A close-up of one of my bridal-wreath spireas. That's the actual name; I keep calling them bridal-veil spireas, but wreath is right --- and you can see why. This plant is fairly short-blooming, nothing like the forsythias that bloom for weeks, but it makes a beautiful show when it does bloom, and when it's finished, the cascading leaves are quite pretty as well.
Yesterday afternoon I bottled my first round of dandelion wine, leaving the bottles unsealed while they continue to ferment.
This batch is a darker gold than any I've made before. I think the color results from two things: more citrus than I've used in the past (though still proportionally less than the recipe calls for), and the addition of brown sugar (which some recipes do include), because I didn't have quite enough white sugar. I will note these variations on the labels (fancy word for pieces of masking tape). Already, since yesterday, the yeasty silt has settled a lot, and it will continue to settle for quite some time. I will eventually strain the contents of these bottles into other bottles, to remove some of that sediment, though there's always some left --- I've never gotten my wine pristinely clear at the bottom of the bottle.
The yard is full of dandelions right now, and I want to make another, bigger batch, but it's pouring rain today, so we'll see.
On today:
*dog walk (probably wet)
*work on craft book chapter, due around Easter
*various little jobs of housework
*do something with chickpeas I started in the crockpot last night
*diocesan choir practice at 7:30 tonight, for the Chrism Mass next week
Wearing today (various poses, shoe alternatives):
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Mama maxi dress (S) in Caffe Mocha, bought fall 2024, last worn March 28. Wears in 2025: 7
*Secondhand Birkenstock Mayaris (worn indoors), second year of wear
*Secondhand Xero Oswego s (worn in the rain), first year of wear --- or maybe they're already into their second year? I forget exactly when I bought them. Possibly it was last April, in which case they'd be turning that year's corner, but we'll just say for now that we haven't gotten there yet.
So, it's pouring rain out there, which is why I changed shoes. I didn't think I'd like the look of these charcoal-gray Oswego shoes with this dress, but actually, now that I've got them on, I kind of do. In general I prefer this pair to the purple ones I bought new on clearance several years ago, though I'm reminded that I really should wear those. Maybe I'll do them tomorrow with my Dark Blue-Gray Smock dress, as a purple note with a neutral dress --- maybe I'll wear some other neutral top layer, so that it really is just slate-gray (and maybe oatmeal) with purple shoes.
This has become my consistent rule for this Lent: not just wearing purple daily, but excluding other colors I really like until after Easter. This has worked out pretty well. I have enough purple dresses (4 --- Caffe Mocha Mama, Grape Wine Smock, April Cornell silk, Iris Blue Sierra) to rotate with neutral dresses in gray, brown, and navy (5, if I'm counting right --- Black Heather Audrey, Chocolate Brown Leila, Dark Blue-Gray Smock, Washed Navy Sierra, Marine Blue Fiona) without feeling so deprived that my little color fast breaks down. Nine dresses is really an ample capsule for six weeks. But then penances are supposed to pinch, not punish. A good penance should be sustainable. This is not my only one, but it is the most obvious and the easiest to sustain consistently. And there have been times when I really did consider breaking it for special occasions --- and chose not to, which feels like a good thing. I didn't suffer by choosing not to, but still, it was a constructive choice for more submission to a very light but daily yoke.
I am looking forward to wearing teal, green, lighter blues, and pinks once Lent is over. I'm not going to banish the purples, because I still like these dresses, but at least for Easter week I think my capsule will be anything but purple. Then May will be something blue, for Mary --- but not excluding other colors, as long as they go with blue, which pretty much everything in my closet does. I might also call this Mama dress blue for that month, because it is right on the line between dusty blue and lavender, and I want to wear it as much as I can before the weather gets really hot.
It's about time to let the dog out --- she is curled up in her safe cozy crate still, because it's so dark and gloomy and wet, but she can't stay there forever. BUT wow, it's raining. I might wait a little longer to see if it slackens up just a bit. Rainy days are good for walks, though, because nobody else will be out, and we can amble in peace without dogs barking at us from yards or approaching us with their people up the street.
I had put a couple of aloe plants out on the patio, but I've had to move them under cover so they don't get totally drowned. They do like some water, but not a continual deluge. Didn't really think of that when I was moving things around on Saturday, especially because we're in a drought phase. I don't know whether today's rain will alleviate that at all, but it has been raining for at least the last 18 hours, so maybe . . .
The husband, who spent the weekend in Dallas with the progeny there, said that his last flight home, from Nashville to Charlotte, was interesting. He likes being bounced around. They were delayed somewhat because of the weather, and I was glad he'd opted to drive himself to the airport and leave his car, because I don't think they touched down before midnight. He didn't get home till after 1. It's good to have him back --- now we're both here, and normal life can recommence, which feels very good.
I had better get on with things. It would be nice to grab a nap in the afternoon, since last night's sleep was abbreviated and I'll be out this evening to sing. Looking forward to that, but I do feel a bit tired. Possibly the dog can just go out and poke around in the yard this morning . . .
We'll see. Happy Monday, friends.