Apartment dwelling is hard to get used to, even with the centuries we’ve had to adjust. And who’s to say it wouldn’t be just as loud in your suburban enclave.
Our friend, Dr. Bronzaft, answers your concerns about noise. In this podcast, she addresses the thorny issue of noisy neighbors.
In order to hang onto that summertime feeling, I had to find a fruit to replace the peach that would carry us into the fall. Kiwi, an Australian with a fuzzy skin and slightly sharp tang, fits the bill. The yellow version even has that peachy hue.
It defies logic (but probably not genetics) that a kiwi with yellow fruit (and skin) is sweeter than the old standard green variety.
The texture requires you to use a spoon rather than a bite.
This type of kiwi is also smoother skinned, and the ones I’ve found are branded Zespri.
These seem to be bred for a milder, less acidic flavor. The ones I sampled are also juicier. Expect to get your fingers sticky.
My insistence on referring to these beds as “fresh flowers” is just an eccentricity.
Seeing floral bouquets plucked or planted brightens the day.
My immediate neighbors have a vast empire of flowers the staff tend. They also have urns filled with color in their lobby.
Some lobbies give off an aura that is both exotic and elegant.
If you had to guess, what might you expect my morning essential to be.
My guess would be coffee, even as I signal virtue by a cutback in quantity. I was a 3 cappuccini a day gal at one point and that dubious fact lingers as if the real virtue is in excess.
Actually, my morning necessity has become the brief walk to pick up our morning necessaries.
I grab a smoothie and a couple of madeleines. I visit the local Subway restaurant to pick up a couple of salads. Sometimes there’s another stop to be made, perhaps for banana or peach.
It’s during that walk that I pass the lush planting in our neighbor-building’s frontyard.
It’s a bit unfair that I never cited my smoothie joint for its very fine coffee.
Sometimes you just don’t think of your relationship that way. Truth is I get a coffee with my tofu scramble breakfast special. Truth is I really enjoy it.
It’s going to be 50-50 for me sitting at one of the Green Bean Cafe’s outdoor tables or dragging the breakfast home.
Tofu makes a great egg alternative, when it subs in for the scrambled variety. I make a couple of meals from the one breakfast.
The home fries wait their turn for a dinner in which I add cocktail tomatoes to the pan while reheating. The 7 grain toast is a next day breakfast with or without hummus, and sometimes as a mini grilled cheese.
BTW, as a rule what’s described above subs in for home cooking in my kitchen.
The Green Bean serves fresh coffee, brewing up a clean pot every 30 minutes. For their iced coffee, they do as I do which is to keep a carafe in the fridge so it’s nice and cold before ice. The coffee, which is proudly organic, is mythically robust yet never bitter.
While there, ask for a Heartfelt Smoothie or a Jolty Green Giant (the “t” is an apt typo.)
How does a nice cold scoop of your favorite flavor make you feel?
Word is that ice cream is a natural mood enhancer. It’s supposed to make you feel just as good as it likely does.
Most people, my friend AJ told me, prefer vanilla. When we discussed this we felt it was a shame that so many of our fellow ‘screamers did not dip into the deep diversity of the freezer.
Don’t get me wrong, vanilla is a fine taste. It lacks some of the umph you might find in the more colorful choices. Pistachio is a robust green and raspberry a feisty purple while peach is a full-throated coral.
This pretty array also sparks your palette with excitement and savor. I invite you to take your senses on an adventure.
As a rule, I don’t make it to the breakfast special at Effy’s which ends at 10am. Hallelujah, I am here today.
Drizzly weather encouraged me to grab the early bus. I stopped by on my way to a workout.
Effy’s at 88th and York by Asphalt Green. Breakfast special @ 7.95 is 2 eggs toast home fries and good coffee.” Note to self put Effy’s on my coffee trail!
All The Best 