Due to covid and since it has not been contained in the 7 months we’ve been afflicted with it, I’ve had to change up how I pay for this website. Since I’m not shopping and you’re not shopping, I am no longer receiving commissions so I switched to this subscription system where for $5/month you receive a bonus post each week.

Hey Patrons! How is everyone doing today? Yeah, this is not the best of times is it? This may actually be the worst of times. I’m sending you a big hug right now!

Well, here in the U.S. it is 40 days until the election. What are you doing to save Democracy? Donating? Volunteering? Voting? All three? That’s my girls!

I’m writing postcards to voters through postcardstovoters.org. It’s an easy way to reach out, human to human, to encourage people to vote and you can do it from the safety of your home. If you have some time in the next few weeks, I highly recommend it because it makes me feel better, like I’m actually doing something.

Also, my daughter has discovered the cathartic effect of donating to candidates every time she feels worried. She started to feel panicky after RBG passed away and she sent $10 to a candidate and immediately felt better. I recommend you give what you can to alleviate some of the anxiety you may be feeling. I’ve given more than I want to even admit, but now is the time.

After you feel you’ve done all you can, now you have to make it until the election and have some strength to weather the chaos that is going to happen after, so let’s look at nature to remind us that this planet is pretty darn beautiful!

Plus, cute animals can give us emotional support we didn’t even know we needed! Here are two fellow-walkers this morning who joined me on my morning walk.

Ivy and Slavvy never go on walks with me so I had to convince them several times it was safe to continue. Especially Ivy, since Slavvy kept waiting to ambush her, so I’d carry her to give her a higher view point and she was able to see what he was up to.

I found this dragonfly stuck to a plant and I thought it was dead. The temperature was still cool and it’s wings were soaked in moisture so I moved it to a place where the sun would shine on it’s wings and dry them out and warm it up and I saw it moving! So, it was still alive and I helped it in a little way, hopefully without traumatizing it!

The dragonfly looks so human, like it’s climbing up a mountain. It also looks like it’s seen some days since it’s wings are pretty torn up.

And, shout-out to my phone for taking some really nice photos today!

For my giant project that I am grateful for right now, the van, I’m still working on insulation. Putting up the silver kilmat stuff takes a while since I’m having it cover all of the metal surfaces before I put the real insulation on which is the black material you see in these pictures.

It’s thinsulate which is what is used in coats for insulation. I chose it because it’s non-toxic and easy to use. I’m trying to be careful about any chemicals that are going to be used in the van.

And these beautiful cedar boards are going to be used for a project this weekend. I don’t want to say what it is, in case it doesn’t work out!

I really hope next week, I’ll have something beautiful to show you, but if you don’t hear about it, then you’ll know it didn’t work! Ha ha! At least I gave it a try!

One little thing I’ve overcome this week, was being nervous to drive the van. I really haven’t driven it since I got it, but last week when I met my mom, I drove it and this week I’ve driven it twice into town and even got gas. It’s a big vehicle that feels like it sways a bit, but I’ve gotten over my hesitation to driving it, so that is one good thing!

Tomorrow on the podcast I was lucky enough to interview Bettye from Fashionschlub.com about Long Island, New York. It is a great interview so look for that on Friday where ever you listen to podcasts. Just search for Audio Postcard.

Ok, ladies, that’s it from me today. Please find joy where you can and take action where you feel comfortable. Take care of your mental and physical health and we’ll get through this together. Talk to you next week!

Hey everyone! How are you enjoying your September? This month is my second favorite month of the year with the next month being my number one favorite. Why? Because it’s really beautiful right now. Check it out:

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that autumn is my favorite month. I swear I think I write about it every year! I love the colors of the leaves, but also the colors and structure of the seeds, plants, trees, and grasses.

I also love the smell of autumn. Here in Michigan, or at least in my little corner of Michigan, it smells very woodsy, like wet leaves and bark and moss but the air smells fresh.

Speaking of air, last week we actually saw and smelled the smoke from the wildfires on the west coast. It drifted over us and made the sun a really weird color and the sky hazy. I went out and took pictures as it was moving in. Here is the picture of the sun that caught my eye.

