Embracing the Season

Lisa has posted about her Thanksgiving dinner plans. I got hungry just reading it. Thank goodness there is garlic roasting the oven for my afternoon snack. Her post reminded me that the holidays are well and truly here and I am just beginning to feel it.

I used to work in retail. When you work in retail the holidays can never sneak up on you. They're larger than life,taking over everything from the buying to the merchandising to the music in the store cd player. Even so, Christmas was always my favorite time. Usually when I say this people peer at me, wondering if the experience didn't leave me several cards short of a full deck. Perhaps I am delusional, suffering from PTSD. And it is true, it is exhausting and at times maddening. But I know a few others who work in retail who will back me up, Christmas has advantages. For one thing, people are in a hurry. They've got a dozen gifts to buy, including that secret Santa gift for the new girl in the office, and they do not have time to dilly dally. They want to get a gift and get out. This means they will not torture the sales staff with endless questions about the product. They may not even really know what they're buying. There are those of us (you know who you are) who hunt far and wide for the perfect gift. We are in the minority. As countless yard sales and thrift stores can tell, most people just want to buy something. If it's big or jeweled or requires lots of batteries, all the better. All of this is a plus to the overworked sales person. They are only required to ring it up and bag it and maybe to wrap it but at least they don't have to really sell it.

The other advantage to the holidays is how quickly the days go. There is no time for boredom. You arrive in the morning and before you know it the day has passed, hustled along in a storm of tissue and bags and little gift cards. It is a little worrisome to find a solid week of your life gone without you really noticing but it is only once a year. For two solid months the sales person's constant enemy, ennui, is held at bay. Of course it will be back with a vengeance in January, the doldrums of retail. But for now, days pass quickly and there is no need to find odd little projects to fill the time between shoppers, no need to clean the tops of shelves and endlessly fold and refold the sweaters. For now there is some excitement, a feeling of optimism in the air as retail gallops into the black.

I know, predictions are dire. John Q Public is not going to be spending this year. Gifts will be curtailed, dinners shortened, vacation plans put off. And it will probably be like that, mostly. Retail will be down this year, stores will make deeper cuts in prices, kids will not get everything on their list in spite of managing to clean their rooms at least once this year. But it is still a season of optimism. You just can't help yourself when faced with gold ribbons and colored lights and carolers in the street. Not to mention bowls of wassail punch. And this year we have the Inauguration to look forward to. It is right that we should feel this way, right that the Yule should bring hope as the days begin to lengthen. It's what we need now, not doomsday predictions but acknowledgment that we are still here, that we have breath and life and dear friends and family. So try not to worry too much, let the best of the season fill you with hope and joy. (And wassail punch.)

Still Slow

We're suffering from shock here in New York. We went from 60 degrees to 30 degrees pretty much overnight. And yet, people are still crawling along the sidewalks, stopping in bottlenecks, and generally getting in the way of those of us who want to get somewhere without our feet freezing to the sidewalk. I've been lobbying for a pedestrian passing lane for a while now. Everyone who wants to stroll, stop for no reason at all, and - most especially - talk on their cell phone can stay on the right. The rest of us will be quite happy to leave them in their daze as we go by at a civilized pace. I've never had a lot of patience. (No, it's true, I can accept it.) But I usually manage to present a patient front. Except when walking somewhere. I simply cannot abide people who wander about, seemingly unaware of their surroundings, most notably me, as I try to get past them while they weave about on the sidewalk. There is a special circle in Hell for such people, right below those who stand on the down escalator and above those who after reaching the cash register run back to grab some item (or 3) that they forgot.

We Did It

Okay, who else wants to run down the street yelling WOO HOO!?
Some people in my neighborhood did just that last night.
After the 2000 election I stopped watching the results come in. I watch something frivolous instead. This time I was about to turn off the TV and go to bed when I decided just to take a peek. It was 11:04pm and they were announcing that Barack Obama had won. But even if I had not changed the channel I would have known, for a moment later fireworks went off on the street and people were shouting and laughing. Here in Manhattan 85% of us voted for Obama so I fully expect to see lots of people smiling all day, patting each other on the back and feeling a sense of optimism for the first time in a long time. I know the road ahead is rough but for the moment I choose to embrace this heady feeling of joy and hope.

