City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York on a night lit by a full moon.

Even if the weather has retreated into a moist chill, we are a few days deeper into our springtime. I thank many readers of my previous post for their comments. I went back to check my photos of those white flowers in Central Park to see if I had some closer view that would allow you dear readers to have a more even chance of identifying these charming blooms.
Here it is. Perhaps the foliage will assist?

Even with the rather grim weather, I so enjoyed having this day off. It was a day that did not require me to prepare for the next visit of the meticulous painter. He is having a week off to observe Easter with his children. Bravo to that.

I had the great pleasure of meeting up with a great friend, a fellow artist, to take a look at several exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art. The admission fee for this museum (not a public museum) is high. Over the years that I have lived in New York, I sometimes take out a membership in MOMA, entitling me to unlimited visits. I time these memberships to my budget and to the exhibitions on offer for the 12-month free-entry period. I recently received an offer for a 14-month "annual" membership. That did it. I was hooked. I renewed.

Today's visit allowed me to see two exhibits that I will want to see again. One is a rather pop-oriented show devoted to Tim Burton. It was lots of fun, crowded with families looking at drawings and film clips and even some costumes from some of Mr Burton's films.

The other exhibit was the one that was the true draw (in every sense) for me featuring drawings, prints, and films by William Kentridge. If you all are not familiar with this man's talent, I encourage you to take a long look at whatever journey the MOMA website might offer as a starting point. There is a very interesting article about Mr Kentridge in a recent issue of The New Yorker magazine.

On the way home, I stopped by a grocery store and picked up a few frozen items to stow in my new fridge. If the weather warms up, I will soon be stocking up on ice cream.

How wonderful to realize that I also have tomorrow as a day off from the shop. And also to realize that the sunlight and blue sky might also be on offer.

Best wishes to you all.

Good evening from New York on an early spring evening.

Today, our spring took a break, as the temperatures dropped back into a wintry range. That's all right, it just means that our spring will have a longer span.

Yesterday was warmer, and after being indoors for hours observing the very careful, meticulous painter work his magic on my apartment's walls, I just needed to get outdoors for a walk.

I headed over to Central Park, passing past lots of interesting doorways in my neighborhood that I don't usually share with you all.

I entered the Park and walked down the gentle slope of Strawberry Fields, and saw this lovely burst of blue.

At the edge of Strawberry Fields, one crosses a roadway that's shared by cars (during some hours,) bicycles, roller bladers (not so many as in past years,) joggers. As a pedestrian, it's always wise to look both ways before that cross. I was once struck down by a very apologetic young cyclist who apologized profusely for traveling in the wrong direction.

He was chastened, I came to no real harm. I now really look right and left.

And so, I got across that roadway to the edge of the lake and began walking alongside it on my way to the Shakespeare Garden. This wisteria arbor will eventually fill with leaves. Right now it is a living line drawing.

Here's proof that the forsythia is still providing quite a show. You might just be able to glimpse a rented rowboat with a romantic couple crossing the lake.

Central Park has lots of lovely and quaint little buildings scattered about. Very picturesque, and I could not resist taking a photo of two of them.

And, having taken the photo of the quaint gazebos, I then needed to have a close up view of the daffs.

Pressing on with my stroll by the lake, I glanced back at the southern view and clicked a view on this overcast afternoon of the buildings of Central Park South rising over the edge of the Park. Southern Edge, of course. Do you see the ducks in the lake?

And then, I picked up my walking pace, and actually arrived at the entrance to the marvelous Shakespeare Garden. What are these beautiful little white flowers that filled this hill?

If I had a garden of my own, I think that I would know the name of every spring bloom that would appear. It is humiliating not to know what these purple flowers are named. It is glorious to be able to view their beauty!

Ah, here comes another admission of ignorance. Are these catkins on this shrub? What profusion!

Finally, I spy plant that I can identify. It's a quince! Its flowers are just beginning to appear.

The talented gardeners who tend this special place construct all sorts of natural sculptures upon which various plants will rest, and sprawl. I think that this one may host some peonies in a few months. I must make a note to remember to come back with my camera.

From the top of the Shakespeare Garden, you have a great vantage point to view some other Park areas. See just past the daffs, there's a fledgling Christmas tree evergreen cone, and just beyond that a little family group are enjoying this afternoon outdoors.

This particular area also has lots of flowering cherry trees. These trees will stage their show in a few more weeks.

Here's another example of nature encouraging the future shaping of nature. I passed by a trio of these espalier trainers. Again, I will try to remember to return to see how this experiment turns out.

Hellebores are all over the areas through which I walked. As you true gardeners know, these flowers tend to gently, demurely hang their heads a bit. And so, to offer you all a sample view, I kept looking for hellebores that were planted on a level above the walkway. Finally, success arrived and the planting site also allowed the dark backing of a lovely tree.

And so, I did have a fine walk in Central Park in the early springtime.

I returned home to my apartment. The very careful painter continues to visit a day or two each week. The living room is now almost completely repainted. The results are truly dramatic.

The following picture shows the effect of the fresh paint on the right edge, together with two sort of Rothko circles of pre-paint against the 22-year-old paint.

