Happy Monday. I LOVE all Mondays, as they are my 52 Chances, every year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you.
Last weekend, in honor of Tuesday, being National Color Day, me and my husband took a fall color, road trip through Michigan’s “Thumb Area”. Then we meandered over to Frankenmuth, finding more colorful trees, along the way, and enjoying a late lunch at one of our favorite places, just outside of town.
It was a beautiful, colorful day. It made us feel good. Colors are powerful, impacting our lives every day and in a variety ways. They can subconsciously influence our appetite, mood, behavior, perception, productivity, and so much more. Colors are yet another one of those things we should celebrate every day.
While spring and summer months offer a lot of color in flowers and such, October is probably one of the most colorful months, over all; and, thereby, one of my favorites. It’s so beautiful when all the trees’ leaves are peaking in their color change, highlighted by a backdrop of blue sky (and/or water), as well as by the neighboring evergreens.
There are numerous things in life that make us happy. It’s usually the simple things that bring us the most inner peace and cost little to nothing to enjoy. Mother nature is intoxicatingly beautiful. Her beauty is refreshing, energizing, and Zen-like – all at the same time.
“How to” examples, for celebrating colors, this month, include: a fall road trip, to see the trees changing colors; taking a walk in nature and shuffling through the fallen leaves; picnicking on the banks of a lazy river (or one of the four Great Lakes, surrounding Michigan).
The fall season, especially throughout the month of October, is ablaze with breathtaking colors in a brilliant wave of varying shades of yellows, oranges, and reds; from the shores of Lake Superior, on the north side of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to its southern Indiana-Ohio border and beyond. It inspires me to paint, like a Bob Ross video.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes & Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, p. 22)
IF I WERE AN ARTIST
IF I WERE AN ARTIST, I would cover my walls with pictures that would recapture the beauty of all the lovely places I’ve been to and would miss once I had left them.
I would recapture a restful sunset over the wooded hills of northern Michigan sloping toward the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, or I would relive the blazing colors of autumn that shroud the clusters of trees along the uninhabited backgrounds of the countryside surrounding Grand Traverse Bay.
But, alas, I cannot put such places into paintings, so I’ll have to paint them with words in order to revisit them in my memory whenever the thoughts of which John Ruskin must have written – those secret places of the happy mind, ‘nests of pleasant thoughts’…‘houses built without hands for our souls to live in’.
Perhaps the food for thought, of finding these restful places in our memories, is just the elixir we often need; one more sufficiently nourished with sustenance to keep us physically fit, while we let our famished affections go hungry!
As the trees transition for their winter hibernation, the leaves become more colorful each day. I’ve seen some trees, speckled throughout St. Clair County, already change their colors in July and August. However, once the color show really takes off this month, it doesn’t last long before it’s over and done.
Fall was also Mom’s favorite season. Not only because the kids went back to school but also because the cool, autumn days made it more inviting to turn on the stove and make some soup or do some baking. This season usually celebrates the fall like flavors and scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and/or cloves in almost everything.
This season brings on warm, melancholy feelings of togetherness, contentment, comfort foods, cozy campfires, flannel blankets, as well as nostalgia of days gone by – and Dad would add the excitement of football to spice up the mix.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 23)
[NORTHERN MICHIGAN]
IT WAS QUIET COUNTRY, secluded but refreshing, compared to sophisticated urban activity. At County Road 669, a sign announced ‘Sleeping Bear Dunes’ straight ahead on M-22. The road curved like a long licorice ribbon up and down the hillsides of densely grown white birches, Scotch Pines, Maples, Oaks and Poplars.
Suddenly we were conscious of how clean the air smelled. The city wasn’t like this! What a lovely contrast! What a splendid memory! The first time we saw the Traverse Bay area and upstate Michigan, we fell in love with it. It was Labor Day and summer was still at the peak of its promise.
Six weeks later, we went back to the bay area to feast our eyes on the glorious, fiery colors of fall. There was a crisp, clean chill in the air. Those long, straight, two-lane roads through the peninsula still lay like licorice ribbons on the slopes and hills of the Old Mission region.
The side roads were cut like corridors through a series of canopies in brilliant orange, red and yellow, where the trees were all standing like military sentries in full dress uniforms, crossing their branches above the roads like honor guards with their swords raised high.
It was a trip back into another time zone – peaceful valleys and wooded hillsides abundant with sturdy hedges of tall trees framing well-manicured cherry orchards, acres upon acres of them, as well as apple groves in great abundance everywhere!
Here and there a farmhouse and a weather-worn, well-kept barn reminded you that it was a populated and prosperous region, after all. The prosperity appeared to represent hard work, a practical living style and simplicity of needs, unlike the atmosphere of city dwelling.
Decades ago, when my children were small, I sold decorative products (via in-home gatherings) from a Texas-based company, called Home Interiors & Gifts. I loved my job – meeting new people in small, social settings and teaching them decorating techniques with Home Interiors’ beautiful products.
