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Something for the Best-Dressed Beloved Animal Companion



I don't know about your mailbox -- though I have a good idea -- but I get a lot of catalogues. Most of them go immediately to the recycling bin, but on occasion a new one catches my attention. One of the things about having a cold is that I spend more time at home and I peruse the mail more carefully than usual.
 
The other day I started to flip through the catalogue for Uncommon Goods, a company in Brooklyn. There were a number of useful, well-priced and fun gifts, but the one that I found especially captivating was the unicorn pet sweater. I've seen a lot of cute sweaters for dogs, but this may be the cutest. Before anyone writes this off as impractical, please remember that New York dogs are out walking in the cold and the little ones are especially close to the cold, cold sidewalk. There are a few pups I know that are definitely putting this cold-weather outfit on their lists for Santa. Does anyone dress their pup for cold weather?

This is my second day of staying home and resting. I did get out to the walk-in clinic this morning and was pleased to hear that my lungs are clear and my ailment is a bad cold. I have cough syrup and I'm still drinking lots of ginger ale and, while I'm not 100% cured, it's amazing what two days of rest and care will do for a cold. I hope to be out and about tomorrow, but nothing too strenuous.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Colds are no fun!
 

The View from my Recliner

Actually, it's a view of my recliner.
 
 
One of the things I've wanted to do for awhile is create a cozy reading nook. As the years have gone by my former cozy reading space, my couch, is not quite as comfy. It's quite low -- something that didn't matter to me when I bought it several decades ago -- but makes getting up more difficult. I've been looking at recliners, the chair of those who are retired, but didn't see anything I especially liked. Most of them were too big for my living room. In the thousand Black Friday and pre-Black Friday emails this chair caught my eye. It was extremely well-priced and the item most criticized in reviews was that it was small. Finally, a chair just my size -- 5' 2" and not getting taller -- for my small space. It arrived last week and I love it. It's comfortable, cozy and I like the way it looks.
 
My scratchy throat turned into a full cough and I spent most of the day looking out from my recliner. One of the things I did was choose a winner for our Maker Media giveaway, Brianna Y. Brianna, wishing you and your family lots of happy music making.

First card of this holiday season.

My other observation from my recliner was my first holiday card of the season, from a favorite author, Marie Force. If you're a fan or romance novels and like them a little spicy, her books are for you. They are a tad spicier than I generally prefer, but they are fun and totally indulgent reading. Thanks, Marie and company for your happy greetings.

I had hoped to be out taking more photographs and enjoying New York City, but I've learned taking care of myself is the best thing I can do when I get a cold/cough. I hope to be back to running around New York later this week and stop by some of my favorite places decorated for the season.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.
 


Pink Saturday Visits the Blue Box Cafe


At the corner of West 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, Tiffany's

Those of us who are fans of Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany's greeted the news of the opening of the Blue Box Café with both jubilation and a sigh. Thank you, Tiffany's, it's about time. It is now possible for fans of Tiffany's signature pretty blue box to have lunch and dinner at the store and the restaurant looks as stylish and lovely as you might imagine.  

I was walking in the neighborhood yesterday and thought -- perhaps foolishly -- it might be possible to stop by for an elegant cup of coffee. Alas, this sign set me straight and realized, at least until after New Year's, it was reservations only. I think on a cold and snowy weekday morning in January it might be possible to have breakfast at Tiffany's on the spur of the moment. I do think of the Blue Box Café as a place for a treat -- perhaps a birthday celebration or a visit from a visiting blogger. 
 



The store was crowded, not surprising for Black Friday, but I did get a picture of one of the elegant windows on West Fifty Seventh Street. 

 

Though this picture isn't from Tiffany's I am posting it as a preview of coming attractions. It's from Tiffany's neighbor up Fifth Avenue, the very elegant Bergdorf Goodwin. I will be doing a post featuring the beautiful windows of Bergdorf's in the next week.

