Natty Neutrals

I was uninspired by the day.  I know, it sounds strange, coming from me, your perpetually perky inspirator.  But the weatherman assured me last week that this week would be balmy and spring-like, and he was wrong!  I brought my four giant cacti out of hibernation from my guest house and perched them in their summer positions on my patio last weekend, only to have to carry them back into hiding last night when the temperatures dipped into the 20s.  Tuesday was bitterly cold, with a brisk Canadian wind making the air feel even colder.  Did Mother Nature not get the memo that spring arrived two weeks ago?

Drab is how I felt, so an assortment of pastels was all my imagination could conjure when I cast around my closet for something to wear to work.  In the end, I was pleased with the ensemble I put together: beige Calvin Klein slacks from Macy's, a pale blue Cherokee turtleneck from Target and a vintage taupe "boyfriend" sweater by Laura Scott that I've owned for so many decades I don't have the faintest idea where it came from. I stuck with neutrals for my accessories, too, pulling on nude platform heels by Call It Spring for JCPenney and grabbing a crocheted hobo-bag adorned with wooden beads that was a gift from my best friend's mother, Joyce, in Spokane, Washington.  I finished my look with a necklace of cream-colored plastic rectangles wrapped in chains, a Christmas gift many years ago from my good friend and manicurist, Thao, and a pair of enameled cream and gold earrings which I've owned since the 1970s.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful.  When the sultry days of August hang like an oppressive blanket over my little neck of the woods, I will pine for crisp, clear days like those we're having this week in the mid-Atlantic.  My daffodils have just started to bloom and my forsythia is finally budding.  Puffy clouds raced across a deep blue sky yesterday, reminding me that this is prime kite-flying season.  It really was a very pretty day.  I would just have liked a degree or two more warmth from Mr. Sun, that's all.
Cheers,
Lynell