The Upside Of Insomnia

At 6 Am
On The Beach
In Surfside,
South Carolina.

There is an upside to insomnia:
I got to witness the sun rising over the ocean.


Will you forgive me, dear reader, if I do not report from Brooklyn this week, but from down South? Because you see, even a Brooklyn blogger has to escape the borough sometimes.

Read More

Stormy Weather At Surfside Beach, South Carolina

Rain, rain and more rain in Brooklyn, I heard? Heavy storms over Carroll Gardens?
Here in Surfside Beach,too, a big storm came over the ocean, with huge dark, scary clouds and menacing thunder. The wind whipped the sand around my ankles as I walked onto the beach to take the picture of the bright red chairs and umbrellas.
But it was quite worth it. I think the photo turned out quite well, no?



For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

Instead Of A Brooklyn Brownstone, How About A North Carolina Fixer-Upper

There is a tiny part of me, I must admit, that wishes to live surrounded by green fields.
No, I don't mean to move away from Brooklyn or from Carroll Gardens, but whenever we leave the city and drive to other parts of the country, I always imagine what my life would be like if I lived closer to nature. I also have the bad habit of looking at old houses alongside the road and imagining what they could look like if I could renovate it. Take the place above. We came across this old barn in North Carolina on our way to the beach. With some fixing-up and a woman's touch, this place could be quite lovely. Don't you think?
I do think, though, that I would miss running into neighbors and friends on Court Street...

Read More

Fixer Upper

Read More

Help Re-Name "Midnight Sun" The Puppy!

**UPDATE**

You remember, dear reader, in May, I asked for name suggestions for a new name for "Midnight Sun," the little chihuahua/ mini-pincher mix that my niece was adopting?
Well, meet Moritz (his new name), the sweetest little guy you can imagine. He has been with my sister and my niece for two weeks now and it has been love at first sight. He is following my niece around everywhere...it is actually quite funny to watch.
The little fellow sure lucked out. He has been showered with love ever since he arrived.


related reading:

Help Re-Name "Midnight Sun" The Puppy!

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

A Brooklyn Garden: Red Astilbe And Monarda Against A Willow Fence

Bright red
Monarda and Astilbe
Against a weathered willow fence,
In full bloom in my Brooklyn garden.

Read More

A Carroll Gardens Life: Mrs. Agatha Messina

1946

Left, Carmela Spinelli, center, Antoinette A. Pirrone, right, Rosalie Pirrone

Did my mom live in Carroll Gardens?

Ask anyone

Since 7/10/1921

My mom is Carroll Gardens!

That is what Antoinette's son Francis answered me when I asked him if his mother had lived in the neighborhood all her life. He also told me that she was the "queen of her kitchen."
Way back, when Twinkies, the snack cakes made by Hostess cost an 'astounding' 10 cents each, Antoinette decided to come up with her own version. Francis was kind enough to send me her recipe. So here it is, for those bakers out there:

Antoinette Pirrone's Homemade Twinkies Version

Supplies:
One empty bottle of Manhattan Special
12 pieces of aluminum foil
A Pastry bag
Toothpick

For the Cake:
3 Egg whites
16 ounces of yellow cake mix
2/3 cup water
Non-stick Spray

For the filling
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Make mini-cake molds one at a time by shaping pieces of aluminum foil one at a time around the bottle, leaving one side open.
Arrange molds on a cooking sheet and apply cooking spray

Beat egg whites until stiff
Then combine with cake mix and the water and mix
Fill each mold 3/4 inch deep with batter
Bake for 30 minutes.

Cream butter and shortening
then slowly add both sugars, evaporated milk and extract
Mix until fluffy

When cakes are done and cooled, use a toothpick to make tree small holes in the bottom of each.
Using the pastry bag, inject each cake with the filling through all three holes.

And voilà, Mrs. Antoinette Pirrone's Homemade Snack Cake recipe.

Wishing you a belated birthday, Mrs. Pirrone.
Thank you for sharing your recipe with all of us!

Other Carroll Garden Lives:

A Carroll Gardens Life: Mrs. Agatha Messina

A Carroll Gardens Life: My Friend Dolores

Read More

If It's Friday And There Are Many School Buses On Court, It Means Only One Thing!

It's Friday morning
On Court Street
Between First, Second and Third Places.
A long line of yellow school buses
Is parked along the curb.
However, it is not three o'clock yet
And there are no planned field trips at P.S.58?

