kantha, because you can get all these patterns in one blanket.
these flowers, which are the most amazing version of apple cider cakeness ever. you can get yours at bakeri.
this shelf, and the cutout for a jar of flowers. (and those tiny gorillas creeping up in the corner.)
this towel/throw/shawl, for its versatility and happy greenness.
i don't like lawns. maybe there has been too much written about the uselessness, wastefulness, and general horror that is lawn-ness for me to ignore. perhaps i was persuaded by this 2008 new yorker article, which laments that "the essential trouble with the american lawn is its estrangement from place: it is not a response to the landscape so much as an idea imposed upon it—all green, all the time, everywhere." or possibly: lawns epitomize the suburbs, which i enjoy visiting (such an exotic way of life!) but where i don't intend on ever putting down roots.
it might be weird to say, then, that i love grass. i recently acquired a carpet of astroturf, inspired by some i saw at the nyc home design show, and had also been eyeing the wild, colorful, feathery grasses that are so plentiful on the highline. so yes to fake grass and yes to ornamental grasses, but no to boring, over-fertilized expanses of sameness.
they are green now but will develop flower plumes and turn white and pink.
after doing some research online, i deduced that the grasses i was drawn to are varieties of feather reed grass. these are non-invasive, clumping grasses with a lot of height and can thrive in full sun. they are also perennial in new york city, which is key since i don't want to buy the same plants over and over each year.
sedum cauticola 'lidakense'
in addition to the grasses, i got some lovely purple-y green sedum, another maple (it's tiny!), and dwarf japanese knotweed. sadly, the yard is currently a demo zone, so these plants have been living in their quart-pots since they arrived. it's not ideal, but they seem to be doing okay (although there is some yellow).
the baby maple.
the dwarf japanese knotweed will have clusters of pink flowers in the summer.
here's to keeping them alive!
our family adventure continued to the brooklyn botanic gardens on sunday.
under the flight path.
clusters of trees have begun to blossom in parts of the gardens; the daffodils and tulips are already in full bloom. it wasn't crazy crowded, since it's not yet time for the cherry blossom festival. ("it's next week," said the security guard to a couple of disappointed women, kimono-clad, at the gates.)
the gardens were lovely, and i'll be back in a couple of weeks after the madness of sakura matsuri. (there's going to be an amazing plant sale!) but man, the bonsai. i could have stayed in the c.v. starr bonsai museum all day. i love miniatures and i love plants, so obviously, bonsai drive me crazy (in a good way). sadly, i have never been able to keep one alive, so it's a good thing i now have a membership so i can visit it anytime i want. (all the time.)
prunis x subhirtella. a miniature version of the ones outside.
zelkova serrata 'makino'. the scale of this tree is perfect: tiny leaves to go with the tiny trunk and branches. some of the other bonsai have normal-sized leaves on miniature trunks, which is just not as impressive.
have a great week!
i spend most weekends in brooklyn, but i don't get out as much as i should. hhh's hermit-like tendencies can be contagious, and the god-awful winter didn't help. and when i do leave the house, it's often to eat. (restaurants are the best destinations. after eating, i can sometimes be persuaded to see other sights.) but my aunt and uncle are visiting from taiwan, and i am using the occasion to see all the things within ten miles of my apartment that i (shamefully) have not visited in years (or ever).
DUMBO's view of manhattan bridge
on saturday, we headed through brooklyn bridge park, into DUMBO, over the bridge and then wandered through the financial district, up to canal street. it was only four hours, but traveling through these neighborhoods on foot reminded me that i wanted to get a hold of the new york nobody knows, by cuny-based sociologist william helmreich. he took four years to walk all of new york city's 6,000 miles. (every. single. block.) out of curiosity, i had picked up goodbye to all that: writers on loving and leaving new york, but am unswayed by their stories. maybe it's just because i'm not yet ready to go. helmreich's book is about a man's love of this city, and i love new york in any season but winter. it's looking like good reading for a city summer.
in the shadow of brooklyn bridge
manhattan looks good from here.
washi tape to make your adhesive tasks more enjoyable. or for making cupcake flags.
a light but warm scarf for this fickle weather.
geometric linen pillow, to rest your head while watching tv.
hay kaleido trays, because this is the perfect color combination.
now, back to the dissertation.