I hope you're having a fun Pink Saturday.  I'm taking it easy today. I've got the start of a sore throat and I'm drinking tea and trying to keep myself healthy. Thanksgiving was lovely. I enjoyed the balloons of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning and a wonderful dinner in the afternoon. Feel very grateful and richly blessed.

I feel richly blessed, too, for everyone who visits Buttercupland. Thanks, all, for your friendship and have a wonderful weekend.


 

Happy Thanksgiving

The balloons get ready for today's parade!

Whether your day is spent with Power Ranger or power turkey eating, I'm wishing all of Buttercupland a happy Thanksgiving Day. When I count my blessings, Buttercupland is high on my list.

Happy, happy wishes to you and your families!  

Yes, I Know It's Tuesday

One thing I've found since retiring is that while I know what day it is, I don't always know the date. I had planned to do a Maker Monday giveaway and a feature for Monkey Monday and had a slight problem loading the pictures yesterday. So we're just moving right ahead and doing our Monday giveaway on Tuesday. I don't think anyone will mind.


 
Thanks to my friends at Maker Media I'm happy to host a giveaway of Make: Musical Instruments by Kathy Ceceri. The Maker Movement encourages innovation, creativity and learning. This fun book has hands-on projects for family time to make musical instruments. They include the Pizza Box Radio and the Thumb Piano. There are photographs and step-by-step instructions for each project. Kathy Ceceri is a home school parent and educator who has put together a number of hands-on activity books on topics as diverse as robotics and geography. These are great activities to encourage non-screen time for long winter afternoons. 
 
This is an easy peasy to enter giveaway. Just leave a comment -- favorite musical instrument -- and I will choose one person to receive the book. Please leave your comment by Sunday, November 26, 11:00 p.m. and be a Citizen of Buttercupland/Google+ friend/Bloglovin friend.
 


Pep joined a brunch party on Sunday. He wore his winter fleece -- holiday attire coming up -- and showed a definite preference for apple pie pancakes. They looked fabulous, but in the interest of wearing the clothes I already own I went with a more sensible choice of eggs.
 
We begin holiday pictures tomorrow. I've got my first photographs ready to post and I'm hoping you will enjoy them. 
 
As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care! 
 
 

Pink Saturday Tours the Golden Circle

We're going back to bright and beautiful Iceland. Actually it was bright for only one day, but it was beautiful every day. Fortunately our one sunny day coincided with the reservation for the Golden Circle Tour. The Golden Circle is not a circle, it's not a formal itinerary and the only gold is in the beauty of the natural scenery. It is a tour that includes the three most popular sights in Iceland. I took the same tour in the summer of 2014. It was warmer, but overcast and rainy and I was thrilled to see  the same sights, but in sunshine.


The first stop was Thingvellir, the site of the Althingi, the 930 AD first Icelandic Parliament. The buildings don't remain, but the signage was extremely informative and gave a great sense of this early representative governing body. The physical site, shown above, is magnificent. Besides the historical importance, it's an area of great geological significance, here the tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America meet. After taking the photograph above I turned to the right and this was the vista that greeted me.
 

 

The next stop was at Geysir hot springs. If you're a fortunate visitor the geyser -- Strokkur, a successor to the Great Geysir -- looks like Old Faithful. I was not quite so fortunate, but I still was still very happy to experience this moment. There were several false starts -- not quite as explosive as this one -- but not quite the scene I hoped for.
 

The third part of the Golden Circle is the Gullfoss waterfall. As I look at each photograph the same words come to me to describe the sights -- awesome, magnificent, extraordinary. Gullfoss is extraordinary and perhaps more so, because of its unspoiled setting. There are no billboards, concession stands or parking lots to detract from its natural beauty.

My visit to the Golden Circle was all that I had hoped for. Besides the beautiful setting I was fortunate to have chosen a small local tour company for our trip, Go to Joy Iceland. Our guide was thoughtful and extremely knowledgeable and it was a treat to ride in a comfortable mini-bus with five other people.

