sarah in nyc

  It is pretty safe to say that Covid-19 has made pretty much everything in our lives worse. However, tonight Covid-19 made one thing better.   Tonight is my mother's sixth yahrzeit. Normally, my two sisters in Boston attend evening services together and I mark my mother yahrzeit here at my home shul.  Tonight we agreed that the three of us would say Kaddish together at Zoom services at KI Kehillath Israel) in Brookline.  It would be nice for all three of us to be together. As the screen filled up with faces we soon realized that another Quincy family had joined together to say Kaddish as well. Marcia Cohen, a longtime Quincy friend had died several weeks ago. Her family, her widowed husband, and four daughters gather at the KI Zoom service every day. The service ended and we all just hung out for another hour and more, talking and laughing and remembering the two women who were so fond of one another and catching up on all of our lives. Just before we said goodbye, ...

I know it has been a while since I have posted. I haven't been doing nothing. One of my big activities has been obsessively reading the news. I remember my Brooklyn born cousin telling me when i was a kid that she makes sure to read the front page of the New York Times every morning to be sure that the world hadn't come to an end while she was sleeping. This was one of those weeks when it truly felt like the world might come to an end while I slept. Aside from feeling terrible about the state of the world, I have been taking care of household related stuff. One of my sewing buddies used to describe her "Tu-it pile". The things that eventually she would get to it. In my tu-it pile were two items (that I tackled). One was a grey knit tank top I wear when I work out. It had a hair dye stain right in front. I block printed leaves over the stain and then just kept printing so the leaves looked intentional.  At some point before my mother died I bought her a purple cotton c...

Late last week, Mayor de Blasio announced that some streets would be closed to traffic to allow pedestrians to walk and more easily maintain social distance. The last time I had been outside for more than a moment was April 6. A couple of Sundays ago I tried to take a walk but so many people were unmasked that I only made it three blocks before turning around and heading back home. Sunday I decided to venture out. It was a delightfully sunny day but after so many weeks inside, the world felt completely over-saturated in color.   The elementary school my kids graduated from welcomed me to my walk. I had space to walk and enjoy being outside without worrying about getting dangerously close to others. I loved feeling the sun on my skin. Friends had set up socially distant get-togethers. I loved seeing the kids drawing with chalk in the middle of the avenue. I loved how the shadows cast by the tree branches echos the leading in the pale blue window-lights. Someone had set up a bubble m...

Tonight is kind of a momentous Shabbat.  Our older son moves out on Sunday. He had signed a lease on an apartment uptown from us on April 1, but Corona Virus, and Passover had put a crimp in his plans to not just pay rent, but actually to live in his apartment with a roommate.  I'm delighted that he has a steady income and can move out. Unfortunately, once he moves out he is part of a different household and can't visit us unless he is masked (and us too) and socially distanced.  He goes off into the world an excellent cook and bread baker. If i play my cards right he may share his sour dough starter with me. I wanted to put a bit more effort into this meal. I made red chicken, that is chicken with smoked paprika, hot paprika, cayenne and black pepper. I massaged the spices into the chicken and cooked it on a bed of potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Here it is before cooking.  And after cooking... Despite the fact that getting food is still a little complicated, I want...