Christmas time in New York

 

Caught the wonderful Broadway show, Cabaret, on Sunday with the remarkable Alan Cumming and the current Sally - Emma Stone.  Both terrific, the cast amazing.  Quite different from the movie version, closer to the book The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood.  Adored the actress Linda Emond and her soaring voice as the landlady and her love interest played with such pathos by Danny Burstein.  Did the crowded Fifth Avenue stroll afterwards (the tree, the tree) and then onto Bryant Park where I love to stop in the summer for an iced drink after visiting Patience and Fortitude, the Library Lions.  Now it's a Christmas wonderland with a surprisingly large ice rink, a lovely tree, and many little wooden "houses" filled with gifts and food goodies and the like.  Ample room to sit and rest and watch the skaters here as well - and just a short stroll to Grand Central Station.  A good time was had by all. 

Sunday Quote

You may be whatever you resolve to be.  Determine to be something in the world and you will be something.  "I cannot," never accomplished anything, "I will try," has wrought wonders.

- J. Hawes

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Sunday Quote

It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'Try to be a little kinder'.

- Aldous Huxley  

Sunday Question

Morning stripes

Woodstock wandering

Loved this combo, great little artsy shops abound. Got treats both vegan and regular at the divine peace love and cupcakes, had a delicious supper at Joshua's   

Some pig

Beautiful countryside, mountain backdrop

Love this!

Once was an old shop...a great guy named Lenny who had been a former city guy ran a head shop across the way, a sharer of plum wine and wild stories

A fun day trip with a great traveling companion, my fabulous daughter. We hit the road post Sunday bagels. ;) and as we drove realized the Storm King Art place not far, spring road trip noted. I spent a summer living and working in Woodstock a million years ago. Some friends put together a jewelry shop and we all shared shop duties, a bare bones apartment, even gained a rescue kitten from a dire situation (who went on to live a long healthy life with my best friend's parents). 

The astonishing beauty of common things

Cast back to Day of the Dead

Yearly our library hosts a fantastic visual display by a local artist group to celebrate this holiday. Here's a peek at it.

Sunday Quote

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

- T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets.

Carry darkness, carry light

A different kind of bloom

A Squeak Past Midnight Sunday Quote

Put yourself into life and never lose your openness, your childish enthusiasm throughout the journey that is life, and things will come your way.

- Federico Fellini

A new poem out for your reading pleasure :)

I am liking using these photos from Cape Cod (our August vacation) to illustrate writing work that is out.  I meant to have a lot of great posts from Cape Cod but have been falling behind blog posts, getting photos out of cameras, and quite a lot besides that.  Not the most organized time for me, summer.  Hopefully the more interior life of winter will allow me to get my assorted houses (literary, emotional, spiritual, and actual very messy one) in order.
Meanwhile, a good thing - a new poem out on the great new site I only recently discovered, Woman Around Town. My poem, The Botanical Gardens Gift Shop, is available to read here.  I hope you enjoy it and - as ever - thoughts on any work is always appreciated.

A story just out - Loose Ends - for a fun, quick read.

Very pleased to have a short story out.  The short story is called Loose Ends and is available to read online here at Imitation Fruit.  They have previously published a story of mine called The Lawn Chair.  The Lawn Chair was a story written for my Dad even though obviously a work of fiction.  It seemed a bit unfair as my mother was the one who always wanted me to write something about her.  Loose Ends is the sort of story she would have enjoyed, light and fun with a good streak of humor.  Both of these stories veer some distance away from the usual fare of my fiction and it pleased me to be able to write something different than my usual dark and murky tales to honor first my Dad and now my Mom.  And yes, it is fiction and no, no one including my Mom was actually these people, but it was inspired by a line she said about bucket lists the day before she died.  As ever, would love to hear any thoughts. 

Tucker

So many photos to post, more carnival, a pumpkin country day, but all we are focused on our wee dog at the vet today  for what we hope is a minor thing and who hopefully will be just fine.    

Carnival

 

 

 

Gorgeous walk in Noank, Connecticut

It's ridiculously pretty up there.  We were strolling through Haley Farm State Park, a favorite spot when we are up that way.

Experiment deux

Must be October...

Experiment