cats in the way

 

sometimes it's hard to get any work done . . if zuzu isn't knocking my hand holding the pen, then cricket is continually jumping onto my lap and turning in circles: looking at me and then looking at what i'm trying to do. he can't sit still.

the rest of the weekend

 

it's late now on monday night . . here's a peek at the rest of the weekend (we arrived late saturday night) . . 

swimming and floating and a picnic at the bay on sunday . . 

diinner at our favorite place, followed by a game of yahtzee and ice cream for dessert . . (adam had an event he was working at) . . 

(korrina was happy to roll a yahtzee)

(chanda was unhappy about not rolling a yahtzee, and greg was happy to roll a yahtzee, but was unable to use it as he had taken a zero in that category . . !)

i love hearing the crickets and nighttime insects . . 

this morning was another day of swimming at the bay . . 

home again . . (dropping korrina off first)

saturday memorial

it was a busy weekend. greg, chanda and i picked up korrina in queens and then drove out to long island for my friend's memorial with her family. we lost our dear friend lizette to cancer on june 6th. i've been so sad about it, that it's been difficult to write about . . and it felt strange at the memorial today. i kept expecting her to walk in with her smile . . it feels odd not to be planning a walk across the bridge for a visit with her in brooklyn heights.

in her beautiful beach home on rockaway, where we spent many happy afternoons.

homeschooling moms . .

with marisa at the memorial . .

chanda took this photo of her friend sami's new little girl, named for her grandma. she was born june 27th. 

lizette in her favorite place at the beach in rockaway in july of 2008 . .

and the two of us in 2023 in front of our favorite health food store in brooklyn.

lizette was my birth year buddy. she was born five months after me in 1961. i didn't think she would go so soon. we all thought we still had years together. we miss you lizette.

errands, laundry and cicadas

a view north along seventh avenue when walking home from running errands (kitty litter and cat food and copies from the copy shop, vitamins from the health food store). it was really such a nice day to walk around as it was in the low '80's and it wasn't humid . . it was just warm and sunny with a wonderful breeze.

i also did three loads of laundry.

the cicadas have been buzzing ever since we returned from london.

thankfully, dinner was leftovers (very easy to prepare, though lots of pots to wash). greg and i also replaced the old handle on the toilet bowl with a new handle. it flushes much better now, and doesn't run incessantly (hopefully). 

(here's a post about flying to london and our first morning, then there will be a break as we'll be visiting my nephew and the beach for a few days.)

time for sleep!

hello again (with a link to the first day in london)

 

i finally finished a baby blanket i began a year ago. i had stopped halfway around while doing the i-cord border. (it's a purl soho pattern, their super easy baby blanket with their daily wool worsted yarn, and i think i used size 8 needles. they say the yarn can go in the washer and the dryer!)

i'm not sure who i'm giving it to! it was supposed to be for a neighbor's new baby who is now a year old . . but now we have another friend who just had a baby in june . . i'll have to let you know what i decide!

i just finished reading this book. it actually went all the way to london with me . . but i never read it. it just took up a lot of space in my suitcase; too much space! i have a thing about taking at least one library book when flying . . it's a superstition, but i should at least make sure it's a paperback. 

across many mountains is a beautifully written account of artist sonam dolma brauen's trek across the himalayas with her mother, father and little sister in 1959 when fleeing the chinese occupation of tibet. it's heartbreaking and inspiring and informative of how the tibetan people lived prior to the invasion and what they went through (and go through) during occupation. it's written by sonam's daughter and i couldn't put it down once i had read the first three chapters. (sonam dolma is the artist whose artpiece chanda and i participated in at the rubin museum a few years ago - there are four links here to the workshops and events.) the book also shares about their time as refugees in india and the life they created for themselves in switzerland.

this (the tree in the courtyard) was also a lovely book to read about the years that anne frank and her family hid in amsterdam during world war ii - all told from the perspective of the horse chestnut tree in the courtyard which was within sight of the building's attic window. (i think eva recommended this.)

chanda and i met ellen for ice cream today and were able to give her a party favor from the wedding (which she has in her hands - a vintage napkin holding italian candied almonds and an almond nougat).

we had homemade pistachio ice cream at the restaurant across the street from where ellen lives. they have such good food . . greg and i have eaten here several times.

and chanda made dinner this evening! we had vietnamese lettuce/rice rolls . . 

chanda is trying to get the rice paper out of the package . . 

she then soaks it in the warm water in the bowl to her left . . 

we sliced cucumbers, carrots and mint leaves and chanda made a delicious peanut dipping sauce. (she also warmed up very fine rice noodles that were wrapped up with the vegetables in the rice paper.)

then we played bananagrams and greg won as he was the first one to use up all his tiles.

i finally put up a few photos ("back in londontown") from our first day in london on saturday, july 18th (we flew out friday night, the 17th). i hope to be better at posting our days together on this trip than i was in 2022. 

it's actually thursday night right now and a cool front has blown through after a heavy rainfall. i actually closed the window next to my computer as i felt cold (and greg is in bed curled up with a blanket! so shocking!). every day and night has been hot since we arrived home on august 2nd . . and that's typical for summer in nyc!