COMMUNING WITH ELIZABETH

I have to admit writing since my sister passed away has been hard.  It seems almost wrong to try to be funny when feeling so sad. To work through this issue decided to chat with the most no nonsense person I have ever known, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth and me.

Yes,...Elizabeth is my grandmother.  Yes...she is dead but Elizabeth still has much to teach me.  This week
she is teaching me about minimalist clothing.

My grandmother often wore what she called her "uniform."  She made her clothes, often from the same pattern, out of double knit.  They were basically indestructible.  Double knit was really popular in the late 70's , early 80's.  You couldn't stain it, wear it out or burn it.  It was amazing stuff.

I never saw her in a pair of pants. She always wore the same style dress, her preferred dress had a collar, short sleeves and a zipper up the back.  If she was thin I would have never known it, double knit tended to make everybody look the same..straight up and down, with no waist.

Do I wear double knit today?  Oh hell no, that stuff was hotter than hot.  What I do adhere to is Elizabeths' philosophy on how many items you should have in your closet.  One on, one clean, and one in the dirty
clothes.  If I am being honest, and I am trying to be honest with myself most of all, I am just now adhering to this thought process.

Like everything else in my life, I had too many clothes. I whittled my work wardrobe down to three shirts and three pairs of khaki pants...my uniform.  Dressing in the morning is pretty darn simple these days. I even went so far as to wear the same earrings and necklace daily to work.  I owe a debt of gratitude to my
grandmother for her clothing wisdom.

Elizabeth had a lot going for her.  I am grateful to still visit with her occasionally in the form of my mother and my aunts.  Hopefully, once in a while, I am lucky see her in the mirror.

Elizabeth and Buster, my grandparents.