Friday, October 27, 2017

Don't Like the Weather, Wait a Minute, etc. etc.

I thought you might be getting sick of all the neutrals, so I dug out this bright green polyester horror of a bridesmaid's  dress. Can you believe the sleeves have been altered (by the last owner) and were even wider at one point judging by the amount of fabric still inside?! I own a similar dress in pink with sheer sleeves which you can see in the sidebar.
Our weather is changing as you can see by these scattered rose petals. A few more windy days and most of the trees will be bare. We have hard frosts expected later in the week, so I'll be gathering the last of the green tomatoes and pickling the smallest ones. The cooler weather is also bringing on kiddo's mould allergies (all those damp leaves growing spores) and we've been back in the allergic asthma cycle. He's okay, (frustrated, but okay) but we've been having some very late nights and two AM nebuliser treatments. I'm thankful for the portable machine so he can be treated at home rather than the hospital, but the lack of sleep is catching up with all of us mood-wise. The freezing-mold-killing weather can't get here soon enough as far as I'm concerned-Update-it is here!
Outfit Particulars:
1970's maxi dress-Goodwill
Vintage hat-Goodwill
Orange and white Hobe necklace and bracelet-Thrift World
Crewelwork bag-New Life Thrift
Green necklace-Hand-Me-Ups
Earrings-Thrift World

That's fine for the weekend, but the weekdays bring a return to less inspired clothing.

I went for an eye exam Thursday.

I mentioned that when I first started wearing bifocals at 40 I was told my vision would keep getting worse for a couple of years in middle age and then settle in. The response? "I think they might have over-sold that idea." Yeah, thanks. To rub salt in the wound I got the lecture about all the wonderful things that can go wrong in your 50's and 60's. The good news is that I don't have any serious issues related to medications collecting behind my eyes, or signs of vascular trouble (in my eyes anyway). I'm continuing to get more cross-eyed (that's ongoing) but still not badly enough that I need special lenses to deal with it. I am however losing a lot of vision. I knew it was getting worse, but I didn't realise just how much worse. I ordered new specs today (and suffered a bit of sticker shock at how much more expensive lenses are when your vision gets worse) and I'm sure I'll be horrified to see all the lines in my face I hadn't noticed, or the shabbiness of my clothes. Anyway, I should have them in a week so I have time to mentally prepare myself.

Outfit Particulars:
1970's wool dress-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage tote bag-Goodwill
Tights-K Mart
Shoes-Irregular Choice
Halloween brooch-Goodwill (I think?)

...and now it is freezing. Be careful what you wish for. 
The Donegal tweed jacket came out of storage today. I love this jacket so much. It is heavy, well made, a lovely green-grey colour and perfect with just about everything I own. If i really thought about it, this might be the best thing I've purchased at Hand-Me-Ups over the years-and I've purchased a lot there.
 What goes with tweed? Lurex, obviously! Both the sweater and knit skirt are run through with Lurex. I like a bit of sparkle in my neutrals.

 Here's a close-up of the design on the skirt for Jessica who asked about it on Instagram.

Outfit Particulars:
Sweater-Kohls
Skirt-Thrift World
Boots-K Mart
Hourihan of Dublin Donegal tweed jacket-Hand-Me-Ups
Large 80's sterling earrings-Mum's
Silver bangle-Goodwill
Handbag-gift from a neighbour years ago
This weekend sees the return of the Haunted Physics Lab at Creighton University. We've been going for years, and though Danny's now old enough to understand how all the tricks work, it is still great fun. Also this weekend at the University of Nebraska, Omaha is the Children's Hauntcert. The orchestra wear costumes and perform Halloween-ish music. It is always a fun time with small children running about, and a conductor that really gets into it. I think he must look forward to this all year. For many children, it is their first experience hearing an orchestra, so they do try to make it a fun event. Five dollars gets the whole family in for an afternoon performance.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.







13 comments:

Bibi Maizoon said...

Nothing says 70's like some neon pastel polyester and a crewel bag in earth tones!
Poor Danny, burn season has begun here again so I can sympathize with him.
I got bifocal contact lenses 2 yrs ago, they work pretty well. The farsightedness of presbyopia has actually corrected my severe nearsightedness a bit. My vision still isn't what it used to be & I've noticed I don't see well in dim light now either. Pfft.
Love that wool dress & Donegal jacket!

Sue said...

You are wearing my favourite hat of all your hats!! Perfect with your Bridesmaid frock, big lace sleeves an all, that some home looks perfect on you. I think that is because you rock the crap out of accessorizing and do it so well!! Look at you all rugged up, the cold stuff is happening huh. It is warmer down here but it has been so wet. Some plants I have lost to ROT! Yeah you heard me, ROT! Not happy with that at all. Hope Danny copes with his ailments, I wish him all the best and hope one day things improve for him.

JP said...

So true Goody,- it's frightening what new glasses reveal. Not only crinkles on your face but also slightly dodgy housekeeping practices.....
Still enjoying your blog - thank you! X

Beth Waltz said...

