New Friends and Old Haunts...

Last night I had a lovely dinner with one of my "new" friends. Alison, from Edinburgh!  She brought me the above jar of preserves (which I enjoyed this morning with porridge and "Famous Edinburgh" tea). Couldn't have a better start to a morning...unless I was actually in Edinburgh, of course!

We actually met via the internet pretty much a year ago to the day, now that I think of it.  She co-runs Edinburgh Spotlight and had found my blog while I was last in Edinburgh gushing, I mean blogging, about all my experiences.  Since then we have stayed in touch via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook...and I even wrote an article for her website! It's amazing how small the internet can make the world.

We met up at one of my all time favorite places, La Lanterna, in Greenwich Village. I hadn't been there in a while and thought, what better place!?

It was possibly the first café I visited in New York City way back when I was around 10 years old. My parents and I had come in to visit my Sister while she was attending The Fashion Institute of Technology and she took us there (on Halloween!) I followed and graduated from FIT with a degree in Advertising Design 11 years later. I have introduced many a happy customer to La Lanterna since.  The panini and pumpkin cognac cheesecake make my day every time. I did not get my "usual" dessert wine with biscotti...opting for spiced hot apple cider instead. It totally hit the spot though.

I've been revisiting a lot of my old haunts lately, under new circumstances and not intentionally. It's sort of weird and interesting to view these places from where I am now. I have been surprised to find out that I don't really have an attachment to them.  It's almost as if I'm seeing them through new eyes...like I'm a different person.  I suppose I am.

Last weekend I walked the same route I used to take to visit my Sister in Murray Hill ( I was new to the city as a college freshman). It seemed like a different city.  I once lived on that side of town as well and it was as if I'd never been there. This time I was on my way to meet friends for our trip to Sleepy Hollow...and they are friends I didn't have way back when.

Last night, was La Lanterna.  I went through a stretch in college when I went almost every weekend...and then at least every month or so with friends.  I am no longer in touch with any of those people. The café has changed a lot over the years and I barely looked around while I was there last night. I was more interested in the dinner conversation and luxuriating in my friend's accent.  I miss that sound! On the way to the subway I pointed out "Bleeker Bob's Records"...a place I went when new to the city, as well as the shady looking store next door called "The Best Back Rub...for women and men."  Hilarious.

Next thing I know I'll be directed to FIT, Gramercy Park or Hell's Kitchen.  All places I used to spend my time.  Not sure what it all means...but it's interesting.

XO

*The minute I posted this...I got an e-mail from FIT.  Weird!

Sleepy Holloween!!!

Last year I spent Samhuinn in Edinburgh...and this year I spent it in Sleepy Hollow!  Pretty cool, right?

Even though I live in New York and am a sucker for all things historic, I had never been to Tarrytown...aka Sleepy Hollow before yesterday's journey.  We stopped in on the way to The Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson, NY (which I highly recommend to anyone looking to do something different and definitely awe inspiring for Halloween).

First, a photo stop in Dobbs Ferry:

Next we stopped in at the cemetery where Washington Irving is buried...but we didn't have time to walk it (it's huge!) so we missed out on the headless horseman covered bridge.  Next time, for sure! The cemetery alone could take a whole day.

We popped into The Old Dutch church on the way out.  I was completely charmed by the simplicity and drama of its interior.  The little spiral staircase up to the pulpit....I wonder what words were preached up there back in the day?

Then we took a tour of Philipsburg Manor...and I bought some freshly ground cornmeal and wheat flour!  They were even demonstrating herbal medicine making in the activities center (kismet!) I'd love to go back when I have a little more time.

After dinner at The Headless Horseman Restaurant :) We were off to The Blaze! I had dressed totally inappropriately...so a cup of (over priced) hot apple cider was much appreciated! The Blaze was well worth the very reasonable $16 entrance fee.

Thousands of decoratively carved pumpkins surround you as you walk around the Van Cortlandt Manor grounds...flickering spookily and dazzling the eyes. A truly beautiful spectacle. It was definitely enough to bring out the trick or treating kid in all of us.

Fill in the Blanks...

creative dream assignment: fill in the blanks

if my dream was an animal, it would be a ____Lion____ and it would need ____a mountain____.

if my dream was a colour, it would be ____Green____ and its favourite colour would be ___Purple___.

if my dream was a {real or made-up} holiday, it would be ____Samhain____ and we would celebrate by ____going camping and having a bonfire____.

if my dream was a car it would be a ____mini convertible or a jeep____ and i would drive it to ___the ocean____.

and in honour of my new business partner tree, if my dream was a tree, it would be a ___hawthorn___ and if i could plan it anywhere, i would plant it ____in Scotland___.

bonus question: what insights, ideas and inspiration did you glean about your dream from this assignment?

