Arbor Day 2020

In honor of Arbor Day yesterday, a tree census seemed to be in order.

Little Speck of Earth Day

A microcosm of Mother Earth to observe her day.

Tiny little snails nestling among the moss at the base of the mandevillas wintering inside.

Earth Day +1, 2020.  Seeds, sprouts, snails, ...

Unidentified seedling - maple? - taking root in an overwintering mandevilla container.

Attempting to root a mandevilla cutting...

...because left to their own devices, they just want to climb the strings of the window shades.

This mandevilla is actually rooting!

More cuttings in water.

Stray little snail.

All indoors on this Earth Day of COVID isolation.

[Edited to complete photos December 13, 2024.]

Comeback Kids

They've been keeping me in suspense - whether they would make it through Winter, but, finally, some encouraging signs...

Windblown maple - unfurling.

Hardy hibiscus - with the promise of leaves to come.

Hydrangea - little shoot from the middle.  There are mature branches that will be obstacles; waiting to see whether any of those will be late leafers, and if they are not, then they will be pruned to make way for our little shoot that could.

Hydrangea - the back sprouts that were hidden from view, leaving me to think all the action was up front, until I inspected more closely... they are like the mullet of this hydrangea (business in the front, party in the back).

Lilies of the valley, calmly doing their thing.

The hardy hibiscuses were such babies last Fall, and the maples had been weakened by that period of (my neglectful - gotta own it) underwatering, but they seem to have pulled through Winter.  Then there’s the old hydrangea - the lone survivor of the inherited ones - that every year seems on its last legs, with only one mature wood branch leafing - that puts out not just one new shoot, but two in the back as well!  And the lilies of the valley that barely made an appearance last year and died off quickly - they seem much more energetic this Spring.  Yay!

Especially needed in these times - hard evidence of survival.  Too many out there sick - we need them to hold on, they just have to summon up the strength and energy and hold on.  There are people who care, and people who care for those who care, who need them in their lives.

#hibiscus #hardyhibiscus #maple #hydrangea #liliesofthevalley #containergardening #rooftopgardeningnyc #rooftopgardensnyc #urbanterracejungle

My Neck of the Woods

A virtual architectural walking tour on my beloved river promenade, through my local park, with the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture and neighborhood resident, Deborah Berke....

... I know each of the spots in the photographs in the piece.  Truly, truly my surrogate backyard.  These were the features of Yorkville that clinched the deal for me, sold me on this apartment in this building - way back when, before the Q made it to Second Avenue - so, so far east and such a trek from the subway.

Having public green space, and such a lovely and well-designed one, at that, so close at hand was key to balancing it all.  I had started running, and was doing the loop around the Reservoir, which would be too far; but the promenade, and the river, and Carl Schurz Park were perfect - the boats, the dog runs, the paths and different elevations....

When my folks came to assess the situation, before I made an offer, though they liked the apartment, they thought the neighborhood was too far east, too quiet, not enough foot traffic, unsafe for my late night returns from the office.  Then I took them to the river and we watched boats, and to the little dog run and we watched puppies, and then came back as kids were returning from school and being greeted by the doorman, and by then they were swayed.  And the lack of soot on the windowsills (the Lexington Avenue sills were black, as were the blinds, even though we were eight stories up), they agreed that was a good thing.

I have told people since who were apartment hunting MY criteria: It doesn't need to be hip and happening; I can travel for outings and I don't want tourists running amok in my hood when I am trying to have a relaxing weekend.  I need to be able to get in short order a coffee and a quick something to eat on weekends, a newspaper if I want one, groceries that I don't have to lug too far, a dry cleaner somewhere nearish, it has to be safe, and green space.  Check-check, check, check, check.  Those are the things I need when I'm not working so I can unwind and take care of my life.

Just tickled that the Times picked my little corner of the world to cover.  And it is narrated beautifully, and captures the serenity perfectly.  Love, love, love.

Community Clap Amid the Clampdown

Focusing on the unexpected positives - New Yorkers overcoming their cynicism and actually coming out, together, in unison, at 7 pm for the inaugural Clap Because We Care for our healthcare workers, and delivery people, and store clerks, and restaurant workers, sanitation workers, transit workers, first responders - all the folks soldiering on while the rest of us isolate in place to try to flatten this curve...

