for the cheapest price I've ever seen for a secondhand NPL dress in excellent condition, and I bought it first to try the brand, but also with the intention of dyeing it. I bought this dress last December, and life was busy, so I didn't get around to doing anything about it, and anyway, I didn't want to be hasty . . . and I'm so glad I wasn't hasty, because I've wound up loving this shade of brown and finding it no end of versatile.
If you'd asked me, I'd have said that I didn't wear brown. Turns out I do, as long as it's not too orange or rusty. As you can see in the photo above, where the natural light from the window touches the folds of the skirt, there's no discernable yellow in this tone. Its highlights are almost gray, a color I do wear a good bit and wear well. I'm continually surprised by how glowing I feel when I wear this dress, especially with the blue cardigan shown above, or my pink merino cardigan --- but even on its own, this has turned out to be a great color for me. And it's perfect for our warm fall weather.
High today is supposed to be about 78F, with a low of 64 --- not hot, but warm, even after dark. Transitional weather continues. I used to hate transitional weather, but this fall, maybe for the first time ever since I've been aware of what I was wearing at all, I'm enjoying it. I'm getting a little more mileage from my Birkenstocks before I put them away for the winter. And I have plenty of shoes that read as not-summery, but still work well with bare legs in these temperatures. I have several dresses with 3/4-length sleeves that are cool enough to wear now (and even at the height of the summer), but read as fallish. AND I have plenty of things to wear with light cardigans.
Wearing for Mass:
*Wool& Fiona dress (M) in Marine Blue, bought September 2024, first wear
*Secondhand J.Jill linen-ramie longline cardigan, bought early 2023, last worn Auugust 15
*Secondhand Birkenstock Papillios, bought September 2023, last worn August 4, so they were due for a wear. I do love these shoes --- and I was really comfortable in them today. I think maybe they're really starting to soften up more, which would have happened faster with more frequent wearing, but I just don't wear wedges on an everyday basis. I really should wear these more, though. They're so cute. I feel pretty and polished when I wear them, and they go with so many things. They'll definitely be in my capsule for my literary travels in October and November. Among other things, I think that Sand Dollar merino tights with these shoes will make a great fairly neutral leg to complement any number of my dresses.
Anyway, this was a good outfit for a warm day right at the midpoint of September. Less than a week until actual, official fall --- not that it's going to feel that different for a long time. It's nice to be able to make these simple combinations that feel light enough for the warm weather, but point to the change of seasons.
The sun is out now, so in a minute I'm going to change into my denim work pinafore (worn yesterday for housecleaning) and tackle my messy kitchen garden.
Oh, but before I do, I should make my outfit plan for the week:
*Flax linen skirt with Eileen Fisher pink merino tank top and pink cardigan, with Birkenstocks or Mary Janes
*NPL Dark Blue-Gray (or Gray-Blue) Smock dress with pink linen top, cobalt merino cardigan, and Mary Janes
*Wool& Pacific Brooklyn dress with gray-blue tencel-merino leggings, teal cashmere cardigan, and Birkenstocks
*Wool& Teal Maggie dress with teal cashmere cardigan and Birkenstocks (maybe also red maxi skirt)
*NPL Grape Wine Smock dress with Mary Janes and pink merino cardigan (or teal, or cobalt blue)
*Wool& Ocean Teal Willow with teal cashmere cardigan and Birks or Mary Janes
*Vintage Erika&Co floral pinafore over Wool& Beetroot Brooklyn with Birkenstocks
*Sunday Mass: April Cornell purple silk dress with blue rayon cardigan, leather wrap belt, and Birk Papillios
8:43 p.m.:
Did I never post this? I guess I didn't. Maybe I should.
PS: Just sold another dress: the too-big linen one I had bought on Poshmark a week or so ago. Not gonna lie, I could get used to watching the money (or the Poshmark credit, which amounts to the same thing) roll in.