I remember a time when I had to wear pantyhose. Those were dark days. Then I quit my full time job and became a student/TA, and my wardrobe got much simpler. Then I became a full time writer, and my wardrobe bifurcated into Tour Clothes and Writing Clothes, aka pajamas and nightgowns. Then the virus hit and I left the Tour Clothes behind forever and now it’s Writing Clothes all the time. I’ve never been so comfortable in my life. I even have one Writing Clothes dress in several colors. It’s this one. Long enough to cover everything up without looking like a tent. Stretchy so it never binds. Hoodie if my head gets cold. And bonus, if I put this jacket over it with the hood down in back, it looks like I Made An Effort. Also, POCKETS.
The virus is a horrible thing, but it has made comfortable clothes a possibility 24/7. That makes me happy.
What made you happy this week?
We’re visiting family in Ohio at my favorite time of year and a time I think is particularly pretty here (Not a big fan of Ohio weather usually). Seeing people we haven’t seen for . . over 6 months, including a toddler niece that is just growing by leaps and bounds and a baby that wasn’t even here last time.
Ohio has beautiful land, water, and sunsets, saith the native Buckeye. Enjoy your stay!
As ever, being in the garden. On Wednesday I sorted the shed and cleaned all the pots and trays I’ve used this year. Today I’ve disinterred last year’s bulbs from a couple of windowboxes, and am about to start planting pots for next spring.
My niece and her fiancé came for a night, on their way up to the Yorkshire Dales.
And my house and garden keep giving me joy.
Bought a couple of bags of daffodil bulbs to plant for next spring. Had an amazing sunny 75-degree (F) day, did outdoor things. Then went to an outdoor concert, spaced and masked, and heard a great band. Probably the last live music we’ll hear this year, so enjoyed it.
Found a great find in the thrift shop, a lamp made from a Chinese vase. I let myself think about it for a while, but it kept calling. On the way out a man noticed it and gave me a little information, he said he thought the vase might be 19-century. Or a copy. But it assuaged any shopper’s remorse.
We just had a discussion about thrift stores/flea markets/antique stores at breakfast this morning. My granddaughter prefers thrift stores for the retro look. I’m more into antique stores. My son is not fussy he’ll go to all three. This week he had a day off and found at an old iron works site a padlock. He googled it and found out it was from the 1870’s and worth $325 if it had the key.
My favorite thrift store is closed until spring due to the pandemic. I am counting the days, because I buy all my jeans and cashmere sweaters there and I miss the volunteers. It is only open a few days each month so it always feels like an occasion when I go there. And all profits are divided between 6 very worthy local nonprofits.
Wearing my halloween clothes this month, which makes me happy. I get surprisingly few comments, considering the shirt, socks, earrings, etc. are usually all halloween related. Closer to the day, I carry candy to had out to anyone who comments, which makes me ridiculously happy. I don’t know why.
I cleaned out my sock and underwear drawer last week, and discovered nothing exciting. Mostly Socks. And Underwear (and a few comfy things I’d forgotten I owned).
But I also found about a dozen pair of pantihose. Very very old and forgotten pantihose. I have no idea when I last bought a pair. Or even wore any.
Like finding a time capsule from another century. Oh wait, I’ll bet they ARE.
One of the things I carried over in my lingerie drawer when making changes was a black lace mantilla from the early sixties. When I finally tossed it was because it was beginning to turn green. Also I hadn’t worn since the early sixties. Borderline hoarder here.
I love old pantyhose but not to wear. They can be cut into stretchy things, as rubber bands or to tie plants or to use in face masks when elastic is hard to find…
Right now I feel happy because I haven’t eaten sugar in a week and my body is loving that decision. Later when I ‘m battling an insane urge for something sweet I may feel something different. For now I ‘m going to enjoy these moments.
(Jenny BTW I’m changing email addresses so this may end up in spam. I have commented for years as Judy or clever cherry.)
