Unexpected fall colors

I love fall, the change of season, leaves turning, a chill in the air, soup, spicy colors, baked goods, I could go on.  Rosemary Spence would say I am an autumn, in the colors-I-may-wear category.  But sometimes I like to break the rules to keep things interesting.  Take, for instance, these weird little things. 

 

Maclura pomifera, also known as osage oranges, horseapples, hedgeapples, monkeybrains...  They are basically weed trees here.  But, being ugly trees, they always seem to grow on the undeveloped side of a road that is unsafe to cross, or I am with the kids and can't leave them in the car.  I become a little obsessed in the fall when they start dropping on the ground.  So imagine my delight when I finally found a tree at a good stopping place. 

Meanwhile my family is in the car wailing or laughing at me.



It's all about the color.  I love the acid pop of yellowy green they give to my otherwise pumkin-spice fall decor. 

I suppose I could use pears or Granny smith apples, but they're a little too expected. I like to use more natural looking things anyway.  Maybe black walnuts next year...

And wouldn't you know?  Chartreuse is on the Pantone list this fall, so now it's everywhere.

In clothing I love it paired with deep blue or purple, like my friend Reid's chartreuse clutch with her midnight blue dress.  (I really wish I had a good picture of her at that wedding. Sorry!)

Don't get me started on how much I want a dog and this collar.



Purple is another one of those unexpected fall colors.  I welcome the addition of violet (and lime green) to the black+orange Halloween palette.  And eggplant really works with spicy fall tones, like a Thanksgiving table set with purple transferware.



Photo: Nancy's Daily Dish

That's it, that's all I've got.  Happy fall, y'all.