Rounding Out 2013: Part 1

Lucky Ducks -- 12/15/13

On the drive south over the Christmas holiday, we stopped and did some birding at a lake north of Kansas City with the intention of seeing ducks -- birds that I (with all my southern birding biases) think of as classic winter birds but do not see in winter in MN.  And indeed, this is apparently far south enough to be a place to see wintering ducks, geese, etc.  No new birds for the list, but we had a nice outing -- it was cool, but not too cold.  The ice that had previously formed at the edge of the lake was melting on the sunny morning that we visited.

Black and White Make Grey -- 12/17/13

I brought a wardrobe of red, white, blue, black, and grey for the trip with an emphasis on layering.

My mom had unknowingly been on board with this color scheme because she bought me a black/white glittery necklace for my birthday.

New items (I'm starting to forget which are new and which aren't):
**Black and white tweed jacket that looks basically grey (thrifted)
**Birthday necklace (gifted)

Driving Like An Animal -- 12/18/13

For the drive down to Texas, I dressed really comfy....which perhaps oddly meant wearing a skirt, tights, and my rain boots.  (I did all the driving on our trip wearing my rain boots to save space in the luggage, but it turned out to be really functional also.)  This zebra print top looks like a sweatshirt (I love the big front pocket) but is made from thinner material, which is quite useful.

(Note that you can already see my luggage and bedding getting messier as the trip goes on, even after only a couple days.)

New item:
**Brown/black zebra top from Jones New York

Christmas in Texas -- 12/19/13

Because Robert's mom is still living with a friend until her new house gets painted, etc., we stayed at a hotel -- this was really nice in some ways (e.g., big "real" bed to sleep in, our own bathroom).  It was warm, though not as ridiculously warm as it was the previous year, so I didn't need much in the way of layers.  Just a long-sleeved knit shirt and shoes compatible with walking on the uneven, muddy ground of the nature center and her new property.

New item:
**Grey leopard print shirt from Jones New York (the place for animal print)

What to Wear in Denton, TX -- 12/20/13

The forecast called for rain, which we got, and it was actually kind of cool in the evening.  I had a great time hanging with Tam and her katzes (and her roommate).  Because Tam had liked this striped shirt when I posted it before, I chose to wear it when visiting her.

New items:
**Red statement necklace from....I'm already forgetting these things, but I think Kohl's

Ice Ice Baby -- 12/21/13

Driving back to my parents' house, we experienced almost the only bad weather in the country.  (According to the weather channel, there was also a bit of snow/ice in like northern NH and there was rain with possible flooding in Georgia, but otherwise the relatively small area encompassing our route was where the weather action was.)  It didn't cause us any problems on our drive, but it did make for sparkly ice on everything.  I made the mistake of saying to Robert that it was pretty, and he said yes but it's going to take down tree limbs and stuff.  OK, yes, true -- but if it has to be annihilating, it might as well be nice to look at, too.

 Christmas Cardinals -- 12/22/13

I decided to buy a cardinal print shirt for my Christmas themed shirt this year.  Cardinals are definitely associated with Christmas -- my impression is that 43.8% of Christmas cards have at least one cardinal on them, and the average number of cardinals per card is probably close to 1 -- but they are, you know, regular birds that exist and do their thing all year round.  And I like wearing bird shirts, so this was a no-brainer.

New items:
**Cardinal knit shirt from Kohl's (arrived just before we left town for the trip -- I was so glad that it made it in time)
**Red cardigan from Jones New York

And if you are in any doubt of the aptness of cardinals at Christmas, I offer this photo taken from my parents' yard as evidence.

Bare tree branches with bright red male cardinals on shirt.  Bare tree branches with bright red male cardinals in yard.  We have a match!