Donna Dunn

Among the papers I’ve kept through the years are some old newspaper clippings about the actress Patricia Neal visiting the little community where I grew up: Spring Garden, which was just a country store, an old school and a number of houses dispersed along a country road about 15 minutes outside of Chatham, Va. Patricia Neal in those days was quite a famous actress and would later marry Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.

In the grainy newspaper pages, Ms. Neal wore a gorgeous fur coat in one photo as she laughed with a local country store owner. In another, she is pouring coffee in a darling black-and-white party dress in her Aunt Maude Mahan’s living room. That house, which was called “Bluebell Dell” was a little white cottage surrounded by beautiful gardens planted by Ms. Mahan. White fences on both sides of the house were covered in red rose bushes. That was, in fact, the house where I grew up. 

My parents bought the house from Ms. Mahan in the early 1970s for about $11,000. She gave the young couple a good price because she wanted a family to grow up there. My parents fulfilled that dream, as my brother and I grew up there, my dad cemented in a basketball goal in the backyard, and we picked up a thousand magnolia cones through the years! One of my favorite things in the fall was to sit on our back stoop and look out to the tall black gum tree at the furthest point on our property. Every year, it topped all the other trees in beauty and vibrancy. I believe it was one of the leaves my Dad and I collected for a science project one year in elementary school. 

You just can’t beat Virginia in autumn. That inspiration has informed so many of our articles in this issue. From finding the right trees to plant this fall to driving to local orchards to gather the best apples to buying mums to make your home more festive, we’ve got something for everyone. 

You’ll also enjoy our fall Showcase Home article about a beautiful, storybook home with an impeccable interior to match the gorgeous exterior. You’ll also love to see how the family named their sweet abode.

We hope you’ll also draw inspiration from our design articles on how to transform a room without buying a thing and using your Enneagram personality to inform your style. At the same time, we offer some practical tips for getting ready for colder weather and setting up a filing system to keep track of home maintenance. And don’t forget to bring those plants inside before the frost hits! 

We also want you to savor the season. You’ll enjoy our hearty vegetarian options, as well as tips on food safety and ideas for setting up an at-home coffee bar. 

Wherever you grew up, we’re glad to have you as part of our HOME family. Happy fall and happy reading! 

Donna Dunn | donna@jamesrivermedia.com