new york diary - day 13

Today's big outing was to the Peekskill Museum, just a few blocks down the street. We were the only people there and got a personal guided tour, including the maid's quarters on the third floor, which is not open to the public. The only shortcoming of the musuem is that there isn't much signage to explain the displays. But since we had the guide's full attention, this didn't matter. Here are a few pics:

The Museum is in the beautiful Herrick House,
built around 1878.

Bust of Lincoln.

Intricate handiwork.

 

Peekskill's Famous Ball of String
Begun on January 11, 1911 by Jay R. Decatur
Weighs 230 lbs; diameter 30 inches
A penny is at it's centre.

new york diary - day 12

Made cookies last night as Deb and I were craving something sweet after our super healthy dinner. It took an hour to mix the dough. Kana's pantry is so well stocked that each ingredient required a major hunt. It's so much easier to find things when there is nothing in the cupboard! But the results were well worth the time. The recipe is eggless so you basically end up with chocolate chip shortbread. So yummy!

This morning I was up early, having cookies and coffee for breakfast and enjoying the most gorgeous foggy morning. Dropped Deb off at the train at 8:15 for another day in NYC. Contemplated joining her but since it is Black Friday and I decided to spend the day as a country mouse rather than face the mayhem.

Afternoon and evening - reading on the patio in the sunshine, cleaning the house, walking the dog and starting the ethics portion of my thesis.

Cookie Recipe
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in vanilla.
4. Add flour and baking powder; beat until just mixed.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans (dough will be stiff).
6. Using about 2 tbsp of dough, shape into balls and arrange a couple of inches apart on a cookie sheet; flatten slightly.
7. Bake until cookies are slightly brown at the edges, about 30 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

new york diary - day 11

After a late night yesterday, I slept in properly today. Deb brought me coffee in bed around 10:30 and we spend half an hour chatting and watching the deer. Such a great way to wake up!

Another work day. Finished the MALT grant application. Nice to have it off my plate. Then took Molly for a walk around the nearby lake, which was a total drag. Quite literally. She didn't want to walk.... she just wanted to sniff every single leaf. We had words but explaining that Ceasar says she is not the pack leader didn't seem to help. When we got back, she was done with me and parked herself outside Deb's door until Deb finished doing yoga.

Today is American Thanksgiving, or as they like to say down here... Thanksgiving. We're celebrating with ratatouille (minus the peppers) made by Deb and wine bought by me. Then maybe some knitting or reading by the fire. Tomorrow will be about as exciting as today but I promise, I'll do something besides lounge about on Saturday!

 

new york diary - day 10

Kind of a useless day. Slept in until 7:30 (I know..... big sleep in...), drank coffee, walked Molly and then puttered around doing very little until 2:30 when I convinced Deb that we needed to get outside and enjoy the beautiful day. We took Molly for a long walk around town, picked up a few groceries, and looked for a pub that I enjoyed the last time I was here. Then more wasting time. Mostly surfing the 'net. Sad but true.

However.... the day isn't a total loss because our evening will be spent with Bond, James Bond at the UA Cortlandt Town Center Stadium (that's the movie theatre, folks). The GPS will once again be put to good use but I think I could find my way without it. It is just a few miles past the grocery store that I so successfully located (and then found my way home from) two days ago.

new york diary - day 9

Took the train to the city this morning, cabbed to the High Line, walked the High Line, walked to Purl Soho (bought yarn) and J Crew (bought nothing), walked to Frye (Deb bought badly needed boots), took the subway back to Grand Central. Was a bit of an overwhelming whirlwind trip. Too much to see and do. Too many people. We were both in sensory overload and needed the peaceful train trip back to Peekskill to calm our minds and rest our feet for the long uphill walk back to Brad and Kana's house where sweet Molly greeted us. And needed a walk.

Here are a few pics from the day...

Needs no explanation...

High Line love.
 

View of the High Line with very few people,
which was totally not the reality.

Lip building, for Marilee.

Deb taking a pic of the super yummy beer we had with lunch.
I'm probably not doing it any favours by saying it smelled like cat pee,
but once the brew hit the tongue that totally disappeared (thankfully).

Yarn love, for Elizabeth.

new york diary - day 8

Buoyed by yesterday's success navigating to the grocery store, I decided to make my way to an outlet mall about 40 minutes away. On the map it looked easy. Left turn, drive straight, right turn. No problem. Except that there were 4 roundabouts, a toll bridge and a scary, snaky, skinny highway between me and the mall. I do not love shopping so if I had known I probably would have just spent another day at home.

Was successful in buying a bunch of stuff for very little cash once I got there. 4 pairs of pants, 2 button down shirts, long sleeved t-shirt and two sweaters for about $260. Then, with full knowledge of what lay ahead, I made my way back.

