Something in the Air

 

The smell of a fresh autumn breeze in Florida transports me to my childhood Spanish-style home. I can hear the fluttering brown paper patterns as the wind sweeps through the screen windows. 

On those fall days, when we could open our home and feel the wind whispering promises of cooler weather, my mother bent over pattern-covered fabric with pins tucked between her lips. 

I may have a sewing curse (a matter of grave scientific proof, I'm afraid), but my mother hand-crafted my girlhood dreams into reality with needle and thread. 

The November Florida Power & Light company trip to Disney World prompted me to wish upon a star for a new princess style costume every year for the occasion. 

The days leading up to this were spent inside the fabric store. This was its own kind of theme park with rows upon rows of textiles just waiting for my mother's fairy dust to transform each bolt into something royal. I would climb up the vinyl-covered stool, then open the nearest McCall or Simplicity pattern catalog to discover which princess I would become that year. 

Once the costume selection was complete, we moved onto the fabric selection where I agonized over the hues and the textures with fairy godmother level concern. 

In the days to come there would be measurements where the pins would prick my ankles while scoldings of, "Hold still!" halted my twirls. While I forced my active limbs into submission, my imagination spun tales of princess friends embarking on adventures in our finest wares. 

The culmination of my anticipation was complete at the Magic Kingdom when the twenty-something version of my princess self would pause to sign my autograph book. She would cup her dainty hand over her rouged lips with elegant precision, then dote on her mini-me, making it all feel like a fleeting dream.

Once the fireworks over Cinderella's castle faded into a distant memory fall had turned to winter. Our winter days were made for outdoor play where we slayed our dragons and collected pinecones as kindling for our superfluous fireplace. I would cherish that princess dress, donning my frock until roller skate falls ripped holes into the skirting or a growth spurt passed it along to my younger sister. 

Autumn days in our state may not display a vibrant array of colors, but they will always hold a special kind of magic in this Florida girl's heart.