The light looked like the sun was setting but it was too early in the day for that, as you can tell by how high the sun is. It also looked like maybe a storm was moving in which also can change the light, but there were no clouds around. Just this haze.

The picture below shows the smoke moving in from the right hand side (the west) of the image. The left side is still blue sky.

And here is how the sky looked to the east.

So, that was startling to see. Really made the continent seem a whole lot smaller. I can’t imagine how it is out west. If you live there, I am thinking of you.

Back here, we’re getting our first frosts at night.

Which are killing my arch-enemy (mosquitoes) but definitely killing all the summer plants, like my basil and some of my flowers in pots. That’s the trade-off I guess.

I wonder sometimes if my love for autumn is a more biological pull. Like, it’s the time of harvest and food is plenty and the weather is very favorable for humans. That makes sense.

I also love the clothing of fall. I love putting on a cozy sweater or sweatshirt and pulling on leggings or jeans.

FYI you may get an outfit or two this fall. I am looking for a new pair of yoga pants since mine just wore down to nothing this year. I may also pull out some old items just to give you outfit ideas, but really I haven’t been feeling it. If you’re looking for outfit inspiration, just go back to any of the fall months, or anytime before Covid, in the archives or go to the “Lessons Learned” page for all the helpful tips I’ve figured out.

I know this blog has morphed a lot from when I just showed outfits, and thank you all for sticking with it, but I do have to say, with my future plans in motion, there will be less clothing posts and more ……… TRAVEL POSTS!

Those of you who are Patrons already know this, but I am planning on doing a ton of traveling when this pandemic is over and after we sell the house. My podcast, Audio Postcard, fits well into that future plan and so does this humongous project:

Yep, I’m one of them. I have bought a van and am building it out (all by myself!) into a camper. That has been my big project during this quarantine time.

The Thursday posts have been where I have been discussing this and showing my progress. No, I do not have any previous building experience. Yes, I’m learning and making progress and I’m super proud of myself. This is a long way from showing how to dress the apple body shape isn’t it?!

So, the Tuesday posts will continue to be a mix of life, style, clothing, Penny, idyllic pastoral pictures with the Thursday posts showing me being a carpenter. I have toyed with adding another day back in for regular posts, maybe on the weekend, since I’ve got the podcast settled into a routine, but right now I’m racing to get some work done on the van before it gets too cold. Don’t worry though. I will be taking you along with me on my travels and wherever this life is taking me!

Take care my friends. Be safe wherever you are. Register to vote if you aren’t already and chin-up. It’s always darkest before the dawn.

Due to Covid 19, I’ve had to change up how I pay for this blog. Patrons who subscribe for $5/month are able to read the Thursday posts and are the reasons this blog is not plastered in advertising since the old way of paying for it, you all purchasing clothing from the links I posted, was no longer viable. If you are interested in supporting this little corner of the internet, you can go to patreon.com and look for when the girls rule. Thanks!

Hello Patrons! Welcome to my weekly diary of van-building (it seems)! I didn’t get a ton done this last week, but I did get something significant done, which was doing something without any tutorial or direction. I figured out something completely by myself and proceeded. Can you guess by looking at these two pictures?

I took down that overhead light! All by myself! I know that might not seem like a lot, but messing with electricity and not having any directions to follow was a lot. But, I did it. This project is giving me so much confidence!

I then celebrated with some chardonnay from a can! Which I call boat wine because it’s so light and watery that it’s the kind of wine you drink while on a boat on a hot afternoon.

Can you see the big, black roll of thinsulate fabric? That’s what I’m insulating with. I’m lining the van with the silver kilmat stuff first and then the insulation so it is quiet and keeps the inside temperature pleasant no matter what it’s doing outside. This is luckily not hard and there is lots of information on how to do it correctly on the internet, so I am not worried about tackling this.

Any of you having your skies affected by the wildfires on the west coast? We are here in Michigan. This was the sun a couple of evenings ago, and I swear I could smell smoke in the air.

My heart goes out to the people suffering from the fires and the hurricanes. It’s almost too much for people to bare right now, isn’t it? I’m sending them strength.

I am finding it comforting visiting historic sites though right now. They just remind me that some things have seen a lot and still have managed to stand. Here is an old mill my mom, Penny and I visited yesterday.

