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Pink Saturday Returns to 1981

 

Four hundred and forty-four days in history

We accumulate a lot of things in our lives and we also accumulate a lot of memories. In my endless decluttering, especially in the past year, I've come across clippings and photos that have stirred many feelings and thoughts. For a number of years in the 1980s I worked for the Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch. I knew how fortunate I was at the time and forty years later I still give thanks. 

The job entailed long hours, lots of pressures, but an extraordinary opportunity to be part of many historic events. I began the job in November, 1980 and the first major special event was welcoming the "ex-hostages," as they were described in the press release. The 52 American embassy hostages arrived in America on January 25. Not all of the group chose to come to New York City. But of those that chose to be part of the celebration, the first of the group arrived in New York City on Thursday, January 29. 

From the Buttercup Archives

Obviously, there wasn't much time to put the program together, but a fabulous program was put together, including the welcome to New York City on one of the coldest January days I can remember. One of my fondest memories (ever) was dinner at Windows on the World. I couldn't believe that the people I, along with all of America, had prayed for and hoped for, were my dinner companions. My years in City Hall would include many more extraordinary occasions. Some would equal these events, but nothing would surpass them. 

I know I save way too many things, and at this stage of my life it's time to let go of a lot of them, but I'm thankful I had the presence of mind to keep a copy of this long ago press release to look back on forty years later. 

It's snowing in New York City right now and the prediction is it will keep snowing all through Monday and possibly into Tuesday. I feel for people who need to be working outdoors and I'm grateful that I'm staying indoors, warm and cozy. With the snow and cold, we need some Pink Saturday cheer and I'm sharing one of my favorite neighborhood  windows at Blooming Couture, a local florist.

Love seeing orchids in the winter

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take good care and keep cozy. 

The Streets Are Alive With the Sound of Music

 


With thanks (and apologies) to Rodgers and Hammerstein for the title inspiration  

I was listening to the news last night and heard about Musical Storefronts. It's a program in the Lincoln Center area, where musicians perform in storefronts, sponsored by local organizations. The last year has been a disaster (an understatement) for the thousands of performers in New York City, and a vast disappointment for those of us who love live music. The program is unannounced, to deter crowds, but the news story ended with a note that people in the area of Lincoln Center needed to keep an eye out. 

I live literally a mile north of Lincoln Center and my gym (though I'm on hiatus until my doctor gives me the go-ahead) is a block away. The post office I like to use is a few blocks away and our new Target is three blocks down the street, so I am often in the neighborhood.  

Though the wind chill this morning was below zero I ventured out late in the morning for a quick trip to Target for cleaning supplies. I was bundled up for an Arctic expedition, and except for a few minutes waiting for the bus, kept cozy. My reward for braving the cold on my walk back to the bus stop after my expedition was this piano/violin duet. I watched and listened until I was realized this wasn't the weather to stand outside without moving. Alas! But those few minutes of live music were a balm for my soul and I'm so grateful for the groups that put this together.

As promised, I'm happy to announce the winner of the Pre-teen Blogaversary Giveaway. It's Marcia at New Decade, New Chapter. Marcia, I will be reaching out to you to get your address and send you a surprise volume of historical fiction. Thanks all who joined in the celebration and thanks to all of the friends of Buttercupland. Here's to many more celebrations!

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cozy!

This Day in History

 

City Hall, New York City

First, a mea culpa. As I started reviewing my information I quickly saw that the historic  event I posted about last night actually took place on January 30. In the interest of historic accuracy I'm going to do the post about it exactly forty years later. However, as a preview, I'm posting a photograph of New York City Hall, where I viewed the event. On a freezing cold January day I stood on the second floor portico to observe a moment in history, a very happy moment in history. 

Today, January 28, however, is not a happy moment in history. Thirty-five years ago today I was at work in a building directly in back of City Hall, the Tweed Courthouse, when I heard the news that the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after take-off. I can still see myself in our office conference room. It was an era without cell phones and computers and the tragic news arrived via a phone call from my mother. 

One of the moments of that tragic day that stays with me is President Reagan's television address to the country , especially the last line:

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."

[Note: The President spoke at 5 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. His address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.]