Been wearing glasses since I was not quite 2, and in my 20s I was told one eye would be sightless before I turned 40. Pfui! Technology has kept pace and I'm still 20/20 corrected with lenses that weigh a fraction of those I wore as a kid. The trick is to do eye exercises that strengthen the muscles (ask an opthamologist) and see that opthamologist every 6 months -- or else.

The molds are affecting everyone hereabouts. We have corn musts and they are truly nasty stuff! And then there's whatever sprouts out of "decorative" bales of straw. Mums I have got, and decorative kales, but no cornstalks and no bales! A "killing frost" is forecast for tonight. Lovely thing to see on the windows in a morning, that, sparkling like jewels on the glass!

Someday someone is going to assemble a best-seller for thrifter/crafters: "31 things to do with bridesmaids' dresses (you've never been able to persuade the kids to wear as Hallowe'en costumes)"

Vix said...

Fab frock and two bags to die for!
My eyes are terrible for near vision, I'm turning into the mad old bat who has to hold everything at arm's length and squint at it to be able to read it - a nightmare in charity shops. Wearing my reading glasses around my neck on a chain ain't gonna do much for my street cred - if I ever had any. xxx

Polyester Princess said...

That green frock is divine, and so is your hat and the crewelwork bag. Swoon! I'm also loving that 1970s black wool dress. Poor Danny, I hope the weather turns soon and kills of all those pesky moulds! I've been near-sighted since my early twenties, and it's been progressively getting worse. It's really bothersome as I ideally I would like to have more than one pair of glasses, but it's an ongoing expense. And now I need reading glasses too, so I'll be switching to bifocals soon. It's a good thing I'm buying my clothes in charity shops ... xxx

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

I think the mint green dress is fab and the colour really suits you! What fabulous bags you have.Love the other two outfits especially the Donegal Tweed jacket and that uber smart black dress.

Good luck with the new specs; I think I may have left a pair in Corfu I have to email them to check. I have varifocals and they are very costly so can't afford to lose one of my two pairs.

Hope your Halloween event went with a bang!

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

Poor Danny!

Wish him a speedy return to 'normal' from me.

Miss Magpie said...

My eyesight is getting worse and worse, it's quite depressing. I have to have my eyes tested every year because there is glaucoma in the family and every year it's stronger and stronger glasses.

Goody said...

@Bibi
I'd been curious about the bifocal contacts-they would be better for running, throwing baseballs with Danny, etc. I notice everything just seems dimmer to me generally as I get older.

@Sue
Rot this early in your season? That's awful. I suppose at least it is early enough to re-plant, but still.
Danny's doing better now that we had a freeze (and pumped him full of medication).

@JP
Thank you. It is always nice to see comments from the long-time readers. I hope you are well.

@Beth
Some people eat that corn must as a delicacy ;)
The smell of mouldy hay is not something I miss from the farm. Even in a hay barn, you can't protect it 100 % and oh, the stink!
We had a retired ophthalmologist at the local astronomy club that would grab the specs off your face and then howl at you that you didn't need them if you just did various squinting exercises. He was what you'd call a "Character" though he was probably right about the vision thing.

@Vix
They make brooches that you can dangle a pair of readers from-much chicer than a chain. I had a Victorian magnifying glass on a chain years ago that I wore as a necklace-lost it now that I could really use it!
You could wear woodworking glasses and make them look cool.

@Ann
Bifocals are so much nicer than switching pairs all the time. I'm in a tri-focal now, and it really does make the transition between looking at say, the speedometer in the car and a sign on the road easier. I thought it would be difficult getting used to, but it wasn't bad. This time I went for the sort without the lines-we'll see if my old brain can get used to them.

@Veronica
I hope you find your specs-I'm sure if someone found them they'd turn them in. Good luck.
Danny's doing much better-thank you for your kind thoughts.

@Miss Magpie
I'm sorry to hear that. It IS depressing! Aging is one thing, but needing to grab a young person to read a label sometimes seems unbearably sad.




Melanie said...

This dress is really rather incredible, I love the sleeves!

I hope Danny isn't suffering too much. My asthma has started up now the weather has dropped. Even the ice in my gin and cranberry is setting me off! Thankfully my asthma is on the mild side, but even so, I'd rather not have it at all.

Glasses. Pfft. I recently had my specs reglazed and they haven't been right since. I had my eyes tested prior to the reglaze and all was well, no change. So I complained as something just isn't right and the the optician is claiming I'm in denial and need brand new lenses in my frames, stating that I am not the exception to the rule.

Radostin said...

It's all wonderful! Thank you for the close-up of your skirt. The black dress is really splendid, the green is fabulous, I love your carpet bag.

Goody said...

@Melanie
I hope you get that sorted out with your lenses-there's no excuse for them to treat you that way.

@Radostin
The camera on the phone does have limits, so I still post close-up photos here.