City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

It's snowing lightly tonight, continuing to build a gentle covering that began this afternoon. There is something very strange about trying to sell folks beautiful early spring clothes in this sort of weather. In theory, we are selling the resort collection in the shop. In the current financial atmosphere, I don't how many folks are able to waft off to a warm resort.

I was glad to have my warm, down-filled coat, cashmere-lined gloves and snug woolen beret when I left the shop to walk over to the subway station to go home, an hour after sundown. As I walked past the lovely architectural iconic Flatiron Building, I could not help but look up and see the Empire State Building and the superbly art deco Chrysler Building shining brightly through their veil of snow. Magic. It is these sorts of sights that make me so happy to live in this city. Millions have seen these same sights through many decades, and enjoyed them just as much as I did tonight.

We know that spring will arrive within a few months, and my little antique china plates and saucers show images inspired by long ago springs. English springs, not New York springs, but it is the same sun, after all.


This Minton plate is so pretty, and I have had the nerve to let a cheap tin green bird rest on its shoulder.


This plate is very old, not sure quite how old. I show it, remembering the lady from whom I bought it in the Portobello market years ago. She was a retired teacher who loved old china even more than I, and certainly was more knowledgeable than I will ever be.

Whenever I would visit London, I would make a point of checking in with her and catching up with a long chat. We would always exchange Christmas cards and letters. Sadly, she died before last Christmas, and it makes me quite sad knowing that we won't again have any of those catch ups. She was someone whom I initially met by pure chance, yet got to know well over the years. I have always treasured the opportunities that life tosses us every day.

Here is another odd little spring like Minton motif on an odd saucer. The colors are so lovely. I do not have the cup, never saw it.

Let me now return to that wintry New York subway system, where many commuters, who would otherwise never meet each other, mingle every day.

Yesterday, on an errand trip downtown, I stepped into a train car, and then saw two men enter, carrying two folding chairs and three large drums. My spirit rose immediately. I had not seen these fellows in months. They are amazing musicians and full of joy that they easily spread to all who hear them play.

We exchanged smiles, they quickly unfolded their chairs and sat, one man began an easy beat on his drum to start their conversation. Then the other man began to charm intricate rhythms from his two drums. All the fellow travelers watched, smiled, some did a little dance to the beat, as the train rushed along to its next stop.

The musicians knew just how to time their performance, ending it just before the train made its final brake, when the passengers for that stop needed to make their moves toward the doors. I said Happy New Year, and great to see you, to these gents, and they returned the greetings, also having recognized me. As they passed their caps around for any money that their audience might offer, they made a point of saying that they really did play for joy! Joy that they give and joy that they receive. I am very sure that they also play "real" gigs and that this subway bit is just a way to have some fun, try some new routines.

Just like glimpsing those architectural beauties in tonight's snowfall, hearing that duo play yesterday and seeing how their music created a three-minute community proves to me how wonderful this city can be. Yes, it can be a harsh place, and crime and tragedies abound, but as this year gets off to its beginning, how I appreciate being reminded of its splendor and unpredictable fun.

Sweet dreams to all.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening and belated happy new year greetings, from New York.

What is this that I show you in the above picture? It is a jar of dried legumes, that we from the southern part of the United States know as black eyed peas. These are to be eaten on each New Year's Day to ensure luck for the twelve months to follow.

Year after year, I have slow cooked these peas/beans, and either added them to the traditional hopping john dish, involving rice,onions, canned tomatoes, and ham, bacon or some sort of pork. Other years, I have taken these peas and taken them to another global cuisine, involving cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic and many other interlopers. The basic black eyed pea is very bland and makes an easy base to which many sorts of other seasonings and vegetables might be added.

In my personal history, the jury is out on whether eating these peas does ensure good luck. Yes, I have some very good years, and others that were rather mixed. Luck? Peas? Not sure. I think that the tradition might have its origins in a cure for New Year's Eve hangovers.

Well. This year I worked on New Year's Eve, and we were lucky to be able to close the shop a few hours earlier than the usual hour. I made my way home via the subway train, transferring as usual at the "crossroads of the world" Times Square station, and along the way mingling with lots of other folks just wanting to get home, together with many folks anticipating the revelry just four hours away outdoors, in sub-freezing temperatures and strong winds in Times Square, above ground. I saw some young ladies in bare-legs and mini skirts and praised their courage. I saw some young men who thought a layer of a logo'd sweatshirt would keep them from freezing and praised their courage, and blessed them their youth.