  Tomorrow, I'll post the winner of the Pre-teen Blogaversary Giveaway. There's still time to enter with a quick tap to this link. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Library Shelfie Day

It's Library Shelfie Day

I had a Wedding Wednesday post in mind for today, but thanks to a dear friend of Buttercupland, I was informed that the fourth Wednesday of January is Library Shelfie Day and quickly changed gears to celebrate the many bookshelves surrounding me. 

I don't have an order to my books, excepting my cookbooks that are all settled together. The spines of all of my books are aligned, which is a direct result of shelving thousand of books during my library jobs in high school and college. In the days when I visited the library I frequently made adjustments to the shelving so the books looked neater on the shelf. 

How are your books organized? Alphabetical? Subjects grouped together? Fiction separated from non-fiction?

It's warm for winter today and I had a great walk with Betsy through the park this afternoon. I've just spent the best hour watching a wonderful video chat where Sadeqa Johnson is interviewed about her new book, The Yellow Wife, which was published this month. I already have the book on reserve and I'm even more excited to read it than I was previously.  

Tomorrow we are going back in time to January 28, 1981. It will be interesting to see if there is very much news coverage, but Buttercupland will remember a major event in our lives. I hope that you'll stop by. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 


Gone to Melbourne in My Mind

 

When I visited Melbourne in 2018, I looked out of my
 hotel window one morning and this was what I saw. 

It was cold and snowy in Manhattan today and my mind turned to my 2018 trip to Australia. I was going to post pictures from different places I visited, but I didn't get beyond my first stop in Melbourne. What a beautiful city! When I first started planning the trip, I didn't know very much about Melbourne, but it was a perfect introduction to Australia and I am so glad that I spent a few days there recovering from jet lag, before joining the more hectic tour  of Australia.    

The Australian Open was going on during my visit to Melbourne and this viewing area in Federation Square, a wonderful area of museums, cafes and this fabulous area fitted with grass and chairs for tennis viewing, was just a few blocks from where I was staying. The temperature was remarkably moderate for January, which is summer in Australia, and I visited here several times. 

An alley way near my hotel with wild and wacky street art

My visit to Melbourne was made especially meaningful because I had the opportunity to visit my blog buddy, Little Wren, while I was there. Wren isn't in Melbourne very often, but our visits coincided and we had a wonderful visit together. We chatted, book shopped and had lunch in one of Wren's favorite places, Chicken or the Egg. This beautiful bowl was as delicious as it looked. 


No surprise, but I drank coffee all over Australia, and this beautiful flat white (espresso with steamed milk) caught my heart on my first full day in Melbourne. It was the first of quite a few that I would drink in Australia, a country that knows how to make a very good cup of coffee. 

January 26 is Australia Day, the Australian National holiday, and though it's well over in Melbourne, we still have a little more time to give a cheer for Australia. I'm not planning any major trips these days, but if and when travel becomes feasible, I'd love a return trip. 

Though I was primed for major snow this morning and had no intention of going out, the  snow pretty much fizzled away by the afternoon. After a very leisurely morning and another episode of Bridgerton, I got myself out for a trip to the drugstore and a walk in the neighborhood. I spent some time prepping in the kitchen while listening to an audiobook, my new pastime. Right now I'm enjoying "The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor," by Justice Sotomayor. Read by the Justice, it's an adaptation from her memoir for young people. I'm finding audiobooks are great company when I'm working in the kitchen and I'm really enjoying her stories of growing up in the Bronx. What are you reading/listening to?

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cozy.


Unicorn Pink Saturday

 

I fell in love with this entire window

I was talking on the phone this afternoon with my friend Anita and our conversation turned to good things of the pandemic. One of the things that was in my top five was being able to spend time walking with friends in the neighborhood. In the warmer weather, I so enjoyed getting to know Riverside Park and its beautiful garden, as well as walking on just about every block in my immediate neighborhood, some hundreds of times. We literally had time to stop and smell the roses. 

On my last walk in 2020 my friend Jane and I took the bus to the east side of Manhattan and started walking. We walked up Madison Avenue to 96th Street and then east on 96th Street and took a turn down Lexington Avenue, walking all the way to 66th Street. We took time out for lunch at a sidewalk cafe and time out for photographs. I lost my heart to the cutest children's store on Lexington Avenue, Willow Road.  We may have spent as much time oohing and ahing as we did at lunch. I knew it was a perfect place to visit for Pink Saturday.  

Even if you're not a unicorn fan, this may be the cutest pop-up music box ever. 


Doesn't everyone need a color changing umbrella? 


