Time for adventure

Just when I think my life devoid of adventure, the weather changes and I have to move closets.

Most men, such as my spouse, cannot relate to this. While my husband's things may be scattered between the bedroom closet and the one in the guest room, the division is along the lines of what-I-wear-everyday and coats-jackets. The everyday closet encompasses golf shirts, dress shirts, long-sleeved shirts, shorts and slacks. To him it is a year-round wardrobe, with the shorts being pushed aside for the winter months--except he needs them close for that possible warm Saturday in February.

But for me and most women I know, the first change in the weather heralds a call we heed like salmon to the river. I don't have a year-round closet; I have a hot closet and a cold closet with transitional pieces scattered in depending on color and fabric. This urge comes on the heels of not only the first blustery day, say like today, but also as my mother's dictum of no-white after Labor Day finally gets through my skull. Just because the first Monday of September rolls around, does not mean it's suddenly too cold for shorts, crop pants, and white slacks. But by mid-October, even I am tired of them (after all that I did struggle to get them into the closet at the spring version of this) and even more tired of the 90-degree temps. Grateful for the excuse, I bundle up the crops and sleeveless tees and cart them into the other room, fruit basket turn over for the closet.

And that is when the adventure begins.

Where did all this dark winter stuff come from? Some of it still has tags! Ah, the end-of-season sale I indulged in. What am I doing with two long-sleeved brown tee shirts? I don't remember buying two. Is that a yellow I can wear between now and Thanksgiving or should it be shoved aside until January? Will I forget it then? (Most likely.) How long has it been since I bought jeans? (Three years. I keep waiting for pleats to come back.) These are really worn out. (Yes, they are. They're in such bad shape I can't even give them to the secondhand store. I relented and bought new--sans pleats--at Wal-mart yesterday.) Why, with a black cat in residence, did I buy a fluffy white shawl?

Then there are the drawers in the chest. Do I not own a pair of socks without a hole? And the shoes! Why can't I wear sandals year round? Well, I can if I don't mind blue toes in January. Which I do. As I haul out my second pair of short black boots (different material), I realize it might not be a bad idea to have an inventory sheet. I forget from season to season and I do love the shoes on sale. Can't resist a look at 75% off.

Which probably explains the two brown tee shirts.