Monday Musings-On The Road Again

Here’s what I wore for a long day of shopping over the weekend. It was fun to be back in my favorite stores checking out what’s new. I was somewhat surprised that I got no less than four people commenting on how much they loved my shoes! Since leopard print is such a big trend this fall, people are all of a sudden noticing it again.

My shoes are as old as the Hills from Rothy’s and are no longer available. They do have a new style here that looks very similar. I’ve ordered this animal print mule for a change of pace. They’re selling out fast at most places, so a lot of people seem to be getting on the leopard print train this fall. My jeans are several years old from J. Jill (similar here). My purse is from a small boutique in Helsinki (unavailable), and my cropped fleece jacket is here. BTW, Frank & Eileen is having their first 30% off sale on all travel sets, Aug 25-26.

Currently Reading

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

My daughter bought me this book for my birthday, and it’s amazing! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and it grabbed me from the first page. The premise is unique, to say the very least, and it’s really gripped me. Have you read it?

Dry Eyes On The Go

I’ve shared many times that I have serious dry eyes caused by ocular rosacea, which is either exacerbated or caused by meibomian gland dysfunction. Those glands are the little oil glands in our upper and lower eyelids that excrete oil, which helps our watery tears do their job. My eye doctors suggested using this Bruder heated eye compress daily, which I’ve been using with great success.

bruder eye compress for dry eye

The problem is I don’t always have access to a microwave when we travel. So, for our trip to the Arctic earlier this summer, I bought this plug-in heated eye compress, and I LOVE it!

HEATED DRY EYE MASK

I spray a clean tissue with this Tower 20 hypochlorous acid, and lay it across my eyes, then put the mask on for 30 minutes. The tissue keeps the mask clean, and the hypochlorous acid has antiseptic properties that help keep everything fresh and sanitized. It’s a super compact mask, easy to travel with, and plugs into a regular outlet. BTW, the Tower 28 spray is great for sensitive skin and I often spray my face with it.

Outfit of the Week

I’ve been in a lot of stores lately, and what’s catching my eye is leopard print. Everywhere. I own a few leopard print accessories, but this has me thinking of less subtle ways of wearing it, like a duffle bag for travel.

OUTFIT DETAILS HERE

Are you a fan of leopard print?

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72 Comments

  1. I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures! I just read that they made a movie starring Sally Fields!! Can’t wait for it to come out!

    1. Amazing. I love her

  2. I love what you have on! Great outfit. I just had a neighbor recommend that I read that book. And she ended the sentence with TODAY!

    1. I agree 🙂 Great book

  3. Regarding the outfit of the week … it’s quite impressive how marketers managed to rejuvenate good old-fashioned sweatsuits just by re-branding them as travel sets! It’s not that long ago that with-it women wouldn’t be caught dead in them.

    1. Agreed, me included

  4. We took a river tour on the Danube in late October-early November a couple of years ago and I wore a leopard-print shawl over a black waterproof LL Bean raincoat. When I look back at what I wore in photos from that trip, the Leopard print shawl really stands out. My leopard wardrobe is a heavy shawl, a lighter-weight silky scarf, a long sweater-jacket, a belt, and Skechers flats. I usually am not brave enough to wear more than one item at a time but I ALWAYS get compliments on the items. Love the accents!

    1. I love the accents too!

  5. Jennifer,
    I loved the book “Remarkable Bright Creatures”.
    What a wonderful book. I know I will read it again in the future.
    Another good one is “A Walk in the Park”. It’s about two friends who decide to hike the Grand Canyon . Funny, informative, is a tad bit long, but worth it.

    1. Thanks, Lin. I’ll put it on my list!

  6. Connie Williams says:

    I use Resasis which is a prescription from my eye doctor. Twice a day. The only downsize is the cost.
    Enjoy your day.

  7. Eileen Shaffer says:

    Hi, Jennifer, I’m a new subscriber to your blog and find your fashion tips and other musings really “on point”. Love your blog! Anyway, my opthamalogist recommended I simply wash my eyelashes frequently with mild (“baby”) soap or shampoo. I wash them at night before bed or in the morning upon arising with a lovely mild avocado soap and my eyes feel refreshed and non-dry or “sticky” all day.

    1. That’s a great tip! That is usualy for demodex, which we all have. So glad you’ve joined us Eileen, welcome!

    2. Loved that book from page one to the end!
      I have heard leopard is everywhere this season.
      I could use a few new pieces.

