Amira P

12/15/24 - On the border of Point Breeze and Grays Ferry

8am - Yesterday evening we hosted a holiday cookie party and, while it was delightful, I feel as though I have been hit by a ton of gingerbread bricks. In a bout of hyper fixation I stayed up extra late decorating the remaining sugar cookies after the guests had left. I stare at the ceiling and remember that my partner Ian has agreed to take the morning dog walking shift — hallelujah. I take the opportunity to flop in bed for a while longer before getting up and making breakfast. I seek out the most savory bagel option (cheese and black pepper) since we are both recovering from an overindulgence of sugar from the previous night. I try to drink my coffee black as proof that I have transcended out of my sweet tooth but (who am I kidding) quickly give up and add my normal cream and sugar.  

Cookie decorating aftermath

9am - Ian is a potter and is hosting his annual home sale this weekend; he begins recovering the dining area to become a pottery display. I consolidate the remaining cookies into containers and make a box for my friend Ellen.

10am - Folks trickle in for the pottery sale — coworkers from Ian’s restaurant job, a couple of regulars, other potter friends. In between visitors we watch ‘Trapped in Paradise’ (a Christmas movie starring Nic Cage…do you need to know more) and I play Luigi’s Mansion on Switch. I recently picked up the game again, re-inspired by the name Luigi. Ellen comes by to get her cookies and trades me a wedge of homemade cranberry Bundt cake. 

Luigi is a star

1pm - It’s time for an afternoon dog walk. The pup and I head to our normal stomping ground, the local park. When I say I love the park, it is an understatement. To start, the aerial layout  is shaped like a butterfly, which is adorable. Over the past year a team of gardeners have worked to populate the beds with native pollinating plants and spring bulbs. Right now, after a month of no rain in October and in full December drab, it is… not cute, but I love it all the same. We take our little meandering walk, avoiding dog owners with their dogs off-leash, looking for squirrels, and making the sniffing rounds. A woman has a 4 month old puppy in the tennis court and is socializing her through the fence. My dog gets the zoomies and sprints in circles, playing and barking with the sequestered puppy. The woman says “I think they’re a good match!” 

2pm - More Luigi and rotting on the couch.

6:30pm - We head to Celia’s near Italian Market for her birthday party. The party is craft themed, which I appreciate as a semi-social person. One room has all the crafts, the other all the food, I settle in the craft room and start on some shrinky dinks. The woman next to me is trying to work out how to crochet a bonnet. The woman next to her is stringing dried orange slices into a chain. People are making sculpey animals and fuse bead masterpieces — I love the craft room energy. 

8pm - In the food room I meet many pottery people I have heard about from Ian but never previously met, it is a big night for putting a face to a name. There’s Claire! Jeremiah! Kevin! Ruth! It feels like my brain just downloaded a new part of the map all at once, both satisfying and overwhelming. We all shrink our dinks, they are so cute. 

my shrinky dinks

11pm - Time to go. We give Ruth a ride home and scurry home to our dog. Nothing beats coming home to a dog that is excited to see you. 

Amira is an artist and educator who lives in South Philly. She is a dog-mom and avid home baker who believes firmly in the positive power of homemade pastries.