I'm very enthusiastic about the unicorn hat, and the 
dinosaur one to the right is another favorite. 

Though it's turned quite cold -- yesterday was a windfest, too -- I'm still so grateful to be out and walking with friends. The last two days have been a lot closer to home, but there's still been a lot to see and enjoy, especially the company of friends. Snow is on the schedule for this week, so I'm trying to get out and enjoy walking and sunshine as much as I can. 

I've got a quiet week ahead. My plans are walking on days that aren't snowy, reading, blogging and indulging myself in my newest indulgence, Bridgerton. Is anyone else a Bridgerton fan?

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  

It's My Pre-teen Blogaversary



Party, party and more party!

I'm not sure what was going on this year on Monday, January 12. I posted my thoughts about Vermont, but totally forgot that it was my twelfth Blogaversary. Even my erstwhile assistant, Pep LeMonkee, who is the original party animal, didn't mention it to me. 

I never dreamed (over) twelve years ago when I sent my first post out into the universe that I'd still be blogging. Never dreamed that Buttercupland would be a big part of my life and that it would lead to friendships that literally span the world. My blogging energy flagged for a few years, but in 2019 it returned and my friendships in BlogWorld were a complete blessing throughout 2020.  Many thanks to new followers and to those who have been part of the Buttercupland community for a long, long time. So grateful that you are all part of this journey.  


My thoughts from my first blogaversary post in 2010:

 When I started the blog I had no expectations. My goal was to "see myself and the world in a happier and more upbeat way." And unlike any number of things I've tried, I've succeeded in this, at least in my perception of myself. I'm not too upbeat about the world in general, but there are a lot of people across the globe who help me see the world in a little more upbeat way. Thank you all so much. 

To celebrate twelve years of happy blogging, I'm doing a blogaversary book giveaway, the book as yet unchosen. It's easy peasy to enter. Please leave a comment sharing a favorite reading genre and please be a friend of Buttercupland. I will post the winner next Friday, January 29.

As ever, thanks for visiting and thanks for being part of the Buttercupland community. Keep cozy! 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Inauguration Day

 

Senior Class trip to Washington, April 1968

My thoughts are in Washington today, but my memories go back to the first inauguration I watched. I remember vividly watching the inauguration of John F. Kennedy on that snowy day in 1961. My father never took off days from work short of something monumental, but my memory is that day was both a blizzard and a school snow day and we got to watch the inauguration as a family. 

I don't remember a lot of the details, other than Robert Frost reading and President Kennedy's address. I'm not sure I can remember quotes from other presidential addresses, but "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country" is etched in my memory. 

I've watched many inaugurations since then, but, without knowing it that snowy morning, this first one set the compass for so much that followed in my life and career. It reinforced my fascination with history and encouraged the career in government that would become the largest part of my working life. 

My fervent hope is that children throughout America find the inspiration that I found sixty years ago and one day, they too, will be able to reflect on their American experience sixty years from now. G'd bless America. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembered

 


Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
1/15/1929-4/4/1968
 

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Wesleyan University Baccalaureate sermon, 1964

Pink Saturday Goes Sock Shopping

Many thanks to Target for an amazing array of Valentine socks

I've cut down my trips around town in the last few weeks and cut out some things that I'd been doing in the fall. For now the Metropolitan Museum of Art and haircuts are off the schedule. I'm also limiting my grocery shopping to once a week and looking for a time that's the least crowded. I did my grocery shopping for this week at the local Target, which was very roomy at noon yesterday. 

On my way to the grocery section -- great score on coffee! -- the Valentine sock collection attracted my eye. I don't need any more socks right now, but they had some really cute ones that are perfect for Pink Saturday.

Loved this foxy look...

...And this celebrity llama incognito in sunglasses!

These sloth cupids found their way into my basket and almost came home with me. They didn't make it out the door this time, but I may not be able to resist as Valentine's Day gets closer. Which ones would you choose?

No surprise, but I'm a big fan of both holiday socks and animal socks. I was delighted to add turkey socks to my collection as a Thanksgiving gift last year. I've also got monkey socks (of course!) and sheep socks, and yes the monkey and sheep socks were gifts from dear friends who very kindly indulge me.   

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Stay safe, my friends!

It's National Rubber Ducky Day, Really!

