Weekend Wardrobe: 2020 Outfit of the Week #14

Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia)
(image from Wikipedia)

Last week was one of those weeks that kept me on my toes, to say the least.  For some reason it seemed to be my time to get up close and personal with local wildlife.  On an unusually chilly Monday morning I had to rescue a cecropia moth that was clinging to the shady side of my well house and was in danger of freezing to death.  I put it on the sunny side and waited until it warmed up and flew away to keep it safe from any lurking insect-seeking birds.  Cecropia moths are extraordinarily beautiful and this was the first time I had ever seen one - I wish I had had my camera with me but I never take my phone out to the barn for fear of dropping it where my horse might step on it!  Then on Thursday morning I had to catch and release two birds that decided to fly into my garage, got confused by the sunny but closed window in there, and could not figure out how to find the open door again.  One bird was a house finch, which was scared but calm as I carried it out and let it go to fly away.  The other was a Say's phoebe, who was also scared but feisty.  It kept snapping its beak the whole time I carried it and I am sure that if a stray finger had gotten too close to that beak it would have been grabbed with gusto!

Top: House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Bottom: Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya)

I then had to make a trip into town very early Friday morning because my beloved old dog, Ruby, was scheduled for surgery to remove a suspicious lump from her left foreleg.  After I dropped her off I decided to do my shopping for essentials before I went home, even though it was a week too soon, because I had to pick up a few things for her post-surgery care and I also wanted to make sure I had everything I needed for the two weeks she needed for recovery just in case I could not get back into town during that period.  It was an exhausting day, for her and for me, but I am happy to say she came through surgery with no problems and is recovering remarkably well now.  We still need to wait for the biopsy results, but the vet said that the lump was very easily removed so that is a good sign.

Below is the outfit I wore that day - I wanted to wear a cheerful and optimistic color so I chose a top in bold dark orange.  I also wore an old pair of colorful Laurel Burch socks with a dog print pattern.  The base color of my socks is the same as the color of the top I wore, but they are no longer available so I linked to a similar pair that has dark orange as an accent color.  A simple necklace of blue and turquoise seed beads picked up similar colors in the socks.  Even though I knew no one would be able to see my socks, their fun pattern was another much-needed cheerful addition to help me stay positive for the day.

Clockwise from top left: Pendleton Women's Long-Sleeve Turtleneck Jersey Tee in Red Rock (color slightly modified to resemble my mock neck tee); craftybb1 Shades of Blue Seed Bead Single Strand Necklace on Etsy (similar to mine); L.L. Bean Fleece-Lined Warm-Up Jacket in Moss Khaki (color modified to resemble mine; sadly, this jacket is no longer available in women's sizes); Laurel Burch Women's Doggy Dog Socks in Ivory Heather (similar to mine); Dockers Vargas Boat Shoes in Rust (similar to mine); AGOLDE Mid Rise Loose Fit Jeans in Affair (similar to mine); Brooks Brothers Women's Suede Whip-Stitched Waist Belt in Copper (similar to mine).

As I've mentioned before, it is the simple things in life that get me through these days of life during a pandemic.  Getting to meet some New Mexico fauna, dressing in apparel that lifts my mood, and taking care of a beloved pet in her (and my) golden years - these are the things that I choose to focus on, because there is no point in obsessively worrying about a situation which I can only do so much to control.  Keep staying safe out there, everyone, and look for the bright spots in your week!