Craft Thyme

Last night was our first crafting evening at our new location. It worked out well although it's a little cozy. And there are props for photo opportunities!

Food Scraps

The sign is a bit curled up and it's not always posted but this is one of the places I dump my compost. The little Farmer's Market was very sparse today. I suppose the weekend after Thanksgiving is not a very big vegetable buying time...especially with people out of town.

It was gray with a few snowflakes now and then in 30 degree weather.

The Kitty & the Outhouse

I don't know why someone painted a cat on the side of a porta-potty. I don't know why the cat has three eyes. Sometimes you just have to take a picture of a strange thing.

It was very quiet in the city early on Black Friday. I wasn't walking through any areas that are likely to be swamped with shoppers. It seems that an awful lot of people don't have to work on Black Friday...unless they work in retail.

If you saw some snow falling during the parade yesterday you will be glad to know it didn't stick unless, of course, you thought it was time for NYC to have some of the snow that was blanketing many other parts of the country.

Morning temperature: 30 degrees

Steps: 8260

Happy Thanksgiving!

Colorful Flowers

It's a gray rainy day and feels colder than it really is. I hope these flowers sold at a local deli will bring a bit of cheer. They are not colors found in nature which is a little scary but they are still cheerful!



Morning temperature: 46 degrees
Steps: 9877

Old Fashioned Toy

Here's another old fashioned toy that doesn't look too safe for the little ones.

 

Morning temperature: 61 degrees

 

Steps: 10,185

It's Turkey Season

This was 2014 Thanksgiving #1 held last night. It was a great feast for about 27 of us. The host has a small narrow kitchen.  I might kill for this counter space!

PS: I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the dessert spread. It had at least as many items.

Morning temperature: 61 degrees

Steps: 10,066

Wreath

A "Real Simple" magazine survey says 77% of people do not like Christmas decorations appearing before Thanksgiving. And 81% don't want to hear Christmas songs before Thanksgiving. I'm with them. I like the decorations and the songs (except The Twelve Days of Christmas and the one about the drummer boy!) But seeing and hearing them for 3 months a year dilutes the specialness for me.

Christmas is apparently a $600 billion selling season so I won't be surprised when the decorations and songs appear by February!

Holiday Decorating

 

The holiday decorations were going up at Abingdon Square today when I stopped by to deposit my compost. The trees in this little park have lost most of their leaves so a little more green is welcome.

Farmer Toy

Just like a farmer...even as a toy he's always working! 

Morning temperature: 27 degrees

Steps: 9213

Teddy

This little bear looks awfully cute sitting in his big red chair in the store window but I think he needs his very own home!

Morning temperature: 34 degrees

Steps: 12,024

Fall Color

Much of the country is covered in snow but I'm finally getting some fall color on the way to work!

Morning temperature: 21 degrees

Steps: 9298

Jump Rope

7:30am, 27 degrees and this guy is jumping rope on a corner...wearing his short sleeve t-shirt and shorts! That rope is spinning so fast you can barely see it! Besides jumping he was spinning round and round. I was exhausted and dizzy just watching him.

Morning temperature: 27 degrees...colder with that wind

Steps: 8473

Barber Shop

Does Krispy Kutz sound like a place anyone would want to go to for a haircut?

Morning temperature: 41 degrees

Steps: 10,217

Bake Sale

Here are a few of my contributions to the Bake Sale. Some of my stuff was spread out at the other end of the tables too. Can't say that this photo makes them look so good!

 Look what else you could get at the Bake Sale. Well, you might not get to take him home but this shows the extremes that some people will go to in order to sell a few goodies!


We sold a lot of items even though we had to have the sale 3 weeks earlier than the traditional date.

Baking Cakes

Baking all day for the Bake Sale.

Flower Dress

 Here's a big colorful flower dress for a cold, gray day. Most store windows look like winter or Christmas now but this one just came out with this springy display.

Morning temperature: 37 degrees

Steps: 9331

Jesus

For a little variety I walk down a few different streets on my way to work.  Somehow I've never noticed Jesus in a box in the neighborhood.

Morning temperature: 39 degrees

Steps: 9786

Fall Flowers

These fall flowers look cheerful even though they are artificial. But the question is --- why is there a window box flower arrangement hanging on a wall with no window?


Morning temperature: 59 degrees

Steps: 9094

Veterans Day

Thank you to all the veterans of military service including my dad who served in the Korean War before I was born...and a special thanks to the women who are not always acknowledged. This memorial is located in Albany, New York.

Morning temperature: 52 degrees

Steps: 13,837

Chili Pepper Bouquets

Chili pepper bouquets at the GreenMarket are a good way to start off a Monday. I didn't buy one but I liked them a lot!

Morning temperature: 46 degrees

Steps: 11,691

Ladies of Stone

Sunny Saturday

It was a dry, sunny, cold day for errands...kind of perfect. This is a part of a street fair that we stumbled upon.  It's nice to have a street fair with the Empire State Building in a sky of variegated blue providing scenery in the background. The darker trees are in Madison Square Park. See, they are still green!

We made a stop at the busy Union Square GreenMarket to drop off the compost. I also had some clothes and a coat to drop off at the Textile Recycling booth. The items were just a bit too ratty to donate but they're fine to be shredded into insulation!

The Kitten Mitten

I felt bad when I saw this little kitten with a crown mitten abandoned on the sidewalk. Some little one is probably missing it. I'm not sure why but I feel like there should be a children's book about the lost kitten mitten!

Morning temperature: 47 degrees

Steps:  7712

Going Up

This lousy photo doesn't really show you much but it might tell you that this plaza goes up not out

The Costco stores I've been to are mainly sprawling stores in the middle of huge parking lots often with other big chain stores located nearby. In Manhattan, the plazas and the parking lots go up not out,  The former 1903 Washburn Wire Factory - once possibly the largest factory in NYC - was transformed (or bulldozed) into a 5 story 6 acre shopping plaza.

There's also Target, Burlington, Aldi's, PetSmart, Marshalls, Old Navy and a few other stores along with an Applebee's just outside. Oh, and a 1200+ parking garage.



Morning temperature: 46 degrees

Steps: 12,357

Tipsy

It looks like these girls are a little tipsy but really...this is just what happens when you prop the camera on a newspaper dispenser for a self-timer shot...and it moves at the last minute! Then again there may have been drinks at the birthday dinner

Morning temperature: 56 degrees

Steps:  9589

Vote Aqui

It's election day in New York. Voting for the governor is the big item today in my district. No other hotly contested races or proposals. My usual polling place had a bit of a surprise in store. We had to take the elevator to the 7th floor.

It's a bigger space which is, I'm sure, why they moved it but it makes it a little more time consuming.  It's still a dark place. There must be more lights available!

I vote before going to work so it is never very busy...but that whole elevator process is going to be challenging when the lines get long.

Morning temperature: 53 degrees

Steps:  10,188

Crafters

The Saturday night crafters

It was a little lighter this morning since the time change.  Due to a train delay I had to take a bus again to work. I lucked out this time and got an express bus which only stopped every 10 blocks rather than every 2 blocks...still it makes a longer commute.

Morning temperature: 43 degrees, 58 degrees in the office

Steps:  9644

Day of the Dead - Day 2

Happy Day of the Dead!

In NYC, the Day of the Dead is becoming much more visible. It started as a Mexican celebration and migrated first to other Spanish speaking countries. It looks macabre but is really a time to remember friends, relatives and ancestors who have died. Sounds like a good idea to me!