Do you like to know, dear reader,
What they are all doing there?
Actually, it is very simple.
I stopped to ask one of the drivers.
They are all at the Capital One bank,
Cashing their check.
Yay for payday!

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

Picture Of The Day: Brooklyn Granny Playing The Piano

Come on, you have to admit: This is the best picture ever.
The only information attached to the photo was:
" Brooklyn Granny Playing The Piano At Home, 1956"

I am sorry that I cannot tell you anything about the little old lady.

But look at the apartment. That is definitely a floor-through in a brownstone.

Read More

Once Upon A Time, Argentina Smoked "Brooklyn"

From Argentina,
an old advertisement poster
From the early 50's
For cigarettes.
Brooklyn Cigarettes!
How about that!

Read More

What Happens To Obsolete Street Signs on Hicks Street

When street signs become weathered and unreadable, do they get absorbed by the trees that served as posts? That would seem to be the case with this tree on Hicks Street.
The bark of the tree has already grown over the top edge of what seems to be a "Curb your dog sign." Strange, no?

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

A Moment In Time: A Busy Day At The Sprinkler

Carroll Park

Don't you know that it is entirely possible to soak one's blue hat in the sprinkler, wring it out, repeat over and over and have a wonderful time?

This little munchkin did, and she had a blast.

Read More

The Friendly Skies, Now With WiFi

Objects of desire
(The actual roses from the tale)

I promise you, dear reader, this is a true story.
It happened to a resident here in Carroll Gardens on Monday night.

At 9:45 Pm, the doorbell rings. A man in his mid-thirties is standing in front of the door of a brownstone. The homeowner opens:

" Can I help you?" inquires the owner.

" This might sound crazy," the man says " but I have been admiring those pretty pink roses in your yard. Today is my anniversary! I was wondering if you would give them to me so that I can bring them home to my wife."

The homeowner was stunned. Not believing what he had just heard, he said:
" You must be kidding me. I don't even cut those roses to bring them into the house."

The man looked disappointed but mumbled, " Oh, all right." and shuffled off into the night.

So pardon me for asking, dear reader, what do you think?
Was this the cheapest husband around or the most romantic one?


Links To This Post:

The Friendly Skies, Now With WiFi

Read More

Time For Quality Socks On Smith?

Along Smith Street, Some may advertise a menu, Others a sale On a sidewalk blackboard. And then, there is this less traditional sign: Gaping holes in your socks? It's time for quality! Cotton rich quality socks, that is... This has to be my favorite sign on Smith. I love the "flaming" gaps on toe and heel. And every time I walk by, It makes me smile.

Michael's Shoe Repair 319 Smith Street

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

Giardini Gets "All Fancy" On Smith Street

Jerry, the owner of Giardini Gourmet Pizza, was standing in front of his place yesterday, admiring the brand new canvas signs that are now gracing the fence around his yard.
"It looks nice" I told him as I passed. " It looks pretty fancy!"
He seemed pleased.
He told me that he had wanted to get the signs for a long time to give diners in the yard a bit more privacy.
That is Jerry in the photo above, standing next to his new and improved outdoor area.
Next time you walk by, have a slice of his pizza. It's pretty great.

Giardini Gourmet Pizza
363 Smith Street at 2nd Street
718 596 5320

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

Flier Of The Day: Where Is "Kentucky?"

Looking For Kentucky,
The cat.

"Help save Kentucky from the streets.
If you see him, say something. Please!"

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

Very Important Meeting Concerning "Public Place" On Thursday.

**Very Important Meeting About "Public Place." **

I don't know about you, but every time I see the word "development" mentioned three times in a short paragraph, it make me nervous.

This Is Posted On The Community Board 6 Web Site:

Landmarks/Landuse Committee Presentation and introduction by representatives for the Department of Housing Presentation and Development of the development team selected by the City of New York to develop “Public Place,” the City-owned 6-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Smith and 5Th Streets (Block 471, Lot 1).

June 26th
P.S 32
317 Hoyt Street Brooklyn NY
6:00 PM

Lets Make Sure Carroll Gardeners Come Out
to Represent The Community.
***Spread The Word!***

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

A Carroll Gardens Life: My Friend Dolores

As you know, dear reader, in the last few weeks, I have posted some photos of Carroll Gardeners, some from the past, some from the present, in a series called
" A Carroll Gardens Life." It is my little way of paying tribute to all who contributed to make this neighborhood what it is today. This week:

Meet Mrs. Agatha Messina of Carroll Street, sitting with her husband Rosario in front of her house in this photo taken in the 1950's. She died in 1974 at the age of 98. She was only the second owner of the brownstone she bought with Rosario. The house is still occupied by her grandson and her great-grandson who lovingly take care of it in honor of their ancestors. So Agatha has not been forgotten and lives on in the memory of some people on Carroll Street. I think that Agatha and Rosario would be happy to know that on lovely evenings, their descendants sit in front of the brownstone on a wooden bench very much like the one above in the photo.


