Turning Over a New Leaf in Autumn

Isn't it amazing (and downright merciful) how many opportunities Mother Nature gives us to start a new chapter? Winter with its blank slate of fresh, white snow and New Year's resolutions; spring with its hopeful blooms and closet clean-outs; summer with its slower pace and leisurely vacations; and now autumn--all bursting with vibrant leaves, crisp apples and comical pumpkins, new teachers and sharpened pencils, cooler air scented with cozy fireplaces, and the clearest blue skies. With each season, it seems like we're perpetually beginning.

In keeping with this theme, I'm working on exciting new projects for this blog, which I'll unveil within the next couple of months. Here's a clue: Two of them have to do with photography, which is becoming more and more my favorite passion. (I don't want to call it a "hobby"--for me, the word "hobby" always conjures up messing around in basements, creating a lot of sawdust and glued-on rickrack, and doesn't convey any deep or lasting sense of interest.)

Continuing in the spirit of Grand Beginnings for fall, I went to a wedding in Montauk last weekend. Montauk is at the very end of the Hamptons, and is completely "un-Hamptons-ish", which is to say that it doesn't put on any airs. The groom, an effortlessly charming fellow whom I've long-called "one of the last of the great New York bachelors", said it was fitting that he would have a beginning that started at "The End." In perfect harmony with the evening, two swans glided past the ceremony on a mirror of water, as if on cue, modeling pure grace and supreme elegance in the way that only swans can. You cannot buy better wedding decorations than these...

I have one more beginning for fall, but this one is for you to try. It's an easy, inexpensive switch that will make a big impact for years to come. This season, perhaps as an homage to the lovely trees, switch from paper napkins to cloth napkins. We haven't bought paper napkins in years and we don't miss them at all. (I guess you could call me a "woman of the cloth.") If you buy a good stash of cloth napkins (or sew them yourself, if that's your hobby passion), you will be set for years of use (or more specifically, re-use). They generally can pass through more than one (unmessy) meal for your family if you keep them in their settings at the table, so you don't need to fret about the ever-growing Laundry Mountain. Buy a big enough supply and use them for parties, too--they are so much more elegant (and much more economical). There's really no need for paper napkins, and the trees--with their beautiful leaves most resplendent in fall--will thank you.

Your turn: What new leaf are you turning over for fall? Any big changes in the air? Have you made the switch to cloth napkins at your house? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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