Fall

Changing seasons

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Logo by SamThe seasonal closet switch that I mentioned last week actually happened this week. Almost. I did leave a few pairs of summer pants in the closet in case we get some more warm days, but the shorts have all been put away. Most of my summer tops are now in storage too, although I do leave a few sleeveless tops in my closet year round as I’ll wear them under jackets and sweaters during the colder months.

These twice a year seasonal switchovers are an excellent time to evaluate and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. As I put the new season’s clothes into the closet, I turn all the hangers around. Then, when I wear an item, I turn its hanger back the right way. At the end of the season, if an item is still hanging backwards, it’s a clear signal that I need to consider whether or not to keep it. This year there were several spring/summer items that I hadn’t worn, but I didn’t feel ready to let go of some of them yet, so I separated them from the others in storage. I’ll reevaluate in the spring and decide then whether to keep them for another season or not. I did get rid of a few things though. Two pairs of capris that were too worn out to keep or to pass on to anyone else went out with yesterday’s garbage and a few other pieces are destined for the second-hand store. Bringing the new season’s clothes back into circulation almost feels like having something new to wear. There were even a few pieces in my fall/winter wardrobe that I’d forgotten all about over the summer!

But how do we dress for this “wear a sweater in the morning and regret it in the afternoon” shoulder season without constantly changing clothes? After all, the temperature can be barely above freezing in the morning, above 20ºC (68ºF) in the afternoon, and chilly again as soon as the sun starts to go down.

As always, layering is the key.

In this example, my base layer consists of a sleeveless top and a pair of mid weight chinos. In the morning, I added warm socks, sneakers, and a cardigan. In the afternoon, I shed the socks and sweater, rolled up the cuffs of my pants, and switched out the sneakers for a comfortable pair of flats.

Everything I’m wearing in these photos has been in my wardrobe for at least three years and has appeared on the blog before except the sleeveless top which is new to me. It was part of the cabi Fall 2018 collection. I have no idea where it’s been hiding for the past five years, but when I found it in our local thrift store recently, it looked like it had never been worn. It originally sold for $99 CAD and I bought it for $2.50! Is it any wonder that I love thrift store shopping?

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And, totally off the topic of today’s post, you may remember that on May 1st, I challenged myself to walk and/or hike 350 kilometres by the end of October. I’m excited to report that I crossed the imaginary finish line yesterday afternoon, a full month early!

Another Miquelon September

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We spent several days this week camping at Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, less than an hour and a half from home. We’ve camped there several times in the past, always in September.

It’s definitely not the lake that keeps us going back. Shallow, saline, and shrinking rapidly, it’s a small fraction of the size that it was a century ago. In fact, we’ve seen the water level drop significantly over the past few years. No, it’s the well-maintained hiking trails that keep us returning to Miquelon.. 

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The “knob and kettle” terrain consists of hummocky mounds (the knobs) and water-filled depressions (the kettles). Hiking trails wind up and down, around and between the ponds and at this time of year, colourful foliage adds to park’s natural beauty. Here in Alberta, we don’t get the wide variety of fall colours that are found in eastern Canada, but Miquelon seems to be an exception! Is it any wonder that we love to go there in September?  

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Over the past few days, we hiked a total of 26.5 kilometres (16.5 miles). As we made our way up and down the “knobs”, we definitely felt muscles that don’t come into play as much when we walk the level ground around home! Thankfully, our legs are in pretty good shape though. With just over 6 weeks to go, I’m only 32 km short of my goal of walking and/or hiking 350 km between May 1 and Oct 31! 

With our bear bell ringing, we didn’t see any of the larger wildlife, including deer, moose and elk, that live within the park, but there was clear evidence of their presence along the trails. Plenty of fresh hoof prints and droppings, including bear scat, told us that they weren’t too far off. We did see rabbits, squirrels, one garter snake, several grouse, and numerous other birds including an abundance of waterfowl. It was also clear that industrious beaver have been hard at work. 

The campground was very quiet during the week, but we were surprised to see how many rigs pulled in on Friday. Obviously, we aren’t the only ones who enjoy fall camping! 

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There were even a few hardy souls sleeping in tents. It must have been pretty chilly with nighttime temperatures dipping close to 0ºC (32ºF). We were toasty warm in our trailer bed though, except for the one night when the propane ran out and the furnace stopped running! Thankfully, fixing that problem was as simple as switching over to the second propane tank. 

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We’re hoping to fit in one more short camping trip before winter and I have no doubt that we’ll be back to Miquelon again another September. 

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Styling a vintage tapestry jacket

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Screenshot 2023-08-24 at 5.01.09 PMI’m never ready for summer to end, but fall is definitely in the air! One thing that always makes the seasonal transition easier to bear is looking forward to wearing some of my fall and winter favourites that have been in storage for the past few months. Having something new (or new to me) to wear also adds excitement. After all, I’m sure we all remember the feeling of having something new to wear on the first day of school and, since I spent my entire career in the classroom, I had a lot of those first days!

