running errands - again; on a hot summer day - again

the myka yogurt place has not had a line these past two mornings when i pass by . . so i've stopped in for a small yogurt with two toppings each day. yesterday i had chocolate chips and walnuts. today i had olive oil and ground pistachios . . so delicious! this photo is a true new york social media moment: i was talking to my cousin while eating the yogurt and taking a picture! i was going to post it on my ig . . well, maybe i'll do so later. (i was on my way to print out the letter to our cat sitter and was finally successful!) i also stopped at the sustainable shop for a refill of dish detergent.

i've probably passed this dog sculpture more than a dozen times, but today was the first day i noticed it (on 9th or 10th street).

zuzu likes to join me when i sit at the table to write out cards or a letter. thankfully, she let me write this afternoon, and didn't try to head butt me or knock the pen from my hand . . or sit on the card itself. twice last week i stopped working on this task because of her. yes, i'd much rather procrastinate further with my correspondence than put her away in the bedroom. 

we had a nice dinner tonight of left over tuna (for greg) and chicken thighs for chanda and i. chanda did a work shift today and brought home beautiful looking cauliflower and patty pan squash, so we had fresh vegetables too. (it's quite hot today - 93 degrees - but we all must be used to it finally as no one has suggested putting the air conditioner on. of course, 93 is not as bad as 100! we do have the fans going, and there was a nice breeze . . which has sadly disappeared.)

it's almost 11 pm . . i still need to do duolingo and babbel . . language learning has been neglected these past two weeks as i've concentrated on packing and getting the cats and apartment ready for being away for a little bit. 

greg has already fallen asleep.

and here is korrina's beautiful photo from her evening beach visit.

tea and errands on holy thursday

 

janet went with me to the library where i had several books on hold and where she had to have her card re-issued as it had expired. we then went to té for tea. it's such a small and lovely tea shop and everything is delicious. i had mount a-li oolong and she had prickly ash flower herbal which i bought to have with kathy as its flavor is so different and interesting. we also had a sesame cake, red bean cake and an almond cake with citrus jam.

i then went to strand books (for a hideaway gift for chanda - something my family does each year at easter - kathy has something for greg and i but not for c), the sustainable store (for dish detergent) and lifethyme (frozen corn for the chili and some other things such as maple syrup). it was only 47 degrees today, 30 degrees less than yesterday. i was bundled up again with two sweaters, coat, hat and hand mitts. and boots. (i was wearing sandals yesterday!)

i'm dyeing eggs now (six eggs with beets and six eggs with onion skins . . except the beet color didn't work out and now i'm trying tumeric). 

wishing everyone a peaceful and loving maundy thursday.

holiday shopping

greg and i had different chores and errands to do in the morning and then we finally met at union square to look together for a record for my nephew. after visiting barnes and noble (which didn't have what we wanted) we headed to petco for cat food . . 

and ran into santa! was santa in petco . . 

and were these pups and their owners waiting to see him? 

i think they were because here's santa on the balcony by the cat food aisle! i also overheard a manager whispering to santa that a line had formed and he needed to come in and visit with the customers. greg and i were very amused and today when reading an article about christmas trees i saw a long island pet store ad with the times that santa would be available to meet their customers' pets. i guess it's a thing to do these days! i think it's very cute and very crazy. 

we had not eaten breakfast and at 1 pm we were very hungry and happy to find a cozy diner near where we were shopping.

lots of food! half of the wrap sandwiches came home with us.

the grinch kept an eye on us as we ate.

walking home . . such a beautiful sky.

(we were at janet's solstice party for a little while in the evening where we saw several homeschooling friends we hadn't seen in years!)

wandering

 
i passed this mural on second street today . . 

and also popped into this little cookbook shop (which was just up the block from the mural) and had a nice chat with the owner who was very friendly and talking with each customer that wandered in. she had a paper list of all the local independent bookstores in the neighborhood. i was looking for the horn of the moon cookbook, but she said she sold her copy a few years ago. i think strand might have it.

i then wandered to the east village health food store, and then met kendall at the union square green market to say hello. (her sister showed up at the same time . . just out of the blue, thinking she would see kendall there - how serendipitous!) i picked up chestnut honey for marisa and a few things for the week (broccoli for dinner tonight).

photos from my coffee date with korrina

we both had the frappé (coffee and milk blended with whipped cream on top). so delicious!

the cafe has a beautiful fig tree growing in it's tiny front yard.

gorgeous black eyed susans on first avenue . . 

this is going to be a very large and beautiful sunflower one day . . korrina then went to work while i wandered around the health food store and bought a few things . . 

some of which i dropped off to her at work. these bowls with damp towels covering them are sour dough breads on the rise.

prepping for dinner. (i love our coffee dates and it's always fun seeing her at work.)

running around

 
greg and i hopped in the car for a cookie run to veniero's this evening at 6 pm. we thought it was going to pour, but the storm ended up passing south of us.

first we stopped for a bite to eat at hen house, the place around the corner from korrina (we were here for my birthday).

the chicken platter with humus, pickles, rice, eggplant, cabbage . . and chicken. so delicious. greg helped me finish it (he also had a falafel sandwich). (we brought a platter back for chanda.)

finally at veniero's for the cookies (we'll be celebrating my sister and brother-in-law's fifthieh wedding anniversary this weekend).

 they wrapped up a box of rainbow and jam filled cookies for me, and i had a few kept out for greg, chanda and i to have at home. (i spent the day doing last minute laundry, cleaning, preparing notes about the cats for the catsitter, running errands - as in visiting the new petco on park avenue which is amazing - and finally picking out some new summer shirts for myself at the athleta store. now it's time for tea and a cookie for myself.)

monday: errands and advent

i discovered a levain bakery on 18th street when out holiday shopping this afternoon (i was also on my way to drop off korrina's bag of st. nicholas treats since i had forgotten it on sunday).

this shawl reminded me of the shawls my mom crocheted in the 1970's for my sister and i.

at abraço . .

 

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we lit our second advent candle this evening, since we were out so late last night (i made escarole soup with meatballs and lentils) . . 

the second light of advent is the light of plants,

plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.