This started as a mill then became a small factory owned by Henry Ford, who, even though he was known for the assembly line and centralizing production, later came to believe that there should be smaller, rural industrial jobs. He believed it would be healthier for people to live out in the country and that farmers needed the balance between factory work and farming since farming didn’t make a living wage.

He had several sites like this, as an experiment, though he is not known for that at all is he? Kinda like the William Morris cottage industry philosophy which was killed by the assembly line. Hmmmmmm.

This place also used to be a winery, antique shop, wedding venue and now county park. My dad, who was a carpenter, did some work here even, though I’m not sure what. It was the antiques shop then and the eccentric owner was known to pop open the champagne bottle around noon or so!

Alright my friends. I gotta get out and finish insulating the van. I’m at a point now where I have to make some big decisions and purchase some expensive stuff, so I’m dragging my feet. I have three, maybe four projects in this van that don’t have instructions anywhere because I’m doing some things others haven’t done (or haven’t shared on the internet) and those make me nervous, which is why I’m dragging my feet. Hopefully by next Thursday I will have picked my feet up and will be stepping lightly and gracefully!

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget, if you would like to be a guest on the podcast, I’m always looking for people who want to talk about a place they love, just email me at julia@whenthegirlsrule.com and we can set it up. It’s really easy and fun. I promise!

Take care!

Hey everyone! I mentioned this last week on the closet tour and why I have a small closet, and relatively speaking, not a ton of clothes, is because I try to buy clothing that works for a capsule wardrobe. That means, that every piece goes with every other piece. This is a good way to start to build a wardrobe where everything gets worn, you don’t spend a lot of money, and it’s easy to find something to wear every morning before you head out to work (whenever that happens again!).

I find once you know about this “system” and figure it out, your life will become so much easier and we all could use that couldn’t we?

So, I’m doing an encore edition today of “What Exactly Is A Capsule Wardrobe?”

This post was originally posted in March of 2017. Enjoy!

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Hey everyone! When I started this fashion thing, trying to figure out what looked good on this middle-aged body, I kept reading about “capsule wardrobes”. I didn’t really get what it meant until it talked about “orphan” pieces, meaning an item of clothing that only goes with one thing. “What?”, I thought, “Isn’t that all of my clothing?” Oh no. A capsule wardrobe means a few items of clothing that all go together and can be mixed and matched interchangeably to create a lot of outfits.

So, I’m definitely not starting out anymore, but if you are, this is a great way to build a foundation wardrobe and keep the costs in check. Here I’m showing a capsule wardrobe with only 10 items (not including shoes and accessories). Be prepared at how many outfits we can create from 10 items!

The first decision you have to make is whether to base your wardrobe on black or brown. My wardrobe is based on black because it goes well with my coloring, but for many of you, brown may look better. If you’re not sure, look at your shoes. If you have more brown shoes, go with brown or if more black shoes, go with black. As you can imagine, this wardrobe has to be pretty neutral. So, since I chose black, gray and white would go well. Then if I want to add some color I just need to think about what would go with black, gray and white. I added blue and green. If I had brown, I’d probably choose maroon, khaki, olive and navy blue. Color is one of the most important considerations when starting out.

Anyway, let me show you in pictures. Let’s start with the white jacket with the green skirt in the picture above.

Now change out the skirt for a gray dress, but keep the white jacket.

Change out the white jacket for a black long sweater.

Wear the blue dress with the black sweater now.

Pull out a black top with black pants and top with a blue jacket.

Trade out the black pants for a black skirt.

Now, back with the green skirt and a black and white print top.

All told, this wardrobe consists of:

1. one black pair of pants
2. one black skirt
3. one green skirt
4. one black top
5. one black and white print top
6. one blue dress
7. one gray dress
8. one white jacket
9. one blue jacket
10. one black sweater

As you can see, with these few items there are lots of possibilities. In fact, besides the seven outfits above I can still think of more. Like:

• the white jacket with black top and black skirt or the black pants
• blue dress with the white jacket or the blue jacket
• black and white top with the black skirt and the black sweater or the white jacket
• black pants with black and white top and white jacket or black sweater
• green skirt with black top and blue jacket or black sweater

That’s 17 outfits there. Over 3 weeks of work clothing! Then imagine if you threw in a black leather jacket and white jeans! The possibilities are blowing my mind!

