Just about every year, right around now, I get suckered into buying some out-of-state strawberries. In my defense, I can only say that it was early, I was hungry and they just seemed so ripe and perfect.

And oh god, the fragrance.

Sadly, they managed to be both flavorless and tart. Utterly disappointing. Will I ever learn?

I am not really a snack cake person, but holy heck were these things good. My coworker and I showed an enormous amount of restraint and split a pack.

The Filthy Martini at Ladder 15. The olives are stuffed with Maytag blue.

I’m not a big drinker, but this particular cocktail (and the conversation that took place while drinking it) did amazing work smoothing out some stressed spots in my psyche.

A ten-stem bundle of vividly orange ranunculus. Just the thing for a spring-like day.

Meet Cubebot, the newest member of our household’s toy robot population.

My friend Kate is due to have a baby girl in April. She was showered with many wonderful things this afternoon, in preparation.

We had one of the first truly warm Saturdays today. There were so many people out. The city felt alive in a way it hasn’t in months.

I know it may not look like much, but actually it’s a trash can designed to hold the plastic bags you get at drug and grocery stores. They are the only bag small enough to go down our building’s trash shoot and so are the only thing we use for bundling up our garbage.

For years now, I’ve been using a jerry-rigged system that relied upon a round metal can and the holding power of two wooden clothespins with a rubber band stretched between them. It worked fairly well, those the rubber bands rarely lasted more than a couple of months before giving way. And, well, it took a certain amount of dedicated nuance to get the pins to hold. I think this will be a far more peaceful solution and cost all of $18.

Scott has a thing for Lego minifigs. This mariachi figure is a new addition. I’m quite charmed by him.

Pasta bake, with whole wheat noodles, local canned tomatoes, some marinated and dehydrated tomatoes I made last year, lots of spinach, crumbled sausage, red onion, shallots, the last of my homemade creme fraiche, parmesan cheese and topped with four odd ends of cheese (grated up). Delicious and it used up a bunch of near-dead ingredients.

The refrigerator has taken on a decidedly empty look (which I love. Means I get to go grocery shopping again).