  8. I’m so tempted by the Rothy’s- I have an old pair & although I love the material, I don’t find them comfortable. Have they changed the insoles? My old pair had no cushioning or arch support.

    1. I’m not sure if the new ones have changed but I size up and add an insole.

  9. I use the Bruder eye mask too. I love the plug in one. We sometimes miss pulling our little home on wheels also. I think the ship may have sailed for us to get an RV but we really wanted to. I love leopard print. I have some leopard Clark shoes that I might start wearing again. Forgot to say my eye Doctor recommended Muro ointment at night and it really helps. Take care of your eyes!

    1. I am now as meticulous with my eye care as I am with my flossing and dental care. Sheesh! It’s a process!

  10. This was a wonderful book and the ending is glorious. BTW there is a feature series on octopus either on BBC or Nat geo. Octopus are so wonderfully unique and smart.

    1. I’ll have to find and watch those. I never thought much about Octopus until this book!

  11. Beautiful day for visiting the San Juan’s.

  12. Our Book Club read Remarkably Bright Creatures as well, and we all LOVED it! Such a creative, well written book. Enjoy!!

  13. Christine says:

    Have you tried flaxseed oil capsules to go along with your other treatments? It seems to be recommended a lot by ophthalmologists. I had PRK surgery in March (tweaking results from a cataract surgery five years ago), which leaves one with very dry eyes for a while, although I had dry eyes also prior. I started on two 1000-mg capsules a day and they were magical. I have tried to stop but can really tell the difference, so I will likely take them for the rest of my life.

    1. My Dr recommneded the Omega’s too so I take 1,000 mg morning and night.

  14. I also have very dry eyes. I have tried the Bruder eye mask, but what really works for me is Lotemax ointment. My eye doctor wrote a prescription for it.

    1. I haven’t heard of that one. I will ask

      1. I have severe allergies and very dry eyes and I live in the Arizona desert … yikes! I’ve used every kind of eye drops, including RX ones, over the years and recently tried Retaine by Occusoft and I am one happy happy camper and so are my eyes! Worth giving it a try … comes in individual flasks and is so very soothing as soon as it touches your eyes. Available on Amazon and well worth giving it a try.

      2. Thanks for the tip Ann!

  15. I read “Remarkably Bright Creatures”. Absolutely loved the book – it is amazing how the writer created so many different characters and story lines in one book and how they surprisingly all came together at the end. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!!

    I believe this was the author’s first book and was written during our Covid shutdown!

    1. I agree. Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of my best reads of the past year.

  16. Yes! My book club read Remarkably Bright Creatures. We all loved it. I think it would make a good series with other creatures being narrators, but it seems the author has not published any more books.

  17. I loved that book! Very creative and beautiful story.

  18. Hi Jennifer! Right now I’m having eye sensitivity issues -either from air quality or changes in something growing or decaying around our property. I’m a garden putterer so maybe in the soil? I’m using a prescription drop plus Zyrtek. Fingers crossed.
    I do like animal prints, but like you in accessories, mainly. I own belts, a small handbag and a neck warmer. I’m looking into a blouse from Talbots – maybe.

    1. I’m so sorry to hear about your eyes! I hope you get some relief soon.

      1. I also have dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction. I use the Bruder eye mask and have had good luck with it. I may give the heated one you showed a try. I’m going to look into the ointment as well. Fashion , books, and health tips all in one place! Thanks for bringing so much to all of us .

      2. Thanks for being here with us Nancy

  19. I LOVED Remarkably Bright Creatures!!! I read it last winter and chose it for book group this summer – everyone loved it and it inspired a pretty happy discussion. I’m glad it found you! 🙂
    I recently had to donate my favorite pair of leopard print shoes that were clearly for my feet in another time. Over the years I find I can no longer wear flats, nor can I wear anything higher than a 2″ heel and the shoe must have good arch support. I’m happy to see it’s in the stores again – the search begins!

    1. I’m hunting too so I’ll round up what I find!

      1. Kathy Bell says:

        I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures. My book club voted it “book of the year” last year.

        I like the look of the Frank and Eileen mini Belfast you are wearing and have thought about ordering it. Just wondering about the sizing? I’ve ordered a S in shirts but wear an XS in the Rory dress and the Daphne dress.

      2. I’d suggest the XS in the jacket for you.It runs large and has lots of stretch.

  20. I’ve used the Bruner microwavable one. My eye doctor sold it to me at the office.

    1. It works really well, but I need to use one everyday and I don’t always have a microwave available.

      1. I like animal print in accessories. Thanks for the info on the micro mask for dry eyes.