Weekend Update: Part 90

For me, much of the weekend was taken up stewing and fretting about two things: The nightmare that is New Jersey and New York, and the upcoming elections.

All I can do about the elections is vote, and then wait and watch for the outcome.

All I can do about Superstorm Sandy is help in small ways. Friends were collecting dog and cat food for an animal shelter on Staten Island, so when I was at Trader Joe’s picking up kibble for Connor, I picked up an additional 20 lb. bag for other shelter dogs. Connor’s not forgotten that he came from the city pound, and knows he’s lucky to have found a home. For those other dogs, maybe their luck will change. I also gathered some winter coats and blankets for another effort for those who’ve lost their homes and all of their possessions. What are you doing to help?

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On Saturday evening, I was kindly invited to the Art Show and Sale to benefit Cylburn, and was so pleased that I went. I saw lots of old friends and some new ones, like Tolly Lewin, who had two paintings in the show!

By the time Tolly walked me over to show me her pictures, one of them had already sold!

Because all of the artists used the 207-acre park as their inspiration, many of the pieces were of similar subjects, mainly the beautiful historic house that’s the centerpiece of the park.

Each painter who used the house as the subject had a slightly different take on it.

Here, the house is part of the background and it takes a minute to notice that it’s there.

Much more of an impression of the house and you don’t see the detail.

In this multi-media piece, the flowers have the same importance as the house.

This multi-media piece used a historic photograph as the centerpiece.

This is a favourite view with the two lions.

The same view, but from another angle.

There’s another party for the Art Show and Sale on Wednesday. Tickets are here.

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I always go into a funk the first few days of daylight savings time. I hate to “fall back”. It’s that slippery slope down hill to winter.

I must be in nesting mode for the winter, since I’ve been cooking up a storm. Yesterday, it was chicken broth from the roasted chicken I ate during the storm, and today, it was a roasted butternut squash soup from an Ina Garten recipe.One of the best kitchen tools I have is my immersion blender, which makes whipping up a soup like this a snap. Seriously, this thing will change your life!

How was your weekend?