The Bear Mountain Hwy is the second scariest road I have been on. Hwy 1 to Big Sur in California being the first. The snaky was okay it was the skinny I had a hard time with. Nothing like taking a blind corner and meeting a truck that is over the centre line because they are too big for their lane. And I find it weird because Americans like big vehicles.

But anyway.... home safe. Deb made me a lovely dinner and took care of me. Spending the rest of the evening with a big glass of wine.

Stir fried veggies with peanut sauce over rice and lentils
Yummy salad with cashews and avacado
(Photo courtesy of Deb's phone)

new york diary - day 7

The morning was spent in the park, taking pictures of the pretty little lake and all the geese. Molly was interested but not keen on getting too close. Which was fine by me. I only like geese from a distance as well.

This afternoon, I managed to drive to the grocery store and back, thankful the entire way for GPS. The meandering roads make no sense to this "gimme a grid" prairie girl. The only real problem was my lead foot, which I totally had to watch. That 50 on the speedometer is not in kilometers!!!

Okay... before I tell you this next bit, let me assure you that I'm not pregnant or crazy (or pregnant and crazy). After my big excursion, I rewarded myself with my first peanut butter and pickle sandwich. The thing is, on the plane I was reading The Round House, which has this passage:

First, we unstuck the bread slices carefully from the peanut butter. Next we tucked in my mother's famous little crunchy pickles. Last, we closed the sandwiches back up. The pickle juice salted the peanut butter, cut the stickiness so you could swallow each bite, and added just the right hot, sour bite to the nuts.

And when I arrived at Kana and Brad's the same day I read that passage, an article on this Depression-era invention was on their coffee table. I could only take that as a sign. I wanted to make it with sour dough bread but there wasn't any at the grocery store. Used the sweet pickles already in the fridge. The ciabatta was a good bread choice, but bread and butter pickles would be much better. The sweet pickles lacked zing. Natural peanut butter is a must. Will definitely experiment further.

new york diary - day 6

My zen vacation continues. Despite Deb's company the day was still spent walking the dog, drinking coffee and drinking tea. In the afternoon, Deb napped while I watched deer out the back window.

Things got even more zen around 2:30 when the power went out. Brought in fire wood and prepared for an evening of reading by candlelight but it was back on two hours later. Not sure what happened. I didn't mind the thought of an even quieter evening than usual but I'm actually happier having a working furnace.

Deb and I did manage to sort of make plans for next week. High Line, Purl Soho, Tenement Museum (maybe...), New York Botanical Garden... and lots of walking around the city with our cameras. She's off to dance tango and take in the big city for a few days, while Molly and I and keep up our rigorous routine of doing as little as possible.

new york diary - day 5

This was the most exciting thing that happened today. Until 7:45 p.m. when Deb arrived!

new york diary - day 4

Very quiet day. Two long walks, read the New York Times (including a hilariously scathing review of a restaurant I won't be going to), worked on a grant application for MALT, drank tea, read books, drank wine, read more books. Molly helped.

Molly keeping me at the computer by being too cute to disturb.

new york diary - day 3

Yesterday I rode around with Brad in the afternoon while he saw clients and looked at the many trees that came down during Sandy and now have to be cleared. One client was in Sleepy Hollow, which was oddly exciting considering what a truly sleepy town it is. The evening was spent reading, roasting chestnuts and sitting in front of the fire with a dark and stormy while Brad packed. So, about those chestnuts..... it was a first for me and I'm totally smitten. So sweet and delicious!

Score chestnuts using a sharp bread knife.

Place in salted water and bring to a boil.
Then roast in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cover with a towel or
lid and let steam for 15 minutes.

Peel and enjoy!

Today was productive, if not a thrill a minute. Took Molly on two long walks to survey the storm damage and worked on my MALT duties. This evening will also be spent in front of the fire, reading and drinking wine but alas, no chestnuts. Have I mentioned that I'd like to be retired and wealthy and spend all of my evenings like this?



Molly surveying.

Some of the damage.
Also a few lines still down but presumably turned off.
Didn't test them out!

new york diary - day 1 & 2

12 November
Long day. Up at 5:15 a.m. and head didn't hit the pillow until 11:45 p.m. Flights were relatively smooth, whizzed through customs without any hassle ('cause I wasn't traveling with the Khan brothers....), and made my connection with time to spare. Two extra hours, actually, which was fine because I'm reading a great book. Spent the sunset circling around NY waiting to land. Was completely gorgeous. Black sky above, strip of deep red where there was a break in the clouds, grey sky, and then the city.

