love

(Felis Femina in Amanda's backyard yesterday evening)

I do love this time of year. My surprise day off on Friday was genius. I visited the farmers market down in Union Square and was tempted to buy so many plants. Flowers for pop, herbs for fragrance and cooking, homemade jams and baked creations creating total sensation overload for my urbanized eyes. Zero budget allowed me a beautiful piece of cedar, a full slice from a tree, perhaps 30 years old or so. What my arborist friends and I call a "cookie". The dead wood in the center has aged to a rich reddish purple, the frangrance so full when you stick your nose to it. I'm going to use it in a tree care lecture I'm giving in a week and a half. There are nice cracks parallel to the medullary rays and I hope they help me get across the many parts of a tree's physiology. I have the feeling I might be trying to lecture on too much but we'll see. After the talk I was thinking about sawing the cookie into large strips and seeing if they might be nice in our closets and the bathroom. No need to spend $10 at Bed Bath and Beyond when you can achieve the same thing via a friendly local and a few singles burning a hole in your pocket.

Trees are leafing out left and right and I'm loving it. Magnolias and pears are doing their thing, and the cherries and crabapples aren't too far behind. Yesterday we had all the windows open all day, the breeze invigorating. The double daffodils in the container out front look great. The double tulips in the center are budding up well to play the second act. The gold rush orchid is still in bloom and now with some humidity back in the air it and the tropical seedlings are psyched. And that's just the plants. Birds chirping. Crazy creatures coming out of the woodwork, like this crazed garden kitty that had us in stitches:


Obviously all us humans are into it too. Jacob last night talking about the street tree out front of his new place turning out to be an amazing magnolia with huge flowers. People opening their gardens up to the public for others to view and enjoy. Tons of emails and calls at the office about what is in bloom where. The recent and delightful spike in cocktail parties and hangout sessions with outdoor undertones. The suits getting out of their office and their jackets for their lunch breaks. The fashionistas in the Garment District working their new spring looks oh so slammingly. I can't even imagine how packed Central Park must have been yesterday. Glad we stayed close to home and projectized our hangovers away in peace.

And then there is the one spring ritual not too many people notice that absolutely cracks me up. I am pretty sure it happens every year, just about this time. Not listed in the Urban Farmer's Almanac, if such a thing even exists, but certainly a sign of things to come. Condom sale at the local drug store chain throughout the city! Seriously. When I see the "Weekly Special" sign under "her pleasure" I just have to laugh. And I'll just leave it at that. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Last weekend we lounged under the night sky in Bushwick.

Last night we finally checked out Amanda's backyard and got to catch up with her and Carrington and the rest of the gang. Thank God for backyards and green space in this city. And such a shame I'm not insanely rich so I could just spend my days driving around and planting gardens for all of my friends. There was a BBQ at Juan's place, but we ran out of steam. Came home, retreated to the couch and comfy clothes, and fell in love with the movie Juno. That was such a well done movie. Had us both totally teary by the end of it. Reminded me how much I love my Felis Femina and our crazy little universe together.

Yup, it's a pretty powerful time of year. I hope it leads to others feeling rejuvenated (an adjective I've been using a lot recently), reconnected with nature and all of it's beauty, and excited to see what this growing season will bring. Off to the grocery in a bit and then maybe back to the collage table. I'm ready to begin the second layer of paint on a new canvas too, but I'm not sure how much of a production I'm ready for on this relaxing Sunday.

And someone said it's 4/20. I'm down.

On the stereo: Mink Lungs, The Better Button