City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York.

It is the final day of the coldest February that I have ever experienced.  Other parts of the country have received more snow, but we have had unrelenting cold.  The sun may shine, but does not always guarantee warmth.

This morning I headed out to take care of some errands.  I took the subway up to West 79th Street to catch the crosstown bus over to the East Side.  As I neared the bus stop, the traffic lights changed and it was all go for the bus, leaving me at the curb.  

In the foreground of these blue-skied photographs is a standard upon which is affixed a bus route map and timetable.  Unfortunately, the icy slope around the base of the standard prevented my being able to read the schedule.  The ice is not pretty, but is very effective.

Eventually, another bus did arrive and it was so good to step into the well-heated vehicle.  The bus driver was wearing a cardigan jacket in his enclosed compartment.

I accomplished my East Side errand and had better luck with my return ride home.

Many more than my usual number of hours have been spent indoors during February.  I thought I would show you a few photos of the knitting I completed during the chilly month.

Perhaps some of you have seen the color test provided by that striped dress that took the Internet by storm this week.  My version of the color question appears in these three pictures.

I would say that in differing light, and against differing shades of clothing and background, each photograph does show the heathered rosy shade of this Kate Davies design accurately.

I would encourage those of you who have not before visited Kate's site to do so.  You are in for a multi-textured treat.

I have now added another welcome pair of hand knit woolly socks to my collection.  It's great to have socks that truly fit my feet.

Once again, I am showing two pictures to indicate how differently colors may appear in different contexts.  I also thought you might be amused by the trunk that I painted back in the 1960s.

During my house- or apartment-bound weeks, I've made more soup than in any prior month, and done a lot of reading.  I read half of two books, Peter Carey's Amnesia, and Esther Freud's Mr. Mac and Me, before their respective library due dates arrived.  I returned those books to the library and put my name back on the reserve request list.   

During this morning's errand run, I checked out another new book with a one-week loan limit, Kazuo Ishiburo's The Buried Giant.  I have been looking forward to borrowing the book, having enjoyed his novels from the beginning of his career.

This week's Book Review section of The New York Times features a front page Neil Gaiman review of The Buried Giant.  I will try to complete the book itself before reading this review. 

Although I greatly enjoy walking around New York, and exploring neighborhoods other than my own, I'll admit that during this particular February, I have been reminded of the pleasures of being somewhat housebound.  Amongst these pleasures has been the opportunity to visit many other folks' blogs, and to read and reply to the comments that you all have left for me here.  Many thanks.

Let us hope that tomorrow's forecast snow, sleet and rain will mark the end of a long weather pattern.  I am eager to get back to walking in Central Park, and seeing what Spring signals I may find.