Arrived in the middle of rush hour so Brad suggested dinner in Jackson Heights before hitting the road. Felt like Delhi (in my untraveled mind) until you heard the young Indian women talking in their New York accents. Then it felt like NY.

Jackson Heights decorated for Eid, Christmas and Deepavali

Jackson Heights

Queensboro Bridge

13 November
Can't escape the grey! Argh! A dull, rainy day. But definitely still fall and not the winter I left behind. Plan to spend it drinking coffee, lounging with Molly and reading. I think we'll be doing some driving around this evening so I can figure out where things are. Like the grocery store. Very important! But generally a low key day.

Sweet Molly

yesterday and today

Winnipeg and much of the prairies experienced what I like to call instant winter. The weather channel calls it a Colorado low. Whatever, the result is the same... heaps of snow in a pretty short period of time. Twenty heavy, wet centimeters so far and it is still coming down. Lexi loves it. I love it too, actually, though it feels a bit early for this sort of thing.

Hoping it doesn't put a spanner in my travel plans because I have +17 and partly sunny waiting for me. New York, here I come! Maybe.

The wind in your face during last week's blizzard. The awful sting of the cold, and you out there in the empty streets wondering what possessed you to leave the house is such a pounding storm, and yet, even as you struggled to keep your balance, there was the exhilaration of that wind, the joy of seeing the familiar streets turned into a blur of white, whirling snow.

Paul Auster, Winter Journal

november theme song

This song has been on regular rotation the last couple of weeks but the reason it's my November theme song is because of the first line: Morning, it's another dull grey morning....

Just heard on the radio that we've had 5 whole hours of sunshine since October 14th. Ugh. It's making pretty much everyone I know grouchy and lethargic. Despite dedicated use of my light box, I find myself dragging through every day. Hoping this will be my December theme song.

movember

Celebrated the kick-off of Movember by getting electrolysis on my upper lip. Ladies, this month is for the dudes only! Don't let this be you...

roasted tomatoes

About a month ago, I brought in my green tomatoes. I cut the plants, leaving the tomatoes on the vine and I hang them in the basement. (Can't remember where I learned this... I think Martha Stewart, but can't find it on her website) I've had tomatoes as late as January this way, which is amazing! This year they are all going ripe at once so tonight I made roasted tomatoes for dinner.

My mom sent me a really easy recipe. Heat oven to 425 F. Depending on the size, halve or quarter the tomatoes and core them. Lay on a baking sheet with a rim (very important unless you particularly like cleaning the oven). Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

The recipe says to roast for 15 to 25 minutes but I think this depends on the kind of tomato. This time is probably right for paste tomatoes such as Romas but I had to roast them for about 45 minutes. Tossed them with basil (thanks Marilee!) and topped with goat cheese. 

They made a great side dish with scrambled eggs and toast. Breakfast for dinner is the best! Especially on a cold, raining night when we're both home late and don't feel like cooking. Yum! Yum!

october theme song

Two days ago I discovered CBC music. They've been talking about it on the radio for months and I've been ignoring it but then they started running ads for the Bollywood stream. I have a weird affection for Bollywood, though I think generally I enjoy the videos more than the music by itself. It's just not the same without the elaborate dance routines, over-the-top costumes and the sexy(?) mustachioed men. But I do love this song and totally want to see the movie!

What I've mostly been listening to is Jian Ghomeshi's New Wave stream. Ahhhh, the 80s.

So... a little CBC music love.... it's an awesome service. It's free. They only ask for a bare minimum of personal info in order to sign up. There are dozens of streams to choose from. You have the ability to like music and build your personal playlists. You can connect with musicians if you're into that sort of thing. Listen to concerts. There are no commercials (except for ads on the website). Couple of minor things bug me about the functionality of the website but I'm pretty much a convert.

Have it playing in the background while I write this post. Thinking of Tracy at this very moment because Simon Le Bon is belting out Ordinary World in that distinctive wail of his. Ooo! Guitar solo! Check it out people!

first day of fall

Some sure signs that fall is really here...

cats under cover

frost warnings

canning like crazy

Not to mention carb cravings, soup, hot cocoa, boots, scarves, many layers, a hot water bottle in bed and a stubborn resistance to turning on the furnace!

september theme song

Took my first dip at the Sherbrook Pool this afternoon. In early July, inspired by our trips to the lake and by the free swimming offered by the City, I bought a suit and goggles.... and promptly got sick. Promised O that I would take it easy today. Still in recovery mode (though I'm a bit in denial about it!) and get fatigued if I do too much, so limited myself to 3 laps and some random floating around. Was in and out of the water in 15 minutes. But it was a great 15 minutes.

