Sock Delivery Method

There's almost nothing cuter than to see Gwendolyn carrying socks.  If I leave the sock drawer open, as I did today, she just brings me pair after pair.  She will also dig socks out of the laundry basket.

On My Mind Mondays: Toward a Common Goal

Mulberry is fascinated by the pressure canner

• Independent bookstores:  I listened to a Fresh Air interview with Ann Patchett who was compelling in her argument for buying books at actual bookstores and not online.  More often than not, I buy online because it's often less expensive and conducive to off-hour (aka impulse) purchasing; however, I do value bookstores, and frankly, I can afford to pay full price to support local economies so that's what I'm planning on doing whenever possible from here on out.

• Wabi Sabi (continued):  I'm reading Simply Imperfect:  Revisiting the Wabi-Sabi House by Robyn Griggs Lawrence, and her explanation of the concepts and how to make them part of one's life resonates with me.  I cannot claim to be a minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, but my life seems to be a constant work-in-progress where I continue to try to whittle things down and get everything closer to what I value.  I'll be working on slowly decluttering spaces around me.

• Eggplant with Anchovies:  This is what I'm making for dinner tonight.

• My upcoming trip to Oakland:  I'm off for a visit with the boy and will have a lot of time on my own (the boy's got to work).  I've signed up for a sashiko workshop already, and a friend has recommended I check out the Ai Weiwei installation on Alcatraz.  While I'll be seeing the boy daily, part of this trip feels as though I'm on my own, which is quite interesting.  What will I do with my time?

• Fashion Blows:  My friend, Abi Slone, curated this exhibit showcasing some of the late, great Isabella Blow's clothing.  It's got a short run, and I'm going to Toronto to see it tomorrow. 

• Interrogation of the Closet:  I've been trying to "curate" my closet/wardrobe for the last couple of years, slowly.  I'm working with the theme "Making my closet work better, not bigger."  Now it's time for the inquisition, as it were.  I'm going to take each rail of clothing (yes, there are more than one), divide it based on how often or the last time I wore an item, and then figure out what stays and what goes.  In conjunction with that, I've conceived of a creative nonfiction piece that deals with the process.

• Apples:  Today I've got to utilize the last of our apples.  Applesauce & hard cider are on the schedule.

I've never seen Gwendolyn so fully sacked out on the DVR before.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Look Into the Camera

 Dress:  Emmelle
Tights:  Wolford
Boots:  La Canadienne
Cat:  Gwendolyn

Having One of Those Days

I can't tell if it's because I managed to get nine hours of sleep the other night or the crazy shift from Indian Summer to October rain or the fact that I still haven't been able to finish unpacking (from recent trips, from Europe, from reno), but I am having the hardest time doing much of anything today.  (Full disclosure: I did revise a syllabus, making six weeks into five, and edited some work for a friend this morning, but after I couldn't find my goggles to go swimming, it was all over.)

I've tried a little virtual retail therapy - only dreaming, not charging.

Shearling and leather clog boots in patent lime?  Maybe purple?  Violet?

I also had a little actual retail therapy - a wicker basket for my folding bike - but I won't get it for another month.

Cherry stain, not the pinkwash or whitewash.  I went classic with this one (although now I'm wondering whether I should've ordered the smaller one...)

I'm going to marshal my energies and make the Cook's Illustrated Best French Onion Soup.  It's about my speed for the day - hours of onions cooking in the oven.   But it's hard to get going when Gwendolyn is conked out on my lap.  It'd be a shame to move her now.