I rather like the soft-edge abstract effect of this photo.

The following photo shows a sharper edge near a ceiling corner, where new paint meets old paint over a bookcase.

And as a farewell photo, may I show you all the huge new frost-free fridge that somehow was shoehorned into my minuscule alcove kitchen?

The Fridge and I are still trying to get used to each other. I wonder if I will ever be able to afford to buy enough food to fill its freezer.

Happy Spring to all.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

Today I embarked on a long overdue project, with the help of the man employed as official painter by the management of my apartment building. He is a careful, efficient and genial man. He and I are forming a team to get my apartment painted for the first time since I moved here 22 years ago. Yes. Twenty-two years.

My apartment is small, and is full of many things. The ceilings are high, the walls are covered with drawings, prints and paintings (mostly by me.) There are bookshelves filled, maybe over-filled with books. There are cabinets full of old china, glasses, clothing, paper records, old stereo records, various art supplies, lots of yarn and knitting and crocheting paraphernalia. There are other imaginative places where kitchen equipment is stored.

And so this new project will be handled in small incremental steps. Last night I cleared some walls and the top surfaces of some furniture. Things were relocated to various other places. The center of my living room floor is now filled with mounds of things. I would not want to try to navigate this room in dim light. I would not want to take a photograph.

The painter arrived right on time this afternoon and did preliminary patching and plastering work. It took just over an hour. He did a fine job.

Now the match returns to my side of this cluttered court. I will be bringing home recycled cardboard boxes from the shop, and will pack up the contents of some of the bookshelves and cabinets. This will take hours. Once these big pieces of furniture are empty, it will be more possible to move them away from the walls that are to be painted.

Next week the painter will return to paint some designated parts of the living room. I predict that he will do a fine job.

When the paint is dry, the furniture will be moved back against those fresh-looking walls. (The color will be a generic soft white.) The furniture can be refilled with the items that were put into the boxes. The paintings, etc. can be put back on the fresh-looking walls. This will take many hours.

The painter and I will repeat this sequence a few more times and then the living room, and alcove kitchen will look good as new.

We will then move our attention to painting the bedroom. It is larger, and possibly even more full of things, than the living room.

I expect this painting to be completed sometime in May.

While the painter was here today, I finished knitting another sock. It was rather fun to be working on my own project as he did his plastering.



I will now begin the second sock of this pair. It has been fun to use the Regia yarn and 3 mm double pointed needles. I am beginning to get the hang of sock knitting.

Another ongoing knitting project got some attention this afternoon as well. I have now finished one of the mitts that were begun back in January.



It's hard to take a photo of your own hand, so this is out of focus, but gives an idea of how the mitt fits. It's mate is all done except for the final four fingers. Should be a snap.

I will probably be writing again about the apartment painting project. I am still somewhat anxious about the entire notion, but think that it will have a happy ending.

Best wishes to you all.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York.

Our most recent snow fall began about thirty hours ago, and is finally beginning to wind down. The television news reports that over twenty inches has accumulated in Central Park. I have not yet been over there to check.

It has been quite cold and windy, and so it has been much more pleasant to remain indoors on this day off and click a few photos from my front window.

I worked all day yesterday, and found lots of slippery slushy icy sidewalks along my path to and from the subway ride home. What a relief not to have taken a tumble. Overnight the slush froze as the temperature fell along with the continuing snow.

That concludes my brief weather report.

My primary reason for this post is to answer a tag by exmorejane. Jane is one of the folks who first encouraged me to write a blog, and so, I cannot deny her request that I write a bit about ... my handbag.

Now you have seen this disreputable, aging, slouchy leather bag that I carry over my shoulder every day. It is roomy, lightweight and strong. This is fortunate. This bag carries many items besides the magazine that just peeking out.

Let's see what else is in there. I spy a wallet, a card case, some cough drops, a checkbook, a pen, some mints, a brush (I bought that Mason Pearson brush eons ago at a January Harrods sale.)

I have a small supply of make up (lipsticks, powder, concealer, tiny cologne spray) in a plastic zipper bag that was a make up counter's giveaway years ago. Oh, I also see my pocket diary, full of deadline reminders, and phone numbers and addresses of friends. I have a wonderful little pen that advertizes JVC equipment, and was given me by someone who used to sell such equipment.

The pen reminds me that I've got an orange covered pad of grid paper, for quick notes. Not many sheets left in that tablet, so it's about time for a replacement. I have got a Irish linen hankie and one of my pairs of non-prescription reading glasses in this bag ... probably near the bottom.

If I were on my way to work right now, I would also have a sandwich packed for my lunch.

There are lots of keys in the bag. Some are for home and some are for work.

Sometimes, instead of carrying along a magazine, I will tote along a book for reading while waiting for, or riding on a bus or subway train.

I think that I have now revealed all the contents of that wonderful bag of mine. All the contents are there for a reason. I found no surprises. It might surprise some of you that this bag that goes out daily into New York City does not have a zippered closure. I would find that too much bother, and have been fortunate never to have lost anything.

