Monday again and still sheltering. At least it warmed up a little

It's May, and today almost felt like May despite the drizzles. Tonight it's going to be cold enough to keep the windows closed and the blankets on the bed. Maybe tomorrow it will be May in more ways than just a date on the calendar.

The last time I went to a museum was in late February. The Neuberger, on the campus of SUNY Purchase had a fascinating exhibit on the life and work of Pier Paolo Pasolini. Since most of the students checking things out around me were ignorant of who he was, I'm comfortable giving some background on him.

He was an Italian poet, a neo-realist filmmaker and a politically active leftist. He also led a transgressive life and was openly gay. He was murdered or assassinated in 1975.

Many people consider him an important artist. I am among those who have been deeply moved by his work.

The exhibit included biographical material, photos of him at several key periods of his life, including a suite of pictures taken during a visit to NYC, selected poems, the costumes from his films, which he had a hand in designing, and long excerpts from the films.

If you are unfamiliar with his work, I suggest you do something to make yourself more knowledgable. The work can be difficult, sometimes obscure or even offensive, but that's among the things art is supposed to be.

These last two photos aren't from the Pasolini exhibit but they were taken in the Neuberger.

They were showing off some works from their permanent collection that had been out on loan to other institutions.

People looking at art are often as interesting as subjects as the art, and posing a person next to a work has ironic potentialities.

Marilyn and Mary

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Sunday - It didn't freeze last night but it still felt like March this morning

I got out for a walk this morning. I was at the Kensico Dam Plaza at a time different from when I've been going there recently. It being Sunday morning, I expected to find a different people and I wasn't disappointed. I'll post about it in a day or two.

Suffice to say it's Mother's Day. My mom's been gone for more than twenty years but I still think of her. 

The social distancing and not being in the city didn't allow my usual Mother's Day kidding around. If I was on line at a store, a cafe or in the bank, and there was a woman of mothering age near me, I'd wish her a happy mother's day and then I'd frown. 

"People say I'm a real 'muthah' but nobody every wishes me a happy muthah's day, I'd gripe." 

That would usually get a chuckle and a bemused "well then, happy muthah's day to you."

These photos were all taken on my way to Grand Central Terminal on the last day I was in the city, March 13. By then the trains were less than a third full and as you can see, neither Madison Avenue, the through passage in the Met Life Building nor Grand Central are exactly crowded. Things were beginning feel weird and the scary part was about to begin.

By the time I got home that afternoon, I was feeling pretty ill and though whatever I had passed within 48 hours, looking back, I think I had a mildish case of the virus.

Did I know that nearly eight weeks later I would not get back to the city yet? I'm not a seer, I did not know.

It's been strange to say the least. Living in the age of the pandemic that shut down the world is a very odd feeling.

I think these photos feel sort of haunted, too.

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Saturday March - no, that's May 9 but if feels like March

I got out of the house today, went to the local Farmers' Market where I picked up some wonderful vegetables from Gajeski Produce - the farm uses these "tunnels" to grow them all year round and they are excellent and local enough to make the word "fresh" mean fresh.

The Hudson Valley Duck Farm's duck farmer was running his own stand. He told me he ate fresh roasted duck last night. It's nice to know the man who raises them eats them too.

The Hudson River Apiaries honey stand was open. This guy's local honey is top drawer and I bought a bottle of Buckwheat honey. If you are from the area and you are in need of local wildflower honey, his is delicious - both spring and fall harvests so tasty I want to take it by the teaspoonful but I don't.

I stopped at a few other stands and bought fresh pasta, cheese, and the most amazing and addictive pesto from Buddha Pesto. Sadly, Rock City Mushrooms wasn't there.

It was the oddest weather day - beautiful and bright but very windy and chilly. It felt more like mid-March than mid-May and some people wore winter coats and boots along with their protective masks.

I enjoyed being out-of-doors and chatting from an appropriate distance with masked strangers. It's wonderful how everyone looks so beautiful when wearing protective gear.

Bear with me: this is the longest post I've done in quite awhile.

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Friday - lousy weather day so I worked on cloning hard drives. Boring.

What happened to May? Isn't it bad enough that New York City is still shut down, that I'm all but completely shut in except for solitary walks, that the weather went from spring-like to late autumn with wind, rain, blowing drizzle and chilly. Writing this makes me feel like somebody Samuel Clemens was describing, and there's not a damn thing I can do about the weather except either stay out of or dress right for it when it's foul.

