Thursday, September 29, 2011

When orange and black rules

What is it about this time of year?  When I go outside on an early Fall morning, the smell of turning leaves, the dream-like hue of overcast sky, and crisp air brushing against my skin has me reciting 19th century poetry.  If you revisit my blog around this time last year, Dickinson, Poe, Prevert, Robert Frost and Li Po were the poets whose inspired words captured this moment for me.
As a young child, Halloween meant little more to me than the time of year when I got to play dress up outside of the house and ask strangers for candy.  Which was quite daring in itself on any ordinary day.  Just exactly what our parents tell us not to do, right?  Watching my young adult grow older, this time of year has developed profound significance for me.  
The patter of rain on a pile of yellowing leaves brings my mind to the past.  I'll reminisce about how my son once jumped with gusto into leaves or wonder when the trees lost their leaves in different cities I've lived in.  All it takes is a quiet morning alone with a steaming mug of tea and suddenly I let myself get whisked away into Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market.  
Fall wistfully transports us to times past, while we still feel the flush of summer upon our cheeks.  Not yet ready to hibernate, the afternoon sun is relished on long walks.  Every morning when our dog, Owen, and I go out, I feel thankful that the garden has survived another night without frost.  Tomatoes taste even more succulent, because I know it will be another 10 months before they taste sweet and juicy again.  
This is the time of year when orange and black rule.  Their meanings run deeper than branding a holiday season.  Black signifies the trepidation we feel in our hearts as the nights lengthen, as well as the longer, darker nights.  Orange's inspiration is the last of the season's harvest, those butternut squash and pumpkins, the ripened leaves blanketing the green grass, the lingering warmth of the sun's rays.  So, this season as I'm wearing the orange and black socks my husband bought me, I'm not merely participating in the commercialization of another holiday.  Instead, we are all honoring this moment in time, paying homage to autumn, before it passes.   
                                              Ghosts Galore card by Blackbird and Peacock

2 comments:

  1. Hi, you popped by my blog and left me a nice comment on my photo-post - thanks! Our garden is lovely; it's not huge, but it's big for a semi-detached house in a 1960's street - because we have a corner plot, so the garage is at right angles to the house, facing down the street. The garden runs round the side of the house and behind the garage too, giving us a plot about twice the size of the others in our street - yippee! Some people who lived here about 10 years ago were keen gardeners and laid it out really well; our predecessors were less keen, but kept it tidy, so we inherited a mature and well designed garden. We have done relatively little to it in the 5 years we have lived here, but we're slowly changing stuff, taking out plants that are too old/too big etc.

    I like your post about black and orange. They are such seasonal colours for the autumnal weather - most of the photos in my post today had orange as a prominent colour. And the sky is now velvety-black outside, as the evening progresses... Of course in a month's time, it will be Hallowe'en and everyone will be wearing black and orange! I love your cute little pixellated ghost card - so sweet.

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  2. Lizzie- thanks for your kind comments.
    My garden is quite small, but I've lived in my house for less than 2 years, so hopefully it will be beautiful one day like yours! This year I separated my flower and vegetable gardens. We also have a corner plot- I think that works well for feeling like you have more space.

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