Redbud glory by the back fence.
It's Friday, I've finished all my essays for next week, and among other things, I might have another go at a second batch of dandelion wine. Still kicking myself for forgetting about yesterday's batch on the stove while I was writing, but . . . well, that is the story of my cooking. I'm not a bad cook as long as I'm paying attention, but there's the caveat, that there. I burned the sugar solution to the bottom of the stainless-steel pan good and hard, but am going to try scrubbing it again after an overnight soak, and we'll see where we are. In the meantime, there's certainly no shortage of dandelions in the lawn right now.
Otherwise . . . I need to do a store run, and I need to try my mother again, because she was out when I called yesterday. I'm about 85 pages into the novel I promised to blurb, so that's another thing on the agenda --- this blurb is due Tuesday, so I am speed-reading and formulating my fairly standard back-jacket phrases.
Phone call to my host at VMI this afternoon as well, to run over details for my visit there next week.
Stations of the Cross after dinner tonight.
Tomorrow we're going to a baptism --- a former student and current friend of the husband's has asked us to be godparents to one of his children, who was not baptized as an infant (long and winding story) so is receiving that sacrament at age 9. If you are so inclined, please pray for W., as he prepares for this step of sacramental conversion.
And tomorrow night we're going out to dinner, then to the Abbey's production of Twelfth Night, my most favorite of Shakespearean comedies.
For supper tonight, I have some chickpea rotini and penne, and I think I'm going to do a penne dish with roasted grape tomatoes, black olives, whole garlic cloves, and feta. The high today is supposed to be 78F, and something fresh, light, simple, and summery seems entirely indicated.
Wearing today:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Mama maxi dress (S) in Caffe Mocha, bought fall 2024, last worn March 18. Wears in 2025: 6
*Secondhand Birkenstock Mayari sandals, first year of wear
I might need a cardigan to go out this morning, but again, it's promising to be a warm day. And --- another day, another dress I love. I'm glad to have one linen dress, at least, with sleeves, and these 3/4 sleeves are so good through the seasons, providing coverage but not a lot of weight and warmth. This is yet another dress I've enjoyed with boots, tights, and layers, but I enjoy it just as much all by itself with a pair of sandals.
Last time I wore this dress I splashed myself with grease cooking, so I had to wash and hang it out. It's still a little wrinkled from that experience, but the wrinkles will relax with wear. NPL actively advises you not to iron their linen, and friends, I am here for that.
I might possibly repeat this dress tomorrow with my new (to me) and as-yet unworn Birk Papillio ankle-strap sandals --- I don't know the name of this style, but I love it. These have a smaller wedge heel than my Mary wedges, but the wrap strap at the ankle makes them feel special and dressy. Still earthy and very much me, but definitely more dressed up. It could be nice for a baptism and then possibly carry me through to dinner and the play, although I might change into my silk dress for the evening, just to give it another wear.
I do want to see how this dress works in a slightly dressier presentation, because I'm still trying to determine what dresses I want to take on my Virginia trip next week, for readings, student meetings, meals with faculty and students, etc. I am actually --- hold the phone --- considering not taking ANY wool dresses, though I will probably revise that thought and at least throw in my Marine Blue Fiona, if not also my Iris Blue Sierra.
I've spent the early part of the morning on revisions to a novella I drafted some years ago, which I think I might try out this summer as my next book proposal . . . I've had two novellas sitting around that I think, with revisions, are ready to see the light of day, so I might as well kick them out the door as a single book (each is really too short to be a book on its own). Eventually I'm going to run out of finished writing, and then what, but for now I might as well see how many books I can publish in how few years . . .
But now I want to play my NT Times games, before Dora and I venture out into the sunshine.
ALSO:
Resold and shipped the lavender jeans. Not sad. I think that was the right choice. Nice experiment, but good to send them on to a new home.
Energized by that sale, I've also put the Levis up for sale. As I look back at my album from the year so far, I just do not love the photos of me in trousers. I would far rather wear dresses, even for outdoor things, and I will wear the dresses I have if I don't feel that I have to wear other things also in my closet, if that makes sense. If I buy anything else large-ish, I'd rather it were a dress. So I'm making room for that, and/or simply paring back to foreground clothes I actually like wearing. AND I'm trying to build some credit back up, so that I could potentially buy something else I really like (another NPL dress? another pair of Birks?) without its costing me much actual money.