Maroon and Grey

In the proposed first chapter of We Were The California Girls, I write about a standard issue robe given to me during cancer treatment, "Grey and maroon—yuck! It was the color choice for my Catholic high school wool uniform, worn daily—even in the heat of the Southern California sun."

Forty years later grey and maroon remain in more ways than one can count. There is even a new blog site http://alemany66.blogspot.com/ bedecked in the school colors. Grey and its many shades color our coastal digs. Maroon--or as it is more fashionably called today--burgundy, merlot or cabernet--is the accent color I use in the Santa Fe casa.

Suddenly, one day last winter my hair turned a shade of maroon. I went wild for grey outfitting. And now I realize I've become a living tribute to the two colors I despised during my adolescent years. This is spooky.

Yellow and orange would have been my preference. That combo would have made cheerful plaid skirts. Hindsight and maturity, however, say ixnay of the cheery/happy colors. Alemany is a serious high school. Maroon and grey portrays a better image.