November

 Oh, America.

I would have thought it was a joke if I didn't see it with my own eyes. 

Nothing could better illustrate the United States than candy cane flavoured antacids to treat holiday meal overindulgence. 

Imagine the excitement when little Johnny looks beneath the tree Christmas morning and finds a gaily wrapped box of Tums. Thanks, Santa! $7.99 for a bottle of heartburn relief?! That feels a bit on the expensive side, for antacids anyway.

We have a country where there's very little space between having too much, or nothing at all and though I laughed when I saw the display, it did strike me as grotesque. I guess if you're in need of a hostess gift and don't want to go with flowers or a bottle of wine, the Tums will probably get used. 

Well, enough about that. November rolled in quickly but so far we've been spared any snow in the city. The garden is more or less done, though a few hardy greens like chard and kale are trying their best to keep going. I'm slowly getting the garden cleaned up so it will be ready for spring, but I won't be planting anything to overwinter this year. I'm sure the squirrel that feasted on my garlic bulbs last year will be disappointed. The cut back lemongrass has been generously mulched and hopefully it will survive. I'm using this year's harvest in everything (I ground some up and froze as well) which smells lovely as I'm cooking. Gardening is such an enjoyable activity, and it costs almost nothing to do. Now my attention will shift to the indoor garden on my windowsills though I admit to being generally terrible with house plants. Today is Booster Shot day for me. I was going to do it earlier, but decided to wait the full 6 months between doses. I'm going to the Health Department clinic rather than my local pharmacy because the pharmacies have been understaffed and generally chaotic. I get to see a different part of town I wouldn't otherwise have reason to visit, so that's interesting. I don't expect much beyond a sore arm, but if there is, the weekend will give me time to rest. The boys are getting sausages for dinner because they're easy and quick to cook, and it is Bonfire Night. I've been buying these lovely uncured/nitrate free sausages at the health food store. They're no more expensive than the mass produced ones at the regular grocer, and I've heard of all the things in them! Anyway, that's the treat for the 5th but no Parkin because there's no way to make that diabetic friendly. I did get some gorgeous turnips so I'll mash them up and serve them like potatoes. Under enough onion gravy, I doubt they will mind. 

What a fun outfit this was to wear. The coat is an old dress that I never liked as a dress but works fine open. The dress beneath is something I thrifted recently thinking a sweater dress will always be useful, and will likely stretch as my weight (hopefully) restores. The tights I've had forever, and I was so happy with how well they matched the dress. That's not something that happens too often with coloured or patterned tights. I'm getting my money out of those boots, wearing them yet again. 

I love when my accessories all work together. It took a bit of trial and error to get the balance correct. Wearing such a big belt made it a little tricky, but I think in the end it turned out okay. 

I'll do a quick review of a couple interesting things I wore this week. 

This is a two piece rayon set by Carole Little. Towards the end of the company's life the clothes became sort of matronly and uninteresting, but this set seems to only flirt with what was to come. Big, blousy, and held up with shoulder pads, this isn't my usual kind of thing, but I liked it enough to bring it home, so might as well wear it.

I felt a little like a middle school art teacher, but overall I enjoyed wearing the set. The bag is from a museum gift shop and really ought to get more use. I always admire tapestry bags on people's blogs and then remember I have one. 

This is more my style. The skirt has been an autumn wardrobe staple for years. I had to pin the waistband, but it isn't visible worn with the heavy waistband on this blouse. 

 90s blouses often had these annoying thick elastic bands at the bottom. I'm guessing it was intended to look sporty, but then they'd go ahead and put it on a dressy blouse like this one? I suppose it allows for a bloused look without having to tuck it in which might be appealing to the over 80 set, but as I'm merely old, not OLD, I find it annoying. 

Honestly, everything's a bit annoying at the moment including myself. I need to work on that. The scarf is a silk beauty that has a stain I only noticed after wearing it most of the day. I suppose if I didn't see it, no one else likely did either as the pattern does a good job of camouflage. 

I joked on Instagram that this was me waiting for the school bus in 1978, but that's not too far off. I didn't have a cool Ecology lunch pail though. 

I've had the polo neck since 1978. I remember buying it with money I earned babysitting. 

The vintage polyester high-waisted trousers are a definite, "No." I don't know anyone that ever looked good in them, or why you'd opt to wear something like this if other clothes were available. Sure, they're easy to launder but is ease of care worth looking like this? They're perfectly roomy, but still manage to look lumpy. Anyway, that's a warning to the kids out there-you don't want high-waisted trousers like these. Not all vintage styles are worth reviving.

I've saved the best for last. Somehow the giant interlocking GG's escaped me in the store, but I liked the vintage suede bag and it looked very well made.

Only saw this as I went to clean it up at home. It was dusty, but in otherwise very good condition. That's the second Gucci I've found in the wild, though the platform sandals don't get much wear. This will be on my arm all autumn. 

And that's about it. I continue trying to force down liquid supplements, have a meeting with a nutritionist on Monday, and two of the three diagnostic tests are scheduled for early December. 

Have a great weekend!