“I SWEAR I wash my hair (almost) every day!”

Hot Conversation

As many of you know, I moved to Maine a little over a year ago to live with Russ, the new “found him on the internet,” man in my life, Russ. Russ and I are great (amazing actually- such a bummer that it took 55 years to find him) My new laid-back lifestyle is great (painting, writing, cooking, puttering around the farm helping Russ – what’s not to like?) However, I seem to be morphing into… ?

Put it this way – I wear clogs, boots, or mud stained tennis shoes every day with cotton “work socks.” I have a closet full of clothes I hauled here from Richmond (and that’s after ditching most of them!). But all I wear are the most utilitarian pants, most days the ones with paint and mud stains on them. (I wore a skirt once in the last 14 months. when I dressed up for the romantic birthday dinner for two I did for Russ last year – this year I wore pants – the “dress” ones with no paint!) On top, I favor tees in the summer (I do draw the line at any with writing on them), and turtlenecks when the weather is cool (that’s pretty much everything except July, August, and the first part of September.)

I swear I wash and blow dry my hair almost every day, but if you could see me within a couple of hours, you’d never believe it (wind, humidity, hats for lawn mowing, hats for rain, hats for snow, or maybe my hair has learned it can let go too).

Also, I insist on at least going through the daily motions as far as basic makeup is concerned – I mean I do have some standards to maintain – I am (or was?) a civilized, cultured woman. Russ seems to find this amusing. I can see why. Even though we wake up really early, we tend to lounge around, usually in bed, reading, talking, sipping tea and coffee, basically lolly-gagging – sans make-up of course – until pretty late in the morning. Then, most days, I head out for a walk (no make up), then if I have outdoor type “chores” to do – mowing, weeding, planting, stick gathering – I’ll do that next while I’m dirty, sweaty (and make-up-less).

Now, somewhere between 11 and 1 p.m., I take a shower, get dressed, and “fix” my face. Mascara (so you can tell I have eyes), pressed powder foundation (to camouflage my blotchy rosacea skin), blush (so no one (who?) knows I have on foundation). So maybe I look “good” by 1:30-2pm. As a general rule, Russ and I settle in for the evening pretty early around here (remember, we’ve been up since 5:30-6:30am). We have an early supper, then move on to the final phase – Netflix, watched in bed on my laptop, or reading, also in bed. So, I put on my nightgown, brush my teeth, and wash my face!

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot about this I absolutely love. I’m comfortable every hour of every day (except for when I’ve gained so much weight that my paint stained pants start squeezing me to death). It’s also great that Russ doesn’t seem to notice one way or the other, and most days, there’s no one else looking. Whatever he likes about me, appears to have nothing to do with my clothes and makeup. What a relief. It’s also a relief not to have to think about it. I remember the same feeling when I was pregnant and had only a limited wardrobe, plus, in those days no one expected pregnant women to fashion plates.

It’s just like that. People here don’t dress up. Really. Never. No one. It’s not just me, everyone else is doing the same “let’s be practical and comfortable” thing. All ages, all sizes, all stations in life. No one wears anything you’d call an “outfit” – i.e., something that looks intentionally put together with an eye for style – designer or otherwise. No one has obviously styled hair either. Or accessories – jewelry, pretty scarves, pashminas, shoes with pointed toes, stylish handbags, or jewelry – out – gone – nada.

Now I do have one remaining vanity – for in this context, what else would you call it ? I wear earrings almost every day. Dangly ones. Even with my muddy, painty, pants, and plain tee shirts. And I choose a pair that matches my “outfit” (Ha!) They make me feel pretty (in spite of the hair).They make me feel stylish (in spite of the work pants). They make me feel feminine (in spite of the boots). And they remind me that once upon a time I had a business, an office, a showroom, and a working woman’s wardrobe to go with it. I lived in a place where, for better or worse, people “dressed” even for every day doings, and “dressed up” regularly for social occasions. My earrings remind me that there’s a wider world still out there, and, when I need to, I can – I think – re-morph into something passable.

Meanwhile, I can saunter down Main Street through downtown Damariscotta in my dark brown “fat pants,” with my old semi – stylish brown boucle jacket, a red turtleneck, red boots, and my everyday, even if I am in Maine, red pocket book, and feel like Jackie O on 5th Avenue.

Let’s just call it “casual, understated, elegance.”

other blog entries from »