More In The Carroll Gardens Life Series:

A Carroll Gardens Life: My Friend Dolores

Remembering Carroll Gardeners From The Past: Vincent Spinelli


Links To This Post:

Brownstoner: Monday Links

Read More

Picture Of The Day: Smith Street Fair 2008

The Smith Street Fair this Sunday was super fun.
May I just say that in the crowd, I managed to lose:

One Husband,
One sister-in-law
One brother-in-law
one niece
and
two nephews,
All at the same time.

So, while I walking around, trying to find them, I was having fun looking at the merchandise and listening to the music. I loved the Salsa band the best. Weren't the dancers super?

(And in case you were wondering: I found everyone back home when I got back.)

Read More

Carroll Park's 2008 Kids' Concert Series

The Audra Rox Concert at Carroll Park this Saturday had to be the social event of the season for the "under eight" crowd. Audra "Groupies" with the signature magenta streak in their hair to look just like their idol, were dancing and singing along to every song.
A huge number of fans and their parents had come out to this, the first concert of the Carroll Gardens 2008 Kids' Concert Series. It was an unbelievable success and everyone had a blast.
Thanks go out to Simmi Degnemark, the Carroll Gardens mom and wonderful volunteer who organized this year's series. She worked incredibly hard to make this event a reality. If you see her, make sure to thank her. She really deserves it!
(That's Simmi above on the photo with her two kids and her nieces.)

The next concert in the series will feature Lloyd Miller And The Brooklyn Phonebook and is scheduled for July 9th at 4 PM.


Related Reading:

Carroll Park's 2008 Kids' Concert Series

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More

Another Bird's Eye View Of Stein's 131 Second Place A.K.A. 360 Smith Street Site

Rendering of Oliver House

June 20th

June 3, 2008

May 5th 2008

April 18, 2008

It has been a while since I have posted something about developer Billy Stein's construction site at 131 Second Place/ 360 Smith Street, but over the week-end, fellow blogger Barbara sent me a new photo of the site. So here it is, another in the series, each photo separated by just a few weeks. It is actually very interesting to see them all together.
When I mentioned to a fellow Carroll Gardener in an e-mail that the recent rains cannot have helped the progress of Stein's "Oliver House," I got this email back:

Since “build they must,” I hope that either the rain stops forever, so they can get on with it, or that it rains so much that they have to give up and go away. The noise is just awful, and so loud that they all have to yell at each other the whole time in order to be heard. It starts at 7AM and stops again around 3:30 PM, Monday to Friday. They’re drilling some sort of holes at angles, and I can only assume that it has something to do with cantilevering the building over the subway tunnel. I work at home, and I wish this whole mess would finally end. It’s really hard to concentrate when your whole building is vibrating. It’s disgusting.

I just checked Bill Stein's web site for the project on which he promises to provide local residents "with up-to-date status of what is happening at the construction site." This is what I found:

"Steel pipe piles will be installed in the ground along the west side of the site. These piles will be drilled into place using two drilling rigs, thus avoiding the noise and vibration normally associated with pile driving operations. Some truck loads of building materials will arrive at the site from time to time; and some debris will be removed in dumpsters from time to time."

Notice that it stated: "Thus avoiding the noise and vibration normally associated with pile driving." Hmmmm, maybe not!

Another Bird's Eye View Of Stein's 131 Second Place A.K.A. 360 Smith Street Site

Bird's Eye View Of Bill Stein's Oliver House Construction Site

***Photos Courtesy of Barbara at Carroll Gardens History

Read More

Fun "Sunset Swim " Event At Thomas Greene Park

Photo Credit: cyancey on flickr

Hey, this looks super fun if you have kids.
Swimming and a magic show?
At Sunset?
Cool!


The Friends Of Douglas/Greene Park Invite You To Join Us For A

Sunset Swim

5 PM To 7PM
Saturday June 28th, 2008
The Pool At Thomas Greens Park
Use Pool Entrance On Douglass Street
Thos. Greene Park Is Located between Third Ave.& Nevins St., Douglass & DeGraw

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read More