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Welcome to Gatot

 

Please Meet Gatot

I'm delighted to introduce the newest member of the Buttercupland family, Gatot. We adopted Gatot at the end of 2024 and no surprise, he fits right in. Gatot, like our previous adopted orangutan, Joyce, was adopted via the wonderful organization, International Animal Rescue. Gatot is living in a rescue center in Borneo and happily, he is flourishing. 

I just received a first report on Gatot and it's the perfect report for a young and growing orangutan. 

Gatot continues to make great progress with his rehabilitation and he now weighs 20.6kg. His foraging skills have improved greatly within the last few months and he is still incredibly close with his best friend, Paijo! The two often travel together around the forest, exploring and often stopping to hug one another. These displays of affection between the two orangutans are very endearing!

Gatot's daily routine involves a lot of foraging, which he has now become very skilled at. His diet varies according to the numerous different fruits available to him. He also likes to eat food given to him by the keepers, such as sweet potatoes.

I am very hopeful that Gatot will continue to do well and he, too, will be able to reside outside of the rehab center and be part of the group of orangutans. 

No-Spending January is over and though I was tempted many times -- clothes and jewelry really called out to me -- I only spent $4.98 on "things." I bought two pairs of socks and a box of Valentines. The cards were not a very thought out purchase. They were very cute and only $3.99, but they're cards for elementary school and have no envelopes. I'll use them as enclosures with the cards I bought today. I'm not doing No-Spending in February, but I'm going to really think about purchases and not let myself be swayed by things that catch my eye. Is anyone else an impulse buyer?

We've had some glorious weather -- for February -- and I've been able to be out and enjoy walking. I finished January with 87.9 miles and this week is looking good, too. I got to the gym today and made a trip to the Metropolitan Museum yesterday.

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cozy!

Do You Remember 1975?

Happy 50th, Saturday Night Live

In 1975 Wheel of Fortuned debuted in January and a month later Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of Great Britain. American military involvement in Vietnam came to an end after decades and New York City went bankrupt. In October of the same year I moved to New York City, and in that same month Saturday Night Live aired its first episode. Fifty years later I'm still in New York City and Saturday Night Live is still going strong. 

 I had the amazing fortune to participate in The SNL 50 Experience last week. It was an immersive tour of some of the highlights of the show over the last 50 years. I was somewhat of an anomaly at the Experience. I was one of the few people there who had been born when the show was first aired, let alone someone who watched the very first season. 

Looking back, the first season of what was then called The Not Ready for Prime Time Players introduced Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin and Chevy Chase. The next 49 seasons would continue to present some/most of American comedy that went far beyond the weekly show. 

I got to visit  a model of the hair and makeup studio 

The Experience included models of the Saturday Night Live studios. There was a model of the stage -- and we got to be introduced just like the hosts. This is the clip that I posted on Instagram. We also had the opportunity to be part of the Weekend Update segment, which was incredible fun. And no, I am not actually drinking scotch in my star turn. 


Buttercup at her dream job, as part of the Weekend Update team

Our final Experience event was a visit to Wayne's World. We stepped into the basement in Aurora, Illinois and I expected that Wayne and Garth ( Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) would be sitting on the couch. It was a perfect replica and I was definitely taking giant steps back in time and space. 

We just need Wayne and Garth to complete the scene

The day was completed with a visit to the Five Time Hosts lounge and and refreshments -- Prosecco and sparkling cider -- were served. 


An enormous thanks to NBC Saturday night Live for an iconic and amazing afternoon, and a bigger thanks to the cast and writers of Saturday Night Live. Thanks for fifty years of laughter, music and some of the most iconic moments of the last decades.  

My SNL afternoon was an amazing way to end January. February has some treats ahead, too. I'll be reporting back on No-Spending January and the Journey of 1,000 Miles.  We have two anniversaries: the 200th anniversary of my synagogue and Buttercupland's Sweet Sixteen. I'm planning for visits to a new coffee shop and to Brooklyn, and of course, we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day. Please stop by and be part of the fun.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  

For All the Lost Families

 


This month we've celebrated Penguin Awareness and Polka Dots, as well as a mention for National Bagel Day. But in the midst of the fun and the silly, January holds a very serious day, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Usually Buttercupland is a place for light topics, some information and photographs, but today we remember those murdered during the Holocaust. May their