Fragrant reminders

 

 

The official start of each day was marked with

 the invigorating burst of citrus

as the first mandarin

was peeled. 

 

(We consumed soooo many of these little gems.)

 

In the way that warm and cold currents run through

a body of water

the aromas of Paris washed over us in turn.

 

Baking bread? Check.

Melted butter?  Bien sur.

The sleepy scent of chocolate?  Mmmmm.

Falafel?  Just around the corner. 

 

Fresh cut trees.

Roasting chestnuts.

Espresso.

 

 

 

 

Flower markets.

Fish markets.

Herbs.

Oils.

Cigarettes.

The occasional cigar or pipe.

Today's special.

 

 

Lavender sachets.

Soaps, lotions,

and perfumes.

She chose SacreBleu.

 

Close at hand

 

 

My visit was further enhanced

by various tactile expressions: 

 

Vin chaud and a new wool wrap

to ward off the chill.

 

Stiff linen napkins at Ladurée.

 

The heft of silverware at Musée D'Orsay.

 

Heavy, elegant menus.

 

Chilled fingers

stealing heat from a cup of chocolate.

 

Silk wall coverings at the Carnavalet.

 

The supple warmth of

a nutella crepe.



 

Eric Bompard's cashmere.

 

The exchange of bills and coins.

 

Sorting through bins of used books.

 

Vintage furs, silks and leather bags.

 

New "furs" and silks.

 

Soothing lotions.

 

A hot shower and warm bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appropriate

The third word to describe how I want to

 be seen is appropriate.

 

Healthy.

Casual.

Appropriate.

 

So, here's where I am:

 

I hadn't planned to even think about

spring/summer clothes

until April, but everyone else seems to be...

 

Our weather can be unpredictable until

well into April.

Because my internal thermostat

is wacko

my current supply of clothes are

lighter and layerable

and hopefully will see me through

for a while, yet.

 

The undeniable fact, though, is that with my weight loss

I have no spring/summer clothes.

 

If I'm going to shop I want to add

pieces that will fit a broader plan for this

next phase of building my "look."

 

I've spent  many hours

sifting through Vivienne's wonderful archives.

The starting point always seems the

biggest challenge.

Two neutrals?  Three?

A favorite painting?

A scarf?

Just tell me where to start!

 

In spite of my ruminations it has been a good week.

Important decisions have been made;

Nails?  Shorter.

Hair? Longer.

The third word.

 

While looking through my closet for something else

I found several unexpected items that

helped shape a plan.

 

For whatever reason these things

have survived both the moving purge

and the weight loss shuffle and were buried, forgotten,

in the depths of my closet.

 

 

A blue Missioni-style sweater.

A plaid fabric belt. (!?!)

A pair of blue tweed pumps.

Blue and white cardigan.

 

 

 

Add the tan bag

- my favorite summer bag -

and I think we can see a pattern developing.

 

At this point I'm happy to go with a

Not So Crazy Eight

plan in navy.

It's a good starting place for me.

I'm excited to get started.

 

 

 

 



Killing Time

It's too late to start anything new

before bedtime

but I have too much time to do nothing

so here I am.

 

Pictures will be added another time

because I'm already at my desk.

You'll have to come back.

 

Tim sent me shopping for my birthday.

(He also came home with flowers,

 and fixed his signature shrimp pizza for supper.)

 

He acknowledged my

thrift store purchases

and alterations

 and said it was time to have

some new things.

Hard to argue with that.

We agreed on a price range and

thanks to a great sale

and some coupons

I was able to spend almost twice

the allotted monies.

 

I came home with a mixture of

classic

fun

and utility pieces.

 

I'm normally a careful

and almost reluctant shopper

but

(and this is where the promised picture comes in)

 my way out of the store

passes the jewelry counter.

Something caught my eye and I

made an instant decision

- and I do mean instant -

that a particular

bracelet was going home with me.

(Well outside the allotment but hey - it was my birthday)

 

It's going to be so much fun to wear

and the c/w will factor out to pennies in no time!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Free time

As I have nothing pressing on my calendar

- or mind -

today, it seemed like a good time for a new post.

 

"Our" hummingbirds are back.

The swooping sound made by their wings is always

a delight to hear.  And they make an odd

chirp, almost like a dolphin's chatter,

that always surprises me.

 

Sadly, this year, I won't be watching for them

while reclining indulgently

in my hammock.

It has disintegrated.

String by string.

You can't imagine how much I already miss it.
I'm glad it held together long
enough for Aidan to enjoy while he was here.

 

Earlier this morning I went through my tee shirts.

The rag bag will be replenished,

with some going on to the Goodwill .

The other day I went through my pants.

It's rather embarrassing that there were so many

items in both the "keep" and

"toss" piles. 

 

The plan was to do no shopping for a few

more weeks.  Make what I have

work for these last few weeks of heat

and enjoy some new fall clothes.

That is still the general outline of my plan,

but, there are some gaps- literally -

that need to be filled.  Now.

And everyone has everything on sale

so tomorrow I will pick up a few essentials.

 

And scope out some of the fall offerings...

 

 

 

Change of Plans

My afternoon plans changed

leaving me several attractive options

before leaving for work:

nap

watch a movie

write my haiku

post about the exciting

package delivered to my doorstep!!

 

I've recently spent too many hours

of too many days

looking online and in stores

for a pair of shoes for

Jacob's wedding.

 

I've never considered myself

a "shoe" person

but the longer you look

the more you see...

It does amaze me that shoes/heels/pumps

-which essentially share a standard construction-

can elicit such a varied response.

I've seen some that all

you can do is say

"That is a beautiful shoe,"

while the one sitting next to it doesn't earn a second glance.

To digress here about the seductive and expensive

options out there would keep me from

the object of this post

so let's soldier on.

 

 

 

Putting my best foot forward

I can only ask:

What do you think!?

 

 



Seriously...

It was a good day for bargains!

I picked up 4 (yes, four!) (took the whole display) of these pots for a buck each.

I am suddenly in love (but no less frugal) with this color for the garden and have passed by so 

many beautiful objet due to the price.  

This was serendipitous - I stopped in the Dollar Store this morning for some oddments 

and they were sitting there waiting for me!

They're 8-inch, BHG pots and a couple of them will travel this weekend as gifts.

But the real find of the day was waiting for me next door - at the Goodwill.

You can probably read the price tag - $1.79.  

What you can't read (poor photo editing options) - just above the tag it says

 "Redwing."  

That's right folks!

I scored this lovely Redwing basket for $1.79.

Finds like this always happen to someone else - always - so you'll have to excuse me while I 

bask/gloat/crow/smile.

Ta Da!

Found it!

Mmmm - buttery soft leather.  

Roomy but not bulky.

No obtrusive logos or trademarks.
Mmmm.

Hot on the trail

courtesy google images

I'm looking for a new purse and I have my heart set on mustard.  I'll let you know what I find...