Friday, September 25, 2009

Fall? Not So Much


All the design and decor blogs (okay, not ALL, but it feels that way), and certainly all of the shelter mags, are talking about fall. Fall decorating. Fall trends. Fall wardrobes. Fall flowers and the beautiful turning leaves. Fall menus. Fall tablescapes. Fall is in the air. In the wind. In the craft stores since July for heaven's sake!!

Fall wreath via countryliving.com—not my house.

Here's what fall looks like in my backyard. This photo taken from inside the house will have to do because I am NOT GOING OUT THERE.


That thermometer is in the SHADE by the way. All day. And this has been our weather for several weeks now. Hot. Dry. A little windy. Lovely, right? Feel that nip in the air? Oh wait, that's just the AC kicking on.

Because I won't go outdoors any more than absolutely necessary, this is what fall looks like in my neglected garden. The roses are giving it a good try, but they're tired.

And whatever was in these little pots, above, was removed a couple of weeks ago because it was dead, dead, dead. There are some troopers still making a good effort despite the sun and heat and grasshoppers doing what they can to decimate everything in their paths. The succulents and sun-lovers are very happy.

The biggest part of my problem is that there's nothing remotely "fallish" about cacti and heat waves and flip flops. To cool off a little, I made a pitcher of lemonade last weekend and drank the whole thing myself in one day. Lemonade doesn't really work with pot pies and roasted vegetables. And it's too hot out to turn the oven on anyway. More salads and grilled fish for me, please.

countryliving.com offers loads of fall menu ideas—if it's fall at your house.

Because of the blogs and magazines, I'm starting to get a complex and feeling like an under-achieving party pooper because I haven't changed out my mantelscape or added pumpkins to my porch decor. Give me a few weeks and maybe I'll get into it.

Fall tablescape via potterybarn.com

It will likely be almost Halloween before it cools enough in this neck of the woods to call it fall. Just in time, the weather will change so that all the princesses and fairies in tights and tulle will freeze their patooties off trick-or-treating. For extra fun, it might even rain! That's kind of how it works around here. Blazing hot summer one day, cold blustery fall the next.


Thank you so much for allowing me to pout a little. Truthfully, I'm just jealous because I can't join in the fun. Not yet anyway. It feels so wrong to condemn an innocent pumpkin to certain rotting death on my blazing hot doorstep. On a happier note, my favorite local street festival takes place the weekend before Halloween and that always gets me in the mood for fall. Fingers crossed that it's below 80 degrees that day!

If you're here in the I.E. and haven't checked out this fair, you should. It's lots of fun!

And I suppose I should take some solace in the fact that it all evens out on New Year's Day—when those of you who celebrated fall earlier and more traditionally than I did are watching the big parade on tv, wrapped up tight in front of a blazing fire with five feet of impenetrable snow on the ground outside. In all likelihood, I'll be back in my flip flops with the house wide open enjoying the lovely mid-seventies day!

I promise not to rub it in when I'm enjoying this beautiful blue-sky weather on New Year's Day—and you're not.

Many of the streets in my neighborhood are lined with liquidambar trees like the one at the top of this post. Their leaves turn the most gorgeous shades of gold and orange and russet red before they fall. So I have hope, even on a hundred-degree day, that fall will come–such that we have it here in Southern California. Just not quite yet.

Is anyone else feeling left out by fall? Bah-humbugging seasonal decor? Please let me know I'm not alone! (Or feel free to scold me for being bitter!)




UPDATE: If you are torn about seasonal decorating like I am and want to listen to a fun (and funny!) conversation about fall and holiday decor—what works, what doesn't, and what they simply tolerate—tune in to The Skirted Roundtable's discussion on this topic. They start with fall and move right on through to New Year's Eve. Thanks Ladies! I don't feel like such a grinch now that I've listened to the three of you!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so funny! This is a great post. I would LOVE to feel bad for you, but I just can't. I admit I'm starting to get into fall because that's what we do here in Minnesota, but if I were where you are I would be loving it! okay. maybe not 100 degrees but something close would work for me. Have a good weekend!

Catherine said...

It's actually still a little warm here too, although the leaves are starting to turn. But truth be told, I'm so tired of the heat, I'm dreaming of fall! I can't wait until I don't have to run around the yard watering everything! The only 'decor' I've done so far is switch out my transfer ware from blue to brown - BUT that's it! Everything else will wait until it truly feels like fall! ; ) Trina

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Bless your heart. It's hot out there! And you're right, it would be cruel to kill a pumpkin.

sallymandy said...

