Winter morning study with books and coffee. The outside temperature right now is 38F, but this is just about the day's high. It looks very leaden, but it's not quite cold enough to snow --- temperatures today won't get above 43F, but they also won't drop below freezing, and tomorrow's set to be warmer. So: rain and drear, which are the major characteristics anyway of winter in these parts.
I found that twin bed skirt when I was cleaning out the linen closet upstairs. Yesterday I took it out of the dryer and decided to use it, to conceal all the mismatched storage baskets under the daybed. We'll see if I can continue to use it when the Ikea daybed frame replaces this one --- it's a bit froufrou, maybe, and will get dingy and need to be washed, which is a pain, but I do like the way it looks. Norwegian houses often have these little touches of eyelet in the midst of clean, plain, fresh wooden interiors, and you know, far be it from me not to love a little Norwegian touch in my North Carolina writing room . . .
Mass this morning, then home to finish making hummus and fetch some pita crisps to go with it, then to our friends' party in the country outside Hickory later this afternoon.
Wearing:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (S/M) in Grape Wine, bought September 2024, last worn December 6. Total wears this year to date: 9
*Secondhand Icebreaker merino base-layer tee, bought . . . a couple of years ago? Maybe as late as January 2023 . . . anyway. Continuing to be a nice staple under various dresses this winter.
*Secondhand Ann Taylor blazer cashmere/rabbit-hair cardigan, bought October 2024, last worn November 22? That long ago?
*Snag super-opaque microfiber tights in Hot Chocolate, bought this past summer for a first season of wear.
*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022, third season of heavy regular wear.
This isn't precisely what I had on my outfit plan for today, but it's what I felt like wearing. I bought purple dresses for wear in Advent and Lent, and by golly . . . Also, there's rain in the forecast, which made silk dress/suede boots seem not a great idea. Linen has the advantage of being relatively indestructible. And I can get my Gaudete hits of rose in while still getting wear out of this purple dress, which I love in any season.
In a minute I'll take the dog out for her morning spin, and shortly it'll be time to depart for Mass.
LATER:
It's really raw out there, even though the temperature is well above freezing. So here's the scarf-added version of the day's outfit:
Roasting garlic right now, and my goodness, it smells divine. Soon to begin pulverizing chickpeas and tahini with the roasted garlic, lemon juice, and some dried cayenne peppers for bite. Mmmmmmm...