Thursday, July 23, 2026

Mom-Day Doing It All, in Chartruese, Brown and Silver

Welcome back to Mom-Day, my friends! I bused out to visit Mom, and we had a day where we did everything! 
We took care of some insurance claims, went for a walk, worked on the puzzle and had lunch on the deck. Thanks so much for having me over, Mom - I love you! 

This was the last blouse yet to be worn - that last backward hanger! - and it met my criteria for sun coverage and lightness to deal with the heat. 
The long taupe skirt was comfortable for the bus travel and walking. 

  • Blouse - Rock & Republic, thrifted; last worn here in December 2025 with neon leopard
  • T-shirt - Cynthia Rowley, thrifted; last seen here in May, layered under Adidas
  • Twisty skirt - Zara, consignment; last worn here in May with neutral plaid
  • Sandals - Via Spiga, consignment; last seen here in June for a Mom-Day in matching shirts! 

Our building's fire system is still being worked on - that's why the door is open there, by the way. 
This was perfect for a day full of weird weather - as I write this at 6:30pm, there is thunder booming and rain lashing down! 

Incognito. 
My scarf gave me sun coverage, but also kept me from getting wet as I got off the bus and walked home. 

The stuff: 
These silver shoes were good for the small amount of walking I did, but my heels were sore by the time I got home. 

  • Leather purse - Coach, thrifted
  • Silk scarf - Vera, vintage 60s, thrifted

Minimal bling: 
Light pieces for a hot day. 

  • Green stone bracelet - vintage 30s, vintage mall
  • Carved stone bangle - consignment
  • Anneke & Lars silver ring - vintage mall
  • Silver/smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neuman, Sweden, vintage mall
  • Glow-in-the-dark bug pendant - Heart's Content
  • Earrings - thrifted, Seattle

More box kitties. 
Such focus! 

It's hard to get non-blurry pictures. 
Barnabas is ninja-fast! 

And now some pictures from my day. 
An amazing sky full of clouds on my walk from the bus stop to Mom's house. 

Some of the blackberry canes were just showing green berries. 
Those will be ready in August. 

But some were ready. 
Yes, I ate them. 

The stick tree. 
A big gaggle of kids at day camp at PISE passed me here. So screechy! 

Mom's Rose of Sharon is blooming. 
So pretty! 

She was excited to show me her nearly-finished house picture in a mat and frame. 
I agree, more bushes and flowers in front. 

Pointing out details.
I had a very small part in this, as I bought Mom some white pens last week. I practically painted them myself, ha ha! 

We took advantage of the cooling wind to go for a short walk, just a loop in the trail areas. 
We hardly saw a single person. 

Our bench awaits us. 
Grasses, Garry Oaks, evergreens (where I saw the owls). 

Very shiny green Garry Oak leaves. 
Acorns! 

Do you see the two lizards? 
One at the bottom left and one at the top right. They were skittering around the paths all day. 

Mom enjoying the sound of the red-tail hawks. 
She just got hearing aids! "I can hear my hair!" she said. Way to go, Mom! 

The hawks were soaring around above us. 
The blue sky...

And then a few minutes later.
Dark and grey! 

Having a good laugh. 
Mom got her necklace in Spain many years ago with Dad. 

We worked on the heron puzzle while we waited for our eggs to boil.
And then we sat on the deck in the shade and ate egg salad bunwiches and veggies. Yum! 

Hey, Barnabas, I'm home. 
Don't get up or anything.

Whateley has his alien face on.
I love his fat paws. 

A few minutes later. 
He's reaching out to me! 

And Barnabas was fast asleep. 
Ah, the life of a cat. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, with temps that are neither too hot or too cold! I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure, so please stop in. Thanks for being here! 

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Swooshy Skirt and a Patchwork Vest, Bonus Book Club Pictures

Before I get started, a big shout-out to reader Charlotte from Vancouver, who stopped me while I was walking to meet my pal Troy for dinner. OMG, Charlotte, you made my day/week/month! Thank you so much! I wish I'd known you were coming to town - I am always game to meet up with the cool folks out there! 
I'm just glad I looked half decent, ha ha. 