What a fun post! I'm with you. I live in Montana, and it's been in the 70s and 80s every day, which is summer weather for us. The leaves are starting to turn, but I refuse to get out the fall paraphernalia any earlier than needed! Good heavens, we have so much winter here to start. Let's enjoy the outdoor season as long as we can.

When I lived in Arizona, I surely felt as you do!

cotedetexas said...

ok, I just bought six little whtie pumpkins at the store yesterday! bring it on! I'm dreckorated!!!!

thank you so much for the shout out!
Joni

Linda Merrill said...

Very funny. Sorry it's so hot out there! Yikes! And thanks for the mention!

Bessiemae said...

I'm with you, but I actually love it! I now live in the Bay Area, where it is cooler than down south, but I grew up in LA, and I pine for the long hot summers of my youth. :-) Fall up here is often beautiful, and very summer-like, warm and sunny. I start to get blue when the days turn crisp. I know, I know, I'm the only one on the planet, apparently.

One of my Hobby Blogs said...

very nice pics - thanks

Splenderosa said...

You are hilarious. What a wonderful posting to read, and LOL!
Don't you live in that place where everyone wants to live because of the wonderful climate? While here in Houston we've had 2 whole days of temps in the 70's, but not to worry it's back in the 90's today. Joni, what is dreckorated?
Sounds like a word I need to use.
Thank you for a little laughter today. Marsha

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

LOL! I felt this way last year! It was so hot in Georgia untill about mid October last year and everyone was having fall decorating parties and I just couldn't get into it.

Sorry it's so hot! There's always Thanksgiving decorating!

Manuela

Pauline Wiles said...

Me too! It's still very pleasant in the San Fran Bay Area - but not quite as toasty as you're experiencing.

This week I bought 2 new "summer" tops because I was so sick of wearing the same old thing!

Being originally from the UK, this does feel like a nice problem to have. But no, I'm not ready to think about pumpkin decor.

for the love of a house said...

Oh Tracy, so sorry.... I remember your pain soooooo well. That's why we moved;)! In Dallas, my rule was no pumpkins until after October first. Seeing them earlier just looked silly when it was still in the 90's. And truth be told, I have been known to turned down the AC and started a fire in the fireplace to get that Fall feeling!
joan

Pauline Wiles said...

PS - I have an award for you, if you'd care to come on over to Struggling to be Stylish to collect it.

Tracy Watier said...

To Splenderosa:
Please allow me to answer for Joni. "Dreck" is trashy, junky stuff. Joni's comment follows the tone of the conversation she had with the other ladies on the Skirted Roundtable about decorating for fall. Her tongue-in-cheek comment here makes more sense when you know that she's not a big fan of holiday decor--but apparently decided to do some anyway!
Tracy

Shari @ My Cottage of Bliss said...

Amen sista! I can totally relate to this post, all the way, since I live in Florida. I, too, feel out of the loop because I'm not posting about any fall decorating going on at my house. Not only do pumpkins and the warmer fall colors feel out of place when the weather is so hot, they just don't work with the more pastel colors I use in my home. In addition, by the time it cools down enough here to get into the spirit of "fall," it will be time to drag out the Christmas decorations. With the exception of the front porch, which will get a fall makeover in a week or two (or three), my house will be devoid of fall decor.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Tracy don't feel bad ...I have not gotten into the autumn rush yet, either. I like to wait until the weather is really chilly and the leaves are really turning colors and that doesn't happen in NYC until late October. We usually have the nicest weather this time of year ...warm but no horrid humidity like we get in August.

If I decorated now I'd be so tired of orange and pumpkins by November. I dislike how the stores seem to go from Halloween to Christams all at once and bypass Thanksgiving.

Hope it cools down a little for you!

Anonymous said...

The leaves are just beginning to turn on my Poplar trees here in the mountains. The weather is in the 70's, with a slight breeze. The pumpkins are out at the supermarkets and our one and only discount store, but too early to buy. They need to last until Thanksgiving for our annual PUMPKIN ROLL, so will buy them closer to Halloween. I love the colors of fall and the fact that you can wear a jacket or a scarf. A few more weeks until we decorate with mums and wreaths and falling leaves. It will cool there soon, I'm sure.
Rh in the mountains.

Anonymous said...

My feelings EXACTLY!!!! ( I probably AM a little bitter) Pumpkins/gourds & festive Fall porch displays rotting in the So Cal heat just don't appeal to me. Heck, I'm rotting in this heat...... I can recall the Fall days of growing up in the Pacific NW & try to cool myself down by mentally "rolling in the piles of leaves raked & gathered up to burn in the barrel", as was Dad's seasonal custom...
Thanks for the memories. Tracy ! xo Dee