A RED WEEK

(Calendar from Jenny S.)

SUNDAY
I've been waiting, under wraps, breathing, sleeping, letting go while still containing all that was, is and might be. I've been tweeking colors on photographs, leaning toward red for hearts, for love, for life---constructing this blog post for the week till Tuesday where Hallmark branded it's Valentine mark, though the historical Valentine was a Christian Martyr living under Roman rule (there are other interpretations of course), and the festival Lupercalia coincides. I've been unearthing memories, reviewing all the love my life has encountered and appreciating the eternal value of friendship...reminding myself what really matters.

Communicate

(heart forever stamps from Nayra A,)

Let Go

(Throwback to lost teeth)

Fly Free

(Avenue B and 6ths St Garden)

MONDAY

Nostalgia was dominant yet not distressing, only comforting. It's been rich this little life of mine so far. I find myself appreciating that. Adequate sleep and drift, specific medicinal teas and warm baths, certain silences and sanctuaries are my natural inclination and so I have inclined. I made potato leek soup, listened to music, read Carly Simon's "Boys in the Trees" quite entertaining memoir. I was blissfully snowed in.

Celebrate

 (Wendy D. makes yarn roses kike this)

Rest in Beauty Shamelessly

(Teddy graciously posed in rose petals for me)

TUESDAY

February is transitional, the shortest month. "Its birth flower is the violet (Viola) and the common primrose (Primula vulgaris). Its birthstone is the amethyst. It symbolizes piety, humility, spiritual wisdom, and sincerity. Its zodiac signs are Aquarius until February 19th and Pisces February 20th onward."  The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual.

 https://youtu.be/VmECu4BKtDY

Disarm the Heart

 (Jude hill's heart under moon)

Give it Away

(Mo's woven heart)

 Share Freely

(a little pop up book of Pooh bear and Piglet)

~*~

A Gift to Make

https://youtu.be/Sk-vFT5ZZCc


Recipe Link
http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2017/02/video-strawberry-souffle-gf/

Saint Valentine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine  

Lupercalia 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercalia

NOVEMBER GRATITUDE

2014
Once upon a time in Massachusetts

In November
by Lisel Mueller

Outside the house the wind is howling
and the trees are creaking horribly.
This is an old story
with its old beginning,
as I lay me down to sleep.

But when I wake up, sunlight
has taken over the room.

You have already made the coffee
and the radio brings us music
from a confident age. In the paper
bad news is set in distant places.
Whatever was bound to happen
in my story did not happen.

But I know there are rules that cannot be broken.

Perhaps a name was changed.
A small mistake. Perhaps a woman I do not know
is facing the day with the heavy heart
that, by all rights, should have been mine.
~*~


2016
Today in New York City

 Our Superintendent dropped seeds into the Street side Planter in August. I'm Grateful that he has finally been rewarded with one absolutely perfect green gem.

I'm Grateful we have heat this morning, and grateful that this afternoon my Massachusetts friend Jenny, in town for a dance event tonight, was here for several sweet hours...

Grateful that my writing group was full of surprises tonight and Grateful for the dark night downtown when I emerged. A speeding bicyclist became invisible,
and so did I.

~*~

SUNDAY SUNDOWN

I went to the river 'on a horse with no name-It felt good to be out of the rain' of too many days thick with pain.

There were tug boats, cruisers, sailboats and

one tiny rowboat with two passengers.

I met a woman who glowed.

We talked and became friends.

I was happy.

~*~

https://youtu.be/zSAJ0l4OBHM

SWEET SOUND SUNDAY

"Multi-Dimensional Magnificence"

The West Village Chorale at Judson Memorial Church

Spring Concert

June 5th 2016

 

 "Inspired by the many concerts produced by the American composer and conductor Greg Smith",who was himself "inspired by polychoral traditions from San Marco, Venice Italy, to the stereophonic tendencies of Charles Ives."

Ominous sky over Washington Square

 Before the concert

Two windows in the stairwell to the concert hall

1.

 2.

 The choir surrounded the audience and was in constant movement between and sometimes during some of the choral works.  This device gave us multiple perspectives on the pieces.  Sometimes the sound was right behind me, and then it was surround sound.  A very powerful listening experience, and a rigorous choreographic feat for the performers.  The choir continues to ripen and mature.  This was my third experience with them and I look forward to many more.  

My friend Michael

(understandably exhausted but happy)

After the Concert

The sky over Washington Square was gorgeous

 Stunning

 Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful

 While staring in wonder, we encountered another woman, coincidentally also named Michelle (Lerner) admiring the view.  She joined us since she was going in the same direction and we found we had much in common.  One more magical moment appeared when we found a perfectly healthy discarded Gardenia plant which, since she lived nearby, we entrusted it to her as we headed over to Waverly Place to the White Oak Tavern bidding farewell to our new friend.  Michael and his friend Lauren had some food and libation, while I stuck to water with a lemon twist, having sated myself at the sumptuous after concert feast.

