MIA

I hadn't realized how long it had been since I last posted until several nice people wrote to see if I had fallen off the planet. I'm fine but between Christmas; Husband taking two weeks of vacation (which meant he was roaming untethered around the house); and jetting off to NYC (where I am, now), I have either been occupied with other things or my laptop hasn't been readily available. Or I have been taking a nap.

I arrived on Wednesday and have done a bit of walking about, taking pictures.

NYC has some lovely places:

 

I found this, however, to be just ridiculous:

Downtown Manhattan:

 Here is the famous bull but I didn't get any good pictures because stupid tourists were mobbing it.

 These buildings are too close together, IMO:

 I went to Trinity Church, which is nestled not far from Ground Zero (911) in the heart of downtown:

 It was just lovely.

I went inside and it was dark and beautiful.  I sat and reflected for a bit.  Near the back of the church were more tourists, although some came forward to bow their heads and pay their respects.  I have to say, however, as much a dog lover as you know I am, and as holy as I believe dogs to be, I was still taken aback when a young woman smuggled in a little naked dog whose head was peeking out the top of her coat. 

That's just wrong. 

I think.  Actually, I doubt god would mind.  But still...

Looking up and seeing this jet flying over the city gave me pause:

If they threw up a Factory Shoe Outlet next to an historic place in Oklahoma City, people would insist it was a matter of poor taste and a reflection of their redneck nature. In NYC, however, it works. This is right next to the cemetery adjacent to Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan:

The trash from the blizzard that hit NYC right after Christmas is still hanging around waiting to be picked up but the streets and sidewalks were mainly dry until it snowed, today.

It has been cold, however. Who would have considered that it would have been a good idea for me to bring my gloves?

This squirrel down in Battery Park had an attitude:

I was snapping photos and kept expecting him to dart away. The furry tailed rat kept on coming until I backed up. I am sure it is because some fool humans have fed him. And the pigeons were just as bad. Last night, I dreamed that tortoises and birds became self aware and took over the world. They were not mean to humans, for meanness sake, but they didn't put up with any backtalk from us. I sometimes have prescient episodes and certainly hope this wasn't one of them.

More photos of downtown Manhattan:

 This statue wears a cloth robe. That strikes me as ridiculous. It is like putting clothes on a dog.

 

This building kept belching out black smoke every few minutes:

I found this Korean War Monument in Battery Park to be arresting. The center is hollowed out:

Lady Liberty at sunset:

And a sea gull.

Have you heard those things? They make weird, fricking noises. I don't like them.

Wednesday night we ate dinner at the apartment of my Squeamish Daughter (she knows what I am talking about when I call her that) and I stayed the night at my son's place.  Martin slept with me.  These aren't actually pictures of Martin sleeping with me but they are pictures of Martin sleeping. I suspect she has no bones:

Snuggling with Martin went a long way towards easing longing for my own girls. I was sleeping on an air mattress and found it perfectly comfortable. Still, I was surprised that Martin would stay on it for so long because my girls would have freaked out at the wobbly foundation if they didn't stab holes in it with their feral claws. Husband told me that Evelyn has been all but inconsolable since I left. He stopped at Chicken Express to buy some fried chicken livers for them. According to him, "I was very popular around here for a little while. Now, I am back to being the one that "lost mom."

Thursday night, Squeamish Daughter took me out to meet some of her friends and bought me expensive wine. After that, we had dinner with my youngest and her husband, in Brooklyn where I spent the night. I was so tired from walking that my skin hurt. I am not kidding. My youngest suggested it was just dry skin but I assure you it is not. It is because my skin MOVED. I would be built like a fashion model (even without estrogen) if I lived here for a month. Right now, if my thighs weren't swollen to twice their size due to inflammation from exercise, they'd look like sticks. I am sure of it. I have been walking like you wouldn't believe. 

Living in NYC is hard. The natives and young people are used to it but it is HARD. Everywhere you go, people are scurrying. They carry things with them. It is cold or yucky outside and they don't notice. They put in long hours. Many have to go to laundromats. Restaurants have fabulous food but in cold weather, they are cold and drafty. The school playgrounds are on concrete. How is that possible? How is that safe?

I am used to big houses with a yard for the dogs and you don't have to walk them to let them go to the bathroom and life is easy and comfortable. If someone pooped on my sidewalk or I saw a rat near my house, I would freak out. If someone honked a horn on my street, I would assume they had a mental problem.
And this easy life is why my butt is getting so big.

New Yorkers are tough. Much tougher than I am.


Happy Quilting, Penny, Evelyn and Pearl