Hoping that luck holds, I am going to tag the following folks, who might also choose to write a bit about their own bags:

irish eyes

frances tyrell

tulsa

chris stoval
cowgirl

mia

I also invite anyone reading this post to visit the above folks' blogs. You will find great variety and will no doubt want to visit them again.

Oh my, while I was investigating that handbag and trying to type the link info correctly, time has rushed past. The sun has set. The continuing light snowfall glitters in the glow of the street lamps. It's time to begin preparing some supper.

Best wishes to all.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York.

I'd like to thank everyone who left such kind comments on my Valentine's Day post. It's fun to visit back and forth and find out how many things we have in common.

Since last fall's Christmas gift-making activities, I have continued to pursue various craft projects as a way to relax after my long days at the shop. Somehow, crocheting or knitting seems to be more playful that painting or drawing. I may soon have to do some extensive doodling just to begin to get the feeling for holding a pen or pencil in a playful way. Somehow I treat making pictures a a much more serious pursuit than I do fiddling around with yarn.

Let me return to the theme of generosity amongst bloggers. There are so many sites on the web that offer craft inspiration and some also actually offer instructions. A favorite of mine is Vanessa's blog do you mind if I knit. If you have never visited this creative artist's place, please give yourself a treat.

The following picture shows a pair of house slippers I have finally finished ... adding the pom poms this afternoon. I followed Vanessa's expert instructions, and found the slippers really easy to make. I think that I will be making more of the slippers for gifts.

Another interesting site is Kristin's getting stitched on the farm. Kristin is firm advocate of vivid colors, and I have made use of one of her patterns to make the colorful slippers in the next picture. They were also very simple to make, and I look forward to trying lots more colorways.

What is great about each of these two patterns is that a knitter can vary them, change the sizes, experiment with various weights of yarn, and combine colors at will. All this provides a relaxing way to spend an hour or two.

I am still working on some socks and some fingerless mitts. Each of those projects demands much more attention than the either slipper design.

Perhaps this posting will encourage more of you all to visit some new sites, and try some new projects. The days are getting longer, as we stretch towards springtime, but this is still very much a time for indoor projects.

Why is it that another classic indoor project, housecleaning, never interests me as much as knitting?

Best wishes to you all.

City Views, Country Dreams

Hello from New York.

I send this rather clumsy, gaudy, and very sincere Happy Valentine's Day card out to you all with wishes that you may all know love, or have known love, or will know love.

Let's just celebrate the wonder of love, what wonder it is to give and to receive.

xxx ooo

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

Many of these posts offer a bit of a guide to the city where I live. I have lived here many years, yet still remember a younger version of myself who had only read about New York. My teen aged appetite was fed by novels and also by the weekly delivery of The New Yorker magazine. My appetite for London was simultaneously being fed by novels from many eras and the weekly delivery of Punch magazine.

Only one of these magazine is still flourishing. My reading Punch as a child and teenager was due the gifts from the same great auntie who taught me to knit. She was a major influence on my big city aspirations. It was my grandmother whose generosity gave me the necessary $100 for my very first trip to New York. Decades later, I funded my own first trip to London.

So, the lure and experience of these global urban giants are held closely in my mind and heart. I so enjoy the opportunity to pass this enthusiasm on to others. (At the same time, my decades of living in New York has also increased my interest in the wide open air and landscape of the country. It's the land in between that does not hold my interest.)

With this backdrop, how grand it was to meet a delightful couple who live in Wales, and were making their first trip to New York. These are very sophisticated folks, and so my tour guide duties were not required to explain what it uptown, what is downtown.

Instead, we shared the treat of visiting my once-upon-a-time workplace, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a big building that sprawls its rectangle into Central Park, while clinging to its Fifth Avenue address.

Those of you who have visited this place know that it is a treasure chest, full of representations of wonderful creativity from many eras and countries. In warmer weather, the Museum can be crowded, maybe a bit too crowded. In the chilly winter months, visitors can have a much more relaxed and welcoming experience.

And so, my friends Chris and Tom from across the Atlantic and I had a grand time in this elegant time machine of cultural excellence.


Tom was kind enough to take this photo, and being a very fine artist, got a great view. Chris and I were in good hands. We three had such a good time getting better acquainted, trading anecdotes, trading opinions on art, trading laughter.

I wish that we could soon again have the opportunity to continue our conversations. Tonight they are home, and today, I have had another day off, a day during which I was "on call" awaiting a call from other friends, who might have needed my help in getting one of these dear friends home from a hospital stay. As I turned out, this friend did get home, and is now resting, without my assistance. My assistance will no doubt be helpful in the weeks to come.

As I waited today for a call or e-mail, I busied myself with completing those Crofters wood socks that you might remember from an earlier post.


This is my second pair of hand knit socks, and I do think I have got the hang of it. Not at all the complicated process I used to imagine. Later this evening, I might just start another pair of socks, just to be sure the turning of the heel is securely within my repertoire.

Tomorrow, after this day's relaxation, I will be back to the shop, for a day that will demand energy, poise, discretion, strategy, humor ... oh, lots of qualities that have nothing to do with knitting socks.

Best wishes to you all.