Today I’m going to share a new for fall item that has been hanging in my closet since an early summer trip to a thrift store with my daughter. I haven’t actually worn it anywhere yet, but with the weather changing, I pulled it out earlier this week and started shopping my closet for ways to wear it.

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If you’re old enough, you probably remember the tapestry vests and jackets that were popular back in the 90s. I had a couple of the vests and now that I see vests coming back into vogue, I kind of wish that I’d kept them, but I never had a tapestry jacket.

Who cares that I’m 30 years late to the party; I love it and I’m very much looking forward to wearing it this fall! Clothing and accessories are considered vintage once they’re at least 20 years old, and in 2023 it seems that vintage fashion is gaining in popularity everywhere. Vintage is a great way to express individuality and it’s so much better for the planet than buying new. Cost can vary a lot. Prices for jackets similar to mine range from $30 CAD to over $160 on Etsy. I was fortunate to find mine in a second-hand store for $14.50. 

The key to wearing vintage and not looking like you’re wearing a costume is to add one vintage piece to an otherwise contemporary outfit as I’ve done in today’s photos. Another idea is to look for vintage pieces in classic styles. My vintage jacket in a different fabric would fit right in with today’s looks.

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So, how did I put today’s looks together. Since the jacket is a multi-coloured, stand-out piece, I paired it with basic solid-colour pieces. In the first photo above, I’m wearing it with a navy Uniqlo t-shirt and dark olive chino’s from Mark’s. Both pieces are several years old. Immediately above, I’ve switched out the chinos for a favourite pair of dark wash jeans from Old Navy, also several years old. Below, I’m wearing the same jeans with an olive green top that I bought second-hand about a year ago. 

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There are many shades of pink, rust, green, brown, beige, peach, grey, and even a few bits of blue in the tapestry, so it would be easy to wear this jacket with many other colours. I can also give it a modern twist by rolling the sleeves.

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New red coat

/ edebock / 11 Comments

Logo by SamToday’s Fashion Friday post is later than usual because we’ve been having internet woes. Fortunately, they appear to have been resolved, at least for the moment, so let’s get this out there before something goes wrong again!

After writing about second-hand shopping for the entire month of September, I wasn’t planning to mention it again for awhile, but then I found a treasure!

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I was already planning to replace a similar charcoal grey coat that I’ve had since the fall of 2007 when I found this one in one of our local thrift stores. After fifteen years of serving me well, the old coat was beginning to show its age and for some reason, it didn’t fit quite as well as it once did. Okay… perhaps I should admit to having gained a few pounds over those years! 

I was prepared to pay full price for a new coat, but when I could get a beautiful Calvin Klein jacket that looked like it had never been worn for just $7, why in the world would I? A similar CK coat sells here for $129 USD or approximately $180 in Canadian dollars. 

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If I’d bought the jacket in a regular shop, I would probably have tried on one size smaller for comparison purposes. Buying second-hand, of course, that isn’t an option, but I like the fact that the coat is roomy enough to wear over a bulky sweater in cold weather. I wouldn’t want the fit to be as snug as the old one is now!

A coat like this one is perfect for early winter and early spring here in Canada. The fabric is 70% wool, 20% nylon, and 10% recycled cashmere and it’s fully lined with polyester. In the depth of winter, I’ll be wearing the much warmer coat that I showed you here. 

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One woman’s cast-off is another woman’s treasure

/ edebock / 3 Comments

LogoIf you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you’re already fully aware of the fact that I love thrift store shopping. Although I often come up empty-handed, every visit to one of our local second-hand stores is like a treasure hunt. 

After doing the seasonal wardrobe switch that I wrote about last week, there were things to drop off and as always, I also had to look around. I figure that as long as I come home with less than I take, I’m doing well! Sure enough, I found two items that I’m in love with!

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The tunic/dress is soft and cozy with just the right amount of stretch. It’s perfect for relaxing at home on a cool autumn day, but dressy enough to go out for lunch, pick up groceries, or stop by the library. I love the pockets and the 3/4 length sleeves and it was even made in Canada!

Then there are the booties! Here’s a closer look. 

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Aren’t they cute? They’re not something I’d walk a long way in, but they sure dress up an outfit. They were made in France and look almost new. The bare ankle with bootie look won’t work for very long in our climate. In mid winter it would mean almost instant frostbite, but it’s a fun look for fall. 

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While we were busy taking photos, our beautiful next door kitty came over to see what we were doing and had to get in on the action! Sophie considers us some of her people and is always curious about what we’re up to. The photo gives you another close-up of the booties as well as a look at the colourful beaded bracelet that I wore with the outfit. 

