It's (Almost) a New Season

Autumn in Central Park

We've fully arrived in a new season. It's autumn, not sort of autumn, but leaf turning, glove wearing autumn and I loved seeing it on display in Central Park yesterday. I was there to participate in the Caring Kind Walk. Caring Kind is a wonderful local organization that supports those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. It deserves a full post, and there will be another post, especially because this year the focus was on brain health and ways to keep our brains healthy. 

Autumn is one season that I'm writing about and the other is my own season. My cataract grew like a dandelion and after a predication of a year to maybe never in May, by August it was ready for surgery. After a consultation, a pre-surgery visit with my internist and a final check with my retina doctor, tomorrow is the big day. I know that cataract surgery is a rite of passage for our demographic and that it's a very routine surgery. However, nothing is routine when it's your surgery. 

I'm as ready as I can be. I've started my drops, made a schedule for medications and my friend is all set to pick me up tomorrow. There's food in the refrigerator with no prep needed and not a lot scheduled for the week. I'm not a morning person at all and having to be at the hospital at 5:30 for the first surgery of the day is not my pick. However, I'll be glad to be done and mostly recovered by 9:30 and I hope, on the way to coffee and to seeing much more clearly. 

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the distance

I met a friend for brunch this morning and had the best (and unexpected) view. I looked up from the menu and realized I was looking at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It's a beautiful cathedral and it definitely deserves a visit and a post. I have visited. but I don't think I've shared photographs and it's long overdue. 

I hope the Buttercupland Crew is doing well and enjoying autumn wherever you may be. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and cheers and good wishes for the week ahead.  

 

It's the Second Monday in October

 

And it's Thanksgiving in Canada

 Buttercupland wishes all of our friends in Canada a very happy Thanksgiving.  

Thanksgiving in the United States won't  happen for another six weeks, but every day is a day for thanks. I try to keep gratitude in mind throughout the day and it seems that some days I do better than other days. Yesterday was cold and rainy and my focus more than not, was how wet my sneakers and socks were while walking outside after the theater. I loved the play, The Hope Theory, a thoughtful and totally enjoyable one person show combining magic and memoir, had a great visit with a friend and ended the afternoon with coffee and an English muffin. But for too much of the time my focus was wet socks. 

Between today's bright sunshine and thinking about thanksgiving, I've been able to refocus. Will  I stay refocused? Not all the time, that I know. My thoughts will too often drift to wet socks and not thankfulness for theater, friends and a cup of coffee on a rainy afternoon. But I'm a work in progress and the last 24 hours has, thankfully, been a moment of progress. 

My view today, Astor Place and Cooper Square in the East Village 

I went out of the neighborhood this afternoon and enjoyed coffee and errands in a different part of Manhattan. Between grocery shopping and coffee I sat down in this square to tie my shoe. Just a few minutes to tie my shoe. But the temperature was idyllic (really!), there were plenty of places to sit and it was a great place to people watch. I stayed a lot longer than a few minutes enjoying the sun, the air and the ambience. I need to keep this perfect afternoon in mind when I have wet socks or forget my gloves. 

Here's to sunny autumn afternoons, dry socks and coffee with friends.  What things are you grateful for today?

As ever, thanks for visiting and cheers for autumn. 

Let's Have a Cup of Coffee

Memories of a beautiful summer day in Maine, 

made even better with my favorite, iced coffee

As many long time citizens of Buttercupland know, I am a coffee fan. Just about every day starts with a cup of hot coffee and during the day I usually add another cup of coffee -- or two -- to my beverage schedule. Even on the gloomiest of days, coffee is a bright spot. 

It gives me great pleasure to give a cheer for coffee on its yearly holiday. There's also an International Coffee Day on October 1 and you know I'll be back to celebrate a few favorite coffee adventures around the world. 

You may ask where I've been this while and the answer is home and decluttering, lots of decluttering. I've gone through closets, drawers, bookshelves and kitchen cabinets. I'm not sure that the world would see the difference, but I can see empty spaces, especially on book shelves. 

I've been donating things, consigning things and selling things. My goal was to sell twenty-five things this month and I was on a roll. But things have come to a stall and, unless the next few days are big sales days, I will end September with nineteen sales. If anyone would like to join me on Vinted -- it's genuinely easy and so far the shipping fees are modest --  please send me a message. 

Another coffee travel memory, 

this one from the cafe at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha

Now it's back to a little more decluttering for the evening. What's your evening look like?

As ever, thank for visiting and happy autumn. 

 

Shana Tova

 

 With thanks to my Instagram friend, sketchpad_on_tour

Shana Tova is a traditional greeting for the Jewish New Year which begins in a few hours at sundown. It means "good year," and within those two words is a world of good wishes, for good health, happiness, meaning and peace for all the world. I'm delighted to share this beautiful drawing by my very talented Instagram friend. It's simple, heartfelt and lovely. Thanks, Victoria. 