 

Pep and Ducky went for a spin to celebrate National Rubber Ducky Day

We love celebrations in Buttercupland. We celebrate holidays and we celebrate days dedicated to a wide range of foods and events. We missed National Spaghetti Day on January 4 and National Bubble Bath Day on January 8. We almost missed National Rubber Ducky Day -- today! -- but a devoted friend of Buttercupland alerted me and we still had time to let our favorite ducky know how much we appreciate him.  

I'm sad I missed Clean Off Your Desk Day on Monday, but will use the inspiration to clean off my desk tomorrow. I started the year with a neat desk, but not quite two weeks later my desk needs straightening up big time. National Bagel Day is Saturday and I may make a stop at my favorite local bagel store in celebration. It may be just warm enough to sit outside and enjoy my bagel and coffee. There are any number of fun days later this month and we'll be doing a few more celebrations. 

It's actually been a busy few days. I've been out walking -- my goal is at least two miles every day -- and "been" to three great book events. I also enjoyed a fun baby shower via Zoom on Saturday. The organizers did a great job and found a game website we could all enjoy (just as though we were all together in person) and played music. What has been on your calendar?

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.

Moonlight in Vermont

 

Icy finger waves...

I am an enormous fan of the music our parents grew up with, and "Moonlight in Vermont," is one of my favorites. The unofficial state song of Vermont was first recorded -- remember records? -- in 1944 and sung by Margaret Whiting. It's been covered by many of the great popular singers of our lives, including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, Brook Benton and Willie Nelson. Each verse evokes a different season in Vermont and today we're featuring winter, with a visit to one of the most beautiful towns in this beautiful state, Stowe.

 

Ski trails down a mountainside at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe

Snowlight in Vermont over the Stowe Town Hall

Just looking at these pictures makes me so homesick for Vermont and lonely for my Vermont friends. I don't usually head north in the winter, but donned my boots and ultra-heavy down coat and headed to Burlington to visit my dear K and goddaughter, J. I am so glad that I went north and had the opportunity to spend time with them in 2020. It was definitely one of the high points of the year. Here's to another visit to Stowe and friends in the year ahead. 

Is there any place you're longing to see in 2021? I've got a list, but the top places seem to be throughout New England. Fingers crossed for new pictures before this year is over. 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and stay safe.  

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

 

Central Park and the Manhattan skyline

We are postponing Wedding Wednesday indefinitely. Instead I'm sharing the calmest recent photograph I have. We all need a moment of quiet. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care, my friends. 

2021 in 2021

 

Bye Bye, peppercorns, and 2020 things I no longer need. 

This is the time of year I join millions of other people and think about goals for the year ahead. For a number of years I've posted about No-Spending January. My goal has been to stop unnecessary buying and refocus after holiday shopping and going out. Actually last March I entered into a no-spending mindset that outdid anything I ever thought of in No-Spending January. Not that I haven't bought anything for most of 2020, but I've significantly cut down my discretionary spending. My biggest splurge has been Netflix and virtual events, but they have been nowhere near the cost of theater tickets I've bought in the past. My spending on personal care -- haircuts and color -- is down by at least 80 per cent and I bought a new coat, two pairs of leggings and two shirts in 2020. 

I've been reading about 2021 in 2021, and this year I'm joining a year long decluttering challenge. I'm not sure where I first read about the 2021 Decluttering Challenge, but it really resonated with me. Initially the thought of discarding 2021 things was overwhelming, but as I thought about it -- and did a few calculations -- I realized the challenge was actually 44 items every week, and a lot more doable. 

My goal for each week is to clear out one area. I've done my bra drawer (part of a project for donations to a program that collects bras for women in homeless shelters) and four bras have been donated. Next stop is my spice section in the kitchen and the peppercorns shown above and any other long expired spices will be added to the list. I'm planning to donate to Goodwill twice a month and as soon as fabric recycling begins again, I'll be regularly donating there, too.  

What are your projects and goals for 2021? My other major project is an exercise challenge and I will be posting about it in the next few days. 

Later today, I'll be posting our first Wedding Wednesday post of 2021. I hope you'll stop by to meet the bride and groom. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

Love, Joy, Harmony and Goodness

 

With love from Bergdorf Goodness, 2020

Tonight marks the official end of the holiday season in Buttercupland. Though the Snow People will stay out for winter fun, the holiday monkeys have retired for the year and Pep and friends are back in their winter clothing. I do have a few cards left to answer, but the remaining cards and wrapping paper will be back in storage tomorrow. What remains, as always, are the memories and the photographs. This is our last set of photographs for Christmas, 2020, in New York City.    

