sunday at home -- week three

sea song

to sea! to sea! the calm is o'er

the wanton water leaps in sport,

and rattles down the pebbly shore,

the dolphin wheels, the sea cows snort,

and unseen mermaid's pearly song

comes bubbling up, the weeds among.

fling broad the sail, dip deep the oar:

to sea! to sea! the calm is o'er.

to sea! to sea! our white winged bark

shall billowing cleave its watery way,

and with its shadow, fleet and dark,

break the caved tritons' azure day,

like mountain eagle soaring light

o'er antelopes on alpine height.

the anchor heaves! the ship swings free!

our sails swell full! to sea! to sea!

by thomas lovell beddoes (1803 - 1849)

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 for breakfast we had my mom and aunt's german pancake recipe and chicken sausages, orange juice and green tea; and then we had our church service with first unitarian universalist society of brooklyn, in which korrina joined in from queens. now i'm listening to governor cuomo. this evening we'll talk to korrina all together at dinner time at 5 pm. maybe i'll text morgana to join in.

(p.s. it's rather chilly today, 44 degrees, cloudy and rainy . . seemingly always 44, or 45 or 47 degrees.)

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dinner with korrina and morgana:

 around 5:30 pm, we whatsapped with korrina and morgana. morgana called in first and then i added korrina, who had been cleaning up the kitchen and getting a snack together. korrina had been making two kinds of dumplings, veggie and pork filled. it was 10:30 in the uk and morgan had been on two walks in the countryside, in the morning and in the evening, through the fields and through town. chanda, greg and i ate the last of our italian wedding soup while we talked, and it felt good to sing the blessing together at the beginning of the meal. morgan is excited to be putting together a solo performance for school that will go up on zoom sometime in may or june, i believe. it felt wonderful to talk together.

morning tea in the afternoon

 the other day i dusted and put away woolens, and this morning i cleaned the bathroom. there's a lot of phone calling and text messaging going on in between everything, along with live conferences with the governor that i watch on the compouter, so time goes by quickly and then i realize that i hadn't even had my morning cup of tea. here's the snack i finally sat down to in the afternoon: earl grey tea with honey and an oatcake with apple butter. the honey was delivered in the box from one of our saturday green market farmers, who had everyone place their orders by 4 pm thursday. we also ordered sunflower and pea sprouts, turnips, and shitake and oyster mushrooms. i hope this week to get the order in earlier so we can get fresh eggs before they run out. (the book is little dorrit which i finally just finished this evening and which i really enjoyed and which i highly recommend.)

i sautéed the shitake mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper, added sautéed garlic done separately to retain its crispness, and then mixed it with gluten free fusilli. we had sprouts on the side (and parmesan cheese).

tomorrow is saturday

 the magnolia tree outside our living room window is beautiful now. the late afternoon sun gives it such a soft glow.

 greg won a round of bananagrams, after we had a dinner of leftover stew.

 chanda and i kept working on our letters to see if we could use them all.

 almost . . 

after bananagrams, we wanted to watch something funny, so chanda chose the chocolate babka episode of seinfeld, and it didn't disappoint. i don't think i ever saw that one, even though it was from 1994. i was too busy taking care of korrina in 1994 (she was born in '93). greg says he remembers seeing it, however. he probably watched it at my mom and dad's, since we didn't have a tv.

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my neighbor wrote a letter to the board today, lambasting them for allowing the work in aparrtment 3A, and also for allowing a moving day for them, which she learned today has been scheduled for next week. she just found out about it this afternoon. and soundly chastised them for endangering our health, and for not informing anyone in the building. i had written two letters earlier in the week, and i'm glad my neighbor's has been added to the pile. her's had the perfect accusatory tone with all the proper points being made about our well being and the health crisis, and assuring our safety.

i better try to get some sleep now . . last night sleep was elusive.

thursday night dinner

tonight for dinner i made chickpeas with kale, tumeric and coconut milk, along with some pepperoncini (which came from a jar).