I first started trying to wear hose in junior high, when I would wear dresses. I didn’t really know where my body began and ended, and I would snag those suckers just walking down the aisle getting on the bus. Feeling uncool just remembering.
But when I finally found panty hose that fit and stretched, I kind of liked wearing them in a work situation, I used to work in offices where the dress code was more formal than my present life in IT. Opaque tights are the best of both worlds.
I don’t count tights as pantyhose, at least not the thick kind that aren’t inclined to run. It’s those semi-transparent devils I loathe.
And leggings are the best.
I wore pantyhose this morning for church and the only thing I didn’t like about it was that my legs got cold (we have to turn off the heater for coronavirus reasons). If you get well-fitting ones, they’re not a problem, methinks.
Brings back memories of retiring and immediately going through my clothes and getting rid of any duplicates and ‘work’ stuff. Apparently a lot of women do that.
I have a few basic classic pants/jacket outfits for when I feel I can’t wear jeans. And I should purge some of those things.
Really like wearing what I’m comfortable in all of the time.
Otherwise, keeping up with the minimal I need to do to keep the house functioning and clean. Oh, and, I did store the lawnmower for the year!!!
And, it’s great dog-walking weather.
It makes me happy to remember when I retired — I purged dress shoes. These days I look at the Duchess of Cambridge wearing what I swear must be six-inch needle heels (AND pointed toes) and am very grateful for flat shoes in a size that fits me so well I can buy them online (SAS). And after I retired, I went to the shoe store to replace a worn pair and asked whether they had them in my size — they did — and when I was about to pay for them, I saw a display of novelty socks. Impulse purchase! I bought a pair of black socks with small multicolored pawprints. My mother liked them so well that I bought another pair of novelty socks — probably holiday-themed. Next thing I knew she wanted to see my socks every day and was very disappointed if they were plain. After that, the doctor’s office staff fell all over themselves the year I had an appointment on October 31 and came in wearing a pair of socks that had an x-ray of the foot bones.
I have about 5 or 6 of those dresses! I love them. And I love sleeping in them… 🙂
I might have to get a couple of those dresses. Looks very comfy.
Not too hot or hot flash inducing?
The knit is thin, but not see-through. There are short sleeve versions, too.
What made me happy this week: we had the chance to sleep as long was we wanted on Saturday. And got over 12+ hours of undisturbed sleep, the three of us. Quite crazy the time when dear daughter woke up and informed us about the time (past noon). Happy decadent times indeed!!
About clothes: I’d love to be more adventurous in my clothing. But then it has to be practical as well as fit for office work at a business school. I love the style of Gudrun Sjöden (Swedish) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin as Frankie in Grace & Frankie) . also Frankie’s earrings are great, but I’m rather far off those targets. Much too subdued.
I love the dress though I try to stay away from polyester and synthetic fibers as much as I can. i have two very similar dresses in Viscose and I love them dearly. Wearing them at home with a shirt or T-shirt above. But I can’t cycle in them, more’s the pity.
I have six pairs of Gudrun Sjöden pants and two dresses. A friend insisted I buy some pieces before my hip replacement; she said they’d be great to sleep in and look nice for physical therapists, too. Boy, was she right. I haven’t worn anything else in more than a year. Have the pants in all the colors. Never going back to jeans.
It’s kind of WorkingWednesday material (again), but I do feel happy when I get stuff done, especially things I’ve put off doing for years: I cut down two trees, about 3-4″ in diameter that were growing in what was supposed to just myrtle next to my house and I delayed cutting them when they were just twigs.
And I did it with out damaging anyone or anything. One of them was taller than I realized and the top branches got caught for a while in other trees about fifteen feet away, but other than that, it was uneventful, and now I have a bunch of 12″ long logs to offer to a neighbor who has a wood stove (although they need to try for six months, so not immediately useful). Being able to help other people also makes me happy.
Oh, and I created a Bookshop.org page, so I can encourage people to support local bookstores even when they can’t go to actual brick-and-mortar bookstores.
