Pumpkining, Pinkening

So, we're starting to get some fall-like weather here in greater Nashvillia, and it's nice.  I mean, it's chilly in the mornings, not so much in the afternoons, and then it's getting dark earlier.  I know that we'll have some more summer days, even once it's officially fall.  That's how it works in the south.  There are those who have said it before and said it better.

In concession to these cooler days, I have officially retired my pedicure for the summer.  I had the polish removed, had the nice lady at the salon scrape off a few layers of mud, and cut my nails down.  We'll put the Birkenstocks into hibernation soon, and that's a hard process to bear.  I do love my Birks.  I need to send my favorite pair to be resoled and reconditioned this winter.  I am hard on shoes, but if you show these love, they'll give love in return.  That's how that works.

Even though it's still summer, the folks in retail have all the pumpkin spice everything in place.  And Halloween candy.  And in some places, like our local Big Lots, there's a fair amount of Christmas decor in place.  Walgreens seasonal aisle is a psychotic break:  summer clearance, a little back to school, a little spooky season.

Now, I don't mind so much - though, I think pumpkin spice is a little done to death - give me poached pear, or apple pie spice.  Or better yet, chocolate.

It's hard to think pumpkin when you also have to think about shaving your legs to wear a short skirt sans tights or leggings.  

Although, we're well into football season, so I guess it's fall whether I like it or not.  

I don't drink enough coffee for it to matter, so it's not like I go wild for pumpkin spice lattes.  Now, come November, will I double down on an eggnog latte?  I will - I do love a good nog and joe combo.  A few days of that is enough to last me all year.  If I need a little jolt in the morning, give me Zero (Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper) or give me death.  But preferably Zero.

I've started a little research on getting our 2024 calendar sitch under control - one for the purse, one for the wall at work (that one is a cheaper model) and one for the house.  For years, we would get a Gil Elvgren pin-up for the kitchen.  Then in late 2021, one of the automotive parts people Matt's sales department works with gave us a very real cheesecake calendar - and we had that for 2022.  I didn't mind it, but I think that it had much imagination, either.  So for 2023, I purchased street scenes - artful photos of streets all over the world.  Heavy on Europe and pretty.  I may veer back to Elvgren this year.  Or Art Frahm, or similar.   I think the pin-up girls are saucy but tasteful.

As for my purse calendar, I want something softcover and no spiral - I'm a lefty, and I hate spiral bound anything.  And spirals collect detritus and snag things.  I have one I bought at Walmart last year, and it's perfect, but so far, I can't find anything I like as well.

As for the work calendar, last year, I bought one with kittens.  I buy a cheap, generic calendar them imbue it with my own captions.  

It's not fancy, but I've been captioning my own calendars for several years and find it therapeutic and amusing.

I'm also starting to sweat the Christmas card.  I have no photos of us or the dog from this year that I like.  I have an older photo of the dog, but that seems unsporting, as it will be 2 years old at the time people receive it.  She's aged.  We've aged.  That moment has passed.  I have a friend who takes good photos.  When we see her in October, maybe she'll oblige me.  Or maybe, like last year, I'll do something where I create us in Canva and we go from there.  You never know.

So, anyway - the pumpkining is underway.  That means that the pinkening is coming.

October used to be all fall - rust, gold, green, orange.  Now, it's pink.  If you had asked me as a child, I'd have said the pink was a good thing.  And it is - when it's organic.  But the pink I am talking about is the Breast Cancer awareness pink.  I have friends who have beaten breast cancer.  I have a friend we lost to it.   I am aware of breast cancer.  Football players wearing pink socks in October does not make me more aware of breast cancer.  It makes me aware that the NFL is a bunch of pandering dodos.

Now, my birthday is in October, and it's easier now to find flowers of all kinds of colors.  But it feels weird to get a spring bouquet in October.  There's got to be a compromise.  I'm not saying I receive tons of flowers in October, nor that I should.  Well, I totally should - not the point.  But yeah, anyway - I do like that I'm not stuck having to have a pumpkin themed birthday if I want something a little more princessy.  BTW, pink and brown and green play well together - that was the color scheme of my 40th birthday party.

Anyway, be pink, be pumpk, you do you. 

Later, y'all.