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it looks like the neighbors downstairs have finally finished with their floor, but not without creating an unpleasant night for us on tuesday. their workers neglected to leave the windows wide open, so the fumes pervaded our apartment, mainly in the bathroom, closests and beneath the kitchen sink. we slept with the windows open a little bit, but it was unpleasant by morning, and i did get a sore throat. greg and i went across the street at 7:15, when it was finally light enough, to look up at the building and check, and we saw that their windows were only cracked. it was the same for the back windows. we called and the woman said her husband was on his way, but when he hadn't arrived an hour later, i had to call again. he answered this time, and obviously hadn't left. finally, at 9:15 their hardwood floor workers pulled up outside (i heard the car doors slamming) and opened things up.

the thoughtlessness of people like this never ceases to amaze me. i wrote another letter to our board members, but we haven't had an answer. they may never respond. this doesn't surprise me either, unfortunately. we had a run-in with two board members when we first moved here about the mulberry trees outside our back windows. i learned then how political coop boards can be. anyway, if we don't get a response by monday, we'll still follow up, but i'm not going to hold my breath, as the saying goes.

the country life

 morgana has been staying with jenny and her family,

 and has been enjoying beautiful walks with very good social distancing.

 jenny has been teaching her linear geometry course online . .

and morgana has had theatre courses online . . perhaps we will finally all become tired of being online?

lunch and sunbathing with pluto

i'm still getting used to having greg home for breakfast and lunch. he used to have these meals out, and not at home. we go through more food now, and we'll be out of cold cuts soon, but there's still plenty of peanut butter and jelly. greg is making lunch here, and chanda is working on a late breakfast. i guess that's brunch. she went out running first.

he's been enjoying making smoothies in the vitamix.

 i had the nicest afternoon sunbathing with pluto and chanda in the courtyard. fortunately, not many people were out and we were able to keep a good distance from those who passed by.

 chanda began knitting a scarf with yarn and a pattern she received two christmases ago. it's a beautiuful yarn from quince and co: owl tweet, which is half wool and half alpaca. the pattern calls for cabling and this might be the first time she's done so. i'll have to take a pic of the pattern tomorrow.

 getting back into the groove . . 

 these buds are so pretty. i'm not sure what they are, but that's a callery pear on the right.

 it's the height of the daffodil season.

 so . . when pluto goes out to the courtyard, he'll take a little while to begin walking around and sniffing, and he'll hide when he hears someone coming. today it was a little chilly and he crawled underneath chanda's sweater to get warm. he's very cute, and very different from most cats.

i was going to make a chickpea stew with kale, coconut and tumeric, but remembered i had ground beef, and thought it better to use that before the kale, so, i made italian wedding soup. i added some other vegetables (a celery stalk and a few carrots and half a parsnip) to the spinach that was called for. i also already had homemade chicken broth which i wanted to finish up. i was able to get 65 little meatballs out of a little over a pound of ground beef.

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i had a difficult time sleeping last night, as i was so stressed about the work the neighbor downstairs was doing, particularly since the board member greg and i had contacted wasn't able to help us. i could tell from the tone of her text messages, after first talking with her on the phone. she went from, oh, that's a terrible situation to be in, to "we are looking at the whole situation and understand how stressful it is for all shareholders during the pandemic." i knew then, that she wasn't able to change the other board member's minds. there had already been a vote taken that "current alterations could continue." (i had gotten that information early yesterday morning from one of the superintendents who was taking messages for the coop management agency manager, who was avoiding talking with me. i had been hoping it wasn't true.) oh! such a runaround i got! still, as i fell asleep, i was trying to be positive, as the board member i had been in touch with had assured me that there would be a building communication if the work was going to be continued. well, at 10:30 this morning i heard the sander start up, and we had NOT been notified. i wasn't surprised though. unfortunately, i was not surprised. to be honest, i was a little relieved that it was going to be today, as the sun was shining and it was warm out. i had read that tomorrow would be cooler with a chance of showers. if it was going to be done, it was best to do it today and get it over with. of course, i immediately sat down at the computer to type a letter to the board. i had it finished by 11:25.  i had wanted to write that i expected an immediate response, however, greg suggested that we follow up in a week or so if we haven't heard anything. 