Sigh. Dry, not try.
I have not been able to wear pantyhose comfortably and stopped as soon as I quit ballet at 18.
It’s Spring. It’s been raining. The annual September Garden show was cancelled due to pandemic so I finally made the 90 minute drive to my favourite vendor from the show. I came back with 12 plants. I am so happy.
Off course, now that I sit here cataloguing them in my mind I realise that I saw a hibiscus and said I’d take it but forgot to put it aside when I got distracted by the peach tree they had at the site! Argh and lol.
I planted today. Am so happy.
Life’s a series of waves 🌊, innit, up and down! 😂
With the help of my DH, we are dying my hair Rose Red and Flamingo Pink.
Also making up a care package of pumpkin bread, brownies, and peanut butter cookies for a friend of our youngest son. The house smells amazing.
Oh, panty hose! I remember carrying a bottle of clear nail polish, so I could “stop” the totally-expected run before it took over my whole leg. VERY happy those days are past!
I’m happy I can sit around the house in my comfy robe, or one of my house dresses (full-length cotton, look like muumuus) and know no one will drop by (because of Covid) so I don’t have to get dressed. I am also happy it is Sunday, which (forgive me) in my house means FOOTBALL. We’ve had massive thundershowers the past couple of days (Seattle weather,) and it is still raining, so I’m looking forward to cuddling up on my electric recliner with my knitted afghan, drinking coffee, reading the Sunday paper, and watching football. Oh, and my son has found a bunch of recipes for our Instant Pot, so I’ll be figuring out a grocery list to take advantage of those recipes. MMMM, Korean short ribs! Sloppy joes! Chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya!
Lamb babies make me happy. Unfortunately I’m now hand raising 12 of the little sods!! They’re always pleased to see me, when they’re fresh and you have to carry them they nuzzle under your chin, the lovely frolics they go on are delightful. I wish more of them lived in the paddock with their stupid mothers, but clearly it’s just one of those years (shame on me for still being surprised at the shit 2020 is throwing at everyone).
I was happy that I got to eat at a hole-in-the-wall place that serves Greek food on Wed., getting to know our priest for the transition. (Our previous priest left in July; there’s a whole 18-month process to get a new priest, so I’m really glad this woman and I seem to be on the same wave length.) Also happy that I am cleaning, which I don’t generally do, but it’s bad enough that I can see real progress. Also that I have made plans for next weekend away, if Covid doesn’t stop me; waiting to hear if a friend’s test came back positive. The guidelines aren’t clear, imho–what do I do if I was with her on Monday and she had symptoms on Thursday? CDC seems to say if we stayed 6 feet apart and masked, maybe okay. I need to go measure the room we were in!
Did tons of acting this weekend–helped a friend workshop 2 plays, did my own play rehearsal, and then did a streaming event fundraiser that I did freaking great at. I really want to be in “The Revolutionists” again, it was so cool.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/766843958?t=0h0m1s is the stream, sound starts at about 3:30, actual play starts at 9:30.
Tonight is the online cast party for the Robin Hood play, so we get to view that one as well.
That dress looks very comfy.
My son washed the big bay windows inside & out. Winter plant ready. Smiling.
The Dress! Hood! Pockets! Cotton! Color! Yessss!
I vowed decades ago (mutual pact with fellow Pragmatic Dressing for Women PhDers), “No pockets, no sale!” We have stuck to it. It has meant browsing the mens’ section at Good Will, and confusing family, friends, and passersby children with gender issues when I show up in a Harris tweed jacket & short hair, but, hey! It was a vow! I respond to gender inquiries, “Well, what do you think? How can you tell? What are the clues?” Then, with children, universally, “Good guess!” With adults, I smile and shrug.
I have saved my mother’s beige all cotton winter ballet tights (b. 1908) in a bottom drawer corner. A sort of relic of women born without the right to vote and a sort of refusal to compromise on fabric or my right to be healthy and warm. Lands End cotton chubby girls XL tights still fit my flat body, and they have stars! Merci la bonne dieue.
