Hi to all my Gal Pals,I am a little late getting out blog #24 because we opened the cottage in Michigan last week and I enjoyed a few days of relaxation. Spring has officially sprung for me when we open the cottage. I am sure many of you travel to a place you have been visiting for years and it brings back such wonderful memories. That is what happens to me when I go to the cottage because I have been going there since I was young and have so many happy memories of my time there. I remember playing cutout dolls with my sister that we bought at the local hardware store, fishing with my dad off the pier in South Haven, and roasting potatoes in a fire we built on the beach. It was so nice spending time with my family at the cottage because all the everyday stressors were left back in Illinois. Today people are so into their phones they forget about quality time with others. That reminds me of something Aunty Acid said “My phone died. So I spent time with my family. They seem like nice people”.
Going back to Michigan reminds me of a childhood where I was able to stay out ‘til dark catching fireflies or playing hide-n-seek with many of the kids on my block without having to worry about “Stranger Danger”. It reminds me of a time where I enjoyed high school activities without having to worry about high school shootings. Maybe I was too busy raising my own family to be worried about world poverty and climate damage. But now that I am of a certain age and retired I find myself worrying about all of these things. I do not have any grandchildren but I want to make this a better world for all children so I can no longer be oblivious to what is happening beyond the walls of my home. The great thing about going to the cottage is I that when I am there I only remember the good things and I leave all my worries until I have to return to the real problems of the here and now. Where has time gone? I love this quote from Aunty Acid “I want to go back to the days when my biggest anxiety was stopping the cassette tape before the DJ started speaking when I was recording the top 10”. I know Some of my readers are asking themselves “What is a cassette tape?”. Boy do I feel old!
Before I get too nostalgic let me get back to the subject of fashion. How do you like the above picture of my dog? He was arrested by the fashion police for wearing a wide striped outfit and his punishment was doggy jail where he had to continually wear those wide stripes. I think most of us have articles of clothing with a striped pattern. I always thought that horizontal stripes made you look heavy while vertical stripes made you look long and lean. Well, after a little research, I found out that I was only partially right. Apparently, according to scientists, horizontal stripes can make you look thinner and vertical stripes can elongate your figure and make you look taller. However, the wider the horizontal stripes the more they draw your eyes outwards which makes the wearer look wider while vertical stripes draw your eyes upward and make you look thinner. Thinner stripes are harder to focus on therefore they are more slimming regardless of whether they are horizontal or vertical. The key is to have slim stripes that are less than two inches wide. Looking good when I go out is the goal but sometimes even I slip up. Once again that reminds me of an Aunty Acid quote “Some days I can go out looking like a million dollars and not see one person I know. But if I go out looking like crap, suddenly it’s a freakin’ class reunion.”
Here is where I like to insert a garden picture that depicts an element of design that goes along with my fashion focus for today’s blog. Tall grasses that are flowering draw the eyes upward. In past blogs I have talked about plantings of differing textures, sizes and shapes. Tall grasses are the best vertical elements in a well designed garden or container. This is a picture of the outcrop area at the corner of what used to be my flagstone patio. The grasses acted as a way to get privacy from the neighbors as well as creating a separation between the patio area from the rest of the yard.
Alright, let’s look at some examples of my vertical stripes. I don’t need to look taller but I sure do need to look slimmer.
Here I look tall and slim with my narrow stripes while my little jailbird looks short and squatty in his wide stripes. Black and white stripes are classic and the contrast in color is even more slimming. The strappy sandals compliment the straight lines of the striped shirt. You can really tell how much I like leggings by how often I wear them but you can’t beat them for comfort. However, I will always wear them with a top that covers my bulges. I love how the back of the shirt is longer than the front.
Matty and I are grooving to the song “Jailhouse Rock”. I typically don’t like to wear gray but this is a dark gray so I don’t look washed out and the diagonal stripes add that little element of interest. Because of the narrow stripes on this stretchy material the focus is more on the bust area so you don’t really focus on my tummy and hips. I consider that a win-win. I love these shoes! I call them my Barbie Doll shoes. Remember the clear heals that Barbie wore with some of her outfits. Because they are clear plastic it looks like you are not wearing shoes. I will put them with my jewelry below so you can see what they look like. I wore out my last pair that had three inch heels. These only have a stacked two inch heel so they are much more comfortable.
Matty has finished serving his time so we are both feeling good. He intends to shed those prison stripes and promised to never wear wide horizontal stripes again. This high neck, layered white top goes beautifully with the white and taupe, striped, wide leg pants. Again, stripes look best with strappy sandals. I am big on wide leg pants because they are much cooler than form fitting pants. I can see myself walking my dog on the beach in this outfit.
I usually write about my weight in this section but instead I am going to talk about my age. I turn 69 this May (if I am remembering correctly). I remember the days when I couldn’t wait to grow up and drive or foolishly thought growing up meant I could do whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it I remember thinking that people of my age were ancient. I read a great quote on a poster that describes old age in a humorous way “One minute you’re young. And the next, you’re turning down the stereo in your car to see better”. I may be wrinkled on the outside but as Crabby Maxine says “I have inner beauty and I have the video from my colonoscopy to prove it”. I will leave you with that image until next month.
Remember, God loves you and so do I.
A Peek Into Pam’s Closets 