Day 102 - Spring's Favorite Pickles? in These Foolish Things

Daffo-dills! Ahahaha! Good morning, glories! It’s Saturday. It’s 6:30am and the birdies are chirping, and I’m ALIVE again today.

I have a lot of things going on today, and my mind is on refreshes. It’s Spring and my windows and doors are open, letting fresh air inside - the ceiling fans slowly whirring to circulate fresh air.

The windows and doors are also open because I got a new area rug for my living room and it still has that factory smell, so I’m trying to air it out. Yes, yes, I should have purchased a secondhand rug - but I found a great deal and I wanted to get it before the dreaded tariffs. My promise this year for thrift/vintage applies to clothing only, but I am going to add household goods/decor next year because of the aforementioned tariffs AND because the clothing thing has gone so well so far this year.

Speaking of thrifting, I’m doing the “everything $3” thrift store with L.C. and Jenna today! L.C. added her wife to the group chat, so I guess V. is going as well! I found some super cute things last time I was there - it’s just that the store gets so freaking CROWDED that I’m going to have to put on my shield this afternoon.

I put my imaginary “bubble shield” on when I’m in crowded spaces like airplanes. I can’t stand to be shoulder to shoulder with total strangers so I have to mentally do this whole series of wrapping myself in a bubble in order to bear the uncomfortableness of it all. Do you do this? Am I weird?

Anyway, this thrift store warehouse is very cool in that there are several “parts” to it - outside, there’s a modified shipping container that’s used to contain free clothing for anyone to take - unhoused people, random passers-by, whoever wants the free shit (honestly, mostly really worn and torn stuff that would most certainly go to landfill instantly, but there are takers…) And inside is a more merchandised series of racks and bins of clothing and some accessories that you have to kind of scrounge through. But everything is $3. Most of the time that’s a much better deal than Goodwill and is ALWAYS a steal compared to the trendy thrift markets and beautiful vintage stores of this city. And then they do have a few racks of things that are more than $3, but there are actually some designer pieces and fancy things on those racks that are worth going through as well.

I think I have a whole series of vintage shopping entries to write, but I’m going to wait until after today’s visit to start with that. The point is, I think I’m starting to get the hang of how to do this. It takes a while to really SCORE, and through a series of hits and misses, I think I’m getting this! It’s so fun!

We’ll see how Jenna feels today. I have a feeling she might not love this event since she’s fairly standoffish and you really have to dig in, but I could be wrong? Maybe there’s a whole other personality in there?

My other event today is a picnic with a group of girls I met through Diane, though Diane is not going today. I think she’s out of town or something and I’m still debating how much I like Diane anyway (her fascination with Elon Musk is disturbing, but she does love going cool places and she has introduced me to some new people, so…). Anyway, it’s a picnic at what is essentially this city’s Central Park, and I’m excited to have something to attend that’s not just my normal Saturday morning walk in addition to getting my normal Saturday morning walk in.

Trying to figure out what to wear because I want to do something girly and picnic-y. I’m planning on parking in my “secret free downtown spot” and walking the 20ish minutes there, but I do want to get my big steps in too, so there will be further walking afterwards. The weather’s going to be wonderful, and I’ll need to bring sunscreen and a big hat, so I think sundress with sneakers will be the attire. Also need to bring a small blanket for sitting. And my own picnic lunch. So, a bag of some sort is necessary. Maybe my pretty picnic basket? Though, that’s a lot to carry…

Ugh…decisions, decisions.

Also, another big “refresh” for me: I had been growing my hair for over a year and it had been getting so freaking LONG again. After the Great Chemo Thinning of 2021 and the alopecia bald spot of 2024, my hair is back to it’s thick and hearty old red-headed self (actually, I’ve been going strawberry with all of the white hair growing in, and I love it). I thought about getting the infamous curtain bangs with long, face-framing layers, yada, yada. I had even gone so far as to trim off some dead ends into long, long layers at the front, but I was starting to hate it and get frustrated. So yesterday, I couldn’t stand it so I caved and ran out to the Great Clips down the street! I told the lady just to chop it bluntly, straight across at the clavicle. So it’s back to long bob for me, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s the easiest hair cut and style in the world for me, so no more worrying about that.

Well, better get a move on. I just painted my nails while I wrote this entry. Nails are dry. If nothing else, I’m a low-maintenance bitch with my DIY manicure and my super inexpensive haircut. Who says I’m not a catch??! Ha. Need to get my workout clothes on and take Martini on a quick walk in the (close to me) park on the way to her daycare and then I’m out for the rest of the day!!

Enjoy the weekend!
xox,
GS