April's Musings

Wednesday, September 28, 2005
"Pumpkins"



Have you seen a field of pumpkins? I mean, I know we have all seen pumpkins in the grocery store, at the Farmer's Market, and on someone's front step, but—in a field? The pumpkin patch—now that is a sight—before the leaves turn gold and red and rust in our Northern Adirondack Boreal forest piece-of-paradise, the orange pumpkins glow boldly in green fields. Looking like the most silly of vegetables, poised most properly stem up, as if planted by the stage manger for your preview, the countryside of Vermont in September is littered with these orange ladies.

This week I had the pleasure of seeing the pumpkin patches in Vermont on my countryside journey from Burlington to Manchester. There are so many pretty towns in Vermont. I really don't work for the State, but you must come up and visit! It is the postcard that you have received. Brandon is just such a town between Manchester and Burlington on Route 7 (that would be the even more scenic route). This pretty town of the famous church spire is one of those comeback towns. First they raised the money for a new spire and then they realized they loved their town and started to fix it up. They have decorated the entire village with scarecrows for Halloween! You must see the scarecrow and Indian Wigwam en route just before Brandon on the Manchester side.

I was traveling with the two Anns—now there are a couple of gorgeous women making color statements. One is blonde with chin length straight hair and perfect blue eyes, the other a red head with shoulder length wavy hair and a laugh that comes from growing up with brothers. I guess you wanted to know what they were wearing, right? Well Blonde Ann had on our Paris Sweater in ivory, with a rippling ruffle all along the collar, and Anne with the red mane, had a brown sweater (Carlotta) with a pointelle cowl neck. Brown is a serious color—lush dark brown—but add the feminine detail of pointelle with brown satin ribbons on the collar and it is not serious nor feminine, but artistic! I love that combination of contrast. Isn't that who we are? Serious, yes, but feminine, and that kind of means mysterious, doesn’t it? Keep them guessing, girls—that's my motto! Who can ever put their finger on an artist's style?

They both were wearing fabulous fall skirts, Anne of the Red Hair bounty had a beautiful long georgette skirt (Belair) that had a surprising print, which joined both roses and leopard spots in soft blues and browns and ivory! That's what I call the fun part! Blonde Ann had on our rich wool plaid (Katrina)—perfect for walking through the autumn leaves.

We ate at the Café Provence in Brandon. The rain drove us from the road and we dashed in to a meal that was delicious and French and perfect. I love those goat cheese cakes and the salmon, umm.

We looked at the tables and chairs and decided they were going for a French Provence look. "Hmm," says Ann, "I think I will be back to show them our Rosehip Turquoise quilted mats."

I like to take inspiration from an evening like this, and from a day full of pumpkins, to decorate my own home with the colors of fall. See our shops for our new fall home linens collections—Harvest, Apple, Rooster, Orchard, Falling Leaves—from maple to squash to pumpkin and quiet mushroom, I am with you in Nature.

All the best in where you wander.
I am off to Utah now,
April