The theme of the beautiful jewel-tone windows of Bergdorf Goodman, one of the last of the great department stores, were our wishes for 2021: love, joy, harmony and goodness. 

Wishing you joy throughout the year ahead 


May your life be harmonious

May you dwell in goodness each day of 2021

On this third day of 2021 I'm grateful for spending time with a dear friend and enjoying an outdoor lunch and a long walk. I'm grateful for my Sunday morning "Zoom" each week and my friend who arranges it and keeps our little group in touch. I'm grateful for my stockpile of paper towels (thank you, Costco!) and for my cozy kitchen. What were you especially grateful for this weekend?

As ever, thanks  for visiting and have a blessed week!

My Two Perfect Words for 2021: Gratitude Forever

I found my inspiration in Times Square

I took a quick trip to Times Square last weekend and, as usual, took a lot of pictures. I didn't look at them until yesterday, when I went through them and began editing and deleting. I was mostly deleting when I took a good look at this picture. Gratitude leapt out of the screen, and resonated in an enormously powerful way. I'd already posted on Facebook that hope was my word for 2021, but I realized that my word as I moved forward in the new year was gratitude, and not just gratitude for a year, but gratitude forever. For all the sorrow that 2020 held, what remains after the year is over, is gratitude. I have tremendous hope for the year ahead, but what I want to remember at the end of 2021 are all the things for which I have gratitude.   

Last night I was reading through email and came to a newsletter from the Kiplinger Report. There was an article on what items -- other than money -- give meaning to our retirement years. The discussion included good health, social connection and volunteering. But this paragraph especially resonated with me: 

" As with optimism, gratitude also can be mastered with practice. One of the most effective ways to cultivate gratitude is by writing in a journal. Take a few minutes each day to write down a few things that you are grateful for; they can be as big as a professional accomplishment or as small as your morning cup of coffee. Psychological research suggests that putting feelings of gratitude to paper can provide both mental and physical benefits, such as greater self-esteem, better sleep and improved heart health."

I don't need a reason to blog, but what a boost to learn that putting my feelings of gratitude to paper,  which is what I and my blog buddies in Buttercupland do regularly, helps me sleep better and keeps my heart healthier. 

It's the second day of 2021 and I'm grateful for my morning coffee, the breakfast casserole I made to accompany my coffee, the Saturday morning services I attended via Zoom this morning and the walk I took in fifty degree weather this afternoon. What are you grateful for on January 2, 2021?

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

My (New) Perfect Word for 2020: Hope

 

I found my inspiration on Seventh Avenue

In 2019 my perfect word was fun and in 2018 I chose health. My perfect word for 2020 was vision. It seems so obvious (and ironic) thinking about it now, but I'd been to a vision workshop on New Year's Day, 2020 and was inspired. On January 1, 2020, I had a vision of the year ahead. I had trips planned, theater tickets purchased -- including seeing Hugh Jackman in The Music man in September -- and thoughts about how I'd like to celebrate my milestone 70th birthday.

I planned to choose hope as my word for 2021, but in retrospect it really was my word for 2020. Vision went by the wayside in mid-March 2020 when I quickly realized I had no vision of what the days, months, year would look like. The one thing I learned is that 2020 would in no way resemble the year I had envisioned. I've read a fair number of Dystopian novels, but none had sketched a time that would give me insight into my experiences this year past. 

What I did have in 2020, though there were times it ebbed and waned, was hope. I had hope that I would get through the long dark spring and hope that life would improve. I had hope that one day in 2020 I would once again be baking in my kitchen and hope that there would be a vaccine. And blessedly, my hope has been answered.

The great thing about picking a perfect word is that it's my perfect word, and I get to revise it. I've never done a perfect word revision before, but we've never had a year like 2020 before. On the first day of 2021, I'm revising my perfect word for 2020 and tomorrow, I will be posting my perfect word for 2021. It will be a day later than usual, but with insights that took almost a year to cultivate. 

I hope the first day of 2021 was a good one for you. My New Year's Eve was a quiet one, with phone calls and watching one of my favorite movies (for the zillionth time), "That's Entertainment." Today included Friday night services, a long walk and lots of cooking, all of which I am very appreciative.   

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy 2021.