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness, may all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering, may all beings never be parted from freedom's true joy, may all beings live in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.-Buddhist prayer

Perfect Fall

The last two days have been simply gorgeous, the kind of days that make you so glad just to be alive. Cool crisp air, clear skies, and golden sunlight. Enjoy.

Fiber and Foliage

This weekend I went up to Dutchess County to visit my folks and to go to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. The festival has been held every year since 1972. It began as a place for sheep farmers to buy and sell stock and fleeces. I don't know what the fair was like before the recent surge in knitters but now it is a mob scene. Last year the fair had 12,000 visitors on Saturday alone. I love to go and see all the yarns and the animals and all the wonderful crafts but I can only stay for so long before the crowds begin to drive me a little crazy. It's like Macy's on Christmas Eve.

Here's just a few people, some clutching their new fiber.

Sheep!

And Alpaca!
Alpaca have a reputation for not liking people but these guys were quite friendly

On Sunday we visited Clermont, an estate on the Hudson River. It was built by Robert R. Livingston, a man with an impressive resume including being one of the fiver writers of The Declaration of Independence and Chancellor of the State of New York. He was also the partner of Robert Fulton and helped him build the first steamboat. At first they called it The Steamboat (since it was the only one). Later they changed the name to Clermont.
The estate is beautiful and the house is very pretty and much smaller than many other Hudson estates.

This is actually the back of the house though it may have been the most used entrance since it faces the river.

One of the lions seems very sad. I have no idea why since this is the view he gets to look at every day.

Not too shabby. I think I could manage if I lived there. I'll have to go back in the spring when all the lilacs are in bloom.

Owls in the Forest

I know, a post two days in a row. Don't get used to it.
I thought you'd like to see the finished owl pillow. I made some attempts to carry the owls to the other side but nothing really worked so I left the trees as they were. Here is the finished pillow.

Bunny!

As some of you know, my cousin became pregnant this year. It's a little bizarre since I remember when she was born and now she's having her own baby. Anyway, she gave birth on September 16 to a little girl. I haven't seen her yet but I suspect she's pretty cute. Her mom has always been cute and the dad looks like someone out of a Rat Pack movie. She had this giant baby shower back in August. I may be biased but I think my gift was the best (though this photo does not do him justice).

Choices

Ok people, it's opinion time. I know you will not fail me.
Here's the deal. I am making a pillow cover with some plain linen. I've embroidered some trees on it. I was intending to fill in the lines with more embroidery but now I'm not sure. I'm thinking I might like to just leave the outline. The other side of the pillow has a different fabric, very minimalist and linear. Look for yourself and tell me what you think. (pardon the sad lighting)

Trees in outline.

Detail

Other fabric.

Detail. Isn't he cute?

First Day of Fall

It's been a while hasn't it? In fact, it's been so long that I had no idea the Blogger Dashboard had changed. It's not that I didn't compose any blog posts. I did, in the park or on the train on the way to work. But when I got back to my computer it just didn't seem necessary to actually type them in and click Publish Post. But what of you, gentle readers? Had I forgotten you, abandoned you to pointless speculation about the state of my life? Not at all, your entertainment is as religion to me. After all, if even I could not see the point of writing the post why would you find it diverting? Perhaps I was unduly critical of those posts, light frothy pieces about my trip to the aquarium and my ramblings through Prospect Park. But no matter, we are moving on, into the fall.
Of course, we do have pictures.

The Boat House at Prospect Park


Weird Octopus Sculpture at Prospect Park Zoo


The Dog Beach


The Lawn Zamboni

Overheard...

At the Farmers' Market, man on a cell phone:

Yeah, they've got vegetables and shit...