Tomorrow I hope the weather is dry enough to visit the Pleasantville Farmers' Market. 

I'm thinking about my friend Shalom Neuman and his wife, Orange/Karen. They are recovering from cases of the Covid-19 virus. I haven't spoken to her but I know it shook him up some and left him exhausted.

I took these in Easton, PA, which is now Shalom's and Karen's US base. Shalom's established the International Fusionism Museum there. I know I've posted photos of the museum and events there. 

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Thursday - A lovely May afternoon in suburbia

It was a beautiful afternoon, and I even got out for a walk.

So what am I posting? Some pictures from the city. A couple of men in a bookstore in the West Village, men working on two mid-town food trucks, and tourists pausing to pose for me on a street corner.

Boy, do I miss getting into the city every day.

The two men in the bookstore are Ron Kolm and Eric LaPrade. The food trucks are Costas and Disos. The tourists are from another country.

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Wednesday - the middle of another pandemical week

Another day of self-isolating and pandemical social distancing.

I stayed in most of the day. 

I have to thank the people who put signs up around the city and on vehicles for doing so.

Don't believe for a moment that all three of these are accidents. Accidents occur but when you are watching for an opportunity, it is no accident.

I'll have to think of a name for this series. Maybe it's The Sign!

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Tuesday - the May weather is improving my mood

It was a lovely day out there in Westchester. I did get out for a little self-isolating while, nothing much but it felt good.
Not as warm as Sunday when I was reading in my backyard but still no complaints.

Here's some out of door pictures taken on various dates while standing on a MetroNorth Harlem line train station platform.

I think some will find me crazy for saying this, but I miss my daily commute.
These three are an homage to the Harlem Line.

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Monday - another lovely day in May

Not my usual things. Sometimes I go for the abstract, though in this case both of these are only abstract when you don't know what you are looking at, and I'm not going to tell you.  

Anyway, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, or whatever it's called, started streaming on DisneyPlus today. These made me think for a moment of 2001: A Space Odyssey. What do you think?

I look at them and think they could be aerial photos but I'll tell you this: they are not.

I hope you like them but if you don't, well, that's a Monday in May for you.

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Sunday - What a beautiful day to be outside!

Finally it felt like spring heading toward summer in NY! No complaints about today, I even had a chance to lounge on a lounger on the patio behind my house.

That said, another holocaust survivor from the Radomer Mutual Culture Center passed away from the Covid-19 virus. She, along with another woman who passed a couple of weeks ago, brings the total up to four from the society. I fear this virus will be the cause of the end of the generation that survived the Holocaust. Very sad and it makes me melancholy.

In respect to them, with condolences to their families, here is a photo I took of them about eight years ago.

I knew them both pretty well. Celia Feldman was as sharp as ever right up to the end of her life. She was smart, assertive, funny and always fun.

I lived across the street from Sally Horn when I was in junior high and high school. She was an earnest and loving woman. Sadly, she suffered from dementia the last years of her life before dying from the virus during our current pandemic. 

Despite the horrors they witnessed and survived, they went on to make great lives for themselves.

Both should rest in peace, both had loving husbands who predeceased them, both left wonderful families behind.

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Saturday - a beautiful May day all day at the Pleasantville Farmers' Market

It felt like spring, smelled like spring and looked like spring all day! Maybe things are getting better.
I went to the local farmers' market in Pleasantville NY and while socially distanced from the woman behind me, while waiting on line at one of the stands, had a brief, optimistic conversation with her.

She's a senior nurse manager at Westchester Medical Center and she said she believes we have turned the corner for now, and that if we continue to be careful, we can pull through this sooner rather than later. I hope she is right. She gave some reasons, but I'll leave that for now.

Here she is. If you can't see her halo, it's because the sun was shining too brightly.

Here are a few photos of the vendors I shot this morning at the farmer's market. I guess I was inspired because here are more photos than I've been posting - but not too many - and more timely than usual.

These people are all great, and to them I can only say thanks for being there, stay safe and stay healthy. We appreciate what you are doing and we support you.

Buddha Pesto 

Gajeski Farm

Rock City Mushrooms

Hudson Valley Duck Farm

Bread Alone Bakery

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Friday already? Every day feels like Friday already.

A couple of photos taken in the early part of the last decade. These are part of the Urban Portraits series - mostly candids shot on the street or in places where it might as well be the street.

Maybe tomorrow or next week I'll add some commentary.
Right now it's enough that they are here.

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