New York Day

We vowed to do New Yorky things today. It all started with french toast and bacon, and of course coffee from our ultra luxe Italian coffee maker. Next we hopped on a subway to get our car fom the garage. Normally we'd leave sleeping dogs lie but we were headed to Fairway in Harlem to buy food, a lot of food. We hauled it all back to our apartment, found a parking spot, and geared up for some more NY fun.

First we had homemade curried mushroom-squash soup with some crusty bread. Then we took the subway uptown to MOMA, the museum of modern art. We saw two exhibits: the abstract impressionists which are old hat, and contemporary art which went from the ridiculous to the sublime. Viewing art always makes me hungry so we stopped at Cafe Sabrett before getting back on the subway. Hot dog!

Once home, we had cocktails with cheese and crackers, an old standby. The we got gussied up and subwayed to El Charro, a Spanish restaurant in the West Village we used to go to pre-children. The one thing I remember from this jewel is that it served one of my favorite dishes of all time, flounder or sole a la plancha with a rich buttery banana/cinnamon sauce. No matter that it's been 25 years since I last ate it there; I expected it to still be on the menu. It was not, so I requested they make it for me. For want of a banana they could not. The flounder was delicious anyway. Marty had the paella. What he remembered: it was two steps down; the cowboy (el charro) painting, and I think some of the waiters. What we forgot: the tininess of the place and how loud it is. For dessert we had creme brule (average) with El Charro coffee which was entertaining due to the flame factor and the brandy. We spoke Spanish with the waiters the entire evening and vowed to return soon, possibly with our friend Doug and/or our daughter Mariel.

We took a taxi home because we were sick of the subway and how erratic it was running.

It was a great day, in a great city.

Spooner, a Brief Review

This book by Peter Dexter is hysterically funny if you like droll humor. Too much drollity, however, can be, well, too much. The first 100 pages of Spooner was amusing; then it got tedious. Dexter also wrote Paris Trout, which I'm not sure I've read. The men in Spooner are smart, accident-prone and don't know what to do with women who are lovely but weak. If you are a man, perhaps you will enjoy Spooner more than I did.

Now I'm reading Freedom (finally) by Jonathan Franzen, also droll but not annoyingly so. It's funny how thin the line can be. More on this book when I finish it.

I left the woods and am now back on West Street, trading the Babbling Brook for the Mighty Hudson. Peace and serenity have given way to manic schedules: doctor appointments, haircut, job hunting and endless filing and phone calls. I will get this new life organized. Tonight I'm having dinner with my tall running son (his Indian name). Tomorrow, it's dinner in Brooklyn for which I'm making bread pudding with rum sauce. Then it's a New York weekend, complete with museum (MOMA), possible cafes and shopping.

Will update soon.

Time Keeps on Slipping

It's a good thing I left rainy Jeffersonville yesterday. I needed human contact beyond the Recycling Center's cashier. It was Harry's 18th birthday, and I drove to see him at Vassar. We went out for lunch, opened a bank account and shopped for some flannel pants.

Today it was 35 degrees at 6:30 am. The first frost is predicted for tomorrow, just in time for Esther, Lenny and Marty's arrival. Maybe we'll make enough hot air to keep the house toasty. During the day, it's supposed to be in the 70's. I think we're at 60 now.

I haven't run since Saturday due to the rain, but this morning I went for a short jog even though it was freezing. Yoga tomorrow. On Sunday, I return to my city life where I can distinguish one day from the next. Time slips away here, yet it doesn't seem to move.

Back in the Woods

Greetings from Jeffersonville, where I've been off the grid since Friday. I saw Harry race Friday in Bethlehem, PA and then drove here with Turbo in tow. We had a lot of detours due to road closures from the heavy rain. In fact, my brook is raging.

I'm writing this from the library. It's been raining for two days and today I finally turned on the heat, once I got oil in the tank. It's a good thing I'm self-sufficent. My big afternoon activity is to figure out how to install an over-the-door ironing board. Dramatic ironing is in my future, as is much unpacking.

My college roommate Susan was here over the weekend as was Marty. This was when the weather was warm and beautiful. They left on Sunday, and things turned ominous. A cold rain all day yesterday, when I went to the Post Office and Yoga. Yoga was great--I had a private class. There are only 400 people in Jville. My neighbor John came over at 5:30 for a gin and tonic. Then it was dinner and bed.

Today I walked to the bank, paid my water bill at the town offices and came to the library to check email, etc. In a little while I'll go home and get the car, drive up a big hill and use my cell phone to call people. I plan to stay home the rest of the day and unpack some books, read, think and stare at the rising brook. I may lose power, but fear not, I am prepared with flashlights, batteries, a landline and gas stove.

Worst case scenario.