sarah in nyc

 In just over an hour we depart for parts west.  This is a multi-part trip spanning three weeks.  We will be experiencing a range of climates and of course limited amounts of luggage. So the answer to that conundrum is layers. I have been preparing by  washing, pressingand mending this stack of cashmere sweaters. Some had moth holes that needed tending to, blown out armpits that were stitched up and a couple needed new buttons. Yesterday i went to pick up a couple of necessities for the trip and found these  completely disgusting and amusing gummy candies. I wished that my kids had been at my side to share in my amusement.  I'm sure that we would have egged one another  on to fits of hilarity.  We loved going to grocery stores together and being silly. No I didn't buy any packages of the gummy junk food. The photos will just have to do.  I was feeling a bit of anticipatory home sickness yesterday. Perhaps that isn't the right way of describin...

   In my last post I posted some photos of a tallit in progress but I was just too tired to write the text that explains what is going on with the tallit. I will now repost the photos and explain what that tallit is about.  יִשְׂמַח לֵב מְבַקְשֵׁי יְהֹוָה Let the heart rejoice of those who seek God The text appears both in Psalm 105 and chapter 17 of the book of Chronicles. The verse will appear on the neckband of the tallit. The pinot or corner pieces will have the verbs in the first part of the verse.  שִֽׁירוּ לוֹ זַמְּ֒רוּ־לוֹ שִֽׂיחוּ בְּכָל־נִפְלְ֒אוֹתָיו: הִתְהַלְּ֒לוּ בְּשֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ  Sing to Him, compose songs to Him, speak of all His wonders. Take pride in [uttering] His holy Name, We chose to have the sky represent the Divine. The tallit is made out of periwinkle blue linen that I have washed and dried several times so it won't wrinkle like crazy when in use.  I have built up the color on the stripes using oil paint sticks---those are essentiall...

 Tonight we have been invited to a beloved cousin's for Shabbat dinner. Yes, I am bringing two challot. last night I asked if I could bring anything else. This morning my cousin texted that her beloved loved the almond cookies I had made for the High Holidays. My first thought was ,"What almond cookies?". Then I remembered that I had added almond flour to whipped egg whites and topped each cookie with a whole almond. My youngest, ( tree nut allergic) will be at dinner too. I am not interested in killing him so I also needed t create a nut-free option for him. So this is what I did. I separated four eggs and put the whites into my big yellow Pyrex bowl. I added a pinch of salt to give the egg whites a bit more structure. Since there are four egg whites I have a cup of sugar at the ready. You need 1/4 cup of sugar per egg white. It is easier to separate cold eggs just out of the fridge but egg whites beat up more impressively if they are at room temperature. So separate you...

 Today we attended the funeral of a beloved friend. My husband had suggested that on the way home we would check out the Bekeshes ( long Chassidic coats) and Rekeshes ( long suit jackets) that were at Housing Works- the thrift store. For those sharp eyed among you, yesterday I wrote the name of the garment at Beketches as it was on the website of the manufacturer.I was more familiar with the term Bekeshe   and apparently that is correct as well, so i return to the more familiar pronunciation. On our walk uptown we saw  two young Chabad guys at a table in front of the subway stop encouraging women to light Shabbat candles and men to put on t'fillin. My husband and I entered the thrift and he began trying on the coats. He admired the fabric and the workmanship and we were both a bit freaked out at how the garment transformed my husband. Some of the coats had frock coat like details. I suspect that if the coats cost $10.00 my husband might have thought about purchasing ...

 Yesterday, when I started my workout the sky looked like this... Cue up the eerie music!  I just love the light pouring through the cornice of the white brick building a block away. (My building was designed by the same architects a few years later) By the time I was done, it looked like an entirely different day, like the background for an entirely different movie. On a completely different topic---- I stopped by Housingworks, one of the local thrifts today and there is a selection of  traditional Chassidish coats and jackets for sale. These were all custom made by  Fino . The names of the clients were typed onto the labels sewn into the front pockets.    The quality of the materials and the workmanship were impeccable. Some of these garments were made of satiny fabrics--perhaps silk and others were made out of superfine wool I discovered poking about the Fino website that some of these garments are Beketches and others are called Reklech.  Beketches...

 About thirty years ago I was wandering through the women's section of the local thrift (This was an old fashioned completely un-curated thrift sore, not a glitzy consignment store, or a  coolvintage store but a dusty, slightly smelly thrift store). Amid the ugly polyester dresses I found this: A black wool dress with massive shoulder pads, lots of snaps and a sweep of a ruffle at the front wrap. It was fabulous--- and it was my size. I bought the dress for either $25 or $28. I had never heard of the designer before.  The dress felt terrific on. I felt like a sexy spacewoman in the dress or the general of an artsy army. Not only did the dress feel great on, it looked good on me.  For years, I wore this dress often. Once the internet entered our home I started researching the designer, Theirry Mugler.  This is what Wikipedia has to say  I was delighted to see the prices that vintage Theirry Mugler garments reached at auctions.  This is a current Etsy li...