The zinnias are opening---these are some kind of dwarf species with lovely little button blooms. It's so nice to have their color enlivining the kitchen garden and patio. In the fall, finches will eat their seeds, a nice bonus for a cheap pack of flower seed to provide.
It's cloudy out now, with the promise of some more rain. It rained again late last night after we came in from our walk, soaking everything nicely again. On our walk, coming up the street in the dark, we saw an owl slip across the light: just the pale underside of enormous wings, a shadow on the asphalt, a little disturbance in the dark tree as it settled. We've been hearing them everywhere, talking, late at night lately. A whole parliament of them were carrying on in the big oak two houses over night before last, and sending out calls to another group in a tree somewhere down in the ravine. We stood on the back steps for some time, just listening to them. And I think I heard owlets last night behind the house of the lady who used to live in this house, but now lives in her parents' cottage at the bottom of the neighborhood. They make a kind of hissing sound, almost a non-sound---the husband didn't hear it at all, but I did.
Today:
*walk the dog
*read over this book review which I think I've finished at last, and send it in
*clean the upstairs bathroom, vacuum the Artgirl's room, and make up her bed----she will be here either tonight or tomorrow, I'm not sure which
*make sure the sheets I washed yesterday and had to put in the dryer got dry, so that they don't sour, but will be fresh to put on our bed tomorrow (bamboo sheets for the win in the summer, by the way---I would love to have a second set of these)
We had a nice night out at the pub last night, sitting in the window to watch the weather and walking home between rains. As I thought I might, I just kept on my yesterday's dress and didn't do anything to dress it up more, which it hardly needed. It was too warm for a jean jacket, even in the air conditioning, and anyway, that dress just looks great all on its own, with no help from accessories.
I did add my crossbody bag, which I had thought would not look good with that shade of green. Curiously, I liked the effect far more than I had anticipated:
Anyway, the salient point is that it stayed on my body and so did not get left behind at the pub. I could have put a cardigan in, just in case, because there's that much room in this bag. I didn't and didn't miss having one, but it's good to know that I can.
Wearing today:
*Secondhand Japanese linen pinafore, bought fall 2023, last worn May 30. Wears in 2025 (once I retrieved it from the outbox): 5
*Secondhand 90s-vintage silk-cashmere-merino tank, bought January 2023, year 3 of wear
*Darn Tough Socks, year 2, I think
*Secondhand Xero Oswego shoes, year 2
Okay, I have not lost any appreciable amount of weight, but this pinafore is feeling very large. It is scratching the big-overalls-over-tiny-cami itch, but even so . . . gosh, it's big on me. I find I'm not wearing it except around the house, but that, I think, is all right. I kind of need an apron/pinafore to wear as a coverall when I'm cleaning or gardening, and the denim one I bought for $7 two years ago still doesn't fit (too tight, and I should really resell it or just donate it). This pinafore is cute, but I didn't pay much for it, and I don't mind if something happens to it. It's not really resellable, because the fabric is fraying around the place where I mended the split, so I might as well just use it for days when I'll be doing things that might damage my clothing. Today, in addition to some deep bathroom cleaning, possibly involving bleach, I need to prune back the huge thorny rose outside our bedroom window. Might as well do it while I'm wearing this dress and not one I'd mourn for if it got snagged by a thorn.
My new-to-me olive-green Oswegos should arrive today*, but in the meantime I thought I'd wear these charcoal ones. I don't love the way these shoes look with a midi skirt, but they are comfortable, especially with a pair of wool-blend socks (I love Darn Tough, will pretty much not buy any other brand). With the weather as wet as it is, I thought I'd give my sandals a break. I find sandals generally far more flattering to my legs and feet and my overall appearance, but Oswegos are pretty cute, with their rounded shape and their minimalist silhouette. I like them better than I like any other sneaker-type shoe.
It's just about time to walk the dog, but I think I might nip out and do that pruning before she's ready to go.
Artgirl just texted --- she will be home tonight! Better get a move on all that cleaning.
*Heh, well, these shoes are probably not arriving today. They were in Seattle yesterday. Really not expecting them after all, not for a while . . .
NOON UPDATE
I have walked the dog, pruned the rose, and cast my eye again over the review, but haven't titled it or sent it in. I think I'll meditate on it while I clean upstairs, then get it sent this afternoon. I'd love to start the weekend with that task definitively off my plate.