I needed to have some tinkering done to some trousers so I took them to the nearby tailor, but to my chagrin, she was closed for the entire month of March and won’t re-open until April 6. The trip wasn’t a total loss, however, as on the way back, I saw Ted and his roommate … Continue reading Tinker, Tailor, Tugboat, Sigh
Neighborhood
In case there’s a change in the weather
The wheels are yeller, the upholstery's brown,The dashboard's genuine leather,With isinglass curtains y' can roll right down,In case there's a change in the weather.—“The Surrey With the Fringe on Top” by Oscar Hammerstein II And what a change in the weather we’ve had these past couple days.
Brussels Sprout Gratin
I found this recipe for Brussels Sprout Gratin and decided to try it, but I only made half the recipe. It turned out very good. Here’s the video, cued to the start of Brussels Sprout Gratin: On my way back from the Acme I saw Ted in his doorway trying to coax Tugboat to come … Continue reading Brussels Sprout Gratin
The Grey Car
A few hours before the snowstorm the other week, there was a tight parking space in front of my house. I was hoping it would remain open as then there’d be a place to shovel the snow that we were expecting. No such luck. A grey car managed to wriggle its way into the space. … Continue reading The Grey Car
Ten Days Later
Winter Dreams
Chaikovsky’s First Symphony is nicknamed “Winter Dreams”, although in recent years that's often more literally translated as “Winter Daydreams”. I like the original, if slightly less accurate, translation, as that’s the one I’ve known for decades. But it’s not his first symphony that’s on my mind right now. I just listened to a performance of … Continue reading Winter Dreams
Plowing On
Things haven’t changed much. Our street still hasn’t been plowed. I don’t blame the mayor for that, even though I don’t hold her in very high esteem. Cities plan their budgets for the kind of weather that they normally expect. We haven’t had a snowstorm like this in ten years, so naturally I don’t expect … Continue reading Plowing On
Snow
Philadelphia, along with a large part of the rest of this country, had a bit of snow on Sunday. It was the most snow we’ve had since I’ve moved into this house nearly six years ago. I was out at 5:00 AM on Sunday morning and pretty much every hour and a half after that … Continue reading Snow
The Parked Car
Quote of the day: Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.—Mark Twain I live on a very narrow street. How narrow is the street? When I moved here, the moving van couldn’t pull up in front of the house but had to park at the corner, and … Continue reading The Parked Car
Bike Ride
Quote of the day: If there is a more hideous language on the face of the earth than the American form of English, I should like to know what it is! —Baron Somers, in the House of Lords (1979) When I went grocery shopping yesterday morning, there was a bike ride in progress. I had … Continue reading Bike Ride