I love this town! Walking in the east village yesterday, I wandered into an Indian dry goods shop called Dual Specialty Store. I’ve been in there any number of times before, but clearly never ventured much beyond the register or the wall of beer which, I must say, is impressive. On the back wall of the store are endless bags of spices. The midsection of the shop is taken up with every possible condiment and rice and grain you could ever hope to find. Turns out, “DSS” supplies a lot of Indian restaurants, not just in NYC, but all over the country. I am a longtime fan of Kalustyan’s. And Patel Brothers out in Jackson Heights should not be missed. But definitely add this place to your list of spice meccas.

I feel more than fortunate to be able to spend time in both country and city. The contrast between rural and urban gives rise to an appreciation of place that I am not sure I would possess otherwise. I was looking at my photos from the summer and was so struck by the visual world I have just left behind. My husband took that first photograph of the young buck. The deer was fearless and refused to abandon his patch of ground full of fallen apples. That last photo was taken on Grand Street in lower Manhattan. A different sort of beauty.

Happiness is a bevy of springs. Delight in all of the subtle variations. Seen at Lendy’s Electric on Grand Street in NYC.

Who DOESN’T love Kiosk!?? Owner Alisa Grifo curates small collections of everyday items that she finds on her travels around the world (and from here at home) and sells them in her NYC shop. These miniature stencils from Mexico will mean that you always have some lettering skills at the ready.

These freestanding educational cutouts were given to my friend Jason, a chicken owner/writer/professor (not necessarily in that order), for his recent birthday. They are part of a much larger collection of farm animals from the newly opened NYC branch of Kabinett & Kammer — a crazy, fantastic heavenly bonanza of a place. Filled to the brim with everything that should be in a modern-day curiosity cabinet… and so much more.