Day 255: Orange Scarf

Well I finally found one. After looking high and low and near and far, it finally materialized before my eyes. In a women's clothing store called Lindex. A couple of weeks ago when I began the hunt I was looking everywhere. When you have something specific and especially that specific in mind it usually doesn't even exist. I had started to contemplate going to a fabric store and finding some material to sew one up myself. After I get a sewing machine that is. Do you remember me saying that it couldn't be just any orange scarf? That the color had to be just right? Not too dark but not too bright either. Well I'm pretty sure this is as close to perfect as I'm going to get. That's not to say that if I happen across THE perfect one, that I will not buy it also. In fact I'm pretty sure I would.

As I looked around the last couple of weeks, it seemed that a more rusty orange is the trend for fall here. That and a bright, almost neon orange, which just isn't going to happen. I remember back when I was in high school and neon colors were popular. I had a neon purple and green hand-painted t-shirt that I picked out the paint colors for and painted myself. Not anything I would make in this day and age, I can guarantee that. For some reason yesterday this hideous shirt popped into my mind and as I thought about it I couldn't imagine what must have been going through my head back then to paint a neon purple and green t-shirt.

Obviously neon colors were the style at the time (It was the 80's) but still. Does this mean I'm getting old? Probably. The fashions back then were not my favorite and they are well beyond being my I favorite now as they make their sad comeback. My husband and I were watching a music performance the other day on TV. The female singers fashion was "interesting" and upon seeing it my husband said, "I'm a hundred years old." I know what he means. I also feel old when I see some of these so called new fashions that are popular now. Sometimes they make me cringe.

It's not just fashion styles that show me how old I am however, I started feeling old many years ago when the realization hit that I just could not wear high-heeled shoes anymore. I mean, that's silly to say. I can wear them, of course. I just can't walk in them for more than thirty minutes. If that. Wearing high-heels isn't terribly practical here in Stockholm because most of the sidewalks are uneven cement tiles or cobblestones and I've nearly broken my ankle in just a pair of clogs. It completely baffles me when I see women walking around here in spike-heeled pumps. It makes me feel old but at the same time just a little bit grateful to have the good sense to go out and buy a pair of old lady shoes.

I don't really feel old but I definitely know I am no longer in that age group, if you know what I mean. I know my place and I actually like it. But this is really about my fabulous new orange scarf and how great it feels to wrap this happy color around my neck. The scarf itself is very versatile and can be worn as a shawl wrapped around my shoulders, or scrunched up, twirled around my neck and tied in a variety of fun ways. I love my new fall scarf and now it truly feels like I can enter autumn properly. So if you are out and about in Stockholm and you see a woman on a bicycle with an orange scarf waving behind her, it might just be me so please say hello or give a shout!