Nothing At All

Can you believe it's almost the summer solstice? We're almost halfway through the year. It doesn't seem possible. I don't know why I should find that hard to believe. You'd think I'd be used to time passing by now. We all know that time is subjective. Some days take forever and others pass in the blink of an eye. I wonder if people in centuries past got together and complained about how fast the year was passing. Or is time passing faster for us now that each day is scheduled and programmed and timed to the last minute? I feel odd, even slightly guilty, if I just sit around doing nothing on the weekends. As if I am required to use my time well, as if it were just plain wrong to allow an idle day to pass. I suspect that that is an old guilt. Certainly my grandmother always had some work to do, at the very least she would read a book or a magazine. She never just sat for a whole day doing nothing. It's too bad. I think we could all benefit from doing nothing every now and then. Just sitting for a few hours doing nothing but thinking or day dreaming or seeing figures in the clouds as they pass overhead.

Now I know that all of you have busy schedules. Work and kids and school and chores and and and and and and and.... But won't you join me in a couple hours of doing nothing? Even just one hour. No books, no tv, no internet, no music, no other people, just you and your own thoughts. Pick a day, any day, any time and have a comfortable seat. In your garden if you have one, or in the park, or in your living room and just let the time go by. Savor it, like a fine glass of wine. I think you'll like it.

The End of an Institution

There is a marvelous restaurant here in New York called Florent. It's a kind of funky French bistro living in an old diner. For years its been a home to all sorts of different people. But now it's closing. The rent is set to jump sky high and Florent has decided he must close.
Two friends of mine went for dinner there the other day, sad that it would probably be the last time. As they sat at the bar one said to the other "I bet there isn't a single person in here who voted for George Bush." A man sitting next to them at the bar raised his hand. He had voted for Bush and intended to vote for McCain though he thought McCain too old. He also said that he and his wife loved France, went every year until this year because the Euro was too expensive. My friends forebore from saying "and who's fault is that?". One of my friends expressed surprise that a Republican would come to a restaurant frequented by many people on the edges of mainstream society. The man said he didn't care what others might do privately. My friends attributed this largesse to the frequent visits to France. They ended up having a nice little talk in spite of their differences.. This is the power of truly good food.

Garden Gone

There used to be this cute little garden on a street a few blocks from me. It was tended by the tenants of the adjacent apartment building. Do you remember Lisa, it was on the corner of Seaman and Payson? Well, they tore it out and built a new building. It's not even a pretty building. It's just a big brick box. See?


No character. I bet the neighboring buildings are really pissed. Here they are, classy pre-war charmers and now they've got this dull new kid on the block mucking up the scenery. And it seems that people seem to agree. It's been complete for at least 2 months now and there don't seem to be any tenants. I remember many years ago a similar thing happened where I lived in Queens. Someone built 2 houses on this little strip of land that people took their dogs to. We called it Dog Island. The two houses were so close they were almost touching with no yards to speak of and they had no interesting features at all. Eventually people moved in but always wondered what it was like living there. Would it ever feel private, would it ever feel like home? This new building on Seaman is just the same, stuck on like an after thought. I'll never understand the need to fill every last little nook and cranny. There must be better ways to make money.

Sewing Class

I don't know about you, but I have been finding it harder and harder to shop for clothes. It seems like all the stores have the same trendy stuff and it's either sweatshop cheap or really overpriced. I have found a few independent stores (mostly in the East Village and on the Lower East Side) that have some cool stuff but those places tend to be out of my price range. Being a crafty type the solution seems obvious. I must learn to sew my own clothes. I'm not going to get crazy mind, I won't be sewing my own jeans or t-shirts, but skirts and dresses and little summer tops. These are the hardest to find. So I have made a start with a wrap-around skirt.

Of course the cats want to help.

It's difficult to sew without opposable thumbs

Mostly they provide moral support and occasional comic relief.

It took me most of the day since I made several mistakes and had to go back. But now that I've done it once the next one will go quicker.

I think it came out pretty well. Not too bad for my first piece of clothing.

I'm thinking I should make one in corduroy too.

Book Shelf

Hello again. I apologize for my recent absence. I simply have not wanted to turn on the computer unless it was absolutely necessary. I realize that for some, blogging is absolutely necessary, but not for me. At least not in the last three weeks.

