Coming Home

I visited Texas over spring break. My son Doug and his wife Kelli made me a first time grandmother. I am in love and their names are Doug III and Brecken. But that's a blog for later.

Something interesting happened while I was in Texas. I was visiting with a friend and as I unfolded a scarf I carried for warmth, I told a friend her, "You Southerners sure keep your buildings cold." She looked at me and responded, "You Southerners."

I tell you this, because, in addition to this second experience, I have had an epiphany. On the flight home it was a clear night and I enjoyed my window view. As we flew over cities, the lights looked like giant dazzling spider webs. After the captain announced we were 30 miles from New York City, I kept watch for landmarks I would recognize. The first was the sight of lights, that covered the entire view from my window. The massive size of the New York Metropolitan area, is illustrated by the field of lights, relieved only by the Atlantic Ocean, the New York Harbor and the East River, when compared to those spider webs we passed earlier. The first body of land that I thought I recognized was Brooklyn. I made out what I thought were Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery, (blocks from my apartment. My thoughts were confirmed when I saw a cluster of skyscrapters, the tallest of which was arched, (The Hanson Building). My pulse rose when rising up above the edge of the window I saw the Brooklyn Bridge, and just to the right the Manhattan Bridge. Then the skyscrapers entered my view and I thrilled as the Empire State Building, lit that night in white lights rose up beyond all the others. Next came the elegant lady, the Chrysler Building. A little father along and there was Central Park. I am amazed by how much of Manhattan it encompasses. I recognized the Metropolitan Museum of Art carved out of the East side of the park and further down across the street was the cone of the Guggenheim. I can't tell you how excited I was that I recognized all these places and that in a way I own them. You see, I was home.

Beware of yellow snow.

Now that the winter is just about over (we could actually have one more snow event according to the weatherman) I thought I should comment on the New York weather. I love it. We had three serious snow storms this winter and I loved each and every one. You can just look at the pictures to tell that it is beautiful. It is also lovely to be inside in a cozy space while the wind whirls the snow outside or to walk in the park and see how mother nature transforms the landscape. New York can be ugly and dirty looking at times, but in the snow she is breathless. Not everything about the snow is beautiful though. For one thing, there are these snowdrifts. You step into one and your leg is knee high in the stuff, or if there happens to be a curb under one, you will just tip right on over. Luckily the stuff is soft, so it cushions your fall, which other wise would land you flat on your face. The ice can be very slippery and of course this often means you can fall. The good thing is that you have on so many layers of clothing that you don't do much damage. People are required by law to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes within four hours of the time the snow stops falling. Problem is, they sweep it right into the street. Soon you have to cross a small snow mountain range to go from one side to the other. But the real hazard is yellow snow. That you do not want to fall into. In case you haven't figured it out, yellow snow is the creation of some canine who finds the snow a tempting place for territorial marking or just plain relief.