Autumn

Autumn, also known as Fall, is a familiar word to all, but I chose it this week because it is my favorite time of year.  Autumn is defined as the period of time from September 22 to December 21, in the northern hemisphere and March 21 to June 21 in the southern hemisphere. It is the time of year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. The word is also used to describe a time of maturity, such as in the autumn of your career or life; but I prefer to focus on the season. 

Despite the fact that the days are still warm here in southern California, the leaves are starting to change color and drop from their branches. A change is slowly drifting in on the wind. As we draw closer to Halloween, the temperatures will start to drop, bringing relief  to those who have grown tired of the heat and long to wear sweatshirts and shoes.  As the hours of daylight draw shorter Autumn launches a season of festivities with family and friends.  A time to look back on the year and celebrate life with new wisdom to prepare us for the coming year.  

I will breathe in deeply and experience the fullness of Autumn.  

"Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all aglow."
-   Author Unknown

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." Stanley Horowitz

Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

Mellifluous

Mellifluous is an adjective (1375-1425) which describes something that has a smooth, rich flow or filled with something that sweetens.  It is something soothing, poetic and flows like honey.  The English word came from the Latin word Mellifluus, which means “dripping with honey”.   It originally referred to honey flowing over the tongue.  A romantic word when spoken, sounds like its definition. Here are a few examples:

“The poet enveloped his audience with a mellifluous wave of words”

“Her words flowed softly from her mellifluous lips like sweet nectar from the honeysuckle blossom”

“The politicians mellifluous speech was intended to convince people to vote for him”

“The melody of the song filled the air with mellifluous sounds that lulled me to sleep”

The man’s southern accent disappeared, and his voice morphed into a deeper, mellifluous whisper.  Dan Brown - author - from the book: The Lost Symbol

A mellifluous voice, as I am true knight.   

William Shakespeare - Twelfth Night

  

Bedizen

Bedizen, a verb, means to dress up in fine and showy attire.  It also means to decorate something in a gaudy, vulgar or tasteless manner.  

It is a great source of fun for me to watch the stars as they walk the red carpet for the award shows bedizened in fabric and jewels.  Many entertainers have gained great notoriety based on how outrageous they dress, such as Madonna, Elton John, Cher, Lady Gaga and many more.  Who is your favorite?   

How we decorate our homes or ourselves is a matter of taste.  Something that seems gaudy to one, might be gorgeous to someone else.  Ultimately how we decorate ourselves and the things in our lives allows us to express ourselves in a unique and creative manner.  A great freedom.

"At 18, he attended a party "frizzled, powdered and curled, in radiant pink satin, with waistcoat bedizened with gems of pink paste and a mosaic of colored foils and a hat blazing with 5,000 metallic beads,” according to Michael Battersberry in "Fashion, The Mirror of History."

-- Donna Larcen, "Details Details: Everything Old Is New Again", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 19, 1994

“Prithee, young one, who art thou, and what has ailed thy mother to bedizen thee in this strange fashion?”  The Scarlett Letter by Nathan Hawthorne

Here are a couple of my favorites from the red carpet: