The long, dark, and extremely chilly days of late autumn/early winter are finally creeping into the city. Sunny days are shorter – and fewer between – as time moves forward towards the winter solstice, and most mornings I wake up before the sun, listening to one of my favorite sounds: the clinging and clanging of 100+ year old radiators.
It’s a familiar sound, one I heard often in my childhood. I have happy memories of warming my clothes on the radiators in my childhood home, so I’d feel warmer (for at least 5 minutes), and of watching bread rise in large metal bowls on the radiator in the corner of the kitchen. That house is long gone, but this sound brings back early morning memories of Christmas music on the stereo and pancakes frying on the stove. It was a happy way to wake up.
These days I feel lucky if I’ve remembered to start the coffee, and pancakes are so not happening – there’s just not that much time in the mornings right now. But sitting here listening to the rain patter down, cup of Christmas blend in hand, I’m content. I’m not overly excited about the commute today (I still haven’t gotten those rain boots), but I am nevertheless content.
Life has settled into a new normal. For the longest time, living here in Brooklyn felt like an incredibly lengthy business trip; there are days when it still does. But five and a half months in, there are finally familiar faces, favorite places, routines – it’s starting to feel more and more like home.
There are still new adventures to be had; I skipped the wine tasting I’d meant to go to yesterday after work in favor of dinner at my favorite local pub, but this weekend I’m venturing out a bit. Brooklyn is home to a podcast festival this week, and I’m very much looking forward to Sunday evening’s live show at the Bell House with the hosts of Good Christian Fun. (If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do. PSA: it’s not one to have on around the kids, but oh, it’s so funny, and I really appreciate their take on the straight up weirdness of American Evangelical Christian culture.) I’m also headed out the following weekend to the Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar, which will likely be the first of many fun holiday adventures.
So. More to come…
Grace and peace,
Happy
Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash
Alisa Anton
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