I got home, fixed dinner, called some friends, and turned out my apartment lights well before midnight. The sound of the fireworks from a midnight mini-marathon run in nearby Central Park woke me round midnight, and I thought sweet new year's thoughts. In the next hours, I heard many celebrators on the sidewalks below my bedroom window returning from their festivities.

Around 2 am, I knew I was ill. Probably something that I had eaten. I have an idea of the Prime Suspect, but no proof. After that, I was up about every hour until around dawn.

New Year's Day arrived, and I returned to the land of the living. This year, however, I did not cook the black eyed peas. I did not reach out for the traditional gift of good luck that such a meal would bestow. No. I could not bear the thought of eating them .

I broke my overnight into morning fast early on the afternoon of Jan. 1 with a restoring cup of tea and a buttered English muffin (a sort of American version of a crumpet.) This was delicious and after that feast, I was truly ready to welcome the marvelous opportunities that 2009 might just offer us.

Best wishes to all for the New Year.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York on Thanksgiving Day.

Our Thanksgiving Day occurs on the fourth Thursday, after the first Monday of November, and therefore is not on a fixed date like Christmas. Sometimes this holiday occurs under rainy or snowy skies, and sometimes the chill of the air makes it a grand time to do a lot of cooking that involves having an oven's heat.

Besides being our traditional day to count our blessings, this day also provides the gateway to the Christmas season. A New York City tradition is the parade that has been sponsored by our big Macy's department store for many decades. Lots of Macy's employees participate in the parade, as do champion marching bands from all over America, and some semi-famous stars of stage and screen.

The big draw for the children attending the parade are the giant balloons in the shapes of many cartoon or storybook characters. The parade assembles on the western side of Central Park, and draws huge crowds as it makes its way downtown, ending up in front of Macy's. Often the only part of the parade that little children can actually see are the helium-filled balloons, that are steered along the route by teams of Macy folks holding on to cables, and hoping that the balloons do not escape their grip.

Keeping up the balloon theme, vendors are very much on the scene selling their own versions of balloons as souvenirs of the parade. It is hard for parents to avoid buying one of these for their child. Think of the parents who have a few children to please. The following photo also shows the entrance to the famous Dakota apartment house.



Let me show you all some of the big balloons. I will leave it to you to guess which character is which.

This one might be easier to name.

I love the colors in this picture and wonder which choice these little girls made. You might also get a glimpse of a gentleman selling cotton candy in the background. I think that he is counting his funds.

Here comes another fellow, just crossing 72 Street. Please note the blue sky.

I absolutely could not resist taking a photo of this large pup. He seemed to be very well trained.

In some years past, accidents involving balloons going out of control have occurred. The wind sock on the top of the street light pole is there to warn the parade marshals when the breezes might pose a risk. No problems like that today.

I could not resist taking a photo of this cutie. There were lots of colorful hats keeping little and big ears warm.

Since this is, after all, New York, there is much more police presence at the parade than there used to be. This copter was just a little too low to suit me, and I was glad when it hovered away.

Even when the weather is a good as it was this morning, standing in one place for a few hours can be tiring and you can suddenly feel a chill in your toes. I noticed that the vendors also noticed when folks began to drift away from the parade. (Keep in mind that the viewers were about 75 folks deep. Very few have an unobstructed view of the parade, unless on daddy's shoulders, or if daddy has thoughtfully brought along a ladder.)

And so, this photo shows the crowd beginning to thin, and the vendors perhaps beginning to run a sale on their souvenirs.

Some folks actually gathered up their families and made their retreat to bus, subway, car, or perhaps just foot, before the star of the show made his arrival. You might just be able to make out the bearded fellow in the red suit.

I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

Last time that I wrote, it was just after our Election Day, and I was still in the free flow that my several weeks of vacation were providing. Tomorrow, I will return to the shop, and in the time since I went on vacation, much has changed.

