Stacy Horn

I never really learned how to cook, and it mostly just scares me. Also, when you’re cooking for one it often turns out to be less expensive to not cook (with exceptions). But I’ve recently discovered I love beans and even though I buy the healthiest canned beans I can find, this is one food where it would probably be less expensive and definitely healthier to make my own.

I’m starting with my favorite, pinto beans. I didn’t quite time this properly and now I’m afraid they won’t be done before I have to leave for the dentist. Also, I didn’t know they’d swell so much in the pre-soak and I’m going to have sixteen trillion tons more than I can eat.

Proof of my cook-age. Note how clean my stove is. My annual Spring Cleaning was a couple of weeks ago. It’s still quite shiny over here.

A couple of days ago I thanked the the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for an article they sent, but I just learned that I must also thank Jackie Willoughby, the New York Public Library ILL Borrowing Supervisor who processed my request for this article! Thank you so much Jackie! I really had given up on finding this article, and I’ve since read it and have already used it in the book I’m currently writing about Blackwell’s Island.

This turtle was watching me! He looks mad. I am never going to Central Park again.

A pair of falcons who live at 55 Water Street are hatching five eggs. Three have hatched, but that was almost a week ago. I’m worried about the last two eggs. I don’t know if it’s normal that there would be so much time between egg hatchings.

You can watch the baby falcons yourself here. I got this cute shot a couple of days ago.

OHMYGOD. I have been trying for months and months to find this 1907 article from a magazine called Broadway. I went through every library on Worldcat who was claiming to have it, but one by one they really didn’t. I’d totally given up because I really thought I had heard from everyone and everyone had said no. OR SO I THOUGHT.

Out of the blue, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh sent it on Friday!! I didn’t even open the email right away because I thought it was something else, something I needed for fact-checking purposes, no rush. Woohoo! This is going to make a certain chapter in my book SO much better. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh!

I took this shot a couple of weeks ago, because it’s a pretty tree.

A banner for our spring concert is on the fence at Grace Church! Doesn’t it look great?? I love how it gives you a great look at the inside of the church from the outside. Gorgeous church.