 For the next forty-two days Buttercupland enters a festive state of mind. There will be a giveaway (or two) and the first one is tomorrow. There will be a few book reviews and the rest of my posts will be celebration time in New York City. I walked through Rockefeller Center today and the tree is in place waiting for its lights. There will be lots of pictures, lots of fun and I hope you will visit often.

This week's post joins our friends at Pink Saturday. Please stop by and share in the blogging fun.

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and wishes for a great week. 
 

The Caring Kind Walk


My new buddy, Patches, dressed for the doggy costume contest and looking sharp.
 
For the second year in a row I've been part of a team -- the Wednesday Walkers -- for the Caring Kind Manhattan walk. Caring Kind is a fabulous organization that supports those who are caregivers for people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. We were a small team this year, but we raised over $700. for this very worthwhile cause.    


The beginning of the walk at Riverside Park, along the Hudson River
 
I became involved in the work of Caring Kind after agreeing to do a walk with my friend, Helen. This was over two years ago and I was barely walking two miles a day. I had had surgery for a spinal cord tumor two years before and my walking was still limited. The idea of the New York City Marathon or even a ten mile walk wasn't feasible. I needed a short walk -- Caring Kind is two miles on a mostly flat surface -- for a cause I believed in. I entered "walks 2016 Manhattan" into a search engine and I found my answer. My walking has improved significantly in the last two years, but I am happy to keep walking for this organization.  


The Wednesday Walkers at the end of our walk. 


There were several well-known personalities and here is Mary Ann with retired hockey star and present day television hockey analyst, Ron Duguay. He couldn't have been nicer and meeting him was an added fun note to the day.
 
We walked a month ago, but I've got several posts from past events that I will be publishing -- including more photographs from Iceland -- in the next week. Once Thanksgiving comes around I will be featuring holiday décor in New York City. I will also be doing several giveaways and once again showcasing the talent of friends with Buttercup's Fair. Please stop by often, we're going to have a lot of fun.   
 
As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!
 

Pink Saturday Visits the Blue Lagoon


The beautiful Blue Lagoon

This Saturday Pink Saturday goes to Iceland for a visit to the Blue Lagoon.  Yes, the Blue Lagoon is as beautiful and relaxing as these pictures depict. Actually, on reflection, it is more beautiful and even more relaxing as the pictures show. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa formed in 1976 after the Svartsengi power plant was built. People began to bathe in the waters and realized the very positive effect on their skin. People with psoriasis were especially helped after bathing in the waters. The Blue Lagoon opened to the public in 1987 and has continued to expand. A hotel on the site is now under construction.


The temperature of the lagoon is approximately 100 degrees and the day I was there the air temperature was approximately 35 degrees. There were a few chilly moments getting into the lagoon, but they were quickly forgotten. This is the swim/walk up bar. I had a banana skyr -- Icelandic yogurt -- smoothie, but there are stronger spirits available, too. Besides the refreshment bar there was also a silica facial bar, which left my skin feeling very smooth. 
 

Iceland is known as the Land of Fire and Ice and it is an area of great volcanic activity. Eighty per cent of Iceland's energy is geothermal made by heat inside the earth's crust. It is clean and sustainable.


I had a wonderful lunch in the Lava Restaurant at the Blue Lagoon. I had fresh Icelandic mussels and a glass of sparkling wine. It was a perfect pre-relaxation for the perfect relaxation to come.

This was my view from the restaurant. It was winter coat weather outside and bathing suits for my time spent in the Blue Lagoon.
 
I'm back from Iceland and slowly adjusting to life in New York. I've been surprised at the jet lag I've experienced. I fall asleep early and wake up at 4:00 a.m. I'm hoping that the worst of the jet lag is done and I'll be on a New York sleep schedule very soon. A little lost sleep is a small price to pay for a great visit to Iceland. The scenery was spectacular -- a word I don't use often -- and I will be posting several more times with some photographs from my visit. 
 
As ever, thanks for visiting. Thanks and remembrance to all those who served and who serve our county today. Very grateful for the sacrifices you all make for our freedom.