Winter Storm Warning- In October????>

This has been a really funky weather year. It seems like our seasons get all squished together and we do not get the full enjoyment of the 4 seasons. (One of the key reasons to live in the Northeast). My favorite season is Spring when we are coming out of the harsh winter and the beautiful buds begin to bloom. I always know it will be good when my 2 daffodil plants in the front of my house sprout. Fal improbably my second favorite season when the trees change from crisp greens to beautiful golds, reds and even deep purples.

This year however we have had an earthquake, a hurricane and then a truly freak snowstorm just before I halloween. It was well forecast and we knew it would be bad. Wet snow does not usually fall on trees with leaves but this time it did causing branches, limbs and trees to Fall everywhere, many times taking power lines down with them. We lucked out and did not lose electricity but so many of our friends and neighbors did- many for an entire week or more. (We suffered that 8 weeks before during Hurricane Irene).  Amazingly our schools were open but the town felt the need to cancel halloween (ok- they postponed it- but it was very mixed as to who knew- so it was kind of cancelled).

October- Really?

one of the many branches down in our yard

I am not sure of what the winter holds for us- I hope it is calmer than last winter and we have less damage than this Fall. I thought we were going through global WARMING?

I have actually become one of "THEM"

I have been enjoying attending the New York Pops for over 20 years. When I started attending I was in my late 20's and Skitch Henderson was the amazing music director and conductor.  I loved Skitch

and the amazing history that he had lived and always shared with the audience. My favorite part was after the show started and latecomers would enter he would always speak to them "come on, come on we will wait for you".  One time when I had the opportunity to meet  Skitch- I  told him that we loved when he did that and he  replied that he was still nervous before each show and this helped to calm him before a show.  (He was probably already 80+ at that time). My friend "t" and I attended for many years when we were both living in the city. We slowly worked our way down from rear balcony, to front balcony eventually landing in a box on the side of the second tier. We were there for many years before we finally moved to box 30 seats 1&2 front row seats in the box dead center of the 2nd tier. While in our first box we met a lovely couple from CT.  We sat in the box next to a guy, his mom and his wife (known to us as "flippy hair"  - she always seemed disinterested and constantly "flipped" her hair back by flipping her head. After all these years I finally spoke to him and i am certain that he remembered when we sat in the box next door. "t" now lives and works in CT and has no interest in trucking into the city for a late friday night. For about the last 10 years my daughter mostly comes with me. It is our night out, sometimes a little shopping, a nice dinner and then the show.

This month's show had a guest conductorJack Everly who did a show of Irving Berlin. While I am very familiar with Irving Berlin, I had no idea how prolific a songwriter he actually was. He wrote over 800 songs including many that everyone knows including "God Bless America". I however was shocked  that I knew all but one of the songs- it made me think that I have really become "one of them" those older people that always knew every song that was played at every show. (it was a FABULOUS show - however). 

so sad....

 Curves- the gym, social community, spiritual healing center and so much more that I have been a member of for over 5 years  is closing its doors on Saturday October 29 in Westport. Sherry it's owner has tried every possible way she could to stay open but the landlord continued to raise rents -she struggled and did not want to raise membership fees too high to avoid losing members.
Over the years Sherry made Curves was so much more than a place to exercise. She had a meditation room, she incorporated Zumba into the workouts, had a book club, a refelxologist come weekly, a lending library, had many health related guest speakers including a yogi. She had a bra fitting clinic (because as many of us know- most women do not wear correctly fitted bras).
She has held group tag sales, and trunk shows for my merchandise, and my friends goodies
The purple interior was warm and welcoming and the amazing group of women with whom I worked out was fabulous. They helped with Bat Mitzvah planning, disciplining and supporting my children, where to shop for things, where to get assistance with things and overall support of health both physical and mental. It is sad  that this amazing group must be disbanded. We will all say that we will "get together" but everyone's life gets in the way and that will probably never happen.
A wonderful thank you to Sherry for her endless work in helping and supporting everyone. I wish you well and hope you resurface so we can all group together again.

