Four-o'-clocks hanging on till the first real freeze. I managed to catch this one open yesterday morning.
It's cold this morning, and I've turned the heat on to take the edge off the air and keep little Dora from being too chilly in her crate. She has a sheepskin bed, but still.
I slept fitfully, as I often do when I'm by myself, and had strange dreams. But I'm up and at 'em today. I have essays to write for next week, and things to do.
The husband called from the road, yesterday evening --- I was sure he'd gotten to Memphis, but no, he was hours away. There was standstill traffic all down I-85 between Gastonia and Atlanta (an effect, at least in part, of the closure of the I-40 artery through the mountains), and he had at some point left the interstate and made his way through the north Georgia mountains, which he said were beautiful. But the going was slow, and at nearly 8 p.m., he was still many miles and hours from his destination. Fortunately, I guess, his mother never really goes to bed. She just dozes on the couch in front of the television and wakes up frequently, so his arriving at whatever hour would not disrupt her schedule too much, I don't think.
For dinner last night I had two slices of the pork loin I'd made on --- Saturday? Is that when I cooked that pork loin? I think it must have been. I'm losing all sense of time already. Anyway, I have two slices left to pan-fry tonight, much the best way to reheat them. I ate up all the brussels sprouts and corn on the cob, though, so will have to come up with another side. Applesauce, probably. Last night I just seared everything --- meat slices, sprouts, and two cobs of corn --- on my cast-iron griddle pan, and it was very good. I might start a pot of beans today as well, some to freeze and some to eat tomorrow. I'm very pleased with my stock of ready-to-use beans in the freezer, though I'm also glad I have plenty of dried ones in the cupboard as a backup.
Current temperature at almost 9 a.m.: 36F, quite brisk. The high today is supposed to be 63F, which will be lovely with all this sunshine, but not meltingly warm. Yesterday afternoon was the first afternoon in a long time when Dora and I haven't lounged on the porch in the sun. It's beautiful out, but not exactly sun-worshipper weather. Next week is supposed to warm back up again, so we aren't done yet, but the time is coming.
Wearing today:
*Wool& Willow dress (M/Long) in Ocean Teal, bought October 2023, last worn October 4. Total wears this year to date: 21
*Secondhand Erika&Co linen/cotton floral pinafore, bought December 2023, last worn September 30. Total wears this year to date: 16
*Snag merino tights in Royal Navy, bought fall 2021 or spring 2022, last worn a long time ago, but back in circulation now, baby.
*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022, clearly my default cold-weather shoe, going strong into a third season.
*Secondhand Eileen Fisher merino cardigan/coat, bought September 2024, last worn last night, actually, although I didn't take a photo. I was cold, and this big thick cardigan is WARM. A total-body blanket, really.
So I'm warm and cozy. I anticipate that this year my wool dresses will get lots of wear as under-layers, insulation under linen. This unstructured Willow dress is basically a shift, anyway, easy to wear under things.
I thought about putting on my brown Earth-Shoe Mary Janes, but my boots were in the bathroom, easy to step into. And they are so comfortable and sturdy --- I think that again they will be my footwear staple, though it's nice to have a little more variety in my options. There will be days when I want to wear a shoe, not a boot, and I'm glad I have shoes to wear that will work well with all my tights.
But this is really my ideal outfit: warm, light, no-fuss, fluid in its lines, varied in its colors without being chaotic. Good for walking, good for work. Graceful but not fussy.
Waiting to hear news of my sister-in-law this morning, but as of yesterday afternoon, things were looking far more positive than I had feared.
Going to peck at a little work, then take the dog out. Excelsior!
AFTERNOON UPDATE:
Taking a work break after two essays plus a second dog walk. The dog, who has had some lunch and a brief naptime in her crate, is pestering me to play with her, which I am not going to do at this time. We have walked and played tug, and now she may deal with the privilege of being out of her crate by entertaining herself and/or calming the heck down and going back to sleep. It is VERY hard not even to look at somebody who is standing with two paws on your arm and whining into your ear, but I'm here to tell you that it can be done --- and for the good of the order should be done.
It is not healthy for dogs to take up our every conscious moment. They WILL, if you let them, and some dogs are more insistent about it than others. But --- aside from being super annoying --- if, like me, you actually need to get things done, it's not a healthy dynamic. Dogs are social, yes, but they weren't made to be dependent on our concentrated attention every waking moment of the day. They can learn to settle themselves. And they need something like 19 hours of sleep a day, which they won't get if we're constantly winding them up with activity.
So now she's standing under the desk, pressing against my knees, and possibly sulking, but at least she's quiet. I have accomplished this by simply pretending, even when she was right in my face, that she wasn't there. No eye contact, no verbal response, no pushing her away, which she would have construed as play. She's trying again, yip yip paw paw, but I am RESOLUTE. I am the MEANIE.
Anyway, one essay written and loaded for next week, one written and just about ready to load. Tomorrow I can get going on week after next's essays, as well as doing some autumn cleaning. I've just ordered a new long-handled microfiber duster that I can use to dust down the walls, which have collected a nice little coat of dust in many places, as well as the ceiling fan in our room and all the light fixtures. This duster should come tomorrow, so the plan is to knock out that particular job, just whip through the house with that sucker.
Today I need to get the clean sheets out of the dryer and put them on the bed. I bet I'll sleep better tonight, once I've done that.
I ate the rest of my pork for lunch on a sandwich, so dinner can be light.
Now the dog is sitting in my desk chair behind me, but at least she's quiet and not pawing me for attention. Sometimes she just needs to be touching me, which --- fair enough. As long as she otherwise leaves me alone, I don't mind. This is someone with a very good life, let me hasten to remind you --- multiple walkies, lots of petting, lots of sitting on the daybed together, lots of games. I wish I could remind her of this essential fact, because that would be really useful, but of course I can't.