About six months ago, the handle of the basket I've been carrying to work gave up its resistance to the metal hook it hangs on there. I love the way my basket holds its shape + keeps jars (full of soup or coffee) upright. It's small + shallow enough to keep everything organized + accessible. 

At first, I tried wrapping things around the handle to hold it together. They would end up in a mangled mess by the time I got back home. I tried using other bags I already have. My overturned lunches tested the seals on jars, and digging for my keys left me frequently frustrated. So I searched for a replacement that could satisfy like my basket + stand up to the metal hook.

Bags are simple enough to make + customize. It's the materials that can be elusive, especially when I can't handle them before purchase. If the end product doesn't meet my expectations, it feels like a waste of resources (since it can't be returned). After a fruitless search for a readymade bag, however, I decided to try the Town Bag Sewing Pattern. I've always admired Karen Templer's bags, but didn't really have a need for one before.

I'm pretty happy with the way this bag came together. Its numerous pockets, ability to stand on its own and good looks are making me smile. I appreciated having the pattern's recommendations for the weight of the canvas and the width of the webbing, since I needed to purchase them online. Grommets might still be in its future. The construction felt like a little magic trick at the end, and I've just realized that one could insert a stiff piece of cardboard or plastic for extra structure before closing up the bottom. 

I'm hoping this little gem will become my new, go-to work bag. I like having a dedicated work bag that can keep work things ready to go. I can just move a pouch with my necessities from bag to bag as needed. Systems enhance simplicity. Replacements only(ish). Less is enough. :)

Love,
Jane

I began to realize
that what really matters is
the tone + the content
of the voice in your head.
​~Dr. Jim Loehr

Sokoi's Laurel linen pants are my new favorite soft pants. Soko designed these pants to be used for yoga which means I can put them on in the morning before stretching + sun salutations. I can wear them while I hang out crosslegged on the couch + when I meet Jo for coffee. I wear them to work, and I'm wearing them to a fancy concert tonight. They are breezy with a tank top + cozy with a cashmere sweater. 

This is how I want my wardrobe to work. I don't want to have to have yoga pants + work pants, fancy pants, winter pants, summer pants, grocery store pants + pajama pants. I don't want to have to change my clothes four times a day. I hope that it's clear that this is not about a certain pair of pants. This is about a certain way of thinking.

I remember trying to imagine the ideal smallest wardrobe that could work for me. The pivotal item was a pair of seasonless, soft pants like these. I think it's an interesting exercise to imagine how little I could live + function with. It empowers me to imagine living with a smaller footprint, living in a smaller home, making less money, weathering a crisis, and with greater contentment with what I have. So, yeah...these feel like magical pants!

All lovely images via Sokoi.

Love,
Jane

One day with temperatures in the 80s was all it took for me to start thinking about shorts. My eye currently likes the proportions of shorter shorts with oversized button ups + midlength shorts with fitted tank tops. But I'm interested in training my eye to appreciate the proportions of knee length shorts. I really like the idea of sitting down in shorts + having them still covering a comfortable amount of thigh. :)

It's not easy to find knee-length-shorts looks on the internet that don't involve heels, blazers or belly baring tops which just don't hold any interest for me. My preference is toward easy, worn-in + not too serious outfits. 

My notes (toward my preferences) so far:

• the shorts shouldn't be too tight (which is good for summer temps as well)
• billowy, oversized button-ups with rolled sleeves
• ankle baring sandals
• fitted, waistband-skimming tanks + tees
• hemmed shorts can skew a bit less casual

Inspiring photos via links or pinterest.

Love,
Jane

Since I had the time, my transitional, try-on session led straight into listing a few things on my favorite online resale site. Within hours someone who lives locally reached out + wanted three of the items! We ended up meeting the next day for a quick exchange. 

Of course, I had fun dressing up a little package to hand off. I hope she felt the little jolt of pleasure that accompanied the smiles we exchanged. I also hope that she enjoys wearing the pieces inside! This fortunate outcome has never happened before, but felt really lovely this time.

Love,
​Jane

How do you update your wardrobe for a new season? 

When I was growing up, I remember going to the mall at the start of a new season + talking with my mom about what the new colors of the season seemed to be. It was fun to try a few things on, see if they suited us, and perhaps add a new color or style to our wardrobes. 

I still like to browse the new ethical clothing collections to see what new colors + shapes they have to offer each season. I also like to know that anything I purchase will be useful in my wardrobe + life. That insight comes from pulling everything out of my closet at the beginning of the season + making piles of pants, sweaters, short sleeved tees, etc. It's always helpful to see how many of each I have. I try on outfits + think through ways to wear things. 