We live in a small rural community and often when I wear something from one of our local thrift stores, I wonder if the original owner will notice and what they’ll think of how I style their cast-off. Interestingly though, in spite of the number of things that I’ve donated over the years, I’ve never seen anyone wearing one of them. I hope whoever wears my cast-offs next are as happy with them as I am with my new treasures. 

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Transitioning to fall

/ edebock / 3 Comments

LogoHow do you dress for this golden shoulder season known as autumn? I saw a headline this week that read, “It’s wear a sweater in the morning and regret it in the afternoon weather!” That pretty much sums up fall in my part of the world. When we get up in the morning, the temperature is generally hovering just above 0°C (32°F) and there might be frost on the ground, but by afternoon it has warmed up to anywhere between 18° and 25°C (64° and 77°F).

While running errands early one afternoon this week, I decided to take note of what other people were wearing. A man, sitting in front of the post office reading his mail, was wearing shorts, sandals, and a heavy fleece vest over his t-shirt! That kind of incongruous outfit isn’t as unusual as you might think. I also saw one woman wearing a quilted coat and a toque while another was working in her yard in shorts and a t-shirt!

In spite of this confusion, I decided that it was time to begin my seasonal wardrobe switch this week. Since I found myself reaching for the warmer items in my closet every morning and the true hot weather pieces were no longer seeing the light of day, I knew it was time to put most of those away and bring out my fall/winter pieces.

If you live where the weather is more uniform year round, you probably don’t have to go through this twice a year ritual, and I guess if I had a bigger closet I might not have to either. As it is, however, it’s much easier to have only one season’s clothes to choose from every morning and these seasonal switchovers are an excellent time to evaluate and decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

So, how do I go about doing that? Unlike some who advise getting rid of anything that hasn’t been worn during the current season or in the past year, I sometimes hang onto items that are excellent quality or that I love even if I haven’t worn them for quite awhile. Over the years, I’ve occasionally enjoyed resurrecting some of those items and have even shared a few of them here on the blog. This time, however, I knew that there were things in my summer closet that simply had to go. This required discipline because some were pieces that I really liked, but they were too worn out to keep or to pass on to anyone else. Others that don’t fit well or that I no longer enjoy wearing are destined for the second-hand store.

As I put the new season’s clothes into the closet, I turn all the hangers around. Then, when I wear an item, I turn it’s hanger back the right way. At the end of the season, if an item is still hanging backwards, it’s a clear signal that I need to consider whether or not to keep it.

There are, of course, some items that stay in my closet year round including sleeveless tops that can be worn alone in summer or under sweaters and jackets when the weather is cooler. This time, I also left a couple of pairs of favourite capri pants for those 25° afternoons. They won’t stay there all winter, but for now, we’re still transitioning!

Utility jacket for fall

/ edebock / 2 Comments

LogoWhen I saw this post from Tania Stephens on her blog, 50 is not Old, several weeks ago, I thought how easy it would be for me to replicate her look with the Cabela’s utility jacket that I picked up at a garage sale last spring! As always though, the idea is to take inspiration from how another woman dresses, not to copy her exactly.

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Tania Stephens

Now let’s take a look at my take on Tania’s outfit.

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Both our outfits involve three simple items; a black t-shirt, an olive utility jacket, and a pair of blue jeans. Shopping Tania’s look in my closet, however, I started by choosing a darker wash jean than she did. I like her V-neck t-shirt, but since the only black t-shirt in my closet happens to be a crew neck, that’s what I’m wearing. Our jackets, though similar, are also quite different.

So, before we go any further, what exactly is a utility jacket? In a nutshell, it’s a practical piece that is commonly made from denim or cotton twill. They’re usually fairly boxy, with a collar and a button down front. Mine also has a zipper. Four pockets are most common, but as you can see, Tania’s has only two which gives it a slightly dressier look. Though originally a workwear item worn mostly by factory workers and farmhands, the utility jacket has been adopted as an enduring fashion trend and can be found in a wide range of colours and styles.

The main reason that I only own one black t-shirt is that black tends to wash me out, especially when I wear it close to my face. I can get away with it when I wear it under something like the olive jacket, but after creating my version of Tania’s look, I changed the t-shirt out for a cream coloured blouse with an abstract pattern of warm fall colours.

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Personally, I think that this is a better look on me.

I usually wear a medium, but my jacket is a large. After all, you don’t get a choice of sizes when you shop at a garage sale! It fits a bit loosely, but that’s actually one of the things that I liked about it. Layering is essential in our Canadian autumn. In fact, here I am wearing it over a lightweight hoodie and my ultra light down vest from Uniqlo on a chilly morning walk on our latest camping trip.

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300+ km!

