Right at home . . . . . . .

The days continue.  They are different.  

Sometimes we argue - other times we laugh!

Yesterday we did a deep clean of the master bedroom

together!  Will I let him color my grey roots? No way!

Will I try to give him a haircut? Perhaps!

We are in close quarters.

We are not ill, thank God.  

We are not out of work, but are sorry for those who are. 

As retirees we are on fixed incomes. We have noticed prices

 are already rising in the grocery stores. 

We feel somewhat safe financially as we saved for 'rainy days'

and for what we hoped would be a comfortable retirement.  

We, like you, never expected those days would include a

worldwide pandemic which could cause us to be very ill, or

even kill us!

We are going about these days - which for us are not that appalling - doing

 what we can do close to home. We miss seeing family and friends.

Although we are still avid travelers we have had to change that part

 of life for the time being. We can weather this storm here at home as

 long as we stay healthy. 

I'm sad not to be crossing the pond as hoped this Spring to see my family, 

friends and hometown. . . . . . .but we are now planning to go in the 

Autumn when hopefully all will be well in the world.

Male Eastern Towhee : Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Common name comes from its distinctive "tow-hee" call, but known

  mostly for its characteristic call that sounds like, "Drink-your-tea!

One of my favorite garden birds - the female is beautiful too, brown

 feathers where the male has black ones. . . . . . . .a handsome couple
 when seen together, which is often around here.

He's been sitting in an oak tree singing his songs so beautifully

lately, and I'm sure his mate is on a nest nearby.

Hope is the thing with feathers,

    that perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without the words,

and never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson : American Poet - 1830-1886

Let's all have hope.

Sing if you can.

Listen to the music if you can't.

Changes being made. . . . . . . . . . .

Monday again and before practicing my Tai Chi (oooh! it's really 

hard to remember all the moves) for tonight's class, I feel like writing

 a 'fashion post' of sorts.

I'm making what hopefully will be some easier to manage wardrobe changes.

This winter I decided to start on minimizing my overloaded closet.

This doesn't mean I've yet completed this project by any stretch of

the imagination. . . . . . . .but I have made some changes and am

definitely working on more. When I pack away my cold weather clothes

come Spring I plan to donate everything I didn't wear.

At my age I don't require so many clothes hanging in closets, folded on

 shelves, and stacked in drawers.

I have some favorites I will never part with. I have many items of the past few

 years working perfectly for my lifestyle, but I also have a load of lesser loved

clothes which have run their course for one reason or another. 

This doesn't mean I'll never not shop for anymore clothes, shoes, bags etc.

Let's face it, I'm only human and admit to being a woman who loves fashion.

Also, between you and me, just today I ordered footwear. . . . . more on that

in another post!

What I'm wanting for my lifestyle when it comes to dressing at this time of my life, 

is a cut and dried plan where less is more. It's going to be hard but the outcome 

looks promising.  Sailing on ships where I've been limited to keeping my 

clothing at a minimum due to space, I've discovered life is a lot easier 

when you have less to choose from, and even more exciting when your

 creative side is tapped into.

I plan to follow the mantra of companies such as Cuyana, 

'Fewer, better things.' 

This embodies essential pieces for the modern woman

made from premium materials and well constructed.

Eileen Fisher also comes to mind and I often look for sales as regular

 prices are high, but I can vouch that her clothes wear very well, the

 fabrics are wonderful, my type of elegant fashion - styles are edgy and

 never look dated.

I'm also a great J.Jill fan (see below) of many years and have several

now 'almost vintage' pieces of their clothing still wearable and enjoyed.

I think back to my younger days when my wardrobe was similar, much more

 sparse (and what I'm aiming for again) mainly because my mother made

 many of my clothes, textiles were important to us, and I didn't find what I 

wanted to wear in affordable shops. These days, with so many options for

 purchasing trendy clothing at cut rate prices, it seems we are lured into

 buying far too much. This way of dressing is great for the young, however

 perhaps we mature women need less as we downsize not only our wardrobes,

 but also many other facets of our lives. 

All that said, as I go through my clothes choosing what to pack for my upcoming

somewhat 'wild trip', I decided I will take one dress after all!

Several years ago I purchased a really nice black textured knit dress from J.Jill -

in fact I liked it so much I bought another when it went on sale. 

For me it's actually a perfect length worn as an above the knee tunic over leggings

 so will be ideal on board the ship as we don't need to take formal clothes.

 This little dress can easily be 'dressed up' with scarves or jewelry for evening. 

Jewelry!

That's something I plan to address also in another post.

Costume jewelry to be exact - not our keepsake pieces marking those

very special dates in our lives - all the other cheapo 'stuff' which gets crammed

 into jewelry boxes, little cloth drawstring bags, discarded chocolate boxes!!!

You know where I'm coming from don't you?

Hope this will be a great week wherever you are.

Any plans to reorganize your own wardrobe?

Tips will be appreciated.

The lovely Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo can help with

 organizing and more. I'm pulling my copy of Spark Joy out of the

 bookcase right now!

Please note, I'm not involved in any advertising on my blog - any companies' products I name are only because I use/wear the items myself. 

Where am I going next?

Time for another travel inspired guessing game. . . . . . . and I hope so

 much you will take part.

Those who have a passion for wilder places on the planet may 

already have been here, or at least know of it.

Shaped by fire and ice, this is a hauntingly beautiful, rugged land, and

I'm so excited to be heading there in March.

I'm sharing this one photo from our travel itinerary brochure. . . . . . . . and

 hopefully I'll have opportunities to be taking such photos myself when on 
the expedition.

Leave a comment on this post with your guess
 by January 22 - I'll check back here each day. 

I'll be in two countries, please try to name both.

I'll save the correct answers and draw a winning name. 

After the draw, and naming the winner, I'll add more
 details about the planned trip.

I'm hoping to find a little memento during this exciting
 trip to send to the winner after I return in April.

Come on, give it a go!