“I still can’t go over a subway grating without looking down to see if there is some money there.”
Last night was so very cold. The actual temperature was 27° but adding the wind brought it down to 17°. Today’s high will be around 35°, almost balmy. I’m looking for my sunscreen.
I have a concert today at the mall, songs of the 60’s. I will be playing my new uke, a Christmas present from my sister. I’m going to wear a tie-dye top I bought in Ghana, a band of flowers across my forehead, bead necklaces and my tie-dye Converse high tops. I’m thinking my ensemble screams 60’s.
When I was a kid, I never ate many fresh vegetables because there were few available, and I was not a fan of vegetables anyway. My mother tried to sway us by telling us veggies made us healthier and carrots helped us see better, especially at night. We didn’t buy it so she had to employ subterfuge. Fresh carrots were mashed and hidden in the potatoes, a grand deceit, and it worked, but I might have felt kinder to carrots by themselves if I knew they could also be in a cake. Peas and corn came in cans as did French green beans. Yellow and green waxed beans also made appearances. I always thought they tasted the same. We had mashed potatoes just about every week night and at Sunday dinner. I would still eat dinner with baby peas from a can, but I have come a long way. My carrots are no longer hidden.
My mother used to take us to visit family in East Boston. She didn’t drive so we took a roundabout route. First we walked to the square where we took a bus to Sullivan Square. From the bus stop at Sullivan, we’d walk upstairs to the subway. I’d stand as close to the edge of the platform as my mother let me so I could look down the tracks hoping to see the train. We’d board quickly and together in one car. My mother was always afraid we’d get separated. Her one rule was if we did get separated we were to get off at the next station and wait. We’d ride that first train for a bit before we’d get off at an another station where we could transfer to a different subway line, one to Maverick Square near where my aunt lived. We walked a short way from there. We followed the same route backwards to get home.
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
February 18, 2024 at 11:38 am
Hi Kat,
Today is sunny with a low this morning of 27° and a forecast high of 54°.
When I was a little kid living in Brooklyn, my father would take me to his office in Manhattan occasionally. We lived a block away from the elevated train station on the BMT, (Brooklyn Manhattan Transit), line that ran above Broadway in Brooklyn. Yes, Brooklyn has its own street named Broadway, but it’s not anything like the great white way in Manhattan. We boarded the train at the Gates Avenue station. I always wanted to sit in the front car so I could see where we were going out the front window in the forward door. At age six I wanted to pretend to be driving the train since I hadn’t yet discovered airplanes. There was a seat right next to the door at the front of the car and I could sit on my father’s leg and see outside the front window. The train eventually crossed over the East River on the Williamsburg bridge. I could look down from the bridge into the Brooklyn Navy Yard and see aircraft carriers in for repairs. When the train reached the Manhattan side it would plunge down into the tunnels. There are no elevated trains in Manhattan. It was a real adventure.
As far as I can remember I liked most vegetable’s including broccoli and Brussels sprouts. My father liked having a tossed salad every evening at dinner so we were used to eating vegetables. My mother also opened the canned veggies until she discovered Birdseye frozen vegetables which she decided were healthier.
Enjoy your concert with your new uke, you will look very 1960 ish. according to your description.
February 18, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Hi Bob,
It was cold today but the wind made it so much worse.
Boston had the first subway, built in 1897. It went through a variety of conversions from horse driven trolleys to subways, electric cars, elevated railway and trackless trolleys. I used to like to kneel on the seat and watch the city go by out the window.
When I was much older, my uncle worked for The T. He was the operator. A couple of times I actually ended up on his train pure serendipity.
I don’t like Brussels sprouts, and I only like broccoli raw with a dip. You know I don’t like beans, but I do love almost every other veggie except some really exotic ones. My mother also switched to frozen veggies except we all still wanted the Le Sueur baby peas.