Anyway, there hasn't been too much excitement around here but I did get a new bookshelf. I decided to splurge a little and then it turned out it was on sale! Kismet. Obviously I was meant to have this bookcase. Isn't it beautiful?
It's mahogany. I love the drawers, they can be opened from either side. I got it at From the Source. (I also got the duck there last summer.) They have all sorts of cool furniture and these fabulous coat trees - really, trees. I rearranged the apartment to accommodate my new arrival and it feels pretty good. More like a real home somehow. Before, the furniture was pressed up against the walls. It gave me lots of floor space but I think it felt a little dorm-like. Now, even though there is less floor space, it feels better. The next task is to get a nice flat long piece of wood to create a work table. Maple would be nice.

Tightening Up

Did you know that Barnes & Noble has a new return policy? I discovered it today when I attempted to return something with a gift receipt. The new policy is: 14 days and you must have a receipt, period. This includes gifts with gift receipts though apparently they may let those go for 30 days at the managers' discretion. I do understand only 14 days for money back and I understand no returns for items without a receipt but those with a gift receipt? What will they do at Christmas? Will they enforce it or will there be special rules for the season? I don't know about you, but that eliminates the only reason I have for shopping at the mega store. I liked buying gifts there because returns were so easy for the giftee. Now I would much rather go to an independent bookstore or buy from wishlists on Amazon. It seems that many stores have tightened their policies, presumably to curb costs, but it may backfire. Though I suppose that nothing will really stop the consumption machine in this country. I do hope that this results in more people going to the little stores instead.

Vanilla and many many more...

I went to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden this past weekend. It was fabulous. If you live in New York you should go, quick, before it's over this weekend. And if you can go in the middle of the week when there's fewer people, all the better. I love plants and flowers in general and orchids are particularly amazing. There are about 24,000 species of orchid on the World Orchid Checklist (including the Vanilla Orchid) and about 800 names are added every year. Many of these are hybrids created by growers. If I was rich I would absolutely have an orchid greenhouse.I got this picture from the NYBG website since I didn't take any pictures at the show. I just wanted to look. But many people were taking pictures, with big cameras, with small digitals, with their phones. I think some people saw the whole show through the lens of their camera. I think that's a shame. I think they lost something in their zeal to capture the image. Better to really see them and smell them and then buy some post cards at the gift shop. You can also buy an orchid. Some species (like the moth orchid that you see for sale everywhere) are not too hard to care for. The folks in the shop can help you pick out the right one for you. I don't get enough light in my apartment which is probably a good thing as I would have walked out with several.

New Pretty Stuff

While I was browsing around the web recently I discovered a little company that makes underwear, artisanal underwear if you will. It's called The Candi Factory and is located in Canada. They cost more than I usually pay for underwear but I think it's worth it.
They've got great designs for both women and men. They are also very comfy. Go buy a pair or two. You know the cute underwear makes you feel good.

A Little Bit of Bribery

I know, it's been almost two weeks since I posted. Frankly, I haven't really had anything to say. Really. Yes, it's hard to believe. You may even want to note it down somewhere and wave it at me when I'm in full stream later.

Today I ran across an article in the Times that may be of interest to the Worst Mamas Ever. It seems the New York school system is not above bribery to get those crucial No Child Left Behind scores. Some schools have been paying out money to kids who do well on tests. Apparently this relieves the stigma of doing well in class and lifts high scores into the realm of cool. Though it is still not as cool to get an A as it is to be the star basketball player. (Someone should probably point out that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are a lot richer than Michael Jordan.) The teachers get a bonus too since why should only the kids get their palms greased for good performance. It's not surprising that someone should have thought of it. After all, school funding is based on test scores, an arrangement that is not really any different. I did find myself wondering if this has caused the invention of even better methods of cheating. And it begs all the same questions as funding based on performance. What happens if the incentives are taken away? Do the scores go back to their abysmal level? It also doesn't seem to be an encouragement for kids to go to college. Though admittedly, pointing out that doing well in school can lead to a better paying job doesn't appear to work either. I suspect it will be years before we know how it all works out.

Wednesday

I've been feeling a bit lazy this week so in lieu of riveting prose I give you.... kitties.

Matched Set

Happiness is a Paper Bag

On a completely different note, while I was listening to the radio this morning the announcer began extolling the virtues of a concert performance and he used the phrase "leather-skinned timpani". But for a moment I thought he said leather-skinned Tiffany. Very different.