I was surprised my color's favorite color was purple!  I thought it would have been orange :)

I am inspired, as ever, by the way my responses are based in nature and the Earth.  I want to keep moving in that direction...reconnecting with the Earth.

XO

Newfangled Diaries, These Blogs...

I am a huge lover of all things historic.  Old buildings, ruins and reading about people's lives back in the day...how they did things...dressed...you name it.

I also love researching my family and finding out personal details about the people who came before me (my great grandfather was listed as a tennis racket stringer and then later owned his own barbershop!)

It's a shame, though, that I don't have any personal diaries from these folks. I've kept diaries since I was young...though most of them are poetry journals.

The other day I was reading the blog of a woman who recently passed away and I realized that blogs are a record of our lives that are accessible immediately.  Weird that I hadn't thought about it until then. It was so poignant...reading this woman's words.  So full of life and ideas and humor...it was like I could see her typing up each entry. She was alive in every word.

Facebook and Twitter add into this too. Good lord...some people record every little moment in status updates! I realize that all this online exposure can be a mixed blessing at times. I mean, we do need to filter what we put out there to a degree. I still write out the deeply personal stuff with pen and notebook but am very glad I have this blog to document my life and that people can see it now rather than later.

I had been thinking about how over saturated the blogging world is. Maybe I was wrong?  Maybe it's sort of like an ongoing time capsule that we don't have to wait to dig up in 20 years?

I've certainly shifted my perspective.

XO

The Beauty of Doing Nothing...

Post-Party

I used to think it was terrible to have "nothing" to do. That it meant a lack of a life or laziness.

Now, I not only think it's awesome...I know it's necessary to have "me" time as often as possible to keep a balance in my life.

I can't stress the importance of re-charging the batteries and, on occasion, spending some quality time on your own.  However you enjoy doing that.

I've had some of my best ideas and moments during downtime.  I've had life changing epiphanies during solitary walks in the woods.

And it's especially important following a big upheaval, event or accomplishment.

When I visited Iona for the first time, I took the week after to hang around Edinburgh...walking and thinking and absorbing all the good stuff I'd learned.

Today, I've been relaxing and letting the dishes slide after hosting my first Lion's Share Circle yesterday!  I sat around in my pjs and knit...I even took a nap.

It was a wonderful day and I will blog about it soon :)  But not right now. Now...I'm going to sit and enjoy the aftermath.

XO

P.S. As if reading my mind...my amazing Creative Coach, Andrea, wrote a blog about this very subject a few days ago...right when I was preparing this post! I'd love to share her perspective with you all!

Creative Rest by Andrea Schroeder (ABCcreativity)

Quiet Strength

Edinburgh

Yesterday, when the above photo flashed onto my computer screen, I looked at it in an entirely new way.

It struck me as amazing that the delicate blades of grass had grown up and through the crack in that heavy gravestone...bending and stretching until they reached the sunlight.

What a wonderful gift! Determination, flexibility and gentle strength got them to their goal.

Made me think of one of my favorite Leonard Cohen lyrics:

"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in. "

XO

Taking Time

Good Advice...

I've been trying, sometimes unsuccessfully, to keep my apartment in order.  I thought that I'd do a complete over-haul for my first Lion's Share gathering (which is this Saturday!!!) but, instead, it's remained just about in order...with brief periods of questionable :)

I've been surrounded by so many changes, possibilities and exciting things that I had to take a step back and absorb it all before forging ahead...lest I forget just how far I've come.  I tend to exhaust myself with, "Go...Go...Go!!!"

And...I've also been dealing with a very heavy-footed upstairs neighbor (who apparently refuses to get carpeting) interrupting my sleep...and my flow of inspiration (too tired)! Hence my infrequent blogging lately.

But maybe it's okay for things to be imperfect.

My friends will hardly care that there may be a touch of clutter around my place for this first gathering.  After all...everything's a work in progress.

I still have a little time to clean before the big day...and figure out what fabulous Fall food to prepare...and order the groceries...oh my, there is a lot to do!!!

So far, today, I've cleaned a little...finished one long over-due knitting project (slippers!) and blocked another (a stripey hat!), made yogurt, washed some dishes, attempted to make granola bars...watched some 80s spy TV...sung along to my soundtrack in the kitchen ... :) I gotta be me, after all! Maybe I'll take a relaxing bath before the evening is out...hmmm.

As I sit back and look around at my place after all today's hard work...well...it's still not party-ready. But that's okay! It will all get done.

Fortunately I have enlisted the help of a friend for setting up and general party stuff...all with the promise of a movie night complete with girl-talk and beer. I might introduce her to Dr. Who!

What could be a better kick off to an event!

Now, I must go check on my granola bars...

XO