This week has been heavy in so many ways. It doesn't really feel like there is much of anything appropriate to be doing. I struggle to know whether saying things on social media matters. Most of us are either preaching to the choir in our own bubbles or rolling our eyes at a few outliers in our social circles.

On the off chance that I am an outlier, I want to be a voice saying:

• Protect children, not guns.
• There will always be abortions. Banning safe abortions is not love.
• Gender identity + sexual preference are not measures of humanity.
• Refugees are seeking refuge.
• Climate action is love.

I want to believe that deep down the vast majority of us humans want to live in a world where we experience love. Humility + mercy + generosity are friends of love.

Love. Let it guide.

Love,
​Jane

Once upon a time I had a pair of vintage army pants that felt like my unicorn pants (trousers to some).  :) Over the past year, my weight changed + our relationship wasn't quite the same any more. I found a new to me vintage pair that fit pretty well. Every time I put them on, however, I didn't like the fact that I could grab a handful of fabric at each hip...so I would take them off again.

I found another pair of olive pants that were made in a fair-trade certified factory that fit like a glove. I bought them, because I just wasn't wearing that vintage pair. For some reason, I would take these off again each time I put them on too. I just wasn't sure about them.

This week, I finally found the courage to take the vintage pair in hand + start seam ripping. There is just so much about these vintage pants to love. There is really nothing like the worn-in color, texture, softness + durability of the vintage fabric of these pants. The exaggeratedly high waistline is my favorite. They are exceedingly comfortable and have been around for a long time. 

I'm not sure I altered them the way a tailor would, but they fit just like I'd like them to now. I picked the outside seams from hem to the middle of the pocket and then moved the seam over onto the back of the pants...overlapping more than it had done before. The seams were pinned in place, so that I could try them on for fit. I readjusted them, tried them on again + sewed the seam in place.

​I can return the other pants + get on with wearing these now...often + for a long time. All it took was courage + time. I'm glad I found both.

Love, 
Jane

I have done good work.
Even the most prolific among us needs to write love letters to ourselves.
I have done good work.
Your life, your story, your words have meaning.
You have done good work.
​~Brandi Cheyenne Harper

The story of these secondhand pants for me...starts with a shopping trip to not-secondhand stores. I was missing the feeling of shopping new season collections in-store rather than online...taking in the new colors...trying things on...possibly choosing something to take home. 

We walked through a few stores + were met with racks of things that held no appeal. I finally found a few pieces at Eileen Fisher that I liked. The women who work there were a delight + the whole experience just felt like relief.

Back home, I took a look around the website + was reminded of their resale site Eileen Fisher Renew. Because I had tried pieces on in the shop, I was able to navigate these preowned pieces with a little more confidence regarding sizing + style preferences. This site has the added perk of accepting returns...quite a luxury in the online secondhand realm.

In the end I was able to try on three pairs of "like-new", Eileen Fisher pants (which altogether cost less than the price of one new pair). I haven't quite decided which ones to keep yet, but I feel like I will wear these pants differently than I would wear a pair I'd bought for three times the cost...which is not to say that I will value them less. I will simply wear them like the tool they are...rather than feeling they are too precious to risk ruining. I will wear these pants to my physical job...to get cuddles from the young pup in our lives...to relax at home...and to look + feel put together out + about too. Clothes are meant to be lived in after all...and if they can be lived in by more than one person...well, that's pretty cool.

Love,
​Jane

This week's everyday climate action seems to have a theme of connection. The more connected we feel to the land, our food, our things, the weather and, most importantly, to each other...the more we will be motivated toward climate action. Slow down. Move in closer. Take notice. Connect the dots. Let it sink in deep.

• 99 :: keeping those onions regrowing :: changing the water + keeping the roots submerged
• 100 :: planting the garden :: connecting with where food comes from...which means people...weather...pollinators...
• 101 :: observing, connecting with, and caring about the creatures with whom we share our neighborhood
• 102 :: celebrating with beeswax candles + composting them afterward
• 103 :: wrapping gifts with reusable + reused wrapping :: reusing those indigo-dyed bandanas + folding envelopes out of magazine pages
• 104 :: eating those regrown onions
• 105 :: enjoying zero-waste treats out + about...served on dishes that can be washed
• 106 :: keeping those worn sheets in use a little longer 

I like to do this exercise where I try to figure out the smallest number of clothing pieces that would offer something to wear in all the foreseeable situations + weather in which I might find myself. 

My current list :

• a few tees
• a sweatshirt
• an oversized pullover
• a pair of jeans
• a pair of soft pants 
• a pair of leggings
• a pair of sandals
• a pair of trainers
• a pair of boots

This covers situations + weather as follows:

work (colder) :: tee + jeans + trainers + sweatshirt 
work (warmer) :: tee + jeans + trainers

home (colder) :: tee + leggings + pullover or sweatshirt
home (warmer) :: tee + soft pants 

out (colder) :: pullover + jeans + boots 
out (warmer) :: tee + soft pants + sandals

athletic wear :: tee + leggings + trainers + sweatshirt

pajamas :: tee + soft pants

formal-ish (colder) :: pullover + soft pants + boots
formal-ish (warmer) :: woven tee + soft pants + sandals

This exercise feels liberating. It feels like possibility. It lets me feel like a vacation with just a backpack is possible. It feels like security. It lets me feel like starting over (if we had to) might not be completely impossible. It feels like adventure. It lets me feel like living in a tiny house or van could work.

Less is the best way, in my opinion, to set ourselves up to be able to value farmers, garment workers + the planet by using less resources, using up our clothing, and making less waste. I like to do this exercise at different points in time with my current preferences in mind. It's not an excuse to change everything in my wardrobe, but it is fun to apply some of my current favorites to the list. If I'm getting by without something on this list, I can probably wait to buy an item until the predicted situation arises. (I haven't gone anywhere that requires more formal attire in the past couple of years, for example.)

With this list in front of me, I can easily see that the pieces I already have are indeed enough. What a gift! 

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
​Jane

Color has my attention again. It has to do with how one color plays off of another. It's in the solids...simple shapes...vintage. Nothing looks too precious. It's casual...not taking oneself too seriously. It's for the wearer...like medicine for the soul.

All lovely images via links.

Love,
Jane