I learned a lot from my local sales group, such as social skills, how to speak in public, decorating skills, and even some crafting skills. But I truly enjoyed learning about Feng shui and color psychology the most. It’s amazing how much colors can affect us – and without us even realizing it.
Colorology is the scientific study of colors. Color theory, simply put, studies how colors work together (i.e. compatibility, per the “color wheel”). Color Psychology is the study of how colors specifically affect our perceptions and behaviors. They’re all associated with something. Unless you’re blind, colors create first impressions more than any other factor.
Carl Jung is considered to be one of the pioneers in color psychology. He’s best known for his investigations into the properties of colors and their related effects on our lives. The effects of colors can also be largely impacted by different cultures and personal preferences. Generally speaking, color psychology is reflective of interpretation.
On the color wheel, cool colors are the greens, blues, and purples; reminding us of grass, water, and sky. They tend to create calm, soothing effects. Warm colors are red, orange, and yellow, which are energizing and brilliant, even mesmerizing; reminding us of campfires, fall, and sunrises/sunsets.
Brown is not really on the color wheel. It’s a hybrid created from both warm and cool colors. Varying shades of brown are created through combining all three primary colors, in fluctuating amounts; using two opposite colors on the “color wheel”, such as red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple.
Also not on the color wheel are the neutrals – white, grey, and black – which are neither warm nor cool. Technically, the neutrals are considered to be “hues” and not colors. Hues tint (lighten) and shade (darken) colors, when added.
For centuries, different colors have been associated with different things and meanings. Color psychology focuses on how they can be used – for example, in marketing, to stimulate specific consumer reactions, such as making decisions and assessing product brands.
In marketing, colors are a highly influential part of the selling and buying process. According to How to Use the Psychology of Colors When Marketing, by DashBurst [SmallBizTrends.com (June 19, 2014)], “The psychology of color is used in advertising and marketing to evoke emotional reactions.” The article also offers a brief, exciting history of color.
Similar to how various brands choose colors that represent their values – KFC and Coke are red, associated with confidence; Culver’s and Pepsi are blue, associated with trust; Subway and Starbuck’s are green, associated with fresh – Mom loved using various colors for the covers and pages of her many self-published books and cookbooks.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Be careful not to blink, as nature’s fall colors will be gone before you know it. Much of America’s northern and mountain regions are past their peaks now. So get out and enjoy it while you can. Celebrate all of the colors!
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at [email protected]. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of tomorrow, being National Hermit Day, here are THREE of Mom’s secret recipes for “Hermit – Herman’s Little Brother”, a quick, beer batter starter for sweet dessert breads – PLUS, her “Hermit Batter Bread” and “Thin Vanilla Glaze (Icing)”; all seen in her self-published cookbook, Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes and Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, pp. 98 & 102-103). After all, it’s baking season!
[Again, asking only for proper credit if you want to re-share it.]
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
The month of October observes a lot of things, including the following food related celebrations…
Eat Better & Eat Together Month, National Apple Month, National Applejack Month, National Bake and Decorate Month, National Caramel Month, National Chili Month, NATIONAL COOKBOOK MONTH, National Cookie Month, National Dessert Month, National Pasta Month, National Pickled Peppers Month, National Pizza Month, National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, National Pork Month, National Pretzel Month, National Sausage Month, National Seafood Month, Pear and Pineapple Month, Rhubarb Month, Spinach Lovers Month, Tackling Hunger Month, and Vegetarian Month.
Other October observances that aren’t directly food related but could be kissing cousins, include…
Halloween Safety Month, Italian-American Heritage Month, NATIONAL BOOK MONTH, National Kitchen & Bath Month, Polish American Heritage Month, National Women’s Small Business Month, Positive Attitude Month, and Self-Promotion Month.
Today is… National Chocolate Day.
Tomorrow is… National Oatmeal Day.
Wednesday, October 30th, is… National Candy Corn Day.
Thursday, October 31st, is… National Caramel Apple Day and Halloween.
Friday kicks off November, which observes… Banana Pudding Lovers Month, Family Stories Month, National Fun with Fondue Month, National Gratitude Month, National Inspirational Role Models Month, National Life Writing Month, National Native American Heritage Month, National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, National Pepper Month, National Pomegranate Month, National Raisin Bread Month, National Roasting Month, Spinach and Squash Month, Sweet Potato Awareness Month (also in February), and National Vegan Month.
November 1st is also… National Authors’ Day, National Calzone Day, National Cinnamon Day, National Deep Fried Clams Day, and National Vinegar Day. Plus, it’s also the start of… National Fig Week, which is always November 1st-7th.
November 2nd is… National Deviled Egg Day and National Ohio Day. Plus, as the first Saturday in November (for 2024), it’s also… National Bison Day and National Play Outside Day, which is always the first Saturday of EVERY month.
November 3rd is… National Housewife’s Day and National Sandwich Day. Plus, as the first Sunday in November (for 2024), it’s also… Daylight Saving Time Ends.
Have a great week!
…44 down and 8 to go!
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