Study corner, morning light. There's actual sunlight this morning --- I'm not sure how to handle it. Well, I do need to water that rather droopy pothos on the bookshelf . . . that I know for certain.
I need to hit the thrift stores sometime soon to find some more twin sheets for this daybed. The one I've got on now is not a deep-pocket sheet and doesn't really fit over the stacked mattresses --- but it is clean and fresh, and it looks okay for now, so I'm not stressing about it. But given that the dog loves that daybed, I really need some more cheapo sheets to change out regularly. Both the twin mattresses are covered with waterproof mattress covers, and then there's another one over the top of both, so that they stay very clean and protected, but the top layer does get dirty quickly. I have nice sheets for guests actually to sleep on the bed, but most of the time, basically this is a dog bed, which I also share.
Today I'm going to wash my hair, get dressed, and run out for dog food and other supplies. Then in the afternoon we're going up to knock around in Blowing Rock. We are not big Valentine's Day people, but it's Friday, the husband doesn't have classes, and we figured that since I'm leaving town next week, it would be good to do something fun today.
It's chilly again, not that the temperatures really felt that warm yesterday: 27F at the moment, with a high of 54F. In Blowing Rock it'll be about ten degrees colder. So I'll want to bundle up. Not sure at the moment what I feel like wearing to tramp about, then hang at the Ale House . . . possibly wide-leg jeans again, because I can wear a wool layer under without feeling constricted, plus layers on top. It's bright and dry, so I could wear my suede Melrose boots, which have room for thick wool socks. That might be the thing . . . I don't usually wear the same thing two days in a row, but they say outfit repeating is in for 2025, and who am I to buck a trend?
ON THE OTHER HAND . . .
I didn't expect today to be a poor self-love day, but apparently it is, because I've changed clothes five times in the last hour, feeling not quite right in anything I put on. I have settled on something, I think, because I do have to leave the house, and it's a fairly reliable comfort-type outfit. And in truth, the other things I put on weren't bad, but felt wrong, which is a sign that something's off in me. Not serious, but good to pay attention to.
At any rate, here are some things I tried (I did first put on the purple wide-leg jeans again, but decided I didn't feel like pants):
*Secondhand Garnet Hill green lantern maxi skirt (bought summer 2024)
with
*Secondhand Connemara cardigan, bought last fall, very familiar to regular readers by now.
1. Secondhand Icebreaker 100% merino tee, bought February 2025. I really like this tee. I like it with this skirt. But something felt off.
2. Secondhand Eileen Fisher pink merino tank, bought January 2023. I thought, Valentine's Day. Pink. I should wear pink. But still something felt off.
I actually didn't intend to wear this cardigan and skirt together, because I assumed the greens wouldn't look good next to each other, but then I thought I'd try it. And really, the green-on-green was a lot better than I had expected. But the skirt, specifically, felt wrong. I don't know whether it's just becoming too big, or what, but it's been feeling a bit droopy and loose, like it won't stay in place. Clothes that slide around bother me. I like flow --- I don't like droop and twist and weirdness. This has been my favorite skirt, but I notice I'm avoiding it, and this seems to be why. I might have to resell it and buy another in a size down, which wouldn't be bad. Going to ponder, anyway. But for the moment, it just felt like the wrong energy.
So . . .
*Wool& Brooklyn dress (S/Long) in Beetroot, bought November 2023, last worn February 1. Wears in 2025: 2
*Secondhand Connemara cardigan (first year of wear) as before
*Secondhand Eileen Fisher merino tank worn as camisole/base layer (tucked into my tights to keep things smooth under this relatively thin dress)
*Snag footless black cashmere tights (living up to their name, I have to say --- I love them, but they have really pilled and snagged in the season I've been wearing them)
*Devold wool socks, bought in Norway, summer 2023
*Birkenstock Melrose boots in graphite, second year of wear
And . . . clean but rather frizzy hair. I think I must have used too much conditioner and/or LUS leave-in, but whatever. It's clean.
I still don't feel fab, but then I think this is often brought on by the expectation of going out somewhere and wanting to look fab. In my own eye, I never live up to the hype. But that's a problem of perception, not of objective reality.
My dress is cute, my cardigan looks nice with it and is warm, my husband will like what I'm wearing, and my hair will dry and look better than it does at this moment. My feet will be warm and comfortable for walking.
It's just always good to default to a sure thing, even if you're not sure about it. I think I'm worn out with separates and experimenting for the moment, and it's good to rest in clothes I know I like, even if my mood hasn't quite caught up with theirs.
And now I need to walk the dog and run these errands I've been meaning to run. The sun is shining, and everything will be fine.