Not a Fashionista
Sometimes on anniversary posts I write a little something about myself, so today I will admit something that I am not: I am not fashionable. It's not that I don't care about clothing, it's more that I don't bother with trends. I care more that clothing is comfortable and practical.
Yeah, I've seen the stereotype of a little old lady in tennis shoes. I don't quite fit that profile, at least not yet. You're more likely to see me in shoes from Europe than tennis shoes, but that's for practical reasons too. European shoes have more toe-room than American shoes, and I've found some that are more versatile than tennis shoes. I've purchased Arcopedico shoes over and over, not the knit ones you see in airplane magazines but leather slip-ons or, in the summer, stretch fabric ones when I can find them, which is online (and on sale).
There are other items that I buy over and over, like nice knit pants, but not sweat pants or anything that's clingy. They need to be cotton or a blend so they don't gather static, and preferably with texture. Cords or crinkle cloth are my favorites because they don't cling. (Only thin people should wear tight pants, and I haven't been thin since I was 12!) When I find a style that fits and launders well, I usually buy more, in all the neutral colors I can find. I like pants to be neutral so that they go with whatever shirt suits my mood.
Speaking of shirts, they must not require ironing. Again, cotton knits fill the bill, although lately I've avoided pullover shirts because I have a sore bicep which hurts when I try to wrestle a shirt over my head.
Since I like to wash shirts after every wearing, I look for fabrics that come through the wash really well. This means no acrylic which tends to pill and attracts static. Fabric softener is not an option for me because my skin is sensitive to chemicals and my nose is sensitive to odors, so I choose low-static fabrics like cotton and rayon. Besides, static is bad for computers.
For underthings, I like
Decent Exposures for their sew-to-order service. They'll do latex-free and if something doesn't fit, they'll fix it. For socks, the most comfy for me are elastic-free and cotton, like old fashioned Buster Browns. They are still sold online (at
Shop National, for instance).
My coats tend to look conservative because if they are not, my husband makes his favorite put-down remark: "You're not going out in THAT, are you?"
The carriage rides on Saturday were a highlight of the children's holiday program. Even Santa took a ride!
More photos of the holiday program are below or (if you arrived here through a link to this post) see:
I took these pictures at Edinburg's Madison District Park. It's on Town Hall Avenue in Edinburg behind the old middle school.
(link goes to Amazon listing). 
, my great-grandfather says of the horrors of Chickamauga, "I shall not attempt to describe what I saw, of dead wounded and suffering."
Several Civil War sites here in Virginia featured "Civil War Christmas" events such as this one on Hupp's Hill near Strasburg. It was modest as reenactments go but the site has only existed for a short time in it's current form as part of Cedar Creek Battlefield. 
Across from the museum and visitors center at Hupp's Hill you'll find a trail that deals with both the Civil War history of the site and the karst geology that underlies it. Limestone is porous and so this area, like much of the Shenandoah Valley, has water-formed caves underneath. 
Yesterday we went on the Victorian Christmas Candlelight Parlor Tour in Edinburg. We bought tickets at the mill and made the rounds. The sites included a church and a B&B as well as a number of charming homes. The holiday decorations helped me get in the mood for the Christmas season.
We own some vacant land next to our rental property at Shenandoah River Lakes and a few months ago Frank hired someone to cut down some brush on it and plant grass. Since then we've stopped by several times to see how the grass is coming along, and now it's doing pretty well (just in time to be slowed down by winter). 
We went to Harrisonburg the other day to shop. Since temperatures were mild, I wanted to take a walk outdoors. We went to the Carrier Arboretum and made a short but steep stroll up to the labyrinth. The sign to it was missing but I recalled that it was up the hill from the education center's parking area.
When I take Ben to the vet, I like to reward him with a nice walk afterward. Here we are in Woodstock at W.O. Riley Park. The sign on the right credits the Blue Ridge Chapter of Safari Club International with development of the arboretum at the park.
Frank just listed a home for sale in section 10 of the resort. It's on the corner of Cottonwood Drive and he priced it to sell. He says the interior is very nice with upgrades (hardwood floor, gas fireplace, etc.
