Fall

Orange, crisp and burnished,

Takes center stage.

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Seasons

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In Between

October, the transitional month.

Hanging on to the final blooms, while preparing for the cold that it is already nipping at the edges of the day.

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A Lesson of Fall: The Paradox of Consistency and Change

This is the time of the year when we feel the changes that autumn bring.

There is a coldness in the morning air, which can feel a little bracing and strange on the skin after the often scorching hot summer that we have had in California this year.

The leaves start to change colors. There is that wonderful, unique rust-red shade that one sees at this time of year. To me, it is one of nature’s exceptional colors that no artist nor paint company has or can imitate.

I wonder, in the case of people, are changes and transitions so easily perceived, felt or understood. It is said that we change with every decade. We hope that we become stronger and wiser with the passage of time. Life experiences can be sweet; and there are also those that impart the lesson that life doesn’t always follow a linear, step-by-step path that we were taught to believe that it would.

Sometimes, we don’t really like the changes that we perceive in us. And at times we just ignore them as that’s the easiest things to do.

Maybe, fall teaches us the paradox of consistency and change. We know that the days will become shorter; we reach out for our sweaters and our armor of mood enhancers as we face those fall days when it is dark at 5 pm.

Mingled with this predictability is the realization that the year is about to end, and the pensiveness that comes with this realization. A brand new year looms. This question comes up, consciously or unconsciously: am I closer, or further away from the goals and values that I seek?

Fall and winter days are somewhat hard for me as I need lots of sunlight to function at an optimum pace. But I hope I’m getting better at negotiating and managing this season. In this decade of my life, I want to try to practice, and not just mouth, the adage to “live in the moment”. And I want to strive to be the person living out my philosophy of life, despite the perceptions of others and my own roadblocks.

I know I’ll miss the hot weather. Perhaps it will help if I focus on the colors and tastes of fall. This year, I will try to embrace fall, for there is no getting around nature’s calendar. That’s just the way it is.

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Appetite for Apples

A magnificent fall display featuring apples. The photo was taken at the Bellagio Gardens in Las Vegas.

Fall is the season for apples. With all the varieties available for cooking as well as for decorating, I’m jotting some random thoughts on the fruit:

• When I was a kid, eating green apples with salt was a favorite treat. In the tropics, where I grew up, the apple had the cachet of being a somewhat exotic fruit for us. My friends and I enjoyed the salt-dipped apples while we sat in our shady backyard, yakking about games and the other neighborhood kids.

• Today, one of my favorite apple treats is homemade apple crumble, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

• The texture of raw apples helps to “scrub” or clean the teeth.

• In China, apples symbolize peace.

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Need Some Orange…

Last week, I had orange on my mind. I was thinking of ways to update or change the look of my living room with the coming of fall.

I was not quite ready to give up the bright, sunny colors of summer, and I still wanted bright, uplifting hues in my surroundings. Then it occurred to me to add some orange decorative accents or accessories. After all, orange is a color that bridges the hot and cold seasons. It brings to mind the citrus of summer and the leaves of autumn.

Later, over the weekend, I read an article “Haute orange” in the Orange County Register where Cindy McNatt wrote that orange is the “it” color this season. Well, that’s nice to know. She quoted designer Amanda Malson as saying: “Orange is a vibrant color that has less intensity than red or yellow and actually a calming effect. We love using orange with a neutral base and pairing with hues of blue.”

Color psychology, which studies the effect of color on human feelings, moods and behavior, points out that orange can have a positive impact on one’s emotional state. Orange represents warmth, energy, exuberance and excitement. It is said to open up your emotions, and will stimulate activity and socialization.

It is also said that sometimes we are drawn to a color because we want to have the attribute that it represents. The exuberance of orange will be a good attribute to have as the days get shorter and nippier.

An orange item adds zest to a room. (Pic from photos8.com)

I bought this fabric to make cushion covers. I was drawn to its orange accents and the somewhat retro feel.

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