Others might call me a workaholic, but I do not call myself one. I am a Virgo, and like to do things properly, think a lot, try to plan, etc. To step away from my demanding manager role for several weeks, was very difficult. I absorbed all the words about ... it's good for you, refresh yourself, it is part of the company's culture ... all that, and still, it was very difficult to schedule this break.

Well, oddly, my time off not only coincided with our marvelous election results, but also with the continuing descent of the financial markets, and the continuing uncertainty of what is to come. Ah, this Virgo has just tossed analysis to the sky. Let it be, etc.

During the past Monday through Wednesday, I attended a series of managers meetings held off site by my company. During those days we got much more info about how we will respond to the financial meltdown, and even had an amazing workshop by a representative of an organization called the Great Place to Work Institute. My employer has ranked highly in this Institute's surveys for the past five years.

There was a full moon on Wednesday. More input for the mix.

During my free time, I had had enough free time, without any clock, to daydream, paint, doodle, play with yarn, shop for boots, go to museums, get a hair cut, see friends that I have neglected and to let the demands of my job drift from my mind.

Yesterday was a misty, then windy and rainy day in New York. After messing about in my apartment with various creative and practical tasks, I walked down Broadway to a lovely movie theatre just across from our glorious neighbor Lincoln Center, and got a big popcorn bucket to see me through the French film I Have Loved You So Long. It is a film I would recommend to any of you.

I walked back home, still in the mood that the film had induced. Got home late afternoon, and as I waited for the slow elevator to arrive at my lobby waiting post, I saw one of my favorite neighbors come through the front door of the apartment building. She was carrying a huge tote bag. Of course I greeted her, and began to talk about the rainy day. However, she then told me that she'd just been fired. She's a graduate of one of our Ivy League colleges, very energetic and devoted to her career. Her employer for the past 15 years has been a major magazine, part of a major media force.

Suddenly, the television, newspaper, Internet news reports of the recession impact just came crashing home. This hard working person is having her long built career abruptly stopped. She has had a job that many would dream of having, and now ... she does not.

Of course, we talked a long time, and I will say that she is very angry, but much more composed than I would have been had our roles been reversed.

Knowing that the coming weeks will hold many challenges for me as manager of a retail shop, I am so glad to have had these past three weeks pretty much away from the shop. It has given me a chance to recharge my energy, remember I am at heart an artist ... not a shop manager, and re-connect with my many old friends who remind me when and how I stray from that identity.

Today, I got groceries, visited the library, returning books, and picking up others, and did a bit of boot shopping. I wanted to find some that looked good and treated my feet well simultaneously. Got one cheap pair, but still want to find some more special styles.

Returning home, walking along a neighborhood sidewalk, I stopped to gaze in a florist shop that does really creative work, the windows are filled with sculptures done with the combinations of various plants, flowers, moss, whatever. All of a sudden, I heard a deep voice say, Hello, and turned to see the face of a man who was my lover many decades ago. Surely, the full moon was still operational.

He and I do encounter each other every so often and always immediately can just reconnect. He is also an artist. Each of us turned 63 this year.

Well, this chance meeting gained more strength, when we learned that we both saw that same French movie yesterday. He and I have some family histories that are similar, though we grew up in very different parts of the world. How very odd that we each saw that film, in the same theatre, just hours apart, and took from it many thoughts.

After a while this afternoon, we did our usual kiss and hug, and promise to see each other soon.

I came home, made dinner, started this blog.

Just now, I got a call from the shop with a Problem that has suddenly come up, and that I will face tomorrow. My vacation is over, my contemplative moments, thinking of past romance, are suddenly crumpled.

I will soon be going back on duty.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York, on the day after Election Day.

Usually, my Country Dreams refer to visions of what it would be like to not live in a big city. But today, I think that I will dream a bit about how my big country may evolve under the leadership of our newly elected President.

I was up very late last night watching the election reports both on television and on various web sites. It was quite thrilling to watch state after state, including some surprising states, fall into the Obama column. One of the surprising states was Virginia, where I was born long, long ago, and raised in a culture that would never have allowed Mr. Obama's candidacy, among other participations.

I cast my own vote late yesterday morning, and was fortunate not have had to wait at all. My polling place is in the cafeteria of a neighborhood school that hosts various election districts. The voting booths for the other districts all did seem to have lengthy queues, and that was wonderful to behold. Any time that there is a large turnout, everyone wins.

