Autumn morning kitchen. You can't tell, maybe, how clean this kitchen is, but I assure you, it is clean. The stovetop, oven, defunct ventilation hood, air fryer, backsplashes and countertops have all been steam-cleaned, as has the inside of the dishwasher. I still need to do the fridge, but I'll get there.
I've got chickpeas in the crockpot, cooking up for future use. I might make some soup tonight, or I might just freeze them all for another day. I got groceries yesterday and cooked up two packs of chicken thighs last night --- we had some for dinner, and the rest I've chilled to reuse for lunches or other dinners. I'll freeze anything that's left, for a quick reheat when we need it. It's nice to have these things to tuck into my husband's lunch for school.
I spent yesterday afternoon alternately writing a rather disjunct essay about the Elizabethan poet Fulke Greville and steam-cleaning the downstairs bathroom. I thought that would take maybe half an hour, but no. It took untold hours, albeit not in one unbroken block. I steam-cleaned the vanity counter and sink, paying special attention to old buildup in said sink (I think we have hard water, and it's hard to get the scale off). I steam-cleaned the bathtub, and ditto. That took an age, and I'm still not totally satisfied, but it's a lot shinier than it was. There's a limit, anyway, to how perfect the tub is going to look because it needs re-enameling in the worst way. Then I gave the toilet, the seal around the toilet base, the floor around the toilet, and subsequently the whole bathroom floor the same treatment. AND I cleaned the mirrors, also with steam. The cleaner comes with a handy little squeegee attachment, and let me tell you, steam does clean a glass surface like nothing else.
The result of all this labor: not bad. I have to say, it's not as though I hadn't been cleaning. It wasn't terrible to start with. I do keep things at least superficially clean and tidy. But I had not really deep-cleaned in a very long time, and everything needed it. I also dusted the woodwork and the light fixtures while I was in there. The big problem --- and it's a problem throughout this house --- is that so many surfaces are wood, painted, and hard to clean. You can't use steam on wood or on any latex-painted surface, which rules out a lot of my house. BUT I have my microfiber duster, and I can acquire some more cleaning wipes for baseboards and things, and this house will get clean for the holidays.
So, whew. I still need to do the upstairs bathroom this week, and also pay some attention to the kids' bedrooms, since they'll be home --- the youngest two --- on Saturday.
Today I have a coffee date with a friend who's in town taking care of grandchildren. The grandchildren go to school, so she's free for a chunk of time in the morning, and it'll be fun to get together.
Weather today is supposed to be wet, though it's not raining now. It's currently (at 8:30 a.m.) 47F, with a projected high of 65, which is pleasant, although if it does rain the air will feel colder than it is. Another day for transitional layers . . .
I was quite comfortable with yesterday's temperature fluctuations, and although I did take my big cardigan coat off (and put it on again), I didn't otherwise alter my outfit. The super-opaque Snag tights were a good weight for the chilly morning, but not too hot at the height of the day. I prefer their merino tights for all kinds of reasons, but their microfiber tights are still better than any other comparable item in terms of fit and comfort. My feet were happy as always in my Tari boots. And I just love being able to winterize my Leila dresses. They're so marvelous on their own in hot weather, but it makes me really happy to figure out ways for those dresses to take me through all the seasons. The Cinnamon Rose dress, in particular, was not a cheap secondhand buy (the Chocolate Brown, by contrast, was an unbelievable bargain), so getting to a hundred wears is important. I figure that for any one of my dresses, at the rate I'm wearing them, it will likely take me 3 years to hit that milestone, where the price-per-wear drops below $1, but that's okay. I plan to own and wear these dresses for many more years --- and to wear them year-round, so that they really do return service for that initial investment.
Wearing today:
*Wool& Fiona dress (M) in Marine Blue, bought October 2024, last worn November 10 in Dallas (not pictured). Wears to date this year (approximately, since I've worn this dress to travel and not taken photos): 7. Not bad for a dress I've owned for a matter of mere weeks. I do love this one.
*Secondhand Connemara merino cardigan, bought October 2024, last worn November 14. Wears this year to date: 14 (??!!). This one will earn its keep fast.
*Snag merino tights in Red Velvet Cake, bought last year. This color is quickly becoming a staple neutral for me. It's really burgundy, not a true red, and goes so well and unobtrusively with so many things (but especially blues).
*Xero Tari boots, bought (on sale, as I recall, for about $60) summer 2022, default/staple shoe in this third season of wear. Surely by now these boots are costing me in the negative numbers per wear.
So, this is a good outfit for shifting temperatures. I'll be warm in my cardigan, but not too bare if I take it off. Actually, I'm already so warm in this cardigan that I think I might have to change to something lighter --- will photograph if I do.
I love the fit and flow of my luminous navy dress. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: THIS is the dress I really wanted (but it didn't exist) when I bought my Marine Blue Maggie swing dress two-and-a-half years ago. I have zero regrets about finally selling that dress and buying this one to replace it. This has been my one new purchase of the year, and it was the right one to make. It retains the scoop neckline that I like in the Maggie, and the color, which I adore as a brilliant neutral with a life of its own. But the fit is just far better for my body. I'm not thin-thin or delicate, but even so, I'm a small enough person to be easily swamped by fabric. And I'm realizing that even in loose, relatively unstructured dresses, I like to have some waist definition. Things don't always have to be fit-and-flare (or fit-and-flow, which is how I think of this dress design), but I like a set-in or otherwise tailored waist (loose but with gathers, for example) --- it just feels better on my body.
Anyway. Just revisiting, yet again, how happy I am with this particular purchase. It might take me three years to get a hundred wears out of it (I would need 124 wears to reduce it to $1/wear), but so be it. I'll get there. It's the perfect travel dress, great to dress up for events, comfortable to knock around in on an ordinary day like today.
I did change cardigans, because the thick Aran cardigan already felt too hot:
When in doubt, reach for the good old Peruvian Connection alpaca cardigan, bought in the consignment shop in Cashiers with Marly in the fall of 2022.
I do wish we'd get a spell of really cold weather. So far this year we haven't had a frost --- I'm still picking peppers in the garden and have roses blooming. Oh, well, I know it'll come, but it would be nice to be able to layer up in my good heavy sweaters and be cozy, instead of always planning to peel something off.
In a minute I'll let the dog out for her walk, then be ready to stroll over to the coffee shop. In the afternoon I need to look at another essay, change the sheets on our bed (which I meant to do yesterday and just ran out of energy), and --- if I've got it in me --- tackle the upstairs bathroom with the steam cleaner. If not, that can wait another day.
But I hope you notice how clean my downstairs bathroom mirror is. Nary streak. Nary spot. Nary bit of grease pencil. Admire, friends. Admire.