Hi to all my Gal Pals,
I will turn 72 on May 1st. I remember when I looked forward to celebrating my birthday but now it is just another reminder of getting old. It’s like Crabby Maxine says “A birthday is a good time to salute Father Time. Which finger you salute him with is your business”. It just seems to me that society in general doesn’t allow us to forget we are growing old. If it is not a TV commercial for a memory supplement or letting me know that I qualify for a senior citizen discount then it is a reminder that it is time to renew my AARP membership. These reminders don’t bother me anymore but I received something in the mail this week that really made me feel emotional and very old. A few years ago I received something similar but I think this one really hit home because it came the week before my birthday. I got a flyer which was an advertisement for pre-planning my end-of-life arrangements. I was filled with mixed emotions when I read over this information. On one hand I was appalled that they had the nerve to call out my age. I was feeling like Aunty Acid who remarked “My tolerance for idiots is very low today. I thought I’d built up a strong immunity but there’s obviously a new strain out there”. On the other hand, I felt guilty because I probably should give more thought to the subject. But then I was both mad and excited because they were offering a “Spring Sale”. Mad because it made it seem that my life was cheap but on the other hand, you all know I can’t pass up a good sale! I felt disgusted that they put an expiration date on this sale as if there was an expiration date on my days on earth but then they appealed to my love of beautiful things by displaying the most lovely urn. The flyer sat on my kitchen counter for a few days but every time I saw it I became overwhelmed with all these emotions so I threw it away. Out of site, out of mind! I physically feel 72 years of age, I don’t need a reminder. I recalled something I once read and I quote “I’m at that age where my mind thinks I’m 29, my humor suggests I’m 12, while my body keeps asking if I’m sure I’m not dead yet”. UGH!
You are probably wondering what the topic of fashion will be for this blog that relates to waffles. Whether I am talking about landscape design, interior design or fashion design, I am always emphasizing 3 things; color, form and texture. Texture is so important in fashion design. An article I read put it this way, a combo of textures gives your outfit that special touch. It said that fashion magazines talk a lot about mixing prints, but mixing textures can have that “wow” effect, too. Even a look that’s all solid colors becomes eye-catching when the pieces are all of noticeably different materials. Waffle fabric is a type of textured textile that is characterized by its unique, honeycomb-like pattern. One of the main benefits of waffle fabric is its comfort because it is gentle on the skin. It is also lightweight and breathable. I try to keep my outfits interesting by mixing textures. I want to leave this topic with my favorite quote “Fashion is what you buy. Style is what you do with it”.
Texture is an important concept in landscape design. Here is a picture of an outcrop I designed in my previous backyard.
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock. In landscape design we create rock gardens. Using rocks is one way to create texture in the landscape. You see flagstone on the outer perimeter of this area. I started to create this 10 x 12 foot area by mounding top soil then slightly overlapping two pieces of flagstone measuring 4 inches thick by 3 feet in diameter at the top of the mound. I planted plants that require very little water like grasses, lantana, perennial geranium and succulent ground cover. I placed several small boulders around the area then covered it all with pea gravel. This is a perfect example of texture in the landscape.
OK, let the fashion show begin.
This outfit is perfect for the spring. I love this dress with its tiny multiple shades of pink with green leaves but it has no sleeves so this is a perfect time to add this waffle jacket. The color of the jacket perfectly matches the green leaves in the dress and it is a great alternative to wearing a sweater or spring coat. My pink shoes match one of the colors in the dress.
The cherry pink lapel flower matches one of the flowers in the dress in both color and form. The band of the watch is a perfect match to the shoes I wear and the flowers in the porcelain earrings also match the dress in color and form. The beautiful green flower necklace was made by one of my co-workers. All the metals in the watch, bangle bracelet, necklace and rings are gold colored. One ring has a flower made of cubic zirconia stones on it while the other ring has tiny diamonds in the center of each heart.
This is a great summer outfit. I am pretty sure I bought this waffle vest at a craft show in Michigan. Beside loving the cute flowers I like that it has pockets. I wear it with a white top because I want the eye drawn to the waffle vest. I have paired the vest with navy blue cargo pants and caramel colored sandals. Both of these colors are in the flowers of the vest.
It seemed to me that the green dragon fly necklace and silver butterfly ring continues the garden portrayed in the vest. The green earrings remind me of leaves and they match the colors of the vest, necklace and watch. I needed to add a little white with the bracelet in order to balance the outfit. My other ring is a blue star sapphire.
This is a great fall look. Brown and orange colors look so lovely together. This waffle jacket is a a little more dressy because of the finishing of the edges. I love a jacket that has pockets and a cute little collar. I paired the jacket with brown dress pants and brown pumps.
I bought this necklace from a crafter at a South Haven craft show. He told me how he added all these colors to create these lightweight stones but I can’t remember what he said. Believe it or not, there is very little brown in the necklace. The stones are mostly orange and green. Most of the other accessories are brown with gold metals. The setting of the ring with the green stone looks like branches of a tree and the tree tops lay across the top of the green stone.
This is where I talk about my weight. I am going to start this with an Aunty Acid quote that kind of describes my life right now “Adulthood is like looking both ways before crossing the street and then getting hit by an airplane”. Yep, that about sums it up. The first week of April I had a CT angiogram, an endoscopy and an MRI of my back that took an hour and 45 minutes. Between the 3 tests I was given 2 different kinds of contrast and anesthesia. The results are that my heart is good, my esophagus is narrowing and I have two bulging discs. I’m happy that something on my body is narrowing but how did I end up with two bulging discs? It’s not like I am working out at the gym. But as I once read somewhere “A fun thing about getting older is how you can severely injure yourself just by sleeping”. What I can tell you is that since the tests I have been nauseous, filled with gas and lightheaded. When I feel nauseous all I want to eat are starches. That includes bowls of pasta without sauce, sweet potatoes, salty taco chips and bread. Well, I plan on self-medicating with cake and ice cream at my birthday party. I can’t weigh myself right now because the battery in my scale crapped out which is OK because I think we need some time apart. So for now I am following Aunty Acid’s advise “Don’t look back at your life and think ‘I could’ve eaten that’ “. Such wise words to live by!
Well, until next month remember, God loves you and so do I.
A Peek Into Pam’s Closets 