Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Getting Reckless

Riddle:  What part of a tall ship does a shopaholic like best?

As I said last week, I’ve been re-reading Agatha Christie.  Her mysteries are really good, very clever, and better written than I used to think (before I started getting published myself).  They are also “comfort reads.”  There is comfort food, and there are places one goes for comfort (home, usually, or to church, or to a beautiful lake or forest), and there are old, familiar, friendly books one turns to for comfort.  I remember during a bad patch in my life reading – and reading again – Pilgrim’s Inn by Elizabeth Goodge.  It featured good people struggling with serious problems and trying to be kind and useful to one another.  Lovely!  What are your comfort reads?

I’m struggling to get the re-write of The Drowning Spool finished by the week of July 15.  I'm throwing in new scenes boldly, even recklessly.  Wish me luck and strength and inspiration!  And speed!

A few weeks ago I got out my old white sandals and concluded they were dead.  Some of the white surface had worn off, the strap fasteners were unreliable, and the place where the soles of my feet rested was black and gray despite furious scrubbing.  Payless Shoes had nothing for me.  So I went to Schuler’s Shoes to look at what they had in their backroom discount space.  Answer: nothing.  Or nothing that fit, anyway.  So I looked at the shelves out front where the good stuff was on display.  I chose a nice pair of white sandals that were comfortable the minute I tried them on – and have remained comfortable in the weeks since.  But also on display was a pair of pricey Italian wedges held on with strips of leather in red, pink, salmon, and just a touch of  green.  I don’t know what got into me; daringly, I tried them on.  They were surprisingly comfortable and looked adorable.  Recklessly, I bought them.  I had a red purse at home that would go nicely with them, I told myself.

But the red purse at home was definitely wrong.  So this past week I went to DSW (holding a big sale!) in search of a purse.  I found several that would do, but only one was really right (the most expensive one, of course).  It was pink and salmon, perfect.  I have never in my whole life paid that much for a purse.  And, of course, there was a hat of straw and fabric that picked up the pinky salmon of the shoes and purse.  I was happy to find it was only twenty dollars.  I have a pale ivory dress that just loved these accessories.  So this past Sunday I went to church in high summer style!  I’m speaking at a library in a couple of weeks and will wear be stylin’ it there, too.  I’m going to consider my purchases a celebration in advance of getting that re-write done.  But I shall not break out like that again, or at least not for the rest of the summer.

Answer to riddle:  The sails, of course!

3 comments:

Christine Thresh said...

You look marvelous in that outfit. Perfect for summer.

Linda O. Johnston said...

How delightful that you found lovely stuff, and at bargain prices, too, Monica!

Betty Hechtman said...

I love the sandal! It's fun to wear bright shoes. The whole outfit works just great.

I am reading Agatha Christie, too. It was really her books that turned me into a mystery lover. I watched the Blue Geranium on PBS over the weekend. It was based on a Miss Marple short story, which I am not reading to compare it with the teleplay. Huge difference.