Archives - Weekly Update

I love the colors of spring, thus I have been enjoying the floral arrangement above that I pulled together for Easter. The hydrangeas were problematic with serious drooping issues, so I added new ones just before our dinner. My friend Beverley brought me the cleverest Easter candy with the adorable chocolate shoes above, which were packaged in a little pink case. Unlike bunny ears, I think the shoes will not be eaten!

For years I was ahead of the tech curve. I had Astraltunes before I had a Walkman, before I had an iPod. My first cell phone was carried like it was in a little suitcase and had a receiver like a landline. My second was hard-wired into my car. I had a PalmPilot and one of the first BlackBerrys. I even have a Rocketbook somewhere, which was the eReader of choice before there was ever a thought about a Kindle, a Nook or a Kobo. I have been through three BlackBerrys that I only use for email; I will carry the one I have now 'til it dies. I also have a simple “dumb phone” that I use only for calling and texting. But somehow I really got behind the curve (cell phone upgrade was available two years ago), and I never got a Smartphone like most folks carry; I never hit the iPhone frenzy or coveted any of the endless Droid phones out there.

Here in the New York area, I have noted how people seem a bit more upbeat these last two weeks with the nicer weather and sunnier skies. I am seeing 70(!) on the live forecaster gizmo that I have on my desk at the house. I headed for the patio last Sunday, pulled out the lounge chair cushions, and hit the trifecta of reading, knitting and napping. I somehow never nap during the winter, but the laziness that accompanies sitting in the sun has me invariably catching a few winks no matter how interesting my reading is. And oh, that felt soooo good.

Last weekend, we gave up on an anniversary dinner out as once again there was not a restaurant waiting for our call with less than 48 hours notice (imagine that!); instead, we paged through cookbooks to create a fabulous menu. When we were shopping for groceries, I saw the cake mix pictured on the right and could not resist buying it. This will be fun to make. I anticipate a chocolate frosting and when you cut into it, you see the turquoise. I can picture people smiling as they eat it. Adreana, who was once our son’s nanny, said that then I will be turquoise from the inside out, like a Smurf. And yes, my KitchenAid mixer is turquoise, too! I know, it’s amusing.