Bene Foley

Paint. I always get excited about choosing a paint color—and I always choose wrong. The shade I pick out is perfectly lovely; it just doesn’t work in the room. It is not that I don’t do some research. I always read up first. But the truth is, different designers have different opinions. Some say that for a small room you should only paint white to reflect the light and make it look larger, others declare that bolder colors help create a perception of depth. So, I choose a color. What I don’t do is the sample size cans. Maybe I am too cheap, maybe I am too impatient. Regardless, I inevitably end up with a color that does not look good.

One of my favorite paint trends is to paint the door to a house a color that is in no way part of the overall scheme of the house. I am always attracted to houses like this. It makes it seem like the door is beckoning me, welcoming me. Gray houses can look especially nice with a splash of color right in the center. I would love to do this with my own house, but I am fearful of choosing the wrong color. If I ever want to go through with it, I may have to hire a professional for that single can of paint.

Time is going by in a different way these days. I am starting to miss little things intensely. I miss hanging out in the sun on the New Seasons’ roof; I miss walking up to Woodstock and being among people. I can recall the sinking feeling I got when Grand Central closed.

The first week or so of the Stay At Home order Grand Central remained open and I took comfort that some things were still normal. When they closed it felt like the neighborhood died a little. (I had to start making my own sourdough.) And then slowly, without me realizing it, all the coffee in the neighborhood disappeared. Even New Seasons has a sign that states that they are not serving coffee right now. How long ago was all this—two weeks? Three? A month?!

All is not lost. It looks like some previously closed shops are starting to reopen. The Ace hardware seems to have started selling nursery supplies; Pappacino has a sign up saying that they will re-open on May 1^st. I think I even saw a line for Cloud City ice cream, though I could swear they had closed too.

Some die-hards never shut down at all. Bai Mint Thai is open for take-out; the grocery stores continue to serve (thank you under-paid workers); and the weed stores are still getting the neighbors high. My greatest delight is that the Portland Fish Market is still serving fish and chips. My husband and I went for take-out the other evening and sat in the car eating with the windows and doors open. It almost felt like dining on the street at a café. And, the food is great. One thing I cannot cook at home—deep fried anything!

Door Paint

Missing Woodstock

Walks around Woodstock