Great Design

I do not typically watch much TV. I tend to watch late at night when I am working (and everyone else is asleep). I DVR a handful of shows- some might be expected- Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Desperate Housewives... But one of my true favorites is the follow up show to 9 By Design- Home by Novogratz. I love the amazing transformations that they do - always fun and funky. If I had the money I would hire them in a heartbeat. Since I can't, I love watching and seeing the fabulous artists and stores. Some of my favorites in recent weeks (although some may not have been from the show) are making wall paper from your favorite photographs - this can be really cool when you have a big space. Another thing they did that was something I have struggled with since I had kids is find a great way to display and preserve kids art work. They worked with Jane Leni and the results were phenomenal. She made them into framed collages of the kids' artwork miniaturized.

On another show they went shopping at what looks like an awesome store Mongo. I think the website doesn't convey the coolness of the store but I can't wait to go in real life.
One of the apartments the did they used the most awesome cluster of Shiny Silver orbs which I could not imagine looking good but they made a sensational focal point in the room.

Something that was not from the Novogratz's but was from Fab.com (my favorite website) were from Faktura designs tables with NY or LA as the legs. Beautiful Mad3of beautiful metal snd glass (inseert picture)


Watching the Novogratz show has taught me -the person who admires creativity because I am unable to be creative- to see things differently. This morning I was in the city and walking on columbus ave and wandwered into a store that I previously would have walked past called "Olde Good Things"-a really funky antique store. They had these great light fixtures

  some awesome old ceiing tiles in interesting colors but my favorite thing was a pair of xylophones that they had standing upright which could have made an amazing entrance way. What an interesting use for a musical instrument.

Flavor paper (I am not sure if I saw this company on the show or not)is a great wallpaper supplier. I have lesarned from the show (and my friend "A" ) how impactful even one focal wall that either has wallpaper or is painted in a way that makes a bold statement. Flavor Paper has a wide assortment of papers that are handscreened or digitally printed. Great way to make a bold statement.

There is so much great design out there and I really enjoy seeing it.

Knitting with what???

For those among us who knit we all consider ourselves fiber artists on some level. Part of the fun of knitting are the colors and textures. It is more fascinating to see what materials (other than traditional yarn) people choose to knit with.
Recently I found online a woman, Carol Milne who knits in glass. Who would have ever thought? When asked by Fiber Arts Magazine (where I saw this) she said the following: So why do I feel compelled to knit in glass? Knitted goods exude comfort: soft, cozy, intimate, and heartwarming. Once they are in glass, the result loses most of the qualities we associate with knit- ting and becomes something else entire- ly. Where we once noticed the surface and feel of the material, our emphasis now shifts to the structure of the material itself. We notice the twisting interconnection be- tween the stitches, the deepening of color where the stitches overlap, and the spaces between the stitches. Where it was once a flexible fabric able to mold to our bodies, it is now rigid and fragile. It is nice to look at but totally impractical to wear.

These are beautiful objects, but they are also metaphors. They speak to the fra- gility of life and to the tendency to judge based on appearance versus practicality.
Perhaps most importantly, I see my knitted work as a metaphor for social structure. Individual strands are weak and brittle on their own but deceptively strong when bound together. You can crack or break single threads without the whole structure falling apart. And even when the structure is broken, pieces remain bound together. The connections are what keep it intact, bringing strength and integrity to the whole. 


At the New York Gift Fair I saw a booth that had handbags and home accessories knit and crocheted of rubber.  Loved this idea and would like to try my own creation but have no idea how to find the rubber. 


At crafts on columbus I met a woman who knits with metal. This is much more common. ( I am sorry I do not have her contact info because her work was stunning) She may be at the next Crafts on Columbus the weekend of October 15 and 16. I have a friend "R" who teaches classes on making beautiful knitted beaded bracelets.

