Love You Long Time
PROLOGUE
Oh, here she comes now.
The day
This whole day started out on the wrong foot. I’d planned to be up and out by 8:30am to get to the garden right as it opened at 10. I am usually the first one in by a good 15 minutes and I like it that way. I like having the whole place to myself with no one blocking my views for pictures and without having to wait to go where I want to go.
But the night before I realized that Saturday was the first of June, and while I had been at the bank that very morning to make a deposit for work, had I gotten cash out for my rent?? NO. Guh. The ATM has a daily limit of $900 (and if you take out the limit on Friday, you can’t take more til Monday) so I had two bad options: either tell my landlady I couldn’t give her the rest of the rent til Monday (ugh), or go to the branch of my bank that opens on Saturday at 10am. I gave up the dream of being the first (or possibly hundredth!) one into the garden, and opted to pay my rent on time. #adultingsucks
I met up with my friend after that and we headed out east. Amazingly there was no traffic and we made very good time and got to the garden address around noon…pulled into the long driveway…only to find a rope across the drive with a sign saying NO TOUR TODAY.
No. Nope. That can’t be right. I was JUST on the website in the morning getting the directions and there was no mention of cancellation. Another car pulled in after us and they confirmed that they had also looked on the website that morning and no indication was given of a cancellation, and yet. When they drove away I pulled up the page on my phone and lo and behold…NO TOUR TODAY. Rescheduled for July 6. Sigh. Talk about waiting til the last minute!
So. I did what I always do when I’m in an unfamiliar area. I looked for the water. And we stopped anywhere we saw a photo opp. We had lunch on a charming street, had donuts, randomly ended up at one of her relatives’ summer homes and found a summer place she’d been thinking of buying for herself (also a nope), and talked and laughed. It hadn’t been the plan but we had a nice day. It was a nice day.
EPILOGUE
Remember the beloved khaki linen pants with the little hole I was going to fix? And how I was going to proudly show you my repair job…and the new button I planned to sew on?
On our second to last stop, as I slid back into the car, I heard the sound no one wants to hear: the sound of pants ripping. A LOT. Upon inspection, once I got home, I saw they had torn all the way across the back, right under the butt, from side seam to side seam. To quote a co-worker…there’s no hope for them.
So…RIP Favorite Linen Pants. I loved you long time.
What I Wore
- OLD Jessica London linen-rayon blend wide-legged pants, size 20. Closest thing I can find is this.
- Black Amazon/Daily Ritual swing tee, size 4x.
- White Keds
Thanks to Linda for taking my picture!
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Sarah
So sad about the linen pants but it sounds like the universe was nudging you (aggressively) to let them go. I love that you style with older pieces and avoid a lot of the expense of only showing new items. It’s so much more realistic for the average person and encourages creativity. Too bad about the garden tour – sounds like an amazing place to see!
bettyewp
Ha, yes, a pretty aggressive nudge.
I do like to show how to re-use the same items in your closet over and over again. I read somewhere today that the average person buys 46 new items of clothing each year. FORTY-SIX! I don’t know if that included like underwear, socks, coats, etc, but that would still be a lot. I don’t know that I have 46 items in my complete summer wardrobe and I’ve been adding to and editing it for YEARS. Okay, now I have to go count, ha.
34. And that’s including four jeans and four tee shirts and three cardigans that get worn all year round. I didn’t count shoes, I have so few and I have them for years and years. I am LOOKING for a few new things for the summer, not a lot. But overall, I prefer to always shop with an eye towards mixing-and-matching with items I already have. I love the hunt for The Perfect Thing as much as the next person but…I’ve learned to be very conservative with what I keep.
jodie filogomo
Those poor pants…but they certainly were well loved.
You know me…always trying to come up with a solution….have you thought about adding in a zipper to the ones that only have elastic?? I can’t say I’ve ever done it, but it sounds reasonable….
And way to make an unexpected cancellation into a good day. That’s happened to us before, and I’ve learned to roll with the punches (although I’m not very good at that)
XXOO
Jodie
bettyewp
Jodie the Solver 🙂
I did say about five times OH MAN…OH MAN I CAN’T BELIEVE IT…OH MAN I’M SO DISAPPOINTED…but…it was a beautiful day, we were out in farm country (relatively speaking) and we found the water, so. I got over it. And I’ll try again when it’s rescheduled for July 6.
Tina von Tinaspinkfriday
OH Betty I am so sad about your linen pants. I know how it is 🙁
I love your wonderful pictures 🙂
XO Tina
bettyewp
I’ve got them hanging in the bathroom and I keep looking at them wondering CAN I fix them? A bunch of iron-on patches all in a row? Even to just wear them by myself around the house and sitting on the beach at night? I know you would find a bunch of really cute patches and just go for it and it would be darling 🙂
Val
Hi Bettye
How I enjoy reading all your blog posts. Despite all that life flings at you there’s that positive enjoyment of life and humour that shines through. It makes a change to read about someone’s actual ‘real’ life with all its ups and downs, that we can relate to, rather than the sugar coated perfection others portray. Then there’s all those beautiful photographs. Thanks for taking the time to write so often.
Regarding the much loved linen pants, hang on to them and when you have the funds find a local dressmaker who will be able to unpick them and cut a pattern from the pieces. You can then get a pair made up in whatever colour linen or other fabric your heart desires. Everyone who sews says NYC fabric stores are the best. It may be a more expensive way of doing it but if the new pants are exactly the style you want with a perfect fit and last another 10 years it will be money well spent.
bettyewp
Thank you, Val. I’ve always considered myself a “perky pessimist.” I know things aren’t going to turn out well, but there’s no reason to be all glum about it! Ooh, that was a little TOO perky for me.
That’s a great idea about the pants. They’re still hanging in the bathroom with me undecided what to do with them. I might still try to fix them. It’s not like I can ruin them!
Nancy
Oh sorry, I had to laugh a bit! Just because of the trousers, not that you didn’t get the tour. But hey, it was a lovely day anyway right?
Iris
Oh my – I’m so sorry about your pants. I was thinking: “just send them to me and I’ll see what I can do – could also shorten them for you”. Not sure about the latest rip though 🙁
I do love that top, and it looks comfty.
Sounds like your day turned into a nice one – maybe things you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com