As I've written in the past the services at my synagogue are long, almost always over three hours. As much as I try to focus on the liturgy, there will come a time (and time again) when my mind wanders. I've found over the decades that having a prayer list helps me to concentrate. Ahead of the holiday I write down a list of items that I want to include and then I ask my friends -- virtual and in person for their requests. It is an honor to pray for other people and I am grateful for the opportunity. If you have prayer requests, please leave a comment or feel free to send me a message. 

As we prepare to enter 5787 it is my joy to wish all of Buttercupland a happy, healthy and meaningful year ahead. My added prayers for a year, especially, of peace. Shana Tova!   

Twenty Five Minutes, Twenty Five Days, Twenty Five Years, A Lifetime

 

Every year I think it will get easier and every year brings a new tide of fresh grief. Perhaps someone in this world has found the elusive closure, but it's not me, and I doubt if it ever will be me. 

Beginning in the fall of 1999 my office moved to 2 Broadway and the World Trade Center became a major part of my life. I shopped on the concourse level after work, had a quick supper sometimes and often took the subway uptown from there. In the December after my office moved I bought discount holiday cards at the Borders Bookstore there. In the way of so many things in life I appreciated that the Trade Center was there and yet, took it so for granted. 

Since 2009 when I began this blog, I've been writing my observation about September 11. As in the past, I link to a previous post and this year I chose the one that I wrote for 2011, "Can Anyone Define Closure?" One day,  far into the future I hope, I won't be here to write my reflection, and one day, no one who experienced the day in Lower Manhattan, will be here to tell their story. Like so many other events that have happened, September 11 will pass into the history books. Our reflections and stories will form that history and the memories of those who died on that beautiful September morning will live on in our remembrances. 

May the memories of all those who went to work or ran an errand and never came home be for a blessing, now and always.  

 

We're Celebrating

 It's National Teddy Bear Day

We're celebrating one of our favorite days of the year, National Teddy Bear Day. It's right up there with Thanksgiving, the first  day of spring and National Coffee Day, to name a few other favorites. Unfortunately we're celebrating with the photo we used last year. There's some glitch in Blogger and the nice new picture I took this evening won't load. It's a cute one and includes Sam, the latest member of our Buttercupland Crew that joined us last summer. I am so hoping that it's one of the pesky Blogger issues that comes up out of nowhere and resolves itself just as quickly. 

I'm enjoying the gentle transition into autumn, though I, as in every year, I'm surprised that the days are getting shorter. We're not into sweater weather yet, but I know that one day I'll go out without a jacket and realize I needed a jacket and maybe, gloves, too.

 I've been cleaning out my closet and dresser and am pleased to find space in drawers that seemed too full for one more thing. They were too full and I'm actually putting aside clothes that I didn't wear this summer. Next stop are shoes that I haven't worn in awhile, and don't anticipate wearing. I've still  got ankle issues -- may always have ankle issues -- and I'm sticking with the sneakers that my doctor recommended. It's not the most attractive look (not attractive at all), but I'm walking with less pain and there's definite improvement. I know there's spring cleaning, but does anyone else do autumn cleaning/decluttering?

As ever, thanks for visiting and enjoy the almost first days of autumn. 

See the USA: Iowa and Nebraska

 

Check: States forty seven and  forty eight

Somehow it's September and I'm back in New York after a wonderful and whirlwind visit to Nebraska and Iowa. My thought when I booked the trip was to visit two states I had yet to visit. Iowa and Nebraska would put me very close to visiting every state in United States. Of course, the trip wasn't just about setting foot in both states. I looked up the sights in Omaha and there was definitely more than enough to see for the three days that I would be there. And there certainly was more than enough to see. 

The Old Market Area

I stayed in the Old Market area, which had once been the wholesale area of Omaha. The old brick buildings have been repurposed and it was a great area to stay in, with coffee shops, restaurants and stores. It was also convenient to the sites I wanted to visit and though there was a lot of construction in downtown Omaha -- a light rail system is being built -- I was able to figure out how to walk to my destinations. 

The banks of the Missouri River and the Riverfront area, a great place to walk

I thought I'd done my research well, but one of the great surprises was the National Park Visitor Center about the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail. This area had been an important part of the Trail and it was an unexpected pleasure to learn more about this important part of American history.  

In three days I was able to enjoy the Old Market, walk the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge to Iowa, visit the Kiewit Luminarium (science museum), the fabulous Joslyn art museum, 

the National Park Center, the Riverfront and eat some of the best ice cream I've ever had at the iconic Ted and Wally's. Through no planning on my part, it just happened that Ted and Wally's was across the street from my hotel. I'm still dreaming of the maple walnut ice cream. 

  

The ice cream of dreams

Now it's time for the "Ber" months, which I know will fly by. Rosh Hashanah is next week and I noticed Halloween and Thanksgiving cards at the store today. I'm going to enjoy these last few weeks of summer before I jump into the round of autumn activities and holidays. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great September.