... I was surprised by the din I heard.  I was texting and missed the beginning seconds.  But when I stepped out to the Jardin, how gratifying!  At first I heard most distinctly just the people on the other side of the block who had come onto their rooftop, but it was clear the sound was a collaboration of so many unseen others.  There was a scattering of people across various rooftops; I did not see so many hanging out their windows, but I heard them, far more than I could spy with my little eyes.  On Facebook and Instagram I sub-labeled it “proof of life” - after days and days of everyone hunkering down in our individual “bunkers,” the streets and public spaces of our beautiful, normally bustling city empty and deserted, so very unfamiliarly ghostly - emerging at once to a collective purpose.  A respite from the enforced quiet.

Not that enforcement is such a bad thing.  It’s a pity that police have to come out to enforce the physical distancing.  Apparently some of the basketball hoops have had to come down.  But the density of people in the parks is just sort of nuts.  After my one foray out to Carl Schurz Park, when I fastidiously tried to maintain my distance, it was clear others were not on the same page ... runners practically brushing by me, no consideration for distance at all.  That was it.  No more.  Thank goodness for the Jardin.

At the Orifice, a new enforcement policy - time to be released for each day by noon of three following day, rather than the usual weekly basis.  Purportedly to provide transparency on utilization in these times - I suppose to redeploy labor where needed.  But awfully Big Brother-y.  Consider my lack of motivation and focus and productivity, maybe for the better.

But let’s focus back on the good.  Not being at the office meant I was able to join the big Clap, and record it, and post it.  It was quite a hit.  So, good things - focus on the helpers, as Mr. Rogers would tell us, and on how to be helpful.

Youth in Spring (of the Coronavirus)

The first day of Spring was beautifully, deliciously warm - sunny, balmy, perfect; but for the viral load looming all around.

Young people, young plants - on that first day last week, beckoning me out onto the terrace for the first gardening tasks of the year.

Alas, the gorgeous weather apparently was  also conducive to social gathering, rather than the physical distancing recommended in these times...

Note the risky behavior of the young people ...

... similarly, the risky clustering of the young sorrel...

Survivors of an indoor Winter aphid infestation on Sissy’s windowsill.  Actually, at the height of Winter, they were brought out to the Jardin to fend for themselves.  And they made it!

But then, see the sorrel demonstrate the physical distancing required to flatten the curve ...

The sorrel, after being teased apart.  Hopefully this will give them space to thrive.  They survived the winter; a few more cold nights should be ok, right?  Most of their roots stayed insulated by the original soil, so hopefully root shock is minimal.

... so that we may all emerge from out under this pandemic healthy and well, like the salvia coming up from its Winter sojourn...

Salvia from the Mothership.  They did ok last year in the pot, but did not thrive.  Maybe this year, now that they are more accustomed to their tight quarters.

... rather than go the way of last year's Vietnamese balm.

These seed heads, like many of the others (including the promiscuous shiso) were left over winter for the birds.  But now, seems the birds should have other sources of food.  And hopefully gathering the heads and dispersing them in their intended pots will minimize the volunteers.  And this year, I resolve to be ruthless about weeding and eating the micro green volunteers.  The Vietnamese balm seed heads, even dried, smelled AMAZING.

COVID-19 Strikes Close to Home

First, over a month ago, unexpectedly, came the news that Sissy's good friend's parents were stuck on the cruise ship docked off Japan, and the dad had to be hospitalized, was on a ventilator, was experiencing multiple organ failure.

Then, more recently, the mom of a close friend of mine, out of the blue, while traveling, hospitalized, up and down on a ventilator, and yesterday, she passed.

So for her, In Memoriam Pancit. 

The family cannot have a funeral under the circumstances; I cannot drive down to comfort my friend since both our states are under orders to stay home, so I called and cried with her.  She had mentioned offhand that whenever I next have pancit, I should remember her mom, it was a tradition for them; as we hung up, she said maybe she would see if she could find ramen to improvise pancit for her kids for lunch.

I told our other close friends of this as we were coordinating by text on what to send to her family.  None of us is Filipino and none of us had had pancit.  But we have YouTube and Google and had each stocked up with some form of noodle.  So we each made our own improvised version of pancit and took photos and texted them to my friend to let her know we love her and are remembering her mom.

Coincidentally, I was invited to my first virtual dinner party - which was today.  And the pancit was my dinner.  And it was good!  And not difficult at all.

I think I will keep it in my repertoire, consider this as part of her mom's legacy, and remember the warm, intelligent, strong woman who left her homeland for the States back in the day when there weren't so many women physicians, built a beautiful life for her family, raised a strong daughter, loved her grandkids, was strong and active and traveling her whole life - up until a global pandemic caught her up and took her too soon.

#pancit #cookinginthetimeofcovid19 #coronaviruscooking #coronacooking #quarantinecuisine