Tuesday Musings

I feel like I have passed the expiration date of how long I can use 'I had a baby' as an excuse for my weight. I gotta get serious and do something about it.

I've been looking for a used jogging stroller on craigslist for a while but so far haven't made any purchases- since I can't run with Charles yet, I decided that is no excuse to not exercise- it's been beautiful weather so I have started walking with him. It began with walking my usual running route of 5 kilometers and yesterday I decided to step it up. Six miles round trip to the park and back!

Feeling pretty proud of myself for walking to Prospect Park. Don't have a car anymore? No big deal! I can still go to the park and get some exercise (and sun) at the same time!

Tomorrow when I go I am going to wear a tank top and try to even out the farmer's tan that has resulted from yesterday's and today's walk. oiy vey.

LOVE that my favorite fruits are in season and so so delicious! I am still thinking about the mango Charles and I shared yesterday! yum!

Charles' third fish died yesterday. She was a pretty copper color. I named her Penny. When we found her dead Charles pointed and said 'ish' 'all done'. She is now in my freezer awaiting a time when a friend and I will try the ancient Japanese art of Gyotaku fish rubbing. (for some cool examples click here) That will be an interesting page in Charles' baby book! I don't actually know if she is really a 'she'.

Musings..

I don't miss having a cat.. but he sure was cute

A fun night celebrating a friend's birthday. I miss my dark hair. 

We live in Brooklyn, baby!

Love these girls. THIRTY NINE DAYS!

 I want to go back to this place.

Remembering good times with a good friend. Very happy at the possibility of a visit soon!

Bird musings

Charles and I ventured to the park today despite the cool weather. While we were there Charles enjoyed swinging on the swings, climbing the steps on the playground and sliding down the slide. He also put his hand in fresh bird poop. I caught him before he smeared it around too much. Good thing I had my BabyGantics 'The Germinator', and some extra napkins with me.

While we were swinging I saw a bird flying toward us and as I watched it get closer I thought to myself, 'that looks pretty big to be a pigeon'. It swooped right over the top of the swings and about 15 feet behind us and I quickly realized it was no pigeon.. It was a hawk! It made a grand landing showing it's strength and wingspan as if it was trying to pounce on some small animal and then took off again. I couldn't tell if it was carrying anything in it's claws as it flew away. I heard two guys behind me say "oh, wow, did you see that?!" Turns out we had just seen a red tailed hawk and there are at least three living in Prospect Park.

It sure was a sight.. like national geographic or something. I used to follow a local blog about Brooklyn events/sightings and I remember one post someone wrote about seeing a hawk, in another park in the area, attack and kill a small animal. Or maybe it was a pigeon.
You'd be surprised at the wildlife we have here in the City!

Iced Beverage Musings on a Rainy Wednesday

I love a good iced coffee drink. Iced latte, iced chai, iced cappuccino. Yes, yes and yes. It's not just the drink that makes me happy. It's the experience. Whether sitting at the cafe sipping it as I read a book, talk with a friend, or people watch with my little mister. Walking down the busy streets or strolling in the park. An iced drink in my hand makes it that much more enjoyable. But buying a coffee every time I go out it simply out of the question. It sure gets expensive, and if you frequent cafés like I do you know that it's not just Starbucks that charges absurd amounts for a cup of joe. And have you noticed that if you want your drink iced they charge you more?? I didn't know cubes of frozen water cost so much. Sure, I have a thermos at home and can make my own to take with me. And this would work fine for hot drinks but for iced drinks, well, it's just not the same.  I want that feeling of the plastic cup in my hand. You know what I mean. Holding it from the top with your palm over the lid and the straw lightly leaning against your forefinger. A simple twist of your wrist to shake the ice around and you hear the dull clanging of the ice against each other and the sides of the cup, releasing the cool throughout your beverage. You know what I mean. Don't you? You just can't get the same feeling with a thermos. This, and the fact that I would like to use more things with sustainability to decrease the negative impact I am leaving on the environment, I was elated when last spring  I found, and purchased, a reusable insulated iced coffee cup at Starbucks. It looks exactly like a venti sized iced beverage drink. It is made of hard clear plastic, fully insulated and comes with a screw on lid complete with green straw. I'm not crazy about the fact that it looks like a Starbucks cup but it will do. Now I can make my favorite iced chai drink at home (thanks to CT Muffin selling the mix and then me finding it online for even cheaper!) and take it with me where ever I go. I am saving money and saving the environment, one drink at a time. HA!

This brings me to today. Lately the money has been tight, the weather has been cold and rainy, and the van has been out of commission.This means we haven't been to the park in a while and I haven't had my café time. So this morning I made my own café time. I baked some raspberry scones, make iced chai and sipped it in peace while Charles took his nap. It was pretty wonderful.