Hibernation is for Bears

This winter has felt so brutal and never-ending that we have just wanted to curl up and sleep these months away. Although we winter-weary New Yorkers are preparing to endure another snow storm tomorrow, as the calendar turns to March, I’m finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. My coworkers and I are so over commuting in rain, sleet, snow, or just freezing temperatures that the dry erase board that we typically use for inspirational quotes has been temporarily converted to display a days ‘til spring countdown. Nineteen days and counting! So with a glimmer of hope that warmer days are on their way, this blog can come out of hibernation.  

Winter in NYC isn’t all bad; in fact it’s some New Yorkers’ favorite season. All the activities associated with the holidays like visiting the Rockefeller Center tree, holiday markets, and the department store window displays come to mind. After the holidays come to an end and the ball drops in Times Square, there’s still plenty to do like ice skating, walks through parts of the City that would otherwise be flooded with tourists at any other time of year, or a long weekend escape to the mountains.     

We spent last weekend in a cabin in the Catskills with about twelve friends from our church life group.  (Once we got close to the cabin, we realized it was very close to the Bed & Breakfast Jen and I stayed in for our one-year anniversary.) It was everything you would want a mountain cabin to be: warm and rustic, equipped with a fireplace, and with very picturesque views of the woods and mountains. It was a bit outdated (the bathroom was carpeted and looked like it was straight out of Anchor Man) but it was all part of the charm.  The trip was a lot of fun and the perfect winter escape from the City. Don’t get me wrong, it was cold, but comfortable enough for long walks on the mountain roads and sledding down the steep hill in the back.  We didn’t do much other than relax and enjoy nature (I’m not complaining) except play a few rousing rounds of Magic Unicorn-a Charades-type game that includes one round of acting out under a blanket.  Pup also had a great time being outdoors and getting so much attention. She was so loved by everyone that she became somewhat of a weekend mascot. Note the group picture of Pup being lifted up in exaltation which was later titled “Pup as Simba.” Don’t worry, I was holding her safely and she actually seemed quite at ease, as if thinking “they finally get it.”

I’m looking forward to warmer weather so much that I have a quickly growing list on my phone titled Things I Want to Do in Spring. I will soon be able to sit outside comfortably, begin running in Prospect Park again, and just do more things in general. You can’t make your dreams come true if you don’t get out of bed first, right?

Gowanus Canal Park-ing lot

When Jen says she’s going grocery shopping I always feel too guilty to let her go alone, without help. The store is just a few blocks away but she usually shops for almost two weeks worth of food which is a lot, even with a cart to carry everything home. I just picture the worst; Jen struggling to get the 2-ton cart over sidewalk curbs, blowing out a flip-flop, or that wobbly wheel finally falling off. I did find this cart on the side of the road so it didn't exactly come with a warrantee.

Today I thought of a wonderful compromise to my predicament: take Pup to the small Gowanus Canal park next to the grocery store while Jen does her shopping then meet up with her when she’s done to help her carry everything home.  After walking Jen to the store, Pup and I headed to the park benches by the water where I could read for a bit while she did some sniffing, hole-digging, and pigeon chasing. I doubt Jen was having as much fun. Being well-known for its pollution, I first made sure there were no holes in the fence that Pup could fit through and accidentally fall in the water. She did in fact get too excited at a park once and chased a duck right into a lake.

This small waterfront park is a hidden gem, only visible from the bridge that crosses the canal and accessible only from the Lowe’s parking lot. It sounds really random I know, but was a nice place to let Pup roam and enjoy the cool, clear fall weather. Other visitors to the little park included an artist sketching the bridge, a photographer taking pictures of the canal, and a mother with her two daughters that seemed to need a breath of fresh air after a big shopping trip.

Although it is mid-October already, the weather has been relatively warm. Keeping in mind it has snowed the last two years in October, it was nice to be able to ride our bikes around Prospect Park this evening without being bundled up (Jen in jeans and a t-shirt).  We didn't let the swarms of gnats ruin our good time, even after they went in our mouths and our clothes were splattered with their tiny carcasses. The warmer weather also means that the park still looks very green, not yet full of trees shedding their fall-colored leaves.  I hear Prospect Park and Park Slope are particularly beautiful in the fall and plan on taking some pictures. Stay posted! 

Colder Than a Witch's Tit in a Brass Bra

It is so cold. It's so cold that it's actually comfortable in our apartment with the heat on and windows closed. It's so cold that the fountain at Bryant Park has frozen (pic). It's so cold that you can get frostbite in five minutes and hypothermia in thirty if not dressed appropriately says News 7 NY. It's so cold that everything Pup tries to eat off the street is frozen solid. It's so cold that yesterday I was the only person in the laundromat, I guess the only one crazy enough to attempt doing laundry in the freezing cold.

By the way, yesterday was Pup's eighth birthday (56 in dog years!). It was really too cold to take her to a park or pet store so we kept things pretty low key.

It's supposed to snow a bit tonight, a dusting to two inches. I'm honestly a little disappointed we haven't had significant snowfall yet. I mean, I'm not hoping for the blizzard of 2011 again, just enough to play in for a couple days.

Jen has the day off today which we will mostly spend studying and reading, thanks to the weather. There's turkey chili cooking in the crock-pot right now... mmm.

Jen's Crock-pot Turkey Chili
1 lb ground turkey (or beef if you're confident in your heart health lol)
2-3 medium carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper
1 28-ounce can crushed tomato
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper
Add ingredients to crock-pot and set cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Set it and forget it!)
Serve with grated cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and corn bread
(and pre-medicate with Bean-O)