The backyard apple tree in her joyful beauty, to wish any UK mothers who might be reading this a lovely day.
This tree is old and sick, and every year we meditate on chopping it down, to give the fig tree, which produces quite nice figs, more light and space. But then she blooms . . . and it's another year's reprieve.
We were going to take down the volunteer mulberries that have sprung up in the last several years, but this year they have catkins, i.e. flowerets, for the first time that I've noticed. I was looking last year, but didn't know what I was looking for or when to look, so I might have missed them, but this year, there they were:
I am pretty sure that at least one of these trees is male, but then I've seen what might be female catkins on another --- and one tree has what could (because sometimes this does occur) be some of both. So . . . a reprieve for these mulberries, though I do still want to take down the one that's growing up through the forsythia in the tangle of my Mary garden. At least now that I know where to look, it should become fairly obvious within the next few weeks whether either of the trees by the kitchen-garden fence is setting fruit. If yes, then we keep it. If no, then that's more sun for the kitchen garden. These trees have never borne before, and I had just about decided that after three years they weren't going to, but we shall see. It would be fantastic to have mulberries, in addition to gooseberries and blackberries, and maybe, possibly, someday, a blueberry harvest the birds don't get to first.
I cannot, alas, share photos of our godson and his family on the internet --- well, I wouldn't, let's put it that way. But he's a darling, and we had a great time with them all yesterday. The baptismal rite was interesting, a completion of an emergency baptism performed by his father under urgent circumstances either when he was born or was still a very tiny baby, in a period when the family were away from the church. So it was basically a chrismation, quite brief but very lovely, with a nice little homily from the young African priest who performed it and who has obviously developed a nice relationship with W. and his older sisters.
Dinner out last night in Belmont, then a fun time at Twelfth Night. Home late, late-night abbreviated dog walk, a glass of aquavit because Saturday night in Lent, then an abbreviated late-night sleep.
Today:
*Mass
*Getting my act together for three days in Virginia
*In light of which, an outfit plan
The weather's supposed to be quite warm --- possibly rainy, but warm. I will take a pair of tights and some alternative shoes just in case, but I think I can wear a linen dress + cardigan + shoes of my choice for just about everything and be fine. I'll spend tomorrow night with my friend Tessa, who's hosting the DC reading, then two nights in Lexington, where I'll have dinner with my host, Steve Knepper (editor of the marvelous New Verse Review and occupant of an endowed chair in English at VMI), and his family Tuesday night, then spend Wednesday at VMI having lunch and conferences with cadets, then dinner out with faculty, then reading to a general audience.
On my last road trip, I took LOTS of clothes . . . partly out of indecision, partly because as it turned out, the weather was awful. This time, however, I think I will pack pretty economically. I'll throw in my rain jacket as an extra layer, but my hope is that I won't need it. Being in two places, too, means that I can rotate and repeat things. I'm fairly inclined to wear my either my Grape Wine or my Dark Gray-Blue Smock dress tomorrow for the road and the evening reading. Possible the Grape Wine Smock, which does look nice and a little dressier. Then maybe my Mama dress for the road and dinner the next day, since that will all be casual. THEN maybe the Dark Gray-Blue Smock dress for the day on post at VMI (that's what they say --- post, not campus ---), changing into my Grape Wine Smock for the evening's events. I will probably included my Marine Blue Fiona, in case I feel like that level of polish, though, for something, most probably the day events on Wednesday.
Anyway, I'll sort all that out this afternoon. I want to pack in my backpack, though I'm open to using the wheeled suitcase (a little more adult and professional-looking) again. I know I'll take my pink silk cardigan, my purple cotton Eddie Bauer cardigan (despite its age and mended status), and my beige silk cardigan --- good light layers that will go with any dress I pack. I'll have my Birk Mayaris on my feet for travel, most likely, and take my ankle-strap sandals and my Mary wedges for events. That will all make a nice, flexible little capsule that should serve me well. Actually, I might put in my Washed Navy Sierra for the Tuesday drive, to wear again to drive home on Thursday, but change out of it for dinner at Steve's Tuesday night. I think I want to show up at Tessa's basically ready to stand up and read on Monday night, but I will have more leeway, and time to check into my Lexington hotel, on Tuesday, so I might as well be casual and unrumpled in the car.