So, if you didn’t know what a capsule wardrobe was or how it worked or how to get started, I hope this explained it and made you feel like you don’t need to spend a lot of money to rock every outfit because, yeah, we rule!

Hey everyone! I’m back with the once-a-month get-together with these other bloggers to share about where we live. This month — closets!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Bettye at Fashion Schlub 
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After 

Before you get too excited, let me say mine is very uninteresting. Here.

Most of my deep winter clothes are packed in a tub, which is why you see the empty hangers, but this is it. I have two small bedside tables that hold my underwear, socks, tights, pj’s, and sleeveless tanks. I also have a small dresser that contains t-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts and summer shorts and skirts. And that’s it!

I do store the shoes I’m wearing often downstairs in the closet at the back door. So, for right now that’s three pairs of tennies, a pair of sandals and maybe two pairs of slide-on shoes. A capsule wardrobe makes it seem like I have hundreds of items, but really I just mix and match things. Not sure what a capsule wardrobe is? This post explains it really well.

So, let’s look at prettier things instead like:

Don’t forget to visit the other bloggers who probably have a better closet post then I have!

There will be a new episode up today on Audio Postcard about the Golden Circle in Iceland so listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Due to Covid-19, I’ve had to change up the way I pay for this blog. I used to receive commissions from clothing items you purchased through this site, but since I’ve stopped shopping and you’ve stopped shopping, those commissions are no longer coming in. That’s why I have this subscription service now. I’m sure you understand

Hey Patrons! So, now that Labor Day is over, Michigan has instantly gone to fall. We’ve had several days of rain and much cooler temperatures that we’ve had to turn on our heated floors and I’m pulling out my fall clothing already. It’s like a switch has been flipped and, at least in this area, it’s going full on autumn. That’s ok by me!

So, that means a couple of things for me that I need to get done. For one, I’m getting a flu shot this year. Usually I don’t get one (I don’t know why. just never have) but I’m definitely getting one this year. I don’t want to have the flu in case I get Covid. Can you imagine having both at the same time? Yikes.

Two, I need to visit all my friends now while we can still be outside because I will not be seeing people much when meeting them outside is no longer an option. I’m not looking forward to that time at all.

Three, I need to get all my outside work done on my van so I can work comfortably inside it when the weather is cold. This weekend I achieved a huge milestone in getting to that goal. I installed my skylight! All by myself! Look!

I was dreading this project because it’s cutting a huge hole in the roof of the van and there didn’t seem like a lot of others (in the U.S.) had added this to their van. I kept worrying there was something I was missing because, besides one video of teenagers installing one, all the others were Europeans installing this. The skylight comes from Germany so I was afraid that there was something different about the American vans, but I did it and it works great!

As you can imagine, it was quite a process to do this for someone with no experience and I’d say it was about as hard as installing the fan I did last week, just a much bigger hole that was harder (scarier) to work around.

The only help I needed from Dave was to help with the measuring because I couldn’t get the rectangle to line up correctly and screwing in some screws I wasn’t strong enough to screw in (mostly because I was exhausted and it was at the end).

I was so glad to be done with it. You can hear it in my voice in the video below.

And here is how it works:

Besides the electricity and the plumbing, this project I was worried about the most. This was one of the first “luxuries” I wanted — a skylight over the bed so I could look at the stars. It also was where the dreams (of what I want) met reality (of what I can do) and I’m proud to say dreams won!

While I’m waiting on my back-ordered windows, which I’m not nervous at all about installing now, I’m going to be building a roof rack to put my solar panels on and my little balcony that I’ll explain about later.

I want to have all cuts into the van done by when it gets cold (mid October) so that means three windows and a hole in the roof for the wires from the solar panels and wire for the internet booster. I still have some holes I’ll have to cut in the floor (for the heater that’s powered by the gas in the gas tank) but I’m not that sure about those yet and might find an actual professional to do those. It would be nice to have heat in there for the winter!

So, yeah, that was my Labor Day weekend, lots of labor for sure! But, each project I finish on the van, gives me a huge boost of confidence. Seriously, anyone can do this, it just takes some research ahead of time, unless you have someone teaching you.

