You've probably noticed that when the subject line of my blog begins with a question, I've often meandered around answering it until later in the post. Not so with this week's blog! I'm going to tell you straight away that even zanier than the story-line of the book above, (one of my boys' most-loved "scary tales" —written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss), was my father's insistence that my sisters and I wore dresses to school when we lived in Alaska.
Our dad, who was in the Air Force, relocated the family to Eielson, AFB in the early seventies. After being transferred there from San Antonio, we all had a lot to learn about living in the Great White North. Please don't misunderstand me—these were probably some of the happiest years of my childhood. As a family unit, we camped, fished, and hiked incredibly rugged and untamed territory that most people (unfortunately) never have the opportunity to experience. We walked on glaciers, journeyed to Juneau (Alaska's capital), and had a harrowing adventure (complete with bears!) in Denali Park.
But, to be honest, when I think about our nearly four-year assignment in Alaska, I remember that our dad wanted his "girls to be girls", thus, even when it was twenty-below, we'd wear jeans (with long-johns) under our dresses—parkas over all of it, to school. Now, the deal was, we were supposed to shed our parkas, jeans, and long-johns and store them in our lockers once we arrived at our respective schools. I bet you can guess how many times we did that!
It's not that my sisters and I were disrespectful, we were all just struggling to fit into our new schools—showing up wearing a dress was not a great way to do this. Plus, did I mention that it was often below zero?!!!
And, About Those Pants With Nobody Inside Them—
With Halloween 2020 nearly upon us, I've been thinking about the "scarier side of things". James and I tend to stay away from what we consider occult or witchy decorations around our house, but we do love fall. And, although neither of us are into scary movies, we both grew up enjoying a good ghost story—you know, the ones that'd have you sleepin' with a flashlight under the covers?
When our kids were younger, they attended a private Christian school that didn't acknowledge Halloween, but rather harvest time and fall in general. As a lover of books—especially Dr. Suess,
I came across What Was I Scared Of?, one of the few books I hung onto from the boys' childhood days. This tale about a little creature who, well . . . here's part of the story:
I was walking in the night
And I saw nothing scary.
For I've never been afraid
Of anything. Not very.
Then I was deep within the woods
When, suddenly, I spied them.
I saw a pair of pale green pants
With nobody inside them!
I wasn't scared. But, yet, I stopped.
What could those pants be there for?
What could a pair of pants at night
Be standing in the air for?
I know you're wondering how Dr. Seuss resolves this story and if you don't already own the book, I'd suggest you get a copy. Spoiler alert: The little creature who is initially so terrified of the "haunted" green pants realizes that his fears are unwarranted—the pants just want to be his friend!
This book reminds me of how often we're skeptical or afraid of what we don't know, or don't understand. First published in 1961, What Was I Scared Of? Is a great lesson for all of us about not jumping to conclusions when we haven't explored all the facts! Or perhaps this old adage:
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Those words were spoken by Franklin Delano Roosevelt at his inauguration as president in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression which began in 1929. He drew his words from those of Sir Francis Bacon, who wrote, “Nothing is terrible except fearitself.” Today, we have seen the effects of fear.
And, since I'm quoting Roosevelt, I'll go ahead and include one of my go-to scriptures from 2 Timothy 1:7:
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
And, My Love-Hate Relationship With Pants Overall
If you're reading this blog and are following my 2020 Closet ClotheSure Challenge, you've probably noticed that I own way more dresses than anything else!
Here's why—I have freakishly long legs. Please don't roll your eyes at this—it's actually a real problem! (okay, maybe not one of epic proportions, but, nonetheless, a problem when you're trying to find pants that are long enough) ) It'd be one thing if I was equally-proportioned so that my 5' 10" frame was measured out in such a manner that everything looked like it fell where it was supposed to fall, but that's not the case. Although I've steered away from disclosing my weight or other dimensions on my blog (I think everyone should accept who they are), for purposes of this "pants-blog", I'm going to share that when it comes to pants, my inseam is 36". (Sidebar: My husband James, who is 6' 4" wears a 34" inseam—that seals it, LOL—freakishly long legs!)
I was more fortunate than a lot of gals who experienced the "freakishly long leg" challenge. As I was (disproportionally) growing up, my mom Franny would sew an extra band of fabric along the bottoms of my pants and jeans. (Hey, it was the seventies, so an additional row of color was actually kind of cool—or so I thought!) It wasn't until some girls poked fun at me that I realized how "uncool" this was. I became self-conscious about my clothes and how my body was growing. (I can't tell you the number of times kids said stuff like, "You're like a head with legs!" Which is why I got a kick out of the long-legged unicorn gif above!) It didn't help that my older sister Sandy (whom I soon towered above), had the "perfect" bod. When she and her equally-stacked friend would walk by the fire station at Eielson, the guys would start-up the sirens on the fire engines—not even kidding!
So, in case you've been wondering why the lion's share of what I've been revealing in my 2020 Closet ClotheSure Challenge is mostly dresses, there's the explanation. Sidebar: I loved it when capri pants came back into style a couple of years ago. (I mean, how awesome is it that pants that are deliberately short are fashionable?) Hopefully, capri-pants will hang around for a while. If not, I'll miss Franny even more than I already do! Seriously, who else would be willing to sew that extra band of fabric around the hem for me!
Closet ClotheSure Week 39
Monday -
I added the purple top and trousers from New York & Company to my collection last fall. I'll keep the top since it goes well under a two-piece skirt/jacket (also by New York & Company), but the trousers have not been a good fit (too baggy), so they'll find a new home. The funny thing is, if you've read the top of this post, anytime I find pants that are actually long enough for me, it's hard to let them go! I ordered these online, but honestly, cannot in good conscience keep them! Losing this look!
Tuesday - (below)
Navy Ann Taylor silk blouse with matching velvet cami (also Ann Taylor), pairs well with navy-patterned trousers from New York & Company. I'll keep the top and lose the pants —they're a little "bleh" for me and again, although they're long enough, just not feeling like a TEN! Losing this look!
Wednesday - (below) Peach cashmere sweater (Macy's) paired with grey and white striped, high-waisted trousers. It's time I kissed the pants good-bye. I'm still kind of on the fence on the sweater. I think I'll hang onto it for another day! Losing this look!
Thursday -
So, here's the deal on this outift—I'll keep the fun sweater with the awesome black cats on it (from White House Black Market), but am losing the black, elastic-band leggings (Elle). I've actually loved the leggings but you can see how the waist-band is pooching out and visible in the photo. This is because I've had these for many years. From here on out, they'll be relegated to weekend wear!
Here's my Closet ClotheSure Scorecard To Date At The End Of October:
150 Total Outfits Worn
57 Donated!
Winning!
From The Garden:
I mentioned last week that I'd include some pansy photos from our yard. Since we get so much high-shade in the back, we normally just plant these resilient flowers in our front beds.
We've got more work to do out front, but this is a great start!
Happy Halloween, everyone! Take care and remember: God is in control and hope is on the move!
Love, Monica