  • Ruched mesh top - no label, thrifted; last worn here in May with olive and teal leopard
  • Vest - Times Seven Todd Oldham, vintage 90s, thrifted, Sidney; first seen here in June with a red skirt and big sleeves
  • Silk skirt - Essentiel Antwerp, consignment, Powell River; last worn here in June for L's birthday trip to Sidney
  • Leather/wood shoes - Summertime Moonbeams, Fluevog, consignment; last seen here in May with sequins and a denim mermaid skirt

Today was HOT, like up to 30+ degrees. Yes, I roasted in this when I was outside.
But I was mostly in my AC'd office, so I was actually okay. 

The sheer top protected me from the sun on the way to work, and I have cotton shorts under the light-as-a-feather silk skirt. 
I loved wearing this vest again. 

Incognito. 
It was pleasantly cool on the way to work, but I was very happy to get on the cold-air-blowing bus on the way home. 

The stuff: 
I wore these to walk to work, and to stroll down to meet Troy at Block (I had a gift card, so bought us dinner). 

  • Silk bug scarf - Smoking Lily, 1997, wedding shower gift from Janet
  • Bee brooch - gift from Megan Mae
  • Heart brooch - consignment

I wore these in the office all day. 
They're good for office work. Walking? Not so much. 

Gold-toned bling: 
Only the amethyst ring is real.

  • Tile/mesh bracelet - vintage 70s, Mom's
  • Crystal bracelet - thrifted
  • Gold/amethyst ring - Francis Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
  • Amber ring - c. 1996
  • Necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair
  • Earrings - vintage fair

Some pictures from last night's Book Club: 
We were at Fathom, the restaurant at the Hotel Grand Pacific. It was fairly empty out on the lower street-level patio. 

I had a view of the Coho ferry, which is just pulling into the Black Ball Ferry docks here. 
See the red smokestack and the Canada flag? I also see the windows on the left. 

Rosanna spotted a bird on a balcony just above us. 
That's no ordinary bird! 

Rosanna zoomed in. 
She went online later that night and verified it. 

A screenshot from my phone - she thought for sure it was an American Dipper. 
I checked my Merlin app - "Not in Victoria today"! 

Rosanna's online group chat all verified that's what it was - they thought that the water feature in front of the hotel must've had a lot of insects for it to eat.
I happily added it to my Life List! 

A couple of hours later...the Coho pulled out again, heading back to Port Angeles, in Washington. 
We all joked that the dipper came over on it from the US. 

The old Steamship terminal. 
I've always liked the Neptune heads. See him? 

Jennifer gave out our next book, "Leviathan Wakes" - this is what the TV show "The Expanse" is based on although I have not seen that. 
I'm excited to read it - it's a massive book, but looks like a romp. 

I had a very stingy salad for dinner, followed by this chocolate thing. 
Was very good, did not share. 

Me and five of us - we missed Ciara and Caro. 
From left: Me, Cat, Yvonne, Mindy, Rosanna and Jennifer. 

I came home and played with the boys, although they don't have much energy in this heat. 
We call this "Fishing for kitties." 

The box is still a source of joy.
Barnabas was dashing in and out of the "doors" in it. 

A glorious sunset! 
I hope it'll be cooler tomorrow. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

My Sleeves are Clouds

Dashing off to my Book Club, so I'll be brief. 
Kudos to my colleague Martin for the post title. "They don't have a silver lining," I replied. 


  • Organza blouse - WoWo, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here in April with a t-shirt overtop
  • Pleated dress - Adolpho Domingo, consignment; first worn here in November 2025 with blue velvet boots
  • Shoes - Zoomies Ishshoes, Fluevog; last seen here in April when I first wore this top

It was SO HOT today - as I type, it's 27 degrees. Phew! 
And here I am, in all polyester. Silly me.

I layered this top with its massive sleeeeves under this very loose and flowy crinkle dress. 
I have wee shorts under it and a cotton camisole so that I don't sweat onto the clothes. 

The boys came for a visit while I was adjusting my scarf. 
Whateley wanted to be picked up, and Barnabas...well, he just barges in whenever he wants. 

Incognito. 
I Ubered to Book Club so I wouldn't arrive a sweaty mess. 

The stuff: 
Good shoes for the office, not so much for walking. 

  • Silk scarf - Lanvin, vintage 80s, vintage mall

Green bling: 
I haven't worn my green "set" for a while. 

  • Silver mesh bracelet - Mexican, consignment, Sidney
  • Glass bangle - thrifted
  • Silver/green stone ring - consignment
  • Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
  • Silver poison ring - Karen's
  • Glass/silver/marcasite earrings - vintage fair

Sorry, another busy night! Off I go!