But enough of that. I really do need to dispose myself mentally for Mass. AND I need to get dressed.
Wearing:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (S/M) in Dark Blue-Gray (or Gray-Blue, I never remember which it is), bought December 2023, last worn March 21. Wears in 2025: 4
*Secondhand Eileen Fisher silk-rayon cardigan, first year of wear
*Secondhand Birkenstock sandals (name unknown), first year of wear
I abandoned the idea of a skirt over my Beetroot Brooklyn dress --- just didn't feel like that. I'll save those dresses for Eastertide and everyday and date nights, kicking around in Birks in the sunshine and long warm evenings. I'm still liking my motif of purple and neutrals, though today, as it is Laetare Sunday, I've spun from purple to this soft rosy pink, which I adore. This is all simple and unfussy, appropriately for Lent, and good for a day when the high is 75F.
And I can sing the praises, yet again, of this dress --- the same model as the dress I wore yesterday, but with no modifications as far as I can tell. It's such a lovely, swingy, cool dress for warm weather, though I do like layering it in the fall and winter, so it's versatile as well. This slaty gray-blue goes with everything I own but is a good color for me in itself. I went some weeks without wearing it --- the whole month of February? how did I manage that?? --- but am ready to make up for lost time.
Time now to hang out some hand-washing in the sun, and give the dog a breath of air before we leave for Mass.
EVENING UPDATE:
A lovely day. Beautiful Laetare Sunday Mass with the abbot preaching and celebrating. Lunch out at Floyd and Blackie's in Cramerton, on the deck looking over the river. A long, lazy afternoon of sitting in the sun with Dora, reading and writing. Light dinner and a bottle of wine, because Sunday in Lent.
I'm just about packed for my week on the road. What's in my pack?
*NPL Grape Wine Smock dress
*NPL Caffee Mocha Mama dress
*Wool& Marine Blue Fiona dress
*Wool& Washed Navy Sierra dress
*Banana Republic beige silk-cotton cardigan
*Eileen Fisher pink silk-rayon cardigan
*Snag Sand Dollar Merino tights (in case a night is chilly)
*Birk ankle-strap sandals
*Birk Mary wedges
Planning to wear on the road and to read tomorrow night:
*NPL Dark Blue-Gray Smock dress (repeated from today)
*Eddie Bauer purple cotton cardigan
*Birk Mayaris
I'll change into my ankle-strap sandals for the reading, but I think that outfit will carry over nicely from day to evening.
This is probably at least one dress too many --- not sure I will wear the Mama dress --- but it's good to have some options and to consider possible vagaries of weather. It all fits in the backpack, anyway. I will also carry a tote bag with my hairdryer/diffuser and toiletries and throw a jacket in the car just in case, though I am glad it's not looking like being 14 degrees again.
My basic outfit plan for the travel portion of the week:
Monday: (as described above) NPL Dark Blue-Gray Smock dress with purple cardigan and Mayaris during the day, ankle-strap sandals for the reading
Tuesday: Washed Navy Sierra with purple cardigan and Birks. I MIGHT put on my Mama dress to go to dinner at Steve's. That was my thought in including it. Depends on how I feel at the end of a day in my Sierra. The Mama dress would feel more dressed up, even with Birks, so I might really do that.
Wednesday (The Big Day): Marine Blue Fiona and purple cardigan with either ankle-strap sandals or Mary wedges (quite possibly the latter) to go to lunch with cadets and then meet individually with some hand-picked English students in the afternoon. Then Grape Wine Smock dress, pink silk cardigan, and ankle-strap sandals for dinner and reading.
Thursday: Washed Navy Sierra again, with purple cardigan and Birks, to drive home.
This feels like a decent plan. Thinking through it saves me some decision fatigue . . . I can deviate from this plan if I feel like it, but otherwise I have a script I can follow, which helps when I'm traveling and have to be on for things. The less stress, the better. And if I can avoid stupid stress about my appearance, so VERY much the better.