Having voted, I took a bus to mid-town, and met a friend for lunch. We had not seen each other in quite a long while, though we do continue to stay in touch. Our friendship goes back about 30 years, which is quite a while. It was grand to gobble our sandwiches, and talk, talk, talk. No one choked, even though we surely did a lot of laughing.

After that lunch, she had to return to work, and I walked home through Central Park. I hope that you will enjoy some of the views of the little pedicabs, various multi-colored trees, and some views of the aftermath of Sunday's marathon race.

The above picture is for a blogging pal, who loves trees.

Please note the tiny red balloons let in the tree on the path just ahead of where the marathon finish line was painted.

It is interesting to see that the same crews who helped set up all the apparratus for the marathon's finish line have to return to that scene of Sunday's glory on Tuesday to pack it all up again.

And that allows me to return to the election results. My friends and I are thrilled. Around midday, I went out to buy a "souvenir" copy of today's New York Times. No luck. Every newsstand for a mile or so along Broadway was totally sold out. This is a momentous day, and a day for celebrations.

Tomorrow will be a day to begin to get serious about what this change to our government can mean. I so hope that Mr. Obama will be able to continue to motivate the citizens of this country to be more than dreamers, to convince them to contribute to our country's future, in many ways. United we stand, divided we fall ... this can be more than an antique motto.

I have seen many elections, worked on many campaigns, seen hopes rise and fall. Often these past hopes seems to be tied to the fate of just one person, the President elect. Right now, we do seem to have the sense that something different has occurred. Each one of us can take on some responsibility in our own lives to carry this difference to many more tomorrows' worth of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

There are also many people who are not at all pleased with the election results, and some of them have begun their vocalizing. The challenge is to keep holding the positive attitudes and not be drawn into negative imagery. I think this time, we just might manage to make more of our dreams come true.

It is lovely to hear so much support of the election from overseas. Thanks to all. We really are all in this together.

May we all work hard and wisely, and dream well, and let's have great results.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

When I first began writing these posts, I wrote much more frequently than I have done recently. Why I have not written recently, that is a bit of a mystery. Surely, each day still contains 24 hours. Surely, my life has not taken on any additional excitement that would keep me from writing.

Perhaps it is just a question of the seasons. The four seasons of the calendar year, and the seasons, or seasoning, that enter each of our lives. Sometimes we rush to do a particular task, or to great a new friend, or to explore a fresh interest. Time will pass as we learn what these aspects contribute to our entrenched sense of our very own self. And with that time, we slowly embrace these additions to our knowlege of who we are, who we might yet turn out to be.

Many of us might remember when the summer vacation (holiday) from school seemed endless. Some of us may remember other parts of our younger years in which time seemed to pass at a different speed. How was it that I once made all my own clothes, had numerous boyfriends (with all the demands and delights that time provided,) read book after book, painted so many canvasses, learned how to make silkscreen prints, etchings, drypoints. I did all this while holding down very demanding jobs, and seeing films and plays, traveling abroad, having dinner with friends, preparing dinners for lots of friends. Baked two loaves of bread every weekend. Grew flowers and vegetables. And so on.

Do we all slow down eventually, and have to learn how to re-prioritize? I can clearly remember a time when prioritizing did not figure in my thoughts.

Well, for about a week now, I have been luxuriating in the art of relaxation. In light of the current financial turmoil, I had decided not to travel during the holiday time I had long ago gained permission to spend away from the usual demands of the shop. My city is great fun to enjoy, and even better to just explore, without too many plans.

What have I been doing.

I have commenced the delightful annual task of painting each of my Christmas cards. For decades, I have used the motif of a tea cup, and just let the decorative style take over, with lots of red and green and gold.

I have been working on more fair isle knitted squares for my long time coverlet project. The coverlet grows larger, and its expanse is welcome as the New York nights grow colder.

I have been enjoying the beauty of Central Park as the trees turn yellow, gold, red. The lawns remain a brilliant emerald. The Shakespeare Garden area has lots of summer plants that have gone to seed or to pod, and the after-hours designs of these plants produce lovely botanical sculptures.