My other goal for fall, is stocking up my wine cellar! If you’re looking for wine (mostly California) for 50% off (so usually then bottles are between $20-$30, sometimes less, sometimes more) I highly recommend Last Bottle. Every day they offer a new wine and it usually sells out quickly. Use this link for $10 off your first order if you’re looking for better wine than what they have at the grocery store.

Ok, I’m off to finish writing my Postcards to Voters to encourage people to vote this fall and I have to finish painting my closet because tomorrow I’m posting about my closet as part of the “Where Bloggers Live” collaboration. It’s not going to be that exciting to see my small closet but I’m using this as an excuse to do some touch up painting.

See you tomorrow everyone!

Hey everyone! Happy Labor Day! I’m back on that once-a-month Monday to talk about body type (one of my favorite topics – besides menopause – and Penny), and joining all the other ladies in the Ageless Style Group who are talking about the same thing.

Before I get into that, I want to give a big thank you to Beverly Q. for becoming the newest patron of this blog. She is one of the reasons you do not see advertising all over this site and blinking in your face and requiring you to close a banner before you can continue reading. You know how that is. So thank you Beverly from all the readers!

Anyway, pre-covid, I talked a lot about dressing to feel confident and stylish and knowing your body type is a first step to take to understanding what will work for your body and what won’t, no matter how much you wished it would! If you are a new reader, pop up to the Lessons Learned tab where I list out all the blog posts I wrote to be the most instructive for learning how to dress your shape, at least if you have a similar shape to mine.

So, I’m an apple shape which means that I carry my weight around my torso. Sometimes apple shapes have a big bust, like me, but sometimes they’re just wider at the waist. By far, this is the hardest shape to dress because traditional female clothing design assumes the waist will be smaller and most clothing is designed that way. But, fear not! If I’ve figured this out thrn you can too!

This outfit I’m wearing hits a lot of key strategies to fit the apple shape. Let’s go through them.

1. Wearing a third piece. This is the jean jacket but could easily be a sweater. A third piece brings an outfit together and for the apple shape, camouflages the size of the bust and the size of the waist by not showing the sides of the torso. It’s not about hiding the front of the torso, but covering the sides.
2. A printed top that skims over the bust and then hangs straight down. It doesn’t billow out and about looking like a maternity top and the fabric doesn’t cling to the tummy. Always look for fabric that skims but doesn’t cling — super important! And the top ends just at the crotch which is a good length
3. The neckline is important when you have a big bust. Ignore the v-neck advice! That only makes your bust look wider and is sometimes too revealing. A big, wide, rounded neckline is best. You want to give some breathing room between your chin and bust.
4. Pants that have an elastic waist that isn’t so tight it makes the dreaded middle dent, but not so loose it slips down or rolls down. If the elastic makes a dent, then it’s even more important for the top to skim and have a print that fools the eye.
5. Pants that don’t have the zipper and button fly. Nothing sticks out more on an apple shape. Bleh.
6. Pants that are form-fitting. Don’t be afraid of your curvy legs. Show the silhouette, as long as all your lady parts are covered, and ending just above the ankle is a good length.
7. Earrings that draw the eye to the face. If you’re wearing bracelets, make sure they’re not tight-fitting because nothing says chubby faster than tight bracelets.
8. You can have fun with shoes. One place where our shape doesn’t matter!

I feel super comfortable in this outfit and with that, really confident. I’ll go so far as to say I feel kick-booty fabulous!

All of the items are at least a year old but the pants came from Talbots and are such a classic that they usually have them. Here is the curvy fit version and here is the straight size version which is what I’m wearing in a 16 petite.

The jean jacket is a classic and is available here. Same with the shoes.

If you appreciate this kind of content on the internet, consider being a patron of this blog where you will get a second post each week for $5/month. Since everyone stopped shopping when Covid hit, I had to change how I paid for this blog since commissions went to zero. I could have allowed advertising or I could ask for subscribers. I went the subscriber route which is truer to my beliefs.

Also, if you’re missing traveling and want to tune into a new podcast, listen to my new podcast, Audio Postcard where each week I interview someone new about a place they love. You get a little vacation through your earphones! You can listen to it here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Now, head over to all the other beauties in the Ageless Style group to see what they’re showing today!

