MONDAY, ORDINARY TIME 33



Morning through a very smudgy window. One thing I'm going to do today is steam-clean this glass. My steam-cleaner came yesterday, and I spent about an hour detailing things in the kitchen: countertops and backsplashes, the air fryer, and especially the stovetop and oven. I still need to steam-clean the fridge --- got to track down an extension cord so that I can reach across the kitchen with the steam-cleaner. Maybe I should do that today, before I order groceries, though my plan is also to give the downstairs bathroom a deep-cleaning. Tomorrow: the upstairs bathroom. And so on. I don't have to clean the whole house in one day, but I can make my way around it, doing these tasks, so that by the time the college kids come home, much will be fresh and ready for them --- and by Christmas, even more. Armed with my steam-cleaner and my microfiber duster, I shall be unstoppable. 

Of course, I still have to write this little essay about Fulke Greville for tomorrow, so maybe I should do that first. And I want to go to noon Mass today. So maybe the plan should be to peck out the essay this morning, then go, then come home and spend an hour cleaning. I've already written a little prose and begun a new poem, not a bad way to start the day. My aim is to avoid social media in the mornings --- I'm not entirely successful, as I usually look in on one account or another while I'm drinking my coffee, but I can make myself do my morning word games instead, then read and write a little. 

Anyway, the sun is shining, and it's looking like a very nice day. Current temperature is 43F, but the projected high is 71, quite warm. 

Wearing: 







*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Leila dress (S/M) in Cinnamon Rose, bought December 2023, last worn October 21. Total wears this year to date: 19

*Secondhand Icebreaker merino base-layer tee, bought October 2024, last worn November 6. Total wears this year to date: 4, I think. 

*Snag microfiber super-opaque tights in Hot Chocolate, bought summer 2024, first season of wear. Total wears so far: 2. 

*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022, default winter shoe in their third season of wear. 

The morning light was so lovely and fun in the bathroom just now, and I played around with it a good bit, appreciating how well and accurately it shows the beautiful color of this dress. I had bought this oatmeal base-layer tee specifically with this dress in mind (though it goes with pretty much everything in my closet), and I'm happy to wear them together today. This pink goes all right with grays, but its earthiness makes it a better pairing with soft browns, I think --- colors of the American Southwest, maybe. I'm still surprised that I wear this pink as well as I do, but I'm also grateful, because it is just so pretty. I loved it all summer; now I'm happy to wear it in our soft autumn weather and into the winter. 

Temps are still in the 40s Farenheit, so I will wear my big cardigan coat when I go out to walk the dog. 




I'm warm and comfortable, have freedom of movement, can walk miles in what I'm wearing --- yet I feel put-together and nicely, if maybe a tad eccentrically, dressed. 

I do want to get some wears in for this dress before it goes away during Advent. This pink has many virtues, but looking good with purple is not one of them, so it'll be a minor sacrifice during the quiet waiting season before the great Feast of the Incarnation. 

Anyway, I've made a little start on Fulke Greville, and should really try to push him forward before I let the dog out.