Call in the Calvary.

Well, that's it. This is the darkest day of the year, and boy, I'm missing my 17 hours of June daylight right about now. I am celebrating the return of the sun wholeheartedly this year as I've never spent a winter this far north before. I know rationally that there's months of winter ahead, but mentally, I feel like it's spring.

So recently, I hit the Paris vu par Hollywood exhibit at Hotel de Ville. Coming out and walking along the Seine, I saw something I don't usually see every day.

The Calvary.

Kettle Drums and Brass and sabers. I...still have no idea why this was going on. The only people watching were those held up to get across Rue du Rivoli. I was on a little traffic island and saw the whole thing pass.

It was fascinating- the kettle drummers have the reins attached to their stirrups, and the horses had old-school quarter marks on their hindquarters.

The horses were color-coordinated! Typical Parisen.

The uniforms were gorgeous. Very Jean-Paul Gaultier.

And just like that, c'est fini. Aside from a few piles of poop piled up as evidence on Rivoli, I felt like I had just seen a ghost.

FO: Selbu Modern

While I'm at it, here's another hat I finished and it's my go-to winter hat this year.

It's the Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon Osborn. I've been meaning to make it for years now.

While the pattern is written well, colorwork is always a little time-consuming as I can't read charts when I'm anywhere but home, so it takes me a little while to complete something.

The yarn is The Fiber Company Canopy Fingering in the colors "Orchid" and "Fern". I wanted something subtle and washed out to go with my muted winter palate this year. I love this pattern- it reminds me of an eastern architectural motif- and I could see stealing it for a colorwork yoke sweater.

While I could have gone up a needle size on the main part of the hat to make it slouchier as written, I like it as it is. It's very warm- the yarn floats in back makes it particularly wind-proof. Coming back to Paris after spending some balmy days in New York and it's exactly what I need to keep my ears covered. It's been barely breaking freezing in the mid-afternoon, and the dark has really set in. I'm getting used to it, but it's really wrecking havoc on my sleep cycle as I'm waking up in the morning to a few more hours of night, and that's just weird. So I'm embracing it- dressing warm and waiting for the return of the sun.

FO: Grace Lace Beret

Oye. I've been really slacking on any sort a crafting lately. True, there are many things going on. A sewing machine clacking away in a game of "will it fit" chicken, an antique spinning wheel testing my mechanic skills and patience, a gorgeous spindle will occasionally be put into commission before it loudly clacks to the floor. Oh, the knits though. I'm having some issues sitting down and finishing anything (obviously). I currently have a very lightweight sweater on the needles that is almost done and it's been almost done for a while now. While I'm usually wrapping up the gift knitting right about now, this year I am coming up short. Y'all can deal with the hats and mittens that I made you last year for another winter, right?

I made and gifted a simple beret a few weeks ago.

Actually, it was more than that. More than a month ago now. Gah.

It was simple- a free pattern online. It used up a skein and a half of Canopy Worsted in "Palmbud". I love this alpaca/merino/bamboo blend. I did one less lace pattern than called for since this is a gift for someone with a small head, and I thought any bigger/floppier would look ridiculous.

It did take me about a day to make from start to finish. If I'm working on something that has an end in sight, I tend to just sit down and get it done.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Leaving New York is always hard. When I lived there, I would have major anxiety trying to leave town. Traffic and asshole drivers and bridges and tunnels and a maze of highways and parkways and train and plane delays. Oooh. Wow. I'm glad I'm out of that. But yeah, emotionally, leaving for good was pretty hard as well.

It's maybe a little easier now that I don't have a life there. But still...this is where a great deal of good friends and good times are to be had. Trying to leave the city on a 60 degree day in December...that did not drive me back across the Atlantic with gusto.

I'm under no illusions that this is an easy place to live. It's not. It brings out neuroses in the calmest of people. Your whole week revolves around getting home in time to find a parking spot for alternate side for that car you never use, waiting in lines, coveting what everyone else has got that you didn't get lucky enough to get yourself. It's a dirty, competitive place where you are expected to work 50 hours a week, and people have a habit of not using their vacation time before it expires. The French lifestyle seems much healthier in comparison.

Ultimately, it's a great place to be if you have few responsibilities, and perhaps your commute is on foot. Speaking of the subway...while I was on the platform at West 4th on my way to meet a friend uptown, I found a $1 bill on the platform. That never happens! I looked around for an owner, made sure it was real, then hopped on the train that pulled up right then. Wow, how lucky is it to find money like that. It's too bad that train sat on the tracks in between stations for the next 25 minutes with no explanation. Karma will get you on your commute every time.

Plus, summers in New York are disgusting.

I even summoned enough tourist spirit enough to battle my way through Rock center to see the majestic massacred tree.

I know, I know...this is all very Manhattan-heavy. Brooklyn, I love you too.

I'm sure I will return. I always do.

Central Park

Of course, no trip to New York feels right until you've gone uptown to the Park.

I still feel terrible about the carriage horses there. While I understand that horses need to earn their keep, having them haul around tourist in all sorts of weather in one of the most trafficked places on earth is not safe or by any means humane. In my time in NYC, I've seen a few slip-and-falls on wet pavement, rescued a dehydrated Belgian draft horse on 5th ave with help from an Andy Warhol film star (talk about a weird day...) and I've heard of a few too many tragedies involving cars and spooked horses.

It's sad to see horses out there in various states of unsoundness with ill-fitting harnesses as well.

Anyway...the Park.

Even on a slightly gray day, it's a beautiful place to walk.

I was incredibly fortunate that my first job when I moved to New York was teaching horseback riding lessons in the park. The stable no longer exists, but I feel like I got a unique start to my life here.

While the perimeter of the park keeps getting taller, it's still amazing how quiet it is on a weekday morning. A few tourist, but mostly runners and dog walkers. On the weekends it's a mob scene- especially the southern corners.

It's a great place to see birds other than pigeons as well. There are a few spots that are fenced off and left to go wild with brush, and you will see clusters of birders hanging out nearby.

I understand now why there's always groups of Europeans cooing over squirrels. They just don't have them hanging around their cities like you do in the US. I kind of missed them. Kind of.

"Taking pictures with your Ipad is the new Fanny Pack."

This security guard asked if I wanted to take his picture. Of course I did.

There are just. So. Many. Pigeons. Ugh. It squidges me out when they swarm like this. I always feel ultra special if I don't get shit on while walking by the Plaza.