You can't tell from this photo how hard it's raining. Trust me, it's raining. I'm waiting a little while longer to see whether it might not let up before I take the dog out, but I also have my rain pants ready to put on over my clothes.
It's raining and cold and gross outside, but reader, I have FINISHED all my big projects. My large events are DONE. I had a lovely dinner and lecture hour with the Thomas More Scholars at the Abbey last night --- talked a little over long, but I really needed to sketch all the historical context, such as it is, for the poems I was sharing with them, and that took a lot of doing. Anyway, it's OVER.
Also, by 9:30 this morning I had finished and uploaded my Marianne Moore essay for tomorrow, so that's over, too. Not sure what I'm doing for next week, but it's only a 2-essay week, so I can coast a tiny bit, even if I wind up having to write over the weekend. NOW MAYBE I can write some poems or even some fiction of my own. The last six weeks have been a big slog --- good for me in lots of ways, and obviously full of writing and thinking about writing, but not much of what I think of as my own work. Well: sometimes you have to write for money, and sometimes you have to write and talk for money, and that's just how the world is arranged. It's not bad, but it is peculiarly exhausting, and I'm glad to be finished with this whole big push.
All that's left today is a podcast interview this afternoon, which should actually be a lot of fun. I enjoy those discussions and don't find them especially stressful. It's a lot easier to answer questions and be enticed to bang on about things than it is to put together and deliver an organized presentation on a prescribed topic. So I'm looking forward to this conversation with a great deal of relief --- I'd deliberately scheduled it for when I'd be finished with all this other stuff.
Wearing today:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (S/Midi) in Dark Turquoise, bought last week, last worn yesterday. Second wear.
*Thrifted Banana Republic 100% merino base-layer tee/sweater, bought Sunday at Texas Thrift, first wear.
*Thrifted scarf, also bought Sunday at Texas Thrift. Possibly linen? It certainly has a linen feel, but I don't know for sure.
*Secondhand Connemara merino cardigan, bought September 2024, last worn November 12. Wear this year to date: 12? That many already?
*Snag black cashmere footless tights, bought summer 2024, last worn a month ago, I think. Worn 2-3 times so far this year, but I'm sure there are many more wears ahead.
*Farm to Feet merino socks (not seen).
*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022, default winter shoe. I will change into my rain shoes to walk the dog, however, and keep these for indoors.
I've repeated last night's dress mostly because I like it so much, but also because being shorter, it's easier to stuff into rain pants. I'm not going out to get soaked, nope nope nope. I shall simply pop the waterproof outerwear over my clothing, change my shoes, and stride out into the cold wet world with confidence.
But really, I do love this dress. The color is what I had thought NPL's Emerald Green would be, so that I don't think I really need that color anymore (though I wouldn't turn it down, either). But yeah, for Christmas? Just add red cardigan. Advent or Lent? Behold my dusty lavender wool sweater worn as a warm under-layer. It'll also play nicely with my old purple cotton cardigan, my purple blazer cardigan, the purple cashmere poncho I bought with Marly in the mountains last year, and many other items. And in the summer, I can step into my Birks, or put on a pair of strappy little Crocs thongs, and there you have it.
Meanwhile, I love being able to put on a warm wool or cashmere under-layer and pop a skimmy linen dress over it (and then add a chunky cardigan, because honestly I am cold today). As much as I love my wool dresses, and I truly do, this feels like a sweet spot to me. These linen dresses provide just enough shape, where sometimes my knit dresses can feel a little droopy or clingy or stretched out. And I just love the richness of dyed linen --- all the colors I have, including brown and gray, have a marvelous feel and depth to them, visually and in tactile terms.
It's good to enjoy getting dressed. It's especially good on a chilly, dreary, wet day when I'm tired --- though also, again, VERY happy to be finished with so many labors. I'll be ready for pub night tonight, and then coffee out with a friend tomorrow, in celebration.