It has been grand to see my dear friends whom I seem to usually have difficulty seeing. We lunch at various spots around town, and talk, talk and talk some more. These friends are such treasures ... we have known each for decades, and at this point really have no secrets from each others. We just share our evolution with each other, sometimes indulging in deep nostalgia for times we have mutually loved much more than the current time. We can also help each other to respond to the challenges posed by the future. Truly, many of us are quite frightened by the financial mess, but we cheer each other up.

Currently at the Metropolitan Museum a show is on view by one of my absolute favorite artists, Giorgio Morandi. I have been to see this exhibit several times, and will return for more visits. On each visit, I have been struck by the many folks also in attendance. Many of these folks are Italians. My city is indeed an international city, and it is wonderful to feel that energy.

Today, I went with an old friend to the Morgan Library to see a very elegantly presented exhibit of the preparatory drawings and watercolors that led to the magnificent Babar stories. Again, I was struck by the international element of New York. As we toured the exhibit, we were joined by several small school group tours. One of the groups was conducted in French. It was so charming to be reading the handwritten French text that went along with the paintings, and to hear the very young French voices in the background eagerly exploring the adventures of a very young elephant who was to become king.

You may wish to turn your head to see the young elephant as the photo was intended. This not very young photographer is too dumb to figure out how to turn the picture around. Please forgive me. I am on holiday and trying to avoid any sense of responsibility.

Do you see how time can be spent so enjoyably when one is released from the demands usually made on a daily basis?

I have not looked at any e-mails related to the shop. I have let any phone calls just go to the answering machine. I have tossed my mantle of responsibility over the wall.

I have seen many beautiful autumn displays on the front steps of brownstone houses in my neighborhood. The folks who arranged these did it for their pleasure, but also for the pleasure of the passersby. In a big city like this, it is an extraordinary gift and show much trust in the good will of the passersby.

Still, amid all this relaxation, I do continue to keep an eye on the final tremors of our political season. Not many days to go now.

This post has meandered a bit, and I am glad that it has felt free to go along those varied paths. If all has gone according to plan, I will have left you all a few pictures along the way.

Pleasant dreams.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

I am determined not to write a blog with what will be tomorrow's date.

By the time many of you may see this posting, it will be tomorrow. A familiar day and month but a new year. Let's think of that ... a new year. Every day presents us with so many fresh possibilities.

So. Today was a glorious September day, clear of sky and ... for the city ... fresh of air.

And a day off for me. After finishing off the required laundry, food gathering and bill paying duties, I set off for various parts of this amazing city.

I returned a not-quite-finished book to the library and picked up another book that I still need to finish. It is called Netherland, and has cricket as a subtext, and features a man from the Netherlands who is living in NYC, in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, post ... that date that I am not going to write about.

Having taken care of that book swap, I hopped a Fifth Ave. bus and rode down the the eastern border of beautiful green Central Park to visit the Museum of Modern Art, indulging in the treat of taking on a membership card. I took the museum escalator up and down, seeing some old fave paintings, but also stopping for a good while to see a very good show of paintings, prints, drawings and sketchbooks by Ernst Kirchner ... The Berlin Street. He had such a way of showing the motion of folks on the streets, mostly at night.

MOMA is to have another big night-featuring show opening soon, Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night. I expect to use my membership card a bunch of times during that show's run.

Then, home for lunch. And then, back downtown to our wonderful local school The Fashion Institute of Technology, that has a gallery space that features fabulous exhibits. The current show is ... Gothic ... dark glamor. What a treat. Mostly black clothes, some very extravagant in their elegance, some very extreme in their intent. Some by major designers ... Galliano, McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, etc., but others by much more cult-y designers. Staged in a dark room with spectacular lighting, including a projected image of a moon that waxed and waned.

Lots of young design students were trying to outwit the security guards, in their attempts to click some photos of the designs on their phones. Not too many students trying to do any sketching today ... maybe that is yesterday's method.

Tomorrow, I will be back to work, starting early with a meeting to review the most recent collection of styles ... the September collection. Then it will be back to the shop for many hours.
Ah, but the long hours tomorrow will end, and then I will have some more days off. Maybe, I will be able to do some old fashioned sketching myself.

Pleasant dreams.