Paint It Black

My best friend, Kari, and her mother, Joyce, gave strict instructions that no one was to wear black, nor even suits and ties, to bury Kari’s father and Joyce’s husband of almost 58 years last Saturday in Washington state. I was happy to oblige, packing pretty floral dresses that Lyle would have liked for the visitation on Friday and the funeral on Saturday.

But now I was back home in Baltimore, Maryland, preparing for another day of research at the Library of Congress on behalf of my longtime employer, and I was still grieving deeply. I did not feel like wearing anything pretty or floral. I just wanted to wear black.

My choice was a simple summer shift by Boston Proper that I ordered from the online retailer a few months back. I paired the square-necked dress with low-heeled sandals by Limited Collection that I bought on a trip to Ireland last summer with Kari and her parents, a trip that lingers in my memory now as one of the best vacations I have ever spent with Kari's family.

I added a golden-hued necklace that belonged to my grandmother, gold metal hoop earrings I found at Cost Plus World Market last year, and a jingly gold fashion ring to try to lighten my mood.

I was further cheered upon seeing a nest of baby barn swallows that evening at the stable where I keep my wonderful horse, Chubby.  Hope springs eternal. Life begins anew.

This is the second brood of baby
swallows to occupy this nest
so far in 2013

Though the temperature approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday with 92% humidity, and despite wearing a color known to absorb heat, I felt comfortable and stylish in my sleeveless nylon sheath. I’m sure Kari’s father would have approved.

Cheers,

Lynell

"I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes;
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes"
~ Paint It Black bv the Rolling Stones