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest

Bettye ~ Fashion Schlub Blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Daenel ~ Living outside the stacks blog, instagram, pinterest, twitter

Debbie ~ Fashion Fairy Dust bloglovin, blog, instagram, pinterest, facebook, twitter

Jennie ~ A Pocketful of Polka Dots blog, instagram, facebook, pinterest, twitter, bloglovin

Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style blog, facebook, instagram, pinterest, bloglovin, twitter

Julia ~ When the Girls Rule blog, facebook, instagram, pinterest, 

Kellyann ~ This Blonde’s Shopping Bag blog, instagram, bloglovin, twitter

Shelly ~ The Queen in Between blog, instagram, bloglovin, pinterest, facebook

Shugunna~ Nzuri N* Simplicity blog, instagram, pinterest

Alright everyone have a wonderful week and I’ll talk to you next week, unless you’re a patron then I’ll talk to you on Thursday. Take care!

This post contains affiliate links which bring me a small commission and help to offset the costs of the site. Thank you for helping me do that!

Though I love all my readers and wish I was rich and could just pay for this blog out of pocket, I cannot. Websites aren’t free and with no one shopping due to Covid, I’m no longer receiving commissions which used to pay for the blog expenses. That’s why I’m using the subscription service through Patreon instead of adding lots of advertising on my site. I hope you understand.

So, hey Patrons! Look what I did last weekend!

I actually sawed a hole in the roof of my van and installed a fan! Can you believe it?

Ok, it wasn’t as easy as that sounds (if that even sounds easy). I did a ton of research and got my courage up before I even climbed up on the roof.

And that roof is higher than it looks!

Oh my gosh, I’m so proud of myself. I know nothing about power tools or building except what I learned in middle school shop class. But, I am figuring it out!

I didn’t even know how to work the drill. I kept hitting the button for it to go in reverse, which meant I kept pushing on the drill but the drill bit kept spiraling around on the metal and not puncturing the metal. So I pushed harder and kept breaking the drill bits!

Then the drill started smelling like burning and smoke was coming out and I could see electricity inside of it. Dave came out and said I probably shouldn’t use that one because he’s pretty sure he burned it out a couple of years ago. Ok, thanks for letting me know. But, he did at least tell me I was hitting the reverse button instead of the forward button. Fine!

I’ve watched a ton of YouTube videos and read blogs on how to do this and I was able to do it step by step. I bought a new jig saw with metal blades. I made a template for the size of the hole. I drilled holes in the roof to fit the jig saw blade into. I made the most screeching sound of metal cutting metal on Saturday afternoon (sorry neighbors!). The fan fit in the hole. I screwed in some screws and put lots of caulk around it, and as I’m writing this it is raining so I will get to check the waterproofing. Cross your fingers for me! (edit- after a night of hard rain there is not one drop of water inside -high five!)

Besides all that skilled work it was scary climbing up the leaning ladder and over the ladder top to get to the roof (especially in sandals. don’t wear sandals). The roof was kinda wobbly so it was scary walking on it and then kneeling on the ridged roof and bending and lifting and squatting and climbing was exhausting. I felt so completely mentally and physically drained that evening (plus a very tight back muscle) that I went to bed early which is why you didn’t get your newsletter last Sunday –sorry! I promise you’ll get it this Sunday morning.

The next step is a really big skylight I’m putting in over the bed. I’m really nervous about that because I’m going to have to cut some wood to support it on the underside of the roof since it’s heavier plus it’s a really, really big hole in the roof. I’m going to be doing that this weekend if the weather is nice. I’m nervous!

I think because I’ve gotten through the first hole, it’s going to be easier. I learned a lot on that little one so now it will just be bigger and the thing that will be new to me is working the wood cutting equipment. I always have visions of cutting off a finger on those!

My three windows are on back-order until the end of September, so I’m going to be cutting out holes for them when I get them. Now, it’s going to be a race before winter to get them in.

As I’m waiting for them, I’m going to try some actual building, like my roof rack, since I don’t want to insulate the van until all the windows are in because when you cut the metal tons of little shards of metal get all over the place and immediately start rusting, plus they’re sharp little buggers, so I’m waiting to proceed with that part.

