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Sunday, February 14, 2016

Pucker-Up Valentine...

...and kiss my fat ass and give us a kiss. 
Or not. 
Don't care.
After more than 23 years together, we don't get too mushy over Valentine's Day (we never really did, if I'm honest) but that's no excuse to skip wearing all the pink and red items in my wardrobe leading up to the holiday. Winter gets boring-I need distraction. 

When I bought the poodle skirt, the woman working at the thrift store remarked that, "She knew I'd buy it."  Where some people might be embarrassed, I was pleased that they know my tastes well enough to guess what I'd buy. I didn't ask if there was a wager going between employees, because that would have felt strange. So that makes two poodle skirts now, for someone that isn't all that crazy about the 50's look. Go figure. I am of course now regretting not buying the pink poodle toy at Christmas, but that's the breaks. 

The same thrift store yielded these magnificent pumps. They were unworn, without so much as a scuff on them, and they fit my big, wide feet perfectly. At $3.99 I would have been pleased, but the extra 20% off sealed the deal. Last week, I found purple shoes. You never think you need pink or purple shoes until you find some. Now I need a solid pink handbag (I have a floral printed one, but that won't do). I'd put these shoes in the 80's because I had a very similar pair. I don't think I had a pink handbag, but I did have a wide, pink vinyl belt. My younger self would have paired the skirt and shoes with black-but present-day me knows the only possible answer is red. Pink+Red=Greatness. Why wouldn't I want greatness? OK, possibly cranberry, but that's sort of red. 
At some point, the poodle lost an eye. As I was shedding sequins all over the house last week from my cardigan, it shouldn't be any trouble finding a replacement. I'm debating whether to glue on an "googly eye" instead. These are the decisions that keep me up at night. 
 Outfit Particulars:
Vintage Jantzen wool sweater-Thrift World
Felt Poodle Skirt-Hand-Me-Ups
Belt-Goodwill
Gloves-Nobbies
Brooch-Goodwill
Earrings-Sequels
Shoes-Hand-Me-Ups
Handbag-Goodwill
Hat-gift from a neighbour. It was her wedding hat, and she gave it to me to wear for my wedding (I had a pink dress).
Vintage Made in Japan bangles (they still had the original label) Imaginarium
Fragrance-Blue Grass (Don't judge. Sometimes I need some antiquated Arden. We all have needs).
Pearls-Jordan Marsh, 90's
 Yes, the baskets of strawberries are quite summery, but we're starting to get the first California strawberries of the season showing up in our stores (at six bucks a pound, but they're still a sign of spring being on the way) and I've had strawberries on my brain (why not on my ears?). I'll wait a few weeks until the price drops a bit (the first shipments are always most expensive) but then I plan to bake the first strawberry/rhubarb pie of the year. We don't get the beautiful forced rhubarb other places do, but I froze plenty last year, so I am ready.

 What could be more spring-like than a floral hat?


I skipped the crinoline because I drive a small car, and it would be absurd trying to get in, and drive. The felt is rather poufy, and with an elastic waist, it still manages to stand out without the support of tulle layers. I did wear a slip because the felt is so static-prone.

Meanwhile in the bird kingdom...

Not my photo- but similar to the scene that was playing out. 
"He's eating my raisins, bitch.
The poor fellow in this photo looks embarrassed. The male involved in our feeder fracas simply flew off, and left the gals to fight it out. Sometimes we find tufts of feathers, but not enough to assume a hawk was dining on songbirds. After witnessing this display, I think I know where the feathers are coming from. The beaks on a cardinal are no joke-a peck from one will draw blood. Danny tells me they are his least favourite bird to remove from a net for bird banding as they put up a fight , and it hurts if they peck you. 

I don't know if it is all the strange weather over the last few years, but we're seeing mating pairs of birds much earlier than we ought to. We could hear chickadees doing mating calls this week, which is not impossible, but sort of unusual for February. 




 "Quack. Quack. Hey, count me too!"
"I already counted you."
"Quack. You're from Chicago...just count me again."
I really couldn't count them as there were hundreds, if not a thousand Canada Geese at Carter Lake. 

Happy Valentine's Day
I love all of YOU!
Smooch.





10 comments:

  1. Lovely, lovely, lovely! I love the color mix, the hat, the red bag, and the poodle skirt (not sure about the googly eyes, however). I'd snap up the earrings and wear them to shop at this season's farmers' markets. Even Arden's Bluegrass would smell good to my snuffly nose.

    Yes, there's been a lot of sex and violence in the vicinity of my bird feeders, too. The Canada geese are nesting in the side channels of the river near my home. Spring must be surging under the ice. Temps are abnormally frigid today and snow is forecast -- but we live in hope.

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  2. MWAH!!! right back at you! Love the ensemble.

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  3. I'm not bothered about Valentine's Day in the slightest, but I am very happy to see you looking such a vision in pink and red! You're right, it's a fabulous colour combination, much better than the pink/black pairing so beloved in the Eighties. The eyeless poodle, the gloves and bangles, strawberry earrings and beautiful hat, it's all just lovely, as are the perfect pink shoes.
    Now, get ready for a smooch - mmmmwwwwah! Xxxx

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  4. Oh, I love 50s style and that skirt is so fabulous! The whole outfit is great and such a lovely combination of colours. You look like you should off out jiving with your beau!

    Pink and purple shoes? Yes please - I have a purple suede pair - note to self must wear purple shoes soon....

    As for those basket of strawberry earrings how absolutely fantastic are they?

    Happy Valentine's day to you!

    xxx
    Veronica
    vronni60s.blogspot

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  5. @Beth
    Thank you. Hang in there-opening day is just around the corner (OK, April, but *still*)

    @Propagatrix
    Thanks hon.

    @Curtise
    Yeah, what was the pink/black thing about anyway?

    @Veronica
    Oh, you should never let purple shoes languish-they long to be free on the pages of the internet!

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  6. Oh my husband bought me one of those giant tacky mushy cars & a single red rose. Sigh.....
    Well, of course I love that outfit as it is sooo 50's. I don't think you can get much more floral than that hat!
    Spring has sprung here, as I was up on the roof hanging laundry the sky was darkened by a huge V of some sort of goose flying north! Those geese were huge, I have no idea what species they were & they were travelin' fast.

    http://calmlycookingcurry.blogspot.com/2016/02/maharani-rajma.html

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  7. @Bibi

    I took Danny out to the DeSoto wildlife refuge in Iowa today, and sat watching the migratory birds. We saw several Trumpeter Swans, which if you've never seen one are massive. I mean, giant fucking birds-almost prehistoric looking. I have no idea if you get them in your part of the world, but if I saw something like that flying over me I'd freak out! I got to watch the spectacle from a viewing spot inside the visitor's centre.

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  8. Wow, you have such pretty birds! Ours are mostly brown. Yours look right for Valentine's day.

    (I have some original 50s Blue Grass Flower Mist at home. I quite like it!)

    Maybe you'll hit the happy point where the thrift shop ladies start putting the good stuff aside for you rather than out on the rails.

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  9. I'm not in the least bit into Valentine's Day but I'm all over that outfit like a rash and that's despite me being, like you, not a fan of 1950s fashion but a total poodle whore. xxx

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  10. @Mim
    I have had that happen at thrift stores! Sometimes they'll pull me in back to show me things that haven't been priced yet expecting me to make an offer, which feels like a huge privilege.

    @Vix
    Poodles are hard to resisit...and Siamese cats. Show me something with a Siamese cat on it, and I'll buy it.

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