pics from the storm on thursday

the storm that blew through last thursday left so much wet snow, that leaves and branches came crashing down for hours. i was walking home from running birthday errands and i could hear the branches creaking and then crashing down from so many trees. i even had to be careful of what i was walking under. it was really dreadful and sad.

 

 these photos were taken several days ago, but the branches are still in the streets today. they haven't all been picked up yet. city workers are still trimming broken limbs from the trees in the parks. it's been such a massive clean up.

 this is a pic of the new fence we have for the small garden on jane street. it looks . . dapper!

we hadn't finished with autumn . . and winter came!

theatre performance

 morgana and i bought flowers from our favorite florist for a friend's shakespeare performance this afternoon.

 

 she played the countess olivia in twelfth night, and she did a great job and looked like she was having such a good time.

i was sitting in the back row and so i felt hidden enough to sneak a video.

another grey day . .

at the nutcracker gala

 chanda and i attended the patrelle nutcracker gala this evening. i was not sure if i wanted to go, as i usually feel that i don't know enough people to talk with. i also never like what i wear. however, today i went out and bought a new pair of shoes at payless (they always have good, low prices) that i could wear with an old betsy johnson dress from when i was in my twenties. i didn't think i could pull that off, but a pair of black tights helped.

 also, i ended up talking with several different people and really enjoying catching up with what they and their children are doing. i also enjoyed watching the hors d'oeuvres that i made quickly disappear! (i brought the same ones that i made up last year: cured sasuage on a toothpick with a grape and a slice of manchego cheese.)

 mr. patrelle is holding court in his chair in the center of the room. at the time these photos were taken, the silent auction had just ended and the winners were waiting on line to make their payments while workers started packing up the food and the chairs.

 in the back of the room, on the left, was a chocolate fondue. they had this last year also, and it was the highlight. i dipped strawberries and bananas into a cascading fountain of chocolate.

 waiting for chanda to finish chatting with friends . . 

as is this young person (waiting for her mom to finish talking also).

birthday cake

one of my favorite breakfasts is a slice of warm apple pie with a hot cup of earl grey tea.

celebrating nineteen years

today chanda had her nineteenth birthday. 

 is madeline guarding the gift, or looking for pigeons on the fire escape and enjoying the sunshine?

 greg left late for work so he could share in the birthday breakfast.

after breakfast, chanda ran off to a ballet class and morgana helped me make an apple pie.

 

 i love the way she rolls the crust, and now that i've observed it carefully, i hope i can do the same.

 for dinner we had butternut squash ravioli from the eataly marketplace (with browned butter and sage), along with brussel sprouts sautéed in olive oil and garlic).

 (in the bag was a new leotard . . morgana always teases chanda on the number of leotards she owns. it's true that she probably has enough for a full month).

i was pleased with how the pie came out . . there's a trick to the baking time. i set the oven temperature at 400 degrees F and left it at that for eight minutes, after which i then lowered it to 350 and set the timer for 40 minutes. the apples were still solid, but wonderfully soft and the crust was brown and flaky.

----

and i finally posted about saturday's visit to the sheep and wool festival on october 20th . . you can find it here.

snowy day

it's been so cold and today it began snowing at noon. it's devastating for the trees as they are heavy with their leaves and branches have been falling everywhere. it's a little sad.

we went to the animal shelter in soho to see if they had any kittens. tomorrow is chanda's birthday and she's been asking for a kitten since hermione died. we didn't come home with one today, which is just as well as we have to be away for thanksgiving and i wouldn't know what to do with it during that time. however, she has her eye on a little fellow who is too young yet to be adopted (only eight weeks old), so she plans to visit regularly for a few weeks to see how he does and then perhaps bring him home when he's a little older.

sunday morning service

we had such a nice visit with jenny and greg at church this morning.

and a delicious coffee hour breakfast.

a poem for sunday

 new york

but see! the broadening river deeper flows,

its tribute floods intent to reach the sea,

while, from the west, the fading sunlight throws

its softening hues on stream, and field, and tree;

all silent nature bathing, wondrously,

in charms that soothe the heart with sweet desires,

and thoughts of friends we ne'er again may see,

till lo! ahead, manhatta's bristling spires,

above her thousand roofs red with day's dying fires,

may greet the wanderer of columbia's shore,

proud venice of the west! no lovelier scene.

 of thy vast throngs now faintly comes the roar,

though late like beating ocean surf i ween, --

and everywhere thy various barks are seen,

cleaving the limpid floods that round thee flow,

encircled by thy banks of sunny green, --

the panting steamer plying to and fro,

or the tall sea-bound ship abroad on wings of snow.

by theodore sedgewick fay (1807 - 1898)