Alright, I will have a new episode of the podcast up on Friday, if you are looking for some travel distractions and I promise this Sunday you will get your August newsletter — and it’s horse themed! Fun!

Take care my friends!

Hey everyone! Yep. I said it. I’m ready for things to be back to normal. I’m tired of this. I’m tired of wondering if I hug my college student that I will get sick. I’m tired of worrying about my 84 year old mother every time she goes to the store. I miss seeing friends and relatives and planning holidays and vacations. I miss plays, restaurants and weddings. I want things back to normal. This has gone on way too long.

Other countries are back to normal, why not us? They are out living their best lives again, and yes, there is a break out here and there of the virus, but life is pretty close to normal for them. Canada only has 5,595 active cases right now! I get they’re a lot smaller than us, but they are right next door and they are having normal lives again.

Also, the chance to rein this virus in was over the summer, before the flu virus comes ashore. Can you imagine someone getting covid and the flu? Or thinking they have one but having the other? It is going to be chaos. And scary. I really can’t believe, in this country where we used to be the leader in technology, we’re this flailing, failing virus barge. It would be embarrassing if it wasn’t so scary.

If we want our economy to get back to normal then we need to control the spread of the virus. If we want kids to go back to school then we need to control the virus. If we want sports again (which seems to have an outsized role in this country) then we need to get this virus under control. It’s like we want to skip over doing the work for containment and go right into the celebration. I don’t get it!

This weekend we dropped my youngest daughter off at college for her last semester. She graduates in December, so she opted to move into a dorm instead of getting into a full year lease. As we were leaving the house with all of her stuff, I almost left without my mask. It was so easy for me to forget that even though we’ve done this activity before, a very normal activity, this time it’s different. That made me feel sad. That’s when I realized how much I’m desperate for normalcy. Ok. Deep breath. One day at a time.

I notice the trauma this virus has put on us most acutely when I do an activity for the first time during the pandemic (like moving my daughter into a dorm) and can compare it to and still remember what it was like before the pandemic. And yes, it’s trauma.

Compared to other times we’ve moved kids into the dorm, this was quiet, empty and easy. I’d say campus had maybe 1/10 of the students of a regular year. I will say though, these college students are full of optimism and hope and are planning for their futures, so it was nice to be in that atmosphere for a little while.

Ok, rant over. I will continue to be safe at home and wearing my mask whenever I’m in contact with others and pretty much holding my breath until we get a legit vaccination or competent leaders in office who actually have a plan to contain the virus.

I never gave money to political candidates before 2018. Can you believe that? I figured that’s what rich people did. I gave money to several candidates in 2018. Some won. Some lost. But, this year, I have given 10 times what I gave in 2018. I feel it’s that important. If you are thinking of giving to a candidate, do it now while they still have two months left to strategize how best to use it and even little amounts of money make a difference.

If you are unable to give money or would rather use your time and volunteer safely then here are two organizations I’m writing postcards for: Postcards for Voters and Sister District. It’s easy. You just buy your own postcards (make sure they’re not over-sized) and postcard stamps and they will tell you what to write and give you the addresses. It also makes me feel good knowing that I’m at least doing something.

Ok, that’s it for today! There is a new episode of Audio Postcard up where I interview myself about going to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s not as bad as that sounds! Though I did have to edit out a ton of ummmmmmms! You can listen here or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also follow along with the post that I wrote about that trip here.

Also, if you’d like to sign up to be a Patron of this blog, the beginning of the month is the best time because you have the whole month to enjoy the extra post each week. It’s only $5 month and you’re supporting an ad-free website which is very rare these days.

Alright everyone. Deep breath. Take care and be safe out there. I want you all to make it to when I’m writing again about where I’m traveling and eating out and what plays I’m seeing when we’re back to normal. I’m sending you a virtual hug and I know you’re hugging me back! Take care!

Due to Covid 19, I’ve had to change up how I pay the bills for this blog. Sponsorships are down, shopping is down and commissions are pretty non-existent. To make up the difference, I’ve instituted a subscription service instead of advertisement banners all over my site. This post is for subscriber patrons who pay $5/month. They are the reason there is no ad popping up at you while you read the blog.