The Sherbrook Pool is my kinda place. Dingy, old, small, quiet and most definitely a neighbourhood pool. Very much reminded me of the beloved old YMCA that I grew up with in Brandon in the 70s. Plus, I recently found out that my Grandma Taylor learned to swim there when she was in her 50s, which is pretty cool.

Going to go to the free Friday swim until I'm somewhat employed again and then I'll get a pass and start going to the lane swim. Was a bit of a crazy free-for-all today!

wildlife of manitoba

My sister is posting pictures of Manitoba wildlife over at her blog, so I thought I'd post a few here as well...

cheeky squirrel and oblivious cat

orb weaving spider in our garage

painted lady at pinawa

lexi leaping (okay.... not exactly wildlife
but she is pretty wild and crazy!)

goodbye summer

O and I ended summer the same way we started it.... at lovely and deserted Patricia Beach. We had a great day lounging, reading, having a picnic and swimming in the noticeably cooler lake. Capped off with onion rings and a chocolate shake, of course!

The whole weekend was pretty much one long, awesome goodbye to summer. On Friday we went to our new favorite restaurant. It was a belated birthday celebration (since I spent the actual day on the sofa) and we thoroughly made up for it. Cocktails, appetizers, entrees, wine, dessert and Turkish coffee. And a cab home!

Saturday morning we went to the market. I spent the afternoon making apple jelly and tomato relish. O checked out Barge Fest in the evening but I was way too tired to join him. Sunday evening we went to see Marley at Cinematheque. It was amazing! I've always loved his music but actually knew very little about him. Some incredible archival footage and great interviews. Very poignant. And then Monday, the beach, listening to Bob Marley both ways.

Today definitely feels like fall. I'm always sad to see summer go but this year especially so because I missed so much of it (making pot pie for dinner to console myself). And then back to school on Friday.

august theme song

O and I hosted our first party together last night, a house concert with the fabulous Greg MacPherson and the currently nameless band that O and Claire Therese have recently put together.

So many "wish you were here's". Tried to entice Deb to fly in from Montreal as she seemed like the most likely of my far flung friends to make an impromptu trip to Winnipeg for the weekend but she already had plans. Kana... after so many parties together in Brandon it just felt wrong not to have you here. Especially as the night wound down. You totally should have been on the patio with us, drinking one more drink than was strictly necessary. Tracy... I know you and D would have loved the performances and the cozy atmosphere. Karen... I made tarts galore! Would loved to have spent the afternoon baking with you and debating about crusts. And then watching the guests scarf them back. Danette... well, if you'd been here we probably would have taken advantage of your musical talents.

As it was, we had a good crowd. About twenty friends from both our circles who don't normally hang out but who share quite a few connections. Typical of our demographic, it wasn't a super late night. But it was a good time. My only complaint is that I felt like I didn't get to spend much time with anyone.

Went a bit crazy in the kitchen. Made two kinds of mini quiche, tzatziki, a disappointing white bean dip that needed a lot of tweaking, eggplant fritters (which I forgot to put out until almost everyone was gone), macaroons, chocolate shortbread cookies, and three kinds of tarts (with an unpleasantly chewy cream cheese crust that I won't make again). Also had garden veggies, watermelon, almond stuffed olives, crackers and sweet potato chips. Had so much fun baking. It was kind of the highlight for me, actually.

The music was fantastic. Greg, as always, put on an amazing show and was completely charming. Claire is not a seasoned performer and was a bit nervous at first, but O was rock solid. They've only been playing together for a few months and its impressive how good they are already. Claire's songs are really lovely. She thanked me for putting up with them rehearsing in our house but I honestly don't mind. It's like a free weekly concert!

By the way, if you have any band name suggestions, please leave it in the comments. :]

a good year for cake

I'm guessing that the photo above is from my 7th birthday. Don't remember the exact year but I do remember the cakes! We were traveling to visit my dad's family in BC in late July. I had a birthday cake in Brandon before we left and then a series of cakes as we visited relative after relative. Although I look like the least happy person in this picture, I was mighty impressed by the doll cake my Auntie Corrine had made for me. It was truly something else.

My aunt doesn't make me birthday cakes anymore but that's okay because now I have Marilee and her impressive baking skills in my life. Et voila! The Groovy Girl cake!

And that's not all. By showing up at Marilee's at just the right time, I was able to mooch part of a peach cake that was fresh out of the oven. O's verdict was it was the best non-chocolate cake ever. I'll go one further and say it was the best cake of any kind ever.

Tonight, Elizabeth and I are going to Baked Expectations to belatedly celebrate our birthdays. I definitely see a piece of old fashioned chocolate cake in my near future!

in the garden

ladybug release

first harvest

cute cukes

nothing like garden tomatoes!