Other interesting knitted jewelry I found  online 

Then of course there is felting.(knitting with wool and then putting it through a heat process which binds it together. This is now popular in clothing, bags and even household items.

So next time when you are thinking of knitting - know that yarn and wool are not the only materials you can knit with and explore some other options.

Creativity for good.....

Recently I recieved and email from a friend about a new business that her son was involved in. This is a pretty remakable family where all the kids are very creative and always involved in interesting activities so this new venture comes as no surprise. They have stared a new company called Litographs ( make sure not to let spell check correct to litHograhs). These are posters made from the words of books that are formed into designs relating to the story.
In addition to the original set they have offered, they are now offering customizable prints (you pick the book- from thousands of choices in the public domain) and you submit the picture - then they create the poster.

Now, In honor of Steve Jobs they have introduced an Apple poster which has the famous 2005 Stanford commencement speech as well as much of his introduction to iPhone from Macworld 2007 as the verbage and Jonathan Mak's beautiful design of the apple and where the bite is-you see Steve Jobs.  100% of all purchases of this image will be donated to pancreatic cancer research. What a wonderful way to honor Apple and Steve Jobs while helping find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

These prints are truly a great gift for graduates, holiday, teacher gifts and more. Please check out the site and share it with all your friends and family.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is the most sacred day of the year for the Jewish people. Known as the day of Atonement - it is a day of reflection. To think of all the ways that you may have behaved badly in the year that has passed and how you can make the upcoming year better. It is a holiday like most Jewish Holidays that is filled with music and prayer. The music for Yom Kippur is exceptionally beautiful. At  Temple Emanuel which was my Temple growing up (my great grandfather was a Rabbi there) and where I spent over 40 Yom Kippurs, they have an amazing choir and organist. Sitting through the Kol Nidre is like attending a concert. I always feel as though I should clap at the end. The actual music is sooooo beautiful, thought provoking and very moving. At my current Temple - Temple Israel there is a cellist who plays and it is amazing. At Temple Emanuel there is a soloist during the Avinu Malkanu who reaches the most beautiful note - it truly is awe inspiring.

This has become a very difficult holiday for me. When we were very young we attended the Family Service but as I got older I went with my grandmother every year to Kol Nidre and when she could no longer go my father and I went together. The afternoon, Yizkor and Neilah services were always attended only by my Father and Grandmother as the Yizkor service was for mourning. My father who lost his entire family to the Nazis  and my grandmother who mourned her father the Rabbi her whole life would go to this  special service. Since losing my grandmother in 2001 and my father in 2006 I always attend the afternoon services. I feel closer to them during it. I am however always very emotional and come home very drained.
I do however always feel much more whole and refreshed on some level from the experience. I am ready to do better in the following year and move forward.

The Jewish people have two rituals that I think are so much better than many other religions (in my opinion). One is Yom Kippur- we have the opportunity to repent to G-D for all of our wrongdoings over the past year and really reflect on them  and think about how we can do better in the following year- be kinder, more caring, more helpful, more respectful. Taking one day to do this makes sense to me. You do not have to ask forgiveness daily or weekly for each little sin but can just contemplate, ask forgiveness and move forward.

Regarding death, I think the Jewish people have this right as well. The dead are buried immediately but rather than have the family come home to an empty house where sadness and loneliness prevail they sit Shiva. Shiva is a period of mourning for 7 days where friends and family join the mourners and are there to support them. Having family and friends comforts the bereaved and can almost "distract" them form the huge weight of their loss. At the end of seven days while the loss is still horrific the pain has lessened somewhat and it is a little easier to go on.

As I reflect on Yom Kippur and my own sadness I am so happy to be part of the amazing community to which I belong. I find my Temple really is a home and a place i am comfortable going. I am happy to have a large community of friends and acquaintances through our Temple and love the feeling of togetherness on Yom Kippur afternoon as well as at Friday Night Services.

La Shana Tovah.