So, hey Patrons! How is everyone faring right now? It’s a rough world out there right now, isn’t it? I really want to believe that we are at the low point and things will get better in about 5 months, but I’m afraid of how we’re going to make it through those 5 months.

I’m finding nature very restorative right now. I went on a walk this morning and actually remembered how it felt in the summer before all these current worries, at least for a minute or two. Summer was about vacation and lazy, hazy days and taking a break from the schedule of the rest of the year. Boy, I’m really hoping next summer is back to normal because I will be so ready to travel in my van!

Thank goodness I have a big project to work on during this time! This van is taking up a lot of time and energy and is pushing me soooo much out of my comfort zone but I’m figuring things out! Little by little. Step by step. Here is a look at the inside:

The van really just comes as a big, empty metal box. I’ve marked out the bedroom, kitchen and lounge with blue tape below.

On the left, closest to the photographer, is the bathroom which will have a toilet and a shower. Next to that will be a set of drawers and closet. Just beyond that, heading towards the drivers seat will be where a bench that pulls out into a bed will be.

Over on the right side, or the passenger side, is the sliding door and then the blue tape is the counter with the sink taped off. I originally thought I could get away with a smaller sink but when I taped it off, I realized I could barely get both hands in there at the same time so I made the area for the sink a bit longer.

The only thing I’ve done to the van, physically is add sound deadener. This is sticky, rubbery material that gives an acoustic barrier to the outside plus holds the metal steady so it’s not rattling as much when you bump down the road.

The next step for me is making the hole in the ceiling for the fan I just received. I feel ready for that, though I’m not looking forward to being on the roof. After that, I’m going to cut an even bigger hole in the ceiling, over the bed area, for this skylight/roof hatch I just got from Germany.

I’ve found a young woman on YouTube who is building out her van right now and she has no previous experience, just like me. She is so good at explaining what she’s doing and showing her mistakes so I’m learning a ton from her. She makes me feel, at least for these beginning steps, that I can do it, though not as quickly as she is going.

For example, I’m going to be putting a window in here, but I didn’t know how you’re supposed to deal with these vertical braces:

She totally explained how to take them out, where many other people with van instructions just skip that part. Either they assume you know or, I don’t know, they just don’t explain it, but because she’s a beginner she explains it step by step.

It’s also nice to watch these young people with their energy and optimism of the future. Plus, she reminds me of my younger self. You can see her channel here.

Building out this van reminds me exactly how I felt starting the podcast and really, starting this blog. I first start out with an idea but am completely in thick fog about how to make it reality. Then I read something here. Watch a video there. Then read more and figure out the first step.

After I take the first step, the fog parts a little. Then I learn some more, try something else, maybe make a mistake, maybe figure something out and the fog parts even more. I take each step slowly with lots of research and checking and re-checking and the fog slowly lifts. Now I’ve done a blog and a podcast, and I started both of those wandering in dense fog. Now that the fog has (mostly) cleared I’m tackling a foggy van conversion. If I can do this, anyone can do this. This is not rocket science. This is just research, learning and trying.

I call this van project, my fifth decade project. That way I put into perspective how complicated and long this is going to be without getting intimidated. I got a second bachelor’s degree in my forties, and this won’t be as hard or take as long. Plus, learning about tools and making and fixing things is kinda fun. I’m going to be so handy after this!

So, Patrons, are you enjoying watching this van build or is it meh? I feel like I’ve done a bait and switch with my readers because this blog used to be about fashion and now it’s about everything but fashion and has gone off on a completely different tangent and turned into a van conversion diary!

But seriously, how is this Patron subscription working out for you all? Do you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth? Is this what you expected? For me, I’m floored by your support. I love the feeling of not having to sell my readers stuff. Again, thank you.

Don’t forget, this Sunday morning you will be getting the August edition of the Linger Awhile newsletter. When I put it together, I imagine all of you reading it while having a cup of coffee or tea as soothing music plays in the background and diffused morning light comes into your room through white lace curtains that are moving gently as a fresh breeze comes in your window. That’s the feeling I try to capture in these newsletters.

Ok, everyone, chin up. Take a walk today if you get some time. Get a project going that you can really dive into and lose yourself in. Those two strategies are keeping me sane right now, so if you’re looking for strategies for yourself, I highly recommend them.

Ok, take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you next week.