I was excited to go out into the city to take pictures of the snow. I was excited to see what it looked like and how much snow the city got. We knew from watching the news that Manhattan had at least 27 inches. Our view from the Hope Lodge is limited. We have two big windows in our bedroom that look out over West 32nd Street and across from other tall buildings. From the communal area on the 6th floor there are windows but again the view is a city street and other tall buildings.
After breakfast Jim and I bundled up and walked to the CVS a few blocks away to pick up his medicine. Unfortunately, the doctor's office called his prescription to the wrong pharmacy. We ended up walking another few blocks to the next CVS. It was amazing how well the streets and sidewalks were plowed. We passed one building that was roped off to prevent people from walking directly below it. Sheets of ice would periodically fall from the high rise so you had to be very careful where you walked. The hardest part was crossing the streets. The curbs were either piled high with snow or they were a slushy mess to cross.
After CVS we walked another 15 minutes to a grocery store. We decided to go to Fairway Market which was closer than walking to Trader Joe's. What a mistake. Fairway was smelly, unorganized and dirty. I passed on the fresh produce and stuck to canned and packaged goods. We also stopped by the liquor store to buy a bottle of bourbon and some red wine. By now our feet and hands were cold but the sky was blue and the sun was out. It felt good to be outside even if we were in the middle of Manhattan.
After we got back to the Lodge I unloaded the groceries and Jim and I headed across the street to the "Mall". We wanted to buy a twin mattress pad for his bed. He has been sweating lately and the Hope Lodge mattress pad is a waterproof one which only exacerbates the situation. In the mall was a JCPenney's and we quickly found what we were looking for.
I decided to make dinner early although we wouldn't eat for a couple of hours. While in the kitchen Rose, another resident, was making something to eat. Rose is from Africa. She has breast cancer and her son insisted she come to America for treatment. He lives in New Jersey and brought her over here. She lived with him for a while and had a driver take her to the city for her chemo treatments. After she was more comfortable with the big city she moved into the Hope Lodge. She has been in treatment since April...9 MONTHS! Chemo is over and she is going through radiation now. Her English is limited but we communicate somewhat. She is a strong woman. While I was beginning to prepare the chili she came over and handed me a small plate of noodles with carrots, peas and beans.
I thanked her and then thought I can't eat this. I don't want to eat this but I wouldn't be able to communicate to her that I can't have gluten. Luckily when she was washing some dishes I put the food in one of my empty bean cans. It was a lovely gesture to offer me food. Rose is a neat woman.
We had the chili later in the evening and I made some Detoxinista's chocolate chip cookies. Jimmy watched the two football games and I did what I do every night: text, check emails and journal. Well now I blog. Tomorrow we hope to see the snowfall in Central Park.
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