Thank heavens! The fall/winter clothes catalogs have arrived. It will be easier—at least color-wise—to select wardrobe additions…easier than it was from the spring/summer catalogs. Fall and winter choices are limited to such traditional colors as brown, navy, burgundy, and olive, black and white. There are a few purple and wine selections; some tan offerings, and a few orange/rust picks. But that’s about it. Fall/ winter colors are basically darker shades of the primary colors of red, green and blue. Spring/summer colors, however, aren’t so black-and-white.

All I wanted this past spring was a pink blouse to wear with white slacks. As an avid catalog shopper, I figured it would be an easy task to find one in the multitude of catalogs which constantly weigh down the mailbox. The search began. But wait! What’s this?

There were pink blouses available, lots of pink blouses. But the color choices were daunting. There were no less than 26 shades of pink from which to choose. Did I want “cameo” or “pink champagne” or “blush?” What was the difference between “petal” and “petal pink?” There was “carnation pink,” “lipstick,” “vivid pink,” “pretty pink” and “deep pink.”

I could choose from the berry selections—“raspberry twist,” “cherry,” “strawberry” and just plain “berry.” There was “peony,” “snapdragon,” “blossom.” In addition, there was “watermelon” and “guava.” Guava? (The dictionary helped me with this one: fruit having sweet, pinkish flesh.) I could go with “rose,” “pretty rose,” “rosewood,” “coral rose” or “pink coral.” Then there was “hot pink” and “fuchsia.”

I put the catalogs away and headed for the mall. A pretty pink—my assessment and not necessarily the given name for the color—was found and purchased. Whew! That was easy!

Now with the colder months on the horizon, I’m in search of a pair of grey slacks and a green sweater. This will be a snap, or so I thought as I began thumbing through the newly arrived catalogs. Soon a loud groan escaped my lips. Did I want “carbon,” “mineral,” “fatigue,” “bottle,” “granite,” “steel,” “smoke,” or “coal” slacks? They all looked grey in the catalogs.

Before making a decision on the slacks, my focus switched to the green sweater. There was “evergreen,” “spruce,” “elm,” “ivy,” “clover” and “cypress.” I went outdoors to check tree and vegetation colors. (No cypress tree, so this color remains a mystery.) Then I went to the kitchen to help me determine the colors of “dill,” “avocado,” “bay leaf,” “asparagus,” “olive,” “pesto,” “parsley” and “spearmint.”

One color, “kelly green,” didn’t cause me problems. I’m Irish. I know “kelly green.” Other green choices, however, weren’t as defined in my mind. I decided I’d have to visit a military facility if I wanted a true representation of “surplus” and “army green.” And I’d have to go to a pet store to discover what color “turtle” was.

Forget colors! I decided I couldn’t go wrong with black and white. I’d order black slacks and a white sweater. This outfit wouldn’t be colorful, but I’d know exactly what I was ordering. Now I am really confused. Is “ink” considered black and “snow,” white? I give up!