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!