silkscreens!

The apartment is small and the carpet is currently littered with newly silkscreened prints-quite the collage!

Good eats

We ate out tonight at one of my favorite local places: Jackson Hole Diner. I just love tastes & aromas -all due to my parents and family. Jackson Hole was packed this COLD evening . I had grilled portabello (earthy) with goat cheese (salty) and onions (creamy) on grainy bread with a carrot laden salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette (tangy). Yum . As the economy sours we are eating in & eating healthy but once in awhile we do go out to some local place to enjoy the experience of eating out with others-and we are choosing where to spend our money in hopes of supporting local places as things get worse. Eating out is no longer frivolous but has become a conscious act -who to support,how best to spend our funds and how many meals can be gotten from the doggy bags. 

Early morning surprise:if you get coffee from Starbucks today you'll get this really cool red, white & blue cuff- the perfect keep sake to pass on to future generations! On  a more serious  note: the day is amazingly sunny and  we'll be glued to the T.V. and listening to NPR to follow this day in American history. Very cool!

We hung the flag this morning in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King day & we'll leave it lit for the night . 

In celebration of our Newest President:

We've done some decorating  for Monday's holiday:Dr. Martin Luther King day as well as Tuesday's inauguration of President Elect Obama. Paper star by me!

What to do with one's Christmas tree

Judging by the many  Christmas trees I am seeing on the curb corners these days, I must be the only one who does this: I have begin cutting off branches and placing them into vases on the dining room table. This prolongs Christmas and it fills the apartment with the woods-y scent of pine.  I should mention my parents left their trees up for months when I was little. I think the longest they left it up was Easter. What can I say=we're artists. We do things different. (That said-try my suggest-the place smells fantastic-like bringing the outdoors in:a good antidote to winter cabin fever.) 

still life in snow

Found in "Flag Pole Park" nearby (the flag pole has been under repair for over one year now but who is counting -the poor thing was once the mast of a famous boat but had deteriorated to the point of no return.) this looked almost like a sculpture by Isamu Noguchi in it's simplicity and use of natural materials. 

Good Luck,skill,blessings...

We had some excitement here today in N.Y.C.-an airplane was forced to land in the Hudson River just minutes after take off due to problems. News reports say 155 people were on board the plane and : many came to help, everyone was rescued and what could have been disastrous was , instead , miraculous. Thank goodness for whatever happens at times like that:good luck that comes into play, the experience, training & skill of all involved, being in the right place at the right time/ timing...with so much bad news on the radar of one's life - today's "happy ending" is a welcome reminder of what is really important-like knowing the one's you love are safe and warm & dry. 

Life on the 1st floor...

I saw this window on the  1st floor of a nearby apartment building. Kind of funny & sort of artistic. I passed it by and then back tracked, taking out my camera to capture it. 

The view from the 4th floor tonight:

We were supposed to get as much as 10" of snow today...we got much less & it sounds as if it might be followed by rain.

Some anise , several cloves & some orange peel

The apartment has been dry lately due to winter time heat so I tossed some spice into a pot of water to slowly simmer, sending scent into the air...

Happy new year!

I sincerely hope 2009 is the very best year yet for all! May there be much  happiness, good health, love, peace & joy .

On display

Hanging in the apartment was some art of mine-the last to be completed in 2008. They were 2 mandalas begun in early 2008 . When I brought them home to dry and hung them from the string of lights, like laundry hung to dry, they took on the look of Tibetan Prayer flags. 

the last moments of year 2008

On New Years eve night I ran out into the freezing cold to pick up some New Years gear. Might as well make some noise as the old year exits and the new one emerges!

Then, we watched -with great attention, the man with whom we have welcomed in every New Year for as long as we can recall:Dick Clark. It would not be New Years eve without him and his resilience is inspiring.