right now it's 11:44 pm. i was surprised that the odor during the day from the sanding wasn't as bad as yesterday, but now the stain that they put down after the sanding is really wafting up through the bathroom and from below the kitchen sink, and through the closets. chanda has started sneezing and i suggested she curl up in her down blanket and open the window. my throat is sore, and i need to do the same in a minute. we had the windows open earlier, but it got too cool. it was fine until 10 pm. greg and i went out to check that the windows below us had been left open, and they were. 

i think i feel so calm about the situation right now, because i know i'm right, and all of them are wrong and incredibly stupid. these people should never have been permitted to continue with this work, but they had connections and they used them. the other problem is that our mayor and governor should really be restricting movement more than they are, because we're all roaming around entirely too much. the numbers are still going up. i wouldn't be surprised if these new neighbors don't even stay here. chanda and i think they must have a country home somewhere, and will go there. well, i'll have to keep you posted.

and this is monday

 today was a stressful day, as the new neighbor below us began sanding their floors. it was a long struggle to be heard and to try and get some answers. the management agency wasn't responding to me, so greg and i finally included a board member, whom we happened to once talk with, in the correspondance. while that board member has been helpful in listening to us, she hasn't been able to say anything more than that the work has been "halted for now." i think our neighbor must know more board members than us.

i did manage to make a beef stew and pluto relaxed with my little dorrit book.

sunday service at home

 we lit our candles this morning during our online church service. the one on the left was a gift from eva's charlotte which arrived yesterday.

waiting for it to begin . .

brunch . . greg made us feta cheese omelettes.

poem for a sunday morning

spring morning

o day--if i could cup my hands and drink of you,

and make this shining wonder be

a part of me!

o day! o day!

you lift and sway your colors on the sky

till i am crushed with beauty. why is there

more of reeling sunlit air

than i can breathe? why is there sound

in silence? why is there a singing wound

about each hour?

and perfume when there is no flower?

o day! o day! how may i press

nearer to loveliness?

by marion strobel (1895-1967)

too warm and too many

 greg and i went for a walk this afternoon and i was surprised at how many people were out, but maybe i shouldn't have been. it was incredibly warm and new yorkers are always out when it's warm.

it was a pretty day . .

 and the sunshine felt good . . 

 and it was nice to see the geese . . 

  there were actually too many people out for me. we didn't stay long, but instead left and walked along a few deserted blocks, stopping for angel hair pasta and clams at the health food store, and then home.

 walking home and passing some interesting signs . .

 we had a lot of arugula from chanda's cafe, so i made my dad's pasta dish that he got from actor tony danza: angel hair or capellini pasta with garlic, tomatoes, arugula and clams.

trying to stay hopeful . .

the situation for businesses and out of work new yorkers feels more hopeful today. news organizations, public radio hosts, congresspeople, state and federal representatives, are all talking about measures that can be taken to try and hold the economy together. korrina thinks her online application got through correctly to unemployment, though there was some glitch about being eligible next week and not this week . . she'll just have to see.

it's been a busy day of talking on the phone with friends and family. my nephew called and i found out that my sister and brother-in-law are only four hours from home (they've been in florida). i'm so glad.

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here's some more of the workers behind the scenes at the new york city ballet:

the drawing in the center is of christine redpath, ballet master:
 "i was a dancer with the company beginning in 1969. when we were on tour in 1972, we went to russia--kiev, leningrad, tbilisi, moscow--and to poland, to lodz, and warsaw. we went to the mariinsky school in leningrad. as we got off the bus, balanchine was really tense. there was a press conference and the russians wanted to claim him as their own. they were toasting with vodka and saying, oh, he's ours and how great that he's come back! he said, 'oh, no. i'm american.'
"when balanchine would choreograph, his eyes would get very black. the pupils were huge. he would have the pianist play a few bars. he'd think about it, take one person and say, 'okay, try this.' if it didn't seem to fit the dancer, he would give something else. even though we would be saying, 'wait! i can do this!'
"today, when i'm in a studio with the dancers, and i'm working on one of jerry robbins' ballets, or mr. b's ballets, i'm filled with joy. my whole life, i've been happiest in the studio."