 We parted for our trips home, she heading West to the subway, while Michael and I boarded the third Avenue bus.

~*~

LINK

http://westvillagechorale.org/

HERE'S TO THE LADIES THAT LUNCH

Momentos

Lunch at Mayson Kayser

Squash Soup

(no photo)

Bread and Olive Oil

Great Mixed Greens

Portraits by our Waitress/Photographer

1.

 2.

 3.

Happiness Up Close

Goofin' Around Selfies

 Too serious? Better.

Say tomorrow doesn't come
Say the moon becomes an icy pit.
Say the sweet-gum tree is petrified.
Say the sun’s a foul black tire fire.
Say the owl’s eyes are pinpricks.
Say the raccoon’s a hot tar stain.
Say the shirt’s plastic ditch-litter.
Say the kitchen’s a cow’s corpse.
Say we never get to see it: bright
future, stuck like a bum star, never
coming close, never dazzling.
Say we never meet her. Never him.
Say we spend our last moments staring
at each other, hands knotted together,
clutching the dog, watching the sky burn.
Say, It doesn’t matter. Say, That would be
enough. Say you’d still want this: us alive,
right here, feeling lucky.

~*~

(The Conditional by Ada Limón)

There was no dog
Just us two old friends
Holding hands

Home Again

Tra-La-ha-ha-ha!

~*~

THREE DAYS TO FINISH THE WEEK

Each day randomly choose three

'Angel Cards'

Link above to Findhorn, where I got mine decades ago, but save looking for last as it will navigate off the page (working on this)

Friday Angels

Spontaneously dropped everything, and took a walk around the neighborhood simply noticing

 Concert with Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon,
Alicia Keys, and John Mayer

http://globalfestival.com 
'Free' but 'Ticketed Event' 
-you have to join the site, take action, or donate-
Saturday September 20th

Saturday Angels


I petitioned my local optical store successfully.  Got my right-eye lens replaced with plain glass since the cataract makes the Rx even more distracting until the repair, which, due to clinic schedules and financial constraints, will not be for many months.
Much better. 

Ive been contemplating friendship a lot.

Recently, some have become quite problematic.

Anais Nin put it beautifully when she said

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

Sometimes that world can be challenging, sometimes downright daunting.

Just After Sundown

I might have mounted this Gif at You tube so it would be a real Video, but it seemed a waste, since it was just a three minute, potentially dangerous, shouting match between a family and some rookie cops in front of the 13th precinct directly across the street, with low insults, threat swaggering, and nasty swearing on both sides.

Happily, no physical violence.

 Changed my Face book picture to just the center portion of Fred Fassberger's charming caricature

Cooking Again after a month without gas is a pleasure.  One if my essential kitchen aids is a stainless steel, razor sharp, peeler with a lifetime guarantee, purchased some years ago from an elder Englishman for $5 when he was selling at the farm market.  His patter was a pure vaudeville.

It made quick work of celery and carrots, cut and steamed with green beans.

Coconut oil-sauteed onions, garlic and mushrooms with anise seeds set the tone for the Ultra Organic Vegetable Melange I made--a birthday gift for my friend L.A.L.

Sunday Angels

It's a nine-patch post!

The air is so damn sweet today, and looking back,

it doesn't seem I did much, but then, I didn't discourse on the fascinating personal exchanges, the erudite e-mail correspondence, and other, more mundane paper work.  I omitted the details of home cleaning, hand laundry and button sewing as a kindness to my dear readers.  I'm off to Carnegie Hill for the evening to partake of another feast at friend St. Michaels sixth floor walk-up sanctuary. bearing fruit and flowers.

Will be adding more snapshots later

so do revisit tomorrow.

Tomorrow Has Arrived

Gladiolas

headed uptown
on a bus 

 Looking Out

Note the Elders Pace.
Compare the young ones Pace.

How might both perspectives feel?

Onward

Advertising Youth

Where books flowered

Retail Retail Retail

Red Hand Stop

Public Art for Business

Famous Journalist Joint

The old and The New

Films

 Retail Retail Retail

Starbucks Everywhere

Duane Reade
Everywhere

Workers work

Retail Retail Retail

 

Long legged Idols

Retail Retail Retail

We skip stops

Fashion Athlete Gear

Note the window sealed with tinfoil

over less high end retail as we roll

into the eighties

Where are the Trees?

LOVE

the old style, brick, bay windows, stone stoop

Tree Peony 

solid structures

a wood frame classic holdout

 Friend's Here

6 flights up to 'St. Michael'

cooking odors here

Beer steamed-baked Bird

a German specialty

Slightly horrifying

 Our modest meal, with mashed potato

so rich it could have been desert

Cote de Rhone toast to weeks end.