Posts categorized as Community

Driving on the Belt Parkway over a decade ago, I remember seeing the landfill by Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn. I recall the strange black netting over the garbage hills and the signs with Michael Bloomberg and Andrew Cuomo’s names on them, with an explanation of what was happening at the location. With the new administration, the signs changed to read Bill De Blasio, and architectural landscape plans were presented. But it seemed like it would forever look like an experimental nuclear site. The former Fountain Ave. Landfill was in operation […]

My husband hates my seasonal decorating obsession. He thinks it’s a waste of money, a waste of storage space and it’s plain ol’ silly. Despite this though, last year for our anniversary he bought me six huge mum plants from Lisena Garden Center (12-5 Cross Bay Blvd, Broad Channel). They looked beautiful on my porch. Adding the burst of yellow and orange color I needed to contrast the hay bundles and corn stalks in my fall harvest display. The flowers lasted well into late October. I never understood why people […]

I had the exciting opportunity to collaborate on a design project for The Beach 91st Street Community Garden. For over a year, I’ve been eager to redesign our garden site map but haven’t had the time. I put an email out to my fellow community garden members to see if any creatives were interested in volunteering. Member Walter Meyer responded and introduced me to Diana Erazo, who he taught at Parsons New School and subsequently hired as an intern at his company, Local Office Landscape & Urban Design (LOLA). Some […]

Typical morning: I wake up, put on a pot of coffee and feed my cats. And Instagram my cats while waiting for my coffee. Then I see a little fluffy head pop up at the glass window of the back kitchen door. It’s Sweetie. We named her Sweetie for her friendly disposition. She’s a black American long-haired, around 7 months old. She began visiting regularly two months ago. I’m able to pet her which means she may have been domesticated as a kitten. If you’ve been reading my column for […]

I made a 4,000 pound mistake. As a member of The Beach 91st St. Community Garden’s leadership team, was tasked with purchasing gravel for a special project. I called Glenwood Mason Supply as suggested by one of our members. I told them I needed two square yards of pea gravel. The delivery came earlier than expected, this was last Saturday. The driver was concerned about dropping the 2 ton load. His machine only worked on solid ground and the garden is soil and grass. But I couldn’t leave two tons […]

Last week, I felt uneasy about my column on chives, given all that’s going on. I needed some time to process. I ended up rewriting this column for this week three times. It just doesn’t feel okay for me to write about gardening or cooking right now. Our whole nation is in crisis. The killing of George Floyd on May 25th and the conversation about the resulting protests for justice and equality has entered every household in America, including mine. These hard discussions often take place around the dinner table. […]

Since my column last week “Inspiration Online And Art At Home,” I’ve noticed even more creativity (and weirdness) on the web. We’ve adapted so quickly to our new social world and work lives, now held virtually…  it’s pretty amazing. One of the best examples of this is what my friend Ed McKenna is doing. He’s a Breezy guy. I met Ed through my husband. They’ve played in some great bands together over the years. Ed, better known to his students as Mr. Ed, is a special education music teacher.  A […]

New York City has finally passed a ban on most single-use plastic bags, catching up to 300 towns and cities across the U.S. and 55 countries in Europe. According to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags annually — each for about 12 minutes — and approximately 85% of this staggering total ends up in our landfills, recycling machines, waterways, and streets. And oceans! Living so close to the ocean, I feel a responsibility to respect and protect wildlife and our coastal environment. […]

My plan for this week was to write about a tasty, healthy chickpea salad recipe, but two notable experiences happened last Sunday at St. Francis De Sales (129-16 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Belle Harbor) as my church-hopping journey continues. So here’s both! I almost didn’t make it to Saint Francis last week. I got the time wrong. I had the thought,  “Well, I tried.” but I did end up back in the car 45 minutes later. And I’m glad I did because I was reminded by a flyer in the back […]

I remember being in church at midnight mass on Christmas Eve as a kid. I was probably around 12 years old. Old enough to get the message from the homily—something to the effect of “We have a lot of ‘visitors.’” The priest went on to discuss how so many of us only come to church on holidays and when it’s convenient for our schedules. I recall thinking proudly, “Oh that’s not me!” Here I am almost 30 years later, and I’m so that person now. After mass at St. Rose […]