Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

It's 11pm and we're into the 5th hour of NYC's first snowstorm of 2009. There's a blizzard watch for surrounding areas, and we'll get about 12" here in Long Island City. Something about snow--it lightens the mood, passersby are more readily chatty and the gritty city is blanketed with quiet and beauty. For a few days anyway, til the dogs whiz and the snow turns gray from sand and traffic.

I'm tempted to make a snow angel, but I don't want to risk being run over by a plow--they're already out, clearing even the tertiary roads. Tertiary. The Sanitation Commissioner says "Toi-shee-ary."

The division of labor along our row of houses is unspoken. Every hour or so, we sweep and shovel our own area, then clear the neighbors' on either side. That way, no one comes out to a daunting job. We switch off, lending shovels and brooms and we have some chit chat. Sheila said that she would like to share some pot pie that she had coming out of the oven in a few minutes. 5 minutes later, my phone rang and there she was, handing me a whole pie, steaming hot!

Maybe because New York is a city where people seem to have blinders on, walk fast and talk even faster...I still get caught off guard by true human kindness. I brought the piping hot pot pie inside, and could not resist having a small sliver. It was very good, warming and rejuvenating, with a splash of vin rouge ;-)

Sheila and I reconvened for another pass with the shovels and she told me how the pie evolved. Neighbors and friends Diane and Barry came by to donate a small fridge to the theater that she runs with her husband, Brian. http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org/  Peter, the caterer across the street, saw Sheila and said that he had a tray of freshly roasted turkey left over and did she want it? Did she want it? YES! Presto, Sheila made some turkey pot pies--with potatoes, carrots, celery, bacon, peas, rosemary snipped fom my garden (!), parsley and thyme from her garden...all under a flaky golden crust.

It's after midnight now, and it's time to let the snow just snow. We will dig out in the morning.

Shhh, don't tell...I'll be handing mini bread puddings off to Shelia tomorrow. A sunny, snowy December Sunday--perfect for pre-Christmas baking.

Surprise, Sheila! Right back at'cha.

The big dig on LIC's "tertiary" roads in the shadow of the Empire State Bldg.

...And the city snowstorm circle is COMPLETE---a bag of dog poo sits in the snow!