Once, after a particularly quiet shopping trip to the Burlington mall, I reached back home with nothing to boast of, but some green apples, some sausages, ginger beer and a pretty green scarf with lemon yellow squiggles on it. “You look lovely in that shade of green, honey”. One certainly cannot ignore a nice old woman in a snooty store that compliments you like that!
But something just had to be done! Apples, sausages, ginger beer from a depressingly long drive to Burlington. And a green scarf. And it was still only one in the afternoon. A strangely heavy lunch with cheese and fish followed by a mild drink from what was left of a bottle of Belvedere vodka. And a green scarf being twirled absent-mindedly between my fingers. Do I really look that nice in that shade of green? After long minutes of admiring it (and the face and neck it was wrapped around) I decided yes. Ain’t I lucky to live in a place with a walk-in closet fixed with flattering mirrors!
Two in the afternoon and nothing still, but a heavy lunch and a green scarf. I should’ve just taken that train into the city and spent all day pretending to understand art at the museum and then pretend to contemplate on the colors and artists while munching on cheese-filled pizzas and fizzy drinks. At least not be pleasing my silly fancies with a green scarf!
Naked Fish wouldn’t be open now and Jim (that’s what I call bartenders when I don’t know their names) doesn’t work on Saturdays.
Ah, so museums are a good idea. Ah HA!! A phone call that lasted three minutes and we made plans to drive to Salem. Before I ran out the front door, I found myself picking up the green scarf that was thrown carelessly on the couch while I was lost in a conversation about marshlands and witches.
The Peabody museum was the quietest place – that makes you want to tip-toe in silence from one piece to another. Not even the quiet ruffle of a new green scarf. Somehow, I end up enjoying the gift shop a lot more than the museum. I hardly buy the fake prints of original art or deceivingly well-made plastic duplicates of original sculptures. So from Peabody I ended up buying a white starfish made of a light, porous material, some tiny glass fish and a coaster with the picture of flowers in a garden. Tiny kick-knacks that went just right with the green scarf, don’t you think?
On our way to the beach we stopped at a barnyard sale in the middle of nowhere. A huge dusty barn filled with all kinds of everything – fresh potted plants, thick home-made ice cream, inane pieces of stone jewelry, cakes, jams, garden seeds and an old man I would have loved to buy and take home to keep in a cozy corner. I ended up buying an insane amount of jam – Heavenly Preserve, Wild Strawberry Preserve, Peach and Apple preserve and other things I can’t remember. Add to that a slice of the rich walnut brownie they had for sale at the make-shift counter. And yes, a ton of jelly beans whose paper bag tore half-way down my journey on the gravel path. Thank God for making a green scarf with squiggles on it! Just right to carry jelly beans and run to the car with!
“Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls turned out to be just perfect to listen to while driving among the depressingly thick marshes, watching the darkening day. There was definitely something strangely refreshing but crushingly depressing about that sunset in Salem. The thick grayish mud and leaves of the marshes, a pale orange sunlight struggling to breath through dull green branches, ice-cold water stinging my bare feet, a tiny dead snail in the shallow water…watching the green scarf fly away in the strong evening wind ...
That night, we stopped by a small Italian place that served brick-oven pizzas made from freshly ground spices. After a long, satisfying sip of lemonade, we had the strangest conversation:
“So…that green scarf I was carrying…I lost it at the beach”
“…what scarf?”
“The one I was carrying! It flew away in the breeze”
“Were you carrying a green scarf?”
“Didn’t you see it?”
“NO!”
“C’mon!”
“We didn’t see a green scarf! Don’t tell us we wouldn’t notice a scarf!”
“C’mon!!!”
“You were not carrying anything in your hand…”
"What do you mean??"
"What do YOU mean? There wasn't a green scaft! You're imagining it!"
“...must’ve been in my head then.”
But something just had to be done! Apples, sausages, ginger beer from a depressingly long drive to Burlington. And a green scarf. And it was still only one in the afternoon. A strangely heavy lunch with cheese and fish followed by a mild drink from what was left of a bottle of Belvedere vodka. And a green scarf being twirled absent-mindedly between my fingers. Do I really look that nice in that shade of green? After long minutes of admiring it (and the face and neck it was wrapped around) I decided yes. Ain’t I lucky to live in a place with a walk-in closet fixed with flattering mirrors!
Two in the afternoon and nothing still, but a heavy lunch and a green scarf. I should’ve just taken that train into the city and spent all day pretending to understand art at the museum and then pretend to contemplate on the colors and artists while munching on cheese-filled pizzas and fizzy drinks. At least not be pleasing my silly fancies with a green scarf!
Naked Fish wouldn’t be open now and Jim (that’s what I call bartenders when I don’t know their names) doesn’t work on Saturdays.
Ah, so museums are a good idea. Ah HA!! A phone call that lasted three minutes and we made plans to drive to Salem. Before I ran out the front door, I found myself picking up the green scarf that was thrown carelessly on the couch while I was lost in a conversation about marshlands and witches.
The Peabody museum was the quietest place – that makes you want to tip-toe in silence from one piece to another. Not even the quiet ruffle of a new green scarf. Somehow, I end up enjoying the gift shop a lot more than the museum. I hardly buy the fake prints of original art or deceivingly well-made plastic duplicates of original sculptures. So from Peabody I ended up buying a white starfish made of a light, porous material, some tiny glass fish and a coaster with the picture of flowers in a garden. Tiny kick-knacks that went just right with the green scarf, don’t you think?
On our way to the beach we stopped at a barnyard sale in the middle of nowhere. A huge dusty barn filled with all kinds of everything – fresh potted plants, thick home-made ice cream, inane pieces of stone jewelry, cakes, jams, garden seeds and an old man I would have loved to buy and take home to keep in a cozy corner. I ended up buying an insane amount of jam – Heavenly Preserve, Wild Strawberry Preserve, Peach and Apple preserve and other things I can’t remember. Add to that a slice of the rich walnut brownie they had for sale at the make-shift counter. And yes, a ton of jelly beans whose paper bag tore half-way down my journey on the gravel path. Thank God for making a green scarf with squiggles on it! Just right to carry jelly beans and run to the car with!
“Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls turned out to be just perfect to listen to while driving among the depressingly thick marshes, watching the darkening day. There was definitely something strangely refreshing but crushingly depressing about that sunset in Salem. The thick grayish mud and leaves of the marshes, a pale orange sunlight struggling to breath through dull green branches, ice-cold water stinging my bare feet, a tiny dead snail in the shallow water…watching the green scarf fly away in the strong evening wind ...
That night, we stopped by a small Italian place that served brick-oven pizzas made from freshly ground spices. After a long, satisfying sip of lemonade, we had the strangest conversation:
“So…that green scarf I was carrying…I lost it at the beach”
“…what scarf?”
“The one I was carrying! It flew away in the breeze”
“Were you carrying a green scarf?”
“Didn’t you see it?”
“NO!”
“C’mon!”
“We didn’t see a green scarf! Don’t tell us we wouldn’t notice a scarf!”
“C’mon!!!”
“You were not carrying anything in your hand…”
"What do you mean??"
"What do YOU mean? There wasn't a green scaft! You're imagining it!"
“...must’ve been in my head then.”
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