Saturday

Hi Mom,

I have decided to become part of New York's fire escape culture. What that entails, more or less, is not just putting flowerpots outside my window but also sitting beside them. I haven't done any planting yet, but I'm thinking of trying out spices too. I heard someone is growing oregano on the roof. I was surprised to find out we could get up there. Or maybe we can't... technically.

I have enlisted my giant pink beach towel for this particular endeavor. Not the growing part, but the sitting part. 

A funny thing happens just down the way, in the squash courts next to the high school adjacent to my building. People play squash there, or handball, or some such New York City game, but constantly launch the balls over the wire-fence-topped cement barrier into our backyard. Hence I have a collection. The best part is that the guys down below always look equally surprised when the ball bounces into what now looks like a Chuck-E-Cheese ball pit. I'm thinking of collecting them for my friend who plays squash avidly.

Love,

Karen