Today, I set aside a few pieces that I like, but don't wear often. I'm thinking through the reasons I choose other pieces more often: I adjust this one all day...this neckline isn't my favorite...I feel a bit washed out in this one...these sleeves are a little too puffed. I play around with them...maybe if I roll the sleeves...maybe with these pants. A few things get listed on a resale site. I'll try wearing a couple this week in new ways (decisions pending).

These observations + actions are my data. I'm refining my style + my ability to add only pieces that stand the test of time.

I haven't shopped at the mall in a long time. These are the try on sessions that matter most to me now. Honestly, I'm sure they always have been. 

Laying eyes on all of the good things that are already in my wardrobe is really satiating. It is very good to think about updates from a place of satisfaction. Do I need updates or am I just settling back in to the pieces that make me feel good? Maybe the update I need most is to my thinking rather than to my wardrobe after all.

Love,
​Jane

What's making me smile these days:

• bringing flowers to my daughter's for dinner 
• visiting an owl's nest with binoculars
• hugging my mom + dad
• minimizing + redesigning my artsy/craftsy closet  
• checking in with what's popping up in the garden
• booking camp sites
• long phone conversations with my sister
• familiar walks 
• having a permanently set up space to stretch
• balcony seats for a dance/cello performance
• an afternoon to explore shops all by myself 
• lilacs!
• hibiscus tea

It's always interesting to me how mundane + obvious these type of lists feel in the moment. But when I come across them later, there is something unfamiliar + lovely about them. I think it would be kind of delicious to find such a list tucked into a book or in the pocket of a jacket next fall. Similarly, I often keep fortune cookie fortunes or tickets from a movie or boat ride tucked into a bag or pocket to come across later. They always elicit a smile + often a conversation. Why shouldn't good things + sacred moments offer smiles more than once?

It's usually more effective to team up with a species than to create a machine.
A plastic spoon in every brain.
The housing was sold at cost.

Hope your weekend involves some sunshine + some quiet moments. 

Much love,
Jane

As we enter a new stage of life this week (empty nesting!), we're looking for ways to lean into fresh starts rather than sad endings. Among other things, taking a fresh look at living lighter on the planet is attracting my focus + excitement. 

We're currently discussing + looking into:

• further decreasing our water usage :: with one less person taking showers, it's a great time to redouble our efforts toward taking shorter showers + noticing the cost savings on our water bill (which can motivate further water conservation)
• quitting trash + recycling pickup :: skipping the convenience of trash pick-up would give us added incentive to keep our waste minimal...sorting each item at our local recycling facility will make us revisit our waste output...knowing exactly what is + isn't accepted will prompt us to make conscious decisions about what we do + don't purchase 
• reevaluating our zero-waste shopping :: with different desires to consider for meals + comfort, we can make different choices
• using a solar panel :: we'd like to test out having a less expensive, small, portable panel to see how much of our needs it can meet + prompt our thinking about how we use electricity 

I'm having fun researching + leaning into these shifts. It's exciting to think about all the benefits that are possible here. Our choices would not only cost the earth less in resources, pollution and landfill space. They will save us money, increase our wellness and enhance our connection with nature. So it goes with most of these planet focused efforts. Why would we want to choose otherwise?

Love,
Jane

How are you feeling? I wish I could listen to your reply.

I'm horrified. I'm sad. I'm bewildered. I feel like we've been living in a state of defeat for years. I've been feeling like less words are necessary. I'm less interested in reading things that end up where I already know I am. 

We know that we need to dig in right where we are. When I feel like that's not helping, I try to remember the light experienced:

• having a short conversation made me feel connected...they probably felt that too
• going to a county dems meeting reminded me that there are others who think similarly, have already been hard at work, are paying attention, are fired up + ready to go...my presence probably did the same for them
• receiving a response from my representative reminded me that I can communicate + be heard...she may have received a bit of encouragement + strength from those words
• digging trenches for potatoes + settling each mass into the soil felt like hope for the future...this act was participation in the regenerative abilities already in each potato

We are here to participate in our mutual flourishing. Yours matters to me.

Much love,
Jane

I have been a hippy, a biker, a partier, an entrepreneur + am now a senior still working.
I've been a tour guide, vacuum cleaner salesman, parking patrol officer,
private eye, animal photographer, actor, casting director
+ always an explorer of the mind.
No job or part of my life has ever truly defined me.
These are just bits + bites, but they are big parts of what has shaped me.
I have learned that we are all one -
every living thing, every molecule + atom on this earth + beyond.
Knowing this has given me great strength + courage to live this life I've been given
with intention + gratitude.
​~ Deb Barnes