Friday, January 7, 2011

2011

Well, it's a new year. The Christmas decorations are put away, the house is back to normal, our school schedule has begun again. And the rain has come.

Just a normal beginning to a Northwest January.

At least we are not freezing and there are no weather delays in these parts. We are expecting some snow this weekend but probably nothing much, if any. I appreciate living where I do in the winter, raining or not. The older I get, the less I can take freezing temps. Oh, sure, if I gained perhaps 30 pounds, I might be able to keep warm but I'm not that desperate. I just wish they made more fashionable Arctic clothing. Todd prefers to see me in sweaters but, darn it, it's hard to find women's clothing that is warm enough for me without making me look frumpy. I've been saying this for years: They make men's clothing warm, well-sewn and long-lasting. Always. Women's clothing isn't meant to last long or be warm. I'm sure there are exceptions but I probably can't afford them. Well ... wait a minute. Todd did buy me a yak sweater from a German company for Christmas. It was made in Mongolia of undyed yak wool. It's beautiful browns, striped on one side and reverses to an interesting weave on the other. A hat and scarf came with it. And it is warm and beautiful. It sheds like a yak would but that's no surprise. However ... we can't afford to have a drawer full of yak sweaters. Now I know how those Mongolians survive those cold winters.

So, o.k., MOST women's clothing isn't warm or made very well. Even Boden (sorry Johnny) tends to wear out after a few washings on delicate with delicate soap and lay flat to dry care. If you don't know about Boden, Johnny Boden is the humorous owner and spokesman for his British clothing company of fabulous clothing and great catalogs. I love them but I wish they lasted longer. Perhaps I wear them too much. They are worth every penny, though. Boden clothing makes me feel young and pretty. Eddie Bauer clothing (Seattle, Washington origin) is actually made better (most of the time) but it's more Northwestern type stuff - flannel, hike-worthy, rugged stuff. Definitely different from the Boden London style. I like them both, depending on my mood. Does anyone care about any of this?

Sorry, I've completely forgotten why I sat down to write except that I knew I needed to move on beyond my Christmas post. Hope I didn't keep you from something vastly more important!

Happy New Year!

5 comments:

jugglingpaynes said...

LOL about the sweater that sheds like a yak! Happy New Year!
I'm actually interested in what you have to say, since I try to keep the thermostat low and we all suffer from feeling cold in the house. I never considered Eddie Bauer clothes as rugged. I guess I'm just snobbish when I see the designer label. I see the label and I think "overpriced." :o)

Peace and Laughter,
Cristina

Cat said...

As you would have read on my blog over the years, we don't do central heating downunder, so need to dress warm during winter?

The answer? Layered thermals - particularly merino wool. There is a company here called Katmandu which does alot of outdoor apparel, and we stock up when their sales are on.

Katie said...

Hmmmm if it shed like a yak, I wonder if it smells like a yak. Hopefully not!
I hope you've been keeping well, Kate. I've been completly out of blogland for so long dealing with life changes. I'll have to do a lot of reading to catch up on what you've been up to!

Paula Vince said...

Hi Kate,
I'm able to get on again, hooray! For a few days, I couldn't get on to your blog for some reason.
I'd love a yak sweater just like yours for July! Sounds gorgeous.
Very hot over here but wetter than normal, especially up north in Queensland. You might have seen the flash floods in your news. The Brisbane CBD and a huge chunk of the state have been ravaged by the floods. It's unbelievable.
I hope you're all bearing the cold well and hope to be blogging more than I did last year.
Blessings,
Paula

40winkzzz said...

hey, thanks for your comment on my sadly neglected blog. i appreciate your thoughts & prayers. it's been a roller coaster ride, but we had a nice visit from cheez & the bf in december, and i am so thankful for that. now we are looking forward to her permanent return to mi in about 10 days!!! the bf plans to follow a few weeks later, but there has been some drama, so we'll see. having them nearby has potential for both conflict and opportunity. it's all been very interesting. anyway... in my absence from blogging, i've kept up with a lot of my blog friends via facebook. are you on fb? if so, we could probably find each other. if not, at least shoot me an email via my blogger profile. (i looked for an email link on yours and couldn't find one.) i have a couple other non-fb blog friends with whom i have emailed here and there.

as for warm clothes, yes, been needing those myself, since we are now heating mostly with wood and our upstairs (main floor) is much colder than the lower level where the wood burner is. i have a couple really toasty warm fleece tops which i used to consider too warm to wear inside. not anymore! i wear them often now, layered over long-sleeve t's, and sometimes when i am upstairs, i throw a hoodie on over top of the fleece! then there are my kids, who still run around in t-shirts...