/ edebock / 1 Comment

Yesterday morning, on a quiet walk beside Grebe Pond in Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, I crossed an invisible finish line! If you’ve been reading my blog over the summer months, you know that on the second of May I challenged myself to walk and/or hike 300 km by our 45th wedding anniversary on October 2. With just 10 days to go, I accomplished that goal!

On Monday morning, we headed off on one last camping trip before cleaning out the trailer and preparing it for winter. We knew that the nights would be cold (in fact, it was 4°C or 39°F when we got up this morning) but with an extra quilt and a furnace, we were toasty warm. The days were crisp, but great for hiking and over the three days that we were there, we hiked over 19 km (almost 12 miles). 

In addition to Miquelon Lake itself, the park is dotted with small bodies of water, home to many kinds of waterfowl. The “knob and kettle” terrain consists of hummocky mounds (the knobs) and water-filled depressions (the kettles). Hiking trails wind up and down, around and between the ponds and at this time of year, colourful foliage adds to park’s natural beauty. 

So, let me share a bit of that beauty with you…

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Tuesday’s hike was the longest; 9.2 km on the park’s backcountry trails. We packed a lunch and set off about 10:30 in the morning when the air had had a chance to warm up a bit. This was the view from our lunch spot… 

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Just me enjoying another view…

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The next photo was taken close to my self-imposed 300 km finish line. I’ve always loved reflections on water. 

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And finally, a couple of shots from the end of Moose Trail, our last hike…

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It’s pumpkin spice time!

/ edebock / 2 Comments

 

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I’m always sad to see summer come to an end and this year is no exception. With our long, cold winter just around the corner, fall is bittersweet. Thankfully, it’s also pumpkin spice time! There’s something about a pumpkin spice latte that warms the tummy and the heart. I’ve always said it tastes like hot pumpkin pie in a cup!

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Sadly. when I learned that I was prediabetic and had to start seriously limiting my sugar intake, I had to stop indulging in these fabulous autumn treats. “Don’t drink your sugar,” is the advice given to those of us on the diabetes spectrum. 

There are sugar-free pumpkin spice recipes online that use artificial sweeteners, but I haven’t tried one of those yet. What I have been experimenting with and perfecting lately is a simple pumpkin spice smoothie recipe that I’ll share with you today. It’s not sugar-free, but it’s low-sugar, healthy, and delicious.  

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie (for one)

  • 1/2 cup cold canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
  • 1 tbsp artificially sweetened maple syrup substitute
  • 2 tbsp unflavoured protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Put all seven ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

If sugar and/or fat content are not a concern, you can use whole milk, regular yogurt, and/or maple syrup instead of the low-sugar, low-fat substitutes that I use. 

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I’m still using hubby’s laptop to blog while the WordPress Happiness Engineers do their best to figure out a way to help me. My fingers are gradually getting more accustomed to his keyboard and I’ve figured out a way to transfer photos from my computer to his, but the whole blogging process is slower and less satisfying than usual. I’m not giving up, however. I will persevere until the problem is resolved or I have to buy a new laptop! 

 

Hiking in November!

/ edebock / 4 Comments

We usually have snow to stay by the end of October, but as we all know by now, 2020 is a rule breaker! Though we had some unusually cold weather and a few flurries in the latter half of October, when we turned the calendar page to November, the weather took an amazing turn. The average daytime temperature at this time of year is barely above 0ºC (32ºF), so when the forecast said that today’s high would be 18ºC (64ºF), we decided to go hiking! Hiking in central Alberta in November? Unheard of!

This morning, we headed for the village of Donalda, about an hour from home. The last time we hiked in that area was over five years ago. It was already 18ºC when we arrived and we hadn’t been hiking long when we started peeling off layers!

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We started off following the woodland trail that leaves from one corner of the village. With all the leaves on the ground and the trees bare, there was a peaceful beauty about the place. Before long, we passed through a gate that took us onto 129 acres of private land that’s used for grazing cattle. Signs tell hikers that they’re welcome to explore anywhere within the area. We had the option of staying on the trail along the rim of the massive coulee, the northernmost part of the Canadian Badlands, but instead we turned toward the valley and wandered wherever our feet took us. Up, down, and around the bluffs we went seeking out interesting formations and views.

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Though there weren’t any cattle grazing in the area, we had to watch our step as there was plenty of evidence that they had been there! We did see some deer. 

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The weather is so warm this week that the golf course, which has been closed since October 12, has reopened with golfers playing on temporary greens. Richard had Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections in both his shoulders a week ago to promote healing of some old sports injuries, so he can’t do much with his arms right now. Golfing is out, but he certainly could hike!

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I have no idea how far we hiked, but we were out for about three hours. We enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the valley.  

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Eventually, we rejoined the woodland trail at it’s far end and made our way back to our starting point. Along the way, we passed this unusual sign on a fence post. We have no idea what it was trying to tell us, but it seemed very appropriate for this most unusual November day!

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