on the right is suzy alvarez, hair and wigs:
"everybody's face is different. some people have round faces, some  people have long faces. obviously, if someone has a long face, i will not give them a middle part.
"you change according to the show. for midsummer night's dream you use a lot of glitter. glitter on their eyes, glitter in their hair. it's a fairytale. for romeo and juliet, you are in 15th century verona. i give the girls braids that they can wear in different ways. in the cage, by jerome robbins, everybody wears crazy hair. they're like cave people.
"sometimes in the middle of a show, a dancer has to take her hair down on stage while she's dancing, so i preset it. i use products. i use a curling iron and a flat iron. i put in two huge pins. then, when she's doing a turn, she pulls the pins and the hair comes tumbling down."

on the left is hank lavaia, stage carpentry:
"i was in vietnam for two years, 1968 to 1970. in 1970, right out of the army, i went to broadway for two months. worked at the majestic. then i came up here, and i stayed.
"george balanchine was a sweetheart of a guy. he was big on the crew. very efficient. he wanted no big scenery,  no big sets. towards the end of his life he had a problem with his equilibrium. i fixed a railing in his apartment and we did some work on his steps.
"i'm a blessed man. i love my job. i was born to this. my grandfather and my father were stagehands. i fell right into the groove. stagehands work in the morning and then at night. it's two full jobs. same with dancers. they rehearse all morning, and they're on stage at night. days and nights, days and nights."

vernal equinox

 purple crocuses are mute 

witnesses to the mockingbird's morning song

to the sun.

day eight

the new rush hour in manhattan, 5:49 pm of day eight, since greg began working at home.

i think we've reached, what the mayor is calling "shelter-in-place." everything is closed except groceries, pharmacies and hospitals. subways and buses are still running. greg and i went out when he finished work to pick up a few things from our local health food store, such as tortilla chips to have with the guacamole we'll make from all the avocados chanda's boss dropped off last night.

you can only see one of them here in this photo, just to the right of the feta cheese container, below all the juices and the chicken salad. peter worked all day yesterday, cleaning out his cafe; packing up food and emptying all the refrigerators. he divided everything up for his chefs and workers and himself. our take was so vast that i divided it up for my friend janet and for the neighbor upstairs (here's hoping that she eventually puts down rugs and pads). there was just so much and i know we wouldn't eat it all and i certainly didn't want it to go bad.

look at all the arugula they used for their delicious salads with pulled chicken . . 

we had four containers of milk and i gave two to janet and one to upstairs . . we kept the bananas for smoothies with the strawberries that you can see sitting behind them. what is in the big boxes?

croissants: chocolate, plain and almond, all shared again.

putting items away in the fridge . . i divided up the feta cheese also. i was frantically looking for containers to put cheese and chicken in. and i truly felt like crying. i feel like crying just writing about it. i just feel so sad that this wonderful business that this man had built, and who had workers who all loved their job and their boss, had to close. will they be back? will any of these places be back? how is italy handling it? chanda and i think they may just think of themselves as being on hiatus, and they will pick things up when the lockdown is lifted; that the landlords won't demand the rent. here, it's different. everyone considers themselves out of business and washed up. it's a devastating feeling.

 a band still plays in an empty washington square park, and a person meditates on a bench outside vesuvio playground on spring street.

st. anthony of padua on the left in a protective mask, outside the parish office on thompson street; and handbag sellers still out on canal street.

no fares for mohammed . .

even tougher times for ronnie g.

this afternoon at 1 pm, i did a live ballet class with tiler peck from new york city ballet. she's giving the classes on instagram tv, as so many other dancers are doing. there's merce cunningham classes, workouts with pascal rioult dancers . . all in everyone's living room, kitchen or basement.

pluto kept me company.

dinner  tonight was leftover corned beef and cabbage.