Zinnias contemplating their glorious flowering. Once they do flower, they'll bloom until the frost kills them, and I will have continual blossoms to cut and bring inside.
Here's yet another shot of the golden hour across the room from where I'm sitting right now, but with a little difference:
My Mother's Day gift from the Artgirl. I don't know how well you can see the sequins around the rim --- this is a purely decorative piece, not a bowl I can use for food service. That's fine, because as it is, I have more bowls than I can use in a single lifetime (have I mentioned lately that I'm not interested in minimalism? because I'm not).
What's up today? The usual . . .
*dog walk
*dusting (moving pictures around yesterday, I noticed how dusty the frames were --- ergo, that's my housecleaning project of the day)
*writing (various projects)
*reading (finished all the Mapp and Lucia, so now I need to consider what's next)
Wearing today (for Day 11 of my June Wear Everything Once Challenge):
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (M, I think? Or S/M?) in Grape Wine, bought last August or September, last worn April 2, for my reading at VMI, in Lent. Wears in 2025: 10
*Secondhand Xero Z-Trek sandals, year 1 of wear
I think I'm finally over Lent enough to feel like wearing real purple. Lavender sort of doesn't count, except when I need to count it as purple for a penitential season. Otherwise it just feels light and neutral, not like Hello, I'm wearing purple today. I love purple, and many shades of it suit me pretty well, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and some recovery time always seems indicated.
But I'm happy to put this dress on today, after a 2-month rest. I own three dresses in this classic Not Perfect Linen style (all secondhand, bought at discounts of various generosity), and they're all so different from each other that it's like not having three dresses in the same style at all. This one has the most modification: a v-neck instead of the soft scoop neck that is standard for the design, plus a waist tie that significantly alters the silhouette, depending on how you tie it.
The fabric is the same soft, sturdy linen that makes all other linen seem cheap by comparison (even when it isn't), and the color, like all their colors, is rich and vibrant and beautiful. This purple feels a little dark for the springtime (outside Lent, anyway), but perfect for the intensity of summer, with its brighter flowers. And of course it's great for the fall, when I want not to look like the beach, but it's still so hot I might as well be at the beach.
It also layers gorgeously for the winter. In fact, so far, I have mostly worn this dress in cold weather. The last day I wore it --- April 2, in Lexington, Virginia --- was quite chilly. And because I bought it in September (I think) of last year, I have mostly worn it as a fall and winter dress, with tights and cardigans and boots and base-layer tees and sweaters underneath. I don't really own many dresses that aren't very versatile, but this one certainly is versatile. But for now I'm happy that the summer is here, and it doesn't have to be versatile at all. I can just put it on with a pair of sandals and go.
Day 4 hair in a braided bun with spiral pins. I haven't worn it this way in a long time, and haven't worn spiral pins much at all, but every once in a while they're what I want, rather than a clip. I was careful to be sure my updo wasn't pulling at any part of my scalp, and I put the pins in gently, trying to avoid any breakage. I wouldn't do this every day, but sometimes it is what I want to do. I might have washed my hair today, but since it's already Wednesday, and tomorrow is pub night, I thought I'd wait. My scalp still feels okay, and I gave it a very thorough wash on Sunday, so I think it'll last one more day. In the meantime, it's up off my neck and out of my way.
It's not 9 a.m. yet, and the dog is still asleep in her crate. I think I'll drink some more coffee and think about writing something of my own before the day's work gets going.