Early voting made me happy this week. Instead of skipping the judges’ races as I usually do, this year I researched all the ones in my area. It really felt good to know I was not giving away my vote by skipping those races or voting in ignorance. Let’s hope I remember this feeling of satisfaction before the next election and do some research then, too.
Voting against Trump made me VERY happy, indeed. It made me wish that the instructions to vote early and often here in Chicago weren’t just a joke.
The changing leaves make me very happy, too. I went shopping in the suburbs with my sister and we took a longer route coming home just so we could see a different bunch of trees. Oh, they were so beautiful! It is like Nature is giving us a gift to help tide us over until the leaves return.
Huge dose of happiness here this week – the visa processing center in San Francisco has reopened, and we have an appointment to apply for our Portugal visas on 10/29! Cue the mad scramble for updated documents, but I’m happy dancing while doing so.
We got to have brunch (outdoors) with my bff and her husband today – they were down from northern California for a family event and we made time to hang. Lobster rolls, Peruvian scallops and a big glass of rose a block from the ocean. Bliss.
I have mostly given up on clothes as a feel-good thing. The state issues me uniforms, the latest are three green-ish cargo pants with “IEMU” over the left rear pocket. Also three tennis tee shirts (tee shirts with collars?) with the VA Department of Corrections logo and IEMU above where there should be but isn’t a pocket. I still have the previous three sets – khaki pants and green shirts, all with “ESU” instead of “IEMU”. We are no longer the Environmental Services Unit. We are the Infrastructure and Environmental Management Unit. I still have the green pants and tennis tees from when we were just Corrections Buildings and Grounds. Anyway, work clothes are accounted for.
If I need to go shopping, I pull on an old pair of green pants and a pocket tee. For around the house? Mostly this robe in size 6X because “way, way too big” is more comfy. There might be boxers underneath. Possibly socks and/or slippers if it’s cold.
This week the census project to count all kids in the census was one of three coalitions honored by national advocates.
There is nothing like being honored by people you admire and respect.
Also the name of the award is “human needs hero”.
You can probably feel me glowing.
I should have said the project I led for the last two years. And to be clear, it’s not a government project; I work at a nonprofit.
Congratulations!
Having retired this summer and gone back to school, my wardrobe is mostly jeans, t-shirts and a sweatshirt/jacket. I have a large number of scarves which I’m wearing – I get chilly sitting for hours during Zoom classes and studying. I’m studying horticulture, so probably will never wear most of my work clothes again. But since it’s impossible to predict the future, I’ll hang onto some of them for now.
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving which means a long weekend. I’ve started getting my gardens ready for winter. Discovered bugs on a few indoor plants so treated them outside and washed all the plants that I over winter indoors. Went on a lovely hike with friends – we drove separately and social distanced while walking. Beautiful colours in the woods. DH bought half a turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner. I made cranberry sauce but forgot about it and it burned (pot was fine). I didn’t have quite enough cranberries left so threw in some blueberries. It was delicious!
I have been happy to work barefoot for the past almost-seven months. 🙂 Mostly wearing Cherokee scrubs-type cargo pants – elastic waist, pockets, not clingy like leggings – with a tee shirt or tank top depending on how hot it is. Ours is (was?) not a particularly formal office, I got by with Lucy Everyday pants and nice tops, but still: barefoot and commando. Aaaahh.
Happy was getting myself out of the house for two hours of fairly-productive yard work, and a 40-minute walk on the actual beach with the husband. A lot of people out there were not masked, but we were walking and nobody was close. Discovered I am shamefully deconditioned and need to get serious about daily physical activity.
That dress looks gorgeous and comfy. I love pjs around the house.
This week my happy is simple. Tuna melt on Truckee Sourdough with lashings of butter, mayo and grey poupon.