City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.


Tonight is the night that we are commanded to re-set our clocks. Daylight savings time will begin. I will doubly re-set my clock, since tomorrow is the day that I will return to work. Meanwhile, I will try to stretch this day to its limits.


Spring is toying with us today in New York. The warm temperature has already melted any traces of last week's snow, and by early afternoon we are promised a high around 65 degrees F. Wise readers can do the C conversion.

Yesterday was still a bit on the cool side, and I had the huge pleasure of spending the morning with a friend from my childhood and her husband, who were visiting from out of town. I was so lucky to have the day off, and to be able to join them for a tour of that remarkable Bonnard exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by a leisurely and very chatty lunch.


Isn't it grand to reunite with friends after a long, long time, and find that you just pick up where you left off? That is exactly what I felt happened yesterday.

After reluctantly saying bye bye to my pals, I walked back across the Park, dodging the puddles that were accumulating as the snowy, icy edges of the meandering pathways melted. It was funny to see various red and yellow signs warning of icy situations on steps, and advising folks not to try to walk across the lake. The ducks who winter near the banks of the lake seemed very happy to have their waterworld back.


I will share a view across the lake with the towers of Central Park South in the distance. You can see how grey a day can be hereabouts.

Even so, this vista seems tranquil to me. No sounds of cars. Not too many sounds of people, either. Mainly just some bird chirps, and some squirrel scurrying. In another few weeks, if the weather gods favor us, the trees will begin to have that faint new leaf green haze and then ... leafing will really get underway.

I did see one forsythia bush in its startling yellow blaze. Just one. Its spot must be very sheltered and must catch lots of sun ... on a sunny day.

What were in bloom along many banks were snowdrops. I thought that you all might like to see some New York snowdrops. I cannot tell you which variety these might be.

Whatever their proper name, I just find them charming.

Back home again, I did manage to get out my sketchbook and did several drawings of the primulas I bought last week. It is a testimony to the posies' strength that so far they are surviving the testing environment that this apartment provides. I love drawing flowers while really, really examining them, and thereby truly learning how their petals are shaped, how those petals meet in the middle, how the flowers meet the stems, how a leaf meets the stem and the flower. It is a way to truly appreciate the grace that nature brings us.

It's fun to do some really careful drawings (not quite up to botanical studies ... not at all) and then to do other drawings that are looser, but still capture the character of that particular plant. Maybe I was drawing under the influence of seeing those Bonnard paintings at the Met.

Having explored primulas with eye and pencil, later yesterday afternoon I got out my watercolors and did a very improvised birthday card for my uncle. I always like to make cards, rather than buy them ... if time permits. This card was a jumble of watercolor and rubber stamping. I had no idea where the design was going, but the result did please me. Sort of crazy, but with a vaguely vintage look. I think that it will make my uncle smile.

Let's see, what else has been created around here. I finished the granny square afghan and think that I got the color distribution right. Even though I thought that project would use up lots of my leftover yarn, I find that there is still plenty, plenty of yarn in various baskets and bags.

And so I do near the time for that clock reset. Still have groceries to buy, a bit more housecleaning to do. Definitely plan to get that sketchbook out one more time this afternoon.

Hoping everyone will have a fine weekend.