Starting to freeze!!

Yesterday it was not freezing, and we went to the park especially early - saw the sunrise as we were walking, and there's a picture of it. It's the darker one.

Today, if finally feels like winter. Temperature in the 20's. I need to look for my warmer boots - sneakers are getting just too cold, even with the few minutes of running that I do. We decided to go and check out lakeside. There's a huge wooden fence surrounding it these days. Could this be to avoid comments such as I have made before about the project? I mean, if you can't see it, you can't comment. So we started to walk down the narrow path between the 1/2 mile of wooden fence and the mile or more os steel chain link fence. REALLY hope this stuff eventually gets recycled. The path started fine, then got narrower, with wooden pieces across the top getting lower and lower. Husband, who is 6'1" had to constantly stoop. then so did I, and I'm only 5'. A man driving a bulldozer called over to us that we couldn't go there. We weren't sure if he meant that we'd be physically unable or not allowed, but we were tired of stooping and came out. Turns out he meant unable. Near the end of the fence is a look-out hole, and the path comes to an end. Of course, the look-out is set up so that you really can't see anything. So there's an artist's rendition of what the completed project will supposedly look like. Well, the picture looks nice.

The lake is starting to freeze around the edges. JJ had a fine time trying to get a stick out of a frozen puddle. She kept at it for some time, then managed to break off a piece of it that was sticking out, and was very happy. I was impressed that she managed to get a "win" out of a fairly hopeless situation. Politicians should take note.

On the way home, we saw a couple of people in a truck doing things with the flags in the Parade Grounds. I asked if they were going to replace the bedraggled flag over the Police Building, the one that's been discussed in the Ditmas Park Blog. He pointed out the new flag, in it's new plastic bag, ready to be hung up. Good job! It was still too cold to wait and see it done - shall photograph it tomorrow.

Christmas in the Park

Quiet and beautiful in the park this morning. Not to many people there, everyone is either sleeping late or opening presents, I guess. We now open our Christmas/Chanukah/Solstice gifts Xmas eve. No longer do we have the eager little ones playing with the goodies in their Christmas Boots until at least 6 AM, when they were allowed to wake Mummy and Daddy. Now, daughter and husband go to his parents on Staten Island on Xmas Day, so we have a nice little event Xmas eve - lighting the Chanukah candles (when it's the right time of the month), dining, opening presents, telling stories - all the usual festive things. This year, we're going for Xmas Dinner in Chinatown . It's what we did on our first Christmas together, back in 1972. So I researched the Internet, looking for the "best" place, or at least one of them. Various overly cool people tell us that the best places are no longer in Chinatown, but in Queens. Queens? No thanks. We'll wander around chinatown and find a place that's just fine, thank you.

Meanwhile, in the park, there is a little ice starting to form, a nice view from Lookout Hill, beautiful trees, and some squirrel(s?) saving acorns next to the lake. This is year 2 of the blog, and I couldn't help but think of the differences between this year and last. Last year, the park was generally very dirty, with an assortment of dead animals that made us wonder about the health of the water, dirt, air, everything. Tupper Thomas, with all the good things she did, did not concern herself much with our end of the park (the end not in Park Slope, I mean.). We came upon many dead ducks, geese, some swans, other birds, fish, raccoons, turtles,even a possum, and others. The park was filthy - garbage everywhere, especially on the weekends. Unmentionable things in the Lake, charcoal around the tree roots, piles of chicken entrails by the water.....

This year, it's so much better. Trash collection is vastly improved, both by the Parks Department and by individuals - I'm not the only one who walks around with a trash bag to contain the stuff. My husband and I have become known fixtures in the park, and we talk to so many people about what's going on! There have been no dead animals by the lake, which tells me that the lake is much cleaner than it was, even with the incredible rainfall and flooding that we've had. I know that Dog Beach in Long Meadow is closed for the winter, as it is every year, with no reports of dead and sick animals. Emily Lloyd is doing a great job. She's working well with FIDO and other park volunteers, and there's a new group called something like "Wild in the Park" to help her out. There's still too much fishing line, but the improvement from last year to this is so noticeable!

Thank you, Parks Dept, Prospect Park Alliance, and individual visitors for making sure that we have a wonderful city park, and Happy Holidays to everyone.

So, the frat house was back yesterday, but not the whole Fraternity Row. We figure they had to re-take a scene or some such. Loved Mary's comment the other day about the outrage, etc., that would occur should a Frat House really move in to the nabe. So true!

I am alternating beautiful fall days in the Park with making arrangements for our plumber to take care of four, count them, four separate leaks,dripping faucets, etc. I love living in our 100 year old house, but it mind-boggling how we have to order all the parts we need to fix the simplest things.
Not just the plumbing - the electrician came once to fix a lighting problem, and he was absolutely astonished. He said that the parts in the switch were from the 1920's!!

Bark the Herald Angels Sing!!

Terrific morning at FIDO's Bark the Herald Sing event this morning. Up[ at 6 to make the wassail. I was so nervous about doing a good job!! It was a hit!! People told me it was the best ever, and I had said that I wanted to hear that from only some of them. Dogs in costumes, Marty Markowitz came, and the best Santa ever. He and his wife and dogs come down from Massachusetts in his fantastic custom made Santa suit. We sang Christmas carols and Chanukah songs rewritten for dogs, had a beautiful cake, wassail, and mulled cider. Loads of people and dogs and a really good time. And the dogs could stay off-leash till 10 AM, not the usual 9. I'll put some pictures here, and many more on my Facebook page, open to the public.

At the request of many, here's the wassail recipe. This amount fills two large thermoses, about 8 quarts.

3 six-packs Brooklyn Brown Ale
1 1/2 cups sugar
Cheese cloth
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 cup brandy
1 cup medium sherry or port.

Warm ale, sugar, and spices. (Wrap spices in cheesecloth. ) DO NOT BOIL.
When hot, add 1 cup brandy and 1 cup sherry or port.
Pour into heated thermos(es).

Happy Holidays!!

Oh, and there was "jingle bell jog" also going on - lots of people running, dressed up as elves, reindeer, snow, Santas, etc.

Fraternity Row on Albemarle

Cold, clear, beautiful day in the park today, but the real treat was the set-up for the TV show "Unforgettable" on Albemarle. They've turned those big beautiful houses into Fraternity houses, and they all look quite wonderful. The funny thing is that in small college towns, it is exactly these kinds of mansions that are frat houses. Big old houses that date from the town's glory days, but are now too expensive to maintain, repair, heat, etc. I love that the big old houses here in Ditmas Park (well, technically Prospect Park South) are so well maintained, updated, etc.

Back from Vermont

Back in the park Tuesday, happy to see that Fanny, and Tony, are both fine. Mostly naked trees in all their glory - love how different the leafless trees look. Took some nice photos of some of my favorites. The dark one is from Vermont. It's in the center of town.

I go to a beautiful little town called Bellows Falls, in the southeastern part of the state. It hit it's peak in the 19th century during the early years of the Industrial Revolution. It's on a canal off the Connecticut River, with an utterly gorgeous main street. A friend of mine,an artist named Robert McBride, moved there about 15 years ago, and has been active there creating an artist community. I went with 2 other friends to help him prepare for the annual Art Auction. http://www.ramp-vt.org/ is the organization that he runs, if anyone want to learn more. Anyway, B, my husband is very busy these days programming his robots, so I went off. Had a great time. Woke up Monday thinking, "I want to be home." and came home then. Other VT photos today: giant VT snow shovels.