No More Coats

Ok..So I'm a die hard New Yorker at heart..With that said there is one thing I definitley enjoy about living in the south..I can get rid of my overcoat and or jacket by March..This weather is fantastic..Today its going to go up to 75 degrees..Can you believe it, it's only march 31st..

There is one draw back to the great weather, by early summer it gets so hot you can't even walk outside without feeling as though your going to pass out from heat exhaustion..Believe me there have been times when I thought someone was going to find me passed out in the Targets parking lot..Can't allow the heat to stop me from finding a bargain..

I am lucky enough to have a pool in my apartment complex..It can be enjoyable when all of bebe's kids and their friends are not around being little pains..So I usually just opt out to take my 2 year old to the park where there are a number of sprinklers for her to run through..

Michelle enjoys it either way, so if she's happy, I'm happy and the world can be at peace..If you have a 2 year old you'll know what I'm talking about..

So today is going to be an outside day for us..I'm glad spring is here and I can't wait for summer..Although I do enjoy summers in New York more than I do in the south..There is always so much to do but just not enough time to do it..

Spring is in Air

So its spring time again..I love this time of year because its the start of something new..The buds on the trees always make me feel so good..

Where I now live I get to see the trees blossom and flowers bloom..The pollen is a killer, it always gets my allergies going full blast..

There is a huge tree directly in front of my townhouse outside of my daughters window..The pollen coming off of the tree always leaves a thick heavy coat on the front door which is painted black, so it makes it look so dirty..My car is always tinted green hiding its true color which is gold..

I lived 2 blocks from Prospect Park..I loved to take walks around the park when the trees were starting to bloom..I thought the site of new life was breathtaking to say the least..

My walks would start off short and before I knew it I would walk around the entire park just so I could take in the sites..

I no longer live close to a park, but my neighborhood does offer a lot of great walking trails..

I took the kids out for a walk yesterday around the neighborhood, it felt really good to be able to see Michelles expression at all of the trees we were passing along the way..

She would stop and point and I would tell her the name of the tree and she would repeat in the best way she could..Mason just loved feeling the sun on his face..

I really miss walking around the park..not only was it great exercise, but it was also a lesson in natural beauty..

You Call This Snow

I miss snow as crazy as that may sound..I miss the white fluff of the 1st snow fall, not the nasty gray slush left after every vehicle in town as driven through it..I miss stepping into it and just sinking down because your not sure where the ground is or how deep the snow is..I miss tasting snow flakes..I miss the feel of snow hitting my face as it falls..

We had a couple of snowy days recently.. nothing for the weather books in my opinion..Would you believe everything comes to a stand still in this town when it snows..Schools close..Businesses close..Supermarket shelves are emptied and everyone hunkers down and waits for it to pass..Wait for what 3 inches of snow..I still can't believe that it cripples an entire city..

It was unheard of for us to miss school because of snow..You just had to put on snow suit, your big boots, hat and gloves and you were on your way..And you better not be late..

New York recently had a few heavy snow storms that caused schools to close..Are you kidding me..Are New Yorkers getting soft or what..Put on your big boots and get back out there..

Well that's all passed now.. Spring is around the corner..Cant wait for all of the new plumage..I love fresh flowers and the smell of fresh cut grass..But I would still take a good snowfall any day..

Craving for White Castle

OK, so there are no White Castles in Atlanta..None not one..The closest I've come to eating what I consider to be the best fast food burger in the world is the freezer at Krogers..Not even close once you nuke it..It just gets hard and dry..Gross..

There is this one place called Krystal that some compare to White Castle..Are you kidding me..There is no comparison to a White Castle burger..

For crying out loud..Krystals puts mustard on their burger..Big no no..The buns are not steamed to perfection like White Castles are..The meat..Oh forget about it, I cant' even begin to explain the meat..

When I worked in Manhattan and left my job after midnight on some occasions..My associates and I would walk up to 37th street and 8th avenue just to get some White Castle burgers for our train ride into Brooklyn..

The place was always busy..You had your late night workers both legitimate and not so legitimate..There were the club goers and the college kids from NYU..Yeah they too would come up from the village for some burgers..

Everyone had that same look of longing for what we all knew was about to be the best experience of our day..Your order was taken and within a few minutes you were in heaven.. We would take our order and head out the door back towards the 34th street and 6th avenue subway station..

The burgers would never make it to the station because we all ate as we walked..Only skilled professionals could handle such a task..Believe me it was a task dodging crack in the side walk and other pedestrians..Remember this is the city that never sleeps..

What do I have to do to get a White Castle in this town..I wonder if the mayor can help..He looks like he might like a White Castle burger or 2..Hey Mayor Reed if your reading this let me know what you think..

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I have been back in Atlanta for 4 years today..Sometimes I wonder if leaving Brooklyn was a good idea or not. I really, really miss the vibrancy of the city I grew up in since coming to this country in 1972 from Guyana..New York is such an amazing place to live and Brooklyn the best borough..I lived in the flatbush section of Brooklyn or little Haiti as I lovingly referred to it..

Where can you get off of the Q-train at 1am and still find the streets full of people..stores open and your favorite chinese restaurant still open waiting on your order of shrimp fried rice and half of a fried chicken..YUM YUM!!!..

I miss those things living in Atlanta..Marta stops at midnight..stores close by 10 and restaurants by midnight..Thank God for Walmart..at least I can find the things I need to make my fried rice and fried chicken..YUM YUM!!!..

There have been some 2 really good changes to my life since leaving Brooklyn..I have my daughter and my son..They make everyday more enjoyable for me..I sometimes wonder what life would be like if I had stayed in Brooklyn..

I miss the train rides..I miss being able to walk anywhere at anytime without odd looks..Just about everyone in Atlanta drives a car or some other type of vehicle..Traffic in this city is absolutely the worst..

I miss hearing all of the different dialects spoken in a 4 block radius..music to my ears..The different smells of meals being prepared wafting out of open windows..The corner fruit stand that carries the fruits and vegetables I grew up eating as a child..Sure I can find those things here at the farmers market..The feel is just not the same..

I long for a mango or a fruit salad that runs me $1 - $2 bucks..Not $4 - $5 bucks..Give me a break..I want roti and curry without having to make it myself, although I love to cook..I just have to walk around the corner in Brooklyn and I have my choice of 4 different spots to choose from. Here I have to travel over 20 miles to get what I don't even consider something that should be in the running..

OH MY..Am I in an abyss..If so get me out of here before I dissolve into the something I don't want to become and that is a dis-enchanted transplanted northerner..