An Ode to Annie

This year I was inspired to start a garden. I feel blessed to own a home on a double lot within the city limits. I do not feel blessed when it is time to mow said double lot. I thought it would be nice to cut down on some of that work and add the bounty of a garden harvest. I did anticipate the work involved to create my 8 x 8 plots and maintain the garden. What I did not anticipate was the joy I would get from the meditation of working the land. Garden time is my quiet time and I tend to mull over my work and personal life while gardening. By the time I am done with my chores, my troubles have faded into a distant memory. I also spend this time reflecting on my relationships with friends and family who are no longer with me, specifically my Grandma Annie.

How does this apply to shoes and fashion? Being that she passed away when I was only 13, I missed out on the opportunity to find out who she was as a woman (not just as a Grandma). Pictures from her youth mixed with stories from my Dad tell me that she was quite the fashionista. A quick back story: she was born in the early Twentieth Century in Belfast, Ireland; she originally met my Grandfather through her job at the Irish Football League office there; she immigrated to America in 1923 with her family and reconnected with my Grandfather in Syracuse, NY. They fell in love and had a family, and here I am today. My Grandma was from the old generation. A lady was a lady, and there was no other option. No drinking, no smoking, and she never wore a pair of pants in her life (even when harvesting berries in her backyard garden, walking to the market, or during a brutal snowstorm). No pants ever! With a lifetime full of dresses and skirts in her closet, she had quite the accessories collection.

Upon clearing her attic after her passing, we came across a treasure trove of her shoes and hats from the 20's through the 40's. Here is a picture on her wedding day, and I am proud to say that I have that hat safely tucked away in my home. Actually, I have the whole collection of hats. But unfortunately for me, my family donated her shoe collection (she was a size 3 and no one could fit in her shoes). Who would have guessed at that time that I would end up in the shoe industry and with a weakness for vintage shoes? Recently, while out in my garden, I thought about that collection of shoes. I hope that they ended up in a place where they can be adored and perhaps even inspire a shoe designer. Because look at those shoes she wore on her wedding day...amazing!

While thinking about her old shoes, I looked at my gardening attire. Now that it is colder, you can find me out in the garden wearing an Elmer Fudd hat, raincoat, and my sweats tucked into a pair of classic green Hunter wellies. Summertime had me in shorts, a tank top and either my Blundstones or again, my wellies. Quite the silly get-up and definitely not lady-like. These recent thoughts of Grandma Annie have inspired me to up the anty on my gardening wardrobe. Who knows when the Queen may stop by, right? Therefore, I am on the hunt for some good day dresses. They may or may not be paired with an apron while in my garden (aprons are genius for harvesting...no bowl or basket required). I am feeling the need to carry on the fashionista torch for my Grandma and it is time to ditch the sweats. But one thing is for sure, you can't take my wellies away!