Another Sunday

Yesterday the weather was a balmy 63 degrees. I found myself wandering down First Avenue toward Perfect Shape Threading salon on 79th to get my eyebrows threaded for $7.00. I love the art of threading because it leaves my brows in the perfect arch- not too thin or shapeless. Plus, there is less redness and I don't get those little pimples on my brow bone the following day.

Afterward, I headed toward 71st street where I planned on purchasing a couple smelly candles from Bath and Body Works. However, I stumbled upon Kate's Paperie which I have always wanted to go in to, but never have. I had such a nice time gazing at various weights of paper, in shades like Dahlia and Smoke. They had the most creative envelopes and envelope liners and tri-fold mailers. I fingered pearly, Christmas cards and white, laser cut snowflake notecards. Stickers, stamps, gel pens and stencils. I love stationary and I did buy some things for $15.

After purchasing a scent that is supposed to smell of Winter in both candle and plug-in form as well as a lotion named Optimism, I headed up back up Third Avenue. I liked the white, glass bottle that Optimism came in, as much as I like the clean, sheer scent. The whimsical orange font promised me favor and positive thoughts.

I looked in shop windows: children's boutique clothing stores with tiny, plaid button-up shirts beneath logoed navy sweater vests, baby corduroy skirts in cranberry and little-bitty army green galoshes. Snowflakes and glitter and blinking white lights- all reminded me that Christmas is coming. I was comfortably dressed in yoga pants, one of Chris's white, V-neck undershirts (the same one I slept in- of course), a gray hoodie and a baseball cap- the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon wear. A Sunday that I missed church. A Sunday when I slept until 11:00AM after staying up until after 3:00AM and woke up in a less than happy and healthy condition- but that is another story.

I love walking through my neighborhood. And yesterday was the perfect day for strolling NYC. I stopped in Orewashers Bakery and was lucky enough to get a cinnamon raisin roll. Usually by noon they are sold out- thus the reason I had never had one before this day. It was 65 cents of pure joy. But not as good as the raisin pumpernickel or the whole wheat. It was more roll-like and less dense bread-like, but good nonetheless.

My last purchase was at Pier One where I picked up four white, ceramic soup bowls for $3.00 each- and I did enjoy looking at the holiday decorations and ornaments and garland and stuff, but luckily was not too impressed by any of it. Somehow our previous eight bowls have dwindled down to four and it is soup season. The last one that broke was dropped from the microwave onto the granite counter top full of piping hot minestrone. I think I cried trying to clean it up.

So, back home with my bowls, lotions, candles and stationary I was ready to relax, eat some soup and catch up on my correspondence. It was a good, lazy, restful day. I made a bowl of Campbell's condensed tomato soup made with skim milk on the stove top and told Chris that tomato soup is possibly the only canned item I prepare on the stove instead of in the microwave. I'm not sure why, except that this is how one of my two best friends in high school made it- which is also why it makes me think of her. At sixteen-years-old canned soup was new to me.

I lit my candles, ate my soup and played with my stickers until I decided to go to bed at 9:00. Thankful for the simplicity of saltines and well-shaped brows and prana yoga pants.