"Life is about using the whole box of crayons." ~ RuPaul

“There are certain shades of blue that make me ache.”

In her recent newsletter, this one titled “Shades of Blue (and Something New),” Suleika Jaouad began with this endearing and poignant confession.

As with everything this brilliant writer creates, I devoured her magical recounting of the TOAL she and her superstar husband, Jon Batiste, experienced as they celebrated her recent birthday. He coined it Trip of a Lifetime.

Jon and Suleika (in lemon yellow)

Together, with good friends they visited Morocco and Tunisia where the vibrant cobalt blue doors in Sidi Bou Said—the town near Tunis where Suleika lived as a young child—are among her favorite “blues” in all the world. The cobalt blues Sèvres potters used to make the sky-colored tiles on the roofs of Persian mosques. Suleika liked the vibrant hue so much that she painted the entry hall in their home in Brooklyn the same shade and “then got a wild hair and saturated the entire back wall of the house with it too.”

She loves all blues—ultramarine, indigo, cerulean, Prussian blue, cobalt. robin’s egg, and baby blues.

One photo in Suleika’s piece captivated me—a multi-trunked Felt Bush (native to Madagascar) preens proudly in a lemon-yellow pot in front of her favorite cobalt blue wall.

Stunning.

But what stopped me was the yellow!

Like Suleika with all things blue, I LOVE yellow.

I don’t think I even realized it until just that moment seeing the photograph taken on the other side of the world.

I am passionate about yellow. Yellow and all its sunny brightness.

I love all shades of yellow—Naples yellow, lemon yellow, gold, acid yellow so favored by El Greco, and neon yellow like the fluorescent light tube on the wall in my office.

If I’m honest, I don’t like EVERYTHING yellow. I don’t like yellow journalism. Or yellowed teeth, or jaundice. Certainly not that sickly shade of yellow mottled bruises turn after their unwelcome purple-ish stage.

But most yellows.

I love yellow mostly because it reminds me of my mother; it was her favorite color. On the walls—paint or flowers in the wallpaper. Her Oldsmobile. Her apron, pajamas, and dresses.

Six of my seven grandchildren were precious little golden-haired towheaded blondes, their flaxen hair soft and flyaway.

The other, a stand-out redhead.

Yellow cuisine from the kitchen? Yes! Veal Picatta, topped with thin lemon slices, my go-to restaurant meal.

Extra capers, please.

Who doesn’t like Lemon Meringue pie? That delicious delicacy—lemon custard filling topped with a fluffy, sweet meringue baked inside a flaky pastry crust. Although my mom consistently turned out picture-perfect pies, my weepy meringues became family lore.

“When life gives you lemons, don't just make lemonade... make lemon meringue pie!" 

Lemonade, Lemon Drop Martini, or a refreshing Arnold Palmer brimming with crushed ice and a sprig of fresh mint.

Steve Southerland, artist

Generous pats of butter melting on a stack of pancakes, a golden-yellow-ish ripe heirloom tomato, corn on the cob in season.  Pineapple, macaroni and cheese, buttery croissants, omelets, Dijon Mustard.

Generous helpings of good things yellow come from the kitchen. 

My newest yellow passion from the culinary world? Yuzu, which an aspiring young chef in Connecticut first introduced me to. His creation—a swirl of a Yuzu sauce atop a dainty tart.

Yuzu, a citrus fruit cultivated mainly in Japan, is a bit more sour than lemon or limes. About the size of a tangerine, yuzu is an incredibly fragrant citrus fruit, but since it’s super sour and tart, it’s not eaten as-is. Instead, its zest and juice are used for flavoring in recipes.

I found it at Trader Joe’s and I use it like salsa! Yum!!!

Cempasúchil, Art by Boltax

Who doesn’t like yellow flowers?

Daffodils, roses, sunflowers, tulips, and marigolds or cempasúchil, the brilliant yellow flower deeply associated with Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in Mexico and other Latin.

American countries. The word "cempasúchil" itself comes from the Nahuatl language (spoken by the Aztecs) and translates to "flower of twenty petals"

. 

Candles, cough drops, and candies—I like them yellow.

Scooters, swing sets, and seesaws—I like them yellow.

I love my close friend’s lemon bars...

and...

my silly friends bright yellow party hat.

San Diego Padres uniforms.

A golden shade of yellow trim reflecting the Golden State's sunshine and sandy beaches.

The Eiffel Tower lit up at night.

There’s always a yellow diamond y'all...

And the Yellow Rose of Texas y’all.

Vincent’s Sunflowers,The Starry Night,  and The Yellow House. And the warmth of the sunshine in Sorolla's Valencia beach paintings.

Monet’s bright kitchen and dining room in Giverny, reminiscent of sunflower petals. He punctuated the rooms with blue earthenware crockery and ceramics which Suleika would no doubt appreciate!

My favorite yellow house (a shade somewhere between rubber ducky yellow and nacho cheese yellow) is Jimmy Carter's Mexican Cantina and Cafe just around the corner . . .

Two tow-headed granddaughters grown up!

And an unexpected yellow!

My newest yellow obsession? A Pink Lemonade lemon tree at home in a very large teal green pot (if only I’d seen the photograph of Suleika’s cobalt blue first…) near the center of my garden covered with variegated foliage and delicate fuchsia blossoms. When these grow into lemons, the flesh will be pink.

And I will make pink lemonade for my friends.

A splashy Sunrise, a dazzling sunset. (This one in the Outer Banks, North Carolina)

A take-your-breath-away full moon of summer glowing gold in a silent starless sky.

It’s all so yellow.

Suleika wrote, “There are certain shades of blue that make me ache.”

Suleika, there are many shades of yellow that make me joyful.

Thank you.

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Yellow update!

Since writing this piece, the surgeon and I are preserving lemons (He's very good at slicing!). In the canyon below my garden, there's a Ponderosa Lemon tree full of wrinkly quirky citrus fruit which we've harvested and are now in the preserving process. In three or four weeks, they'll be ready to use. The preserved lemon - some call it the lemon pickle or the five-pound lemon - is commonly used in Indian cuisines and Morocco, but I've discovered many yummy recipes.

Perhaps Suleika would like some...

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From readers:

It is fascinating how we all have our favorite colors, yet it would be hard to truly understand what makes us gravitate towards certain hues and avoid others. It's like instinct (happens better when we don't ask why).

Yellow used to be my favorite color as a small boy - I purposely asked for a yellow toothbrush, my morning mug was yellow and I was very disappointed when that Christmas arrived with a green bicycle.

I'm not sure I have a favorite color anymore, and yet when starting a drawing I really only use a small bunch: indigo blue, expresso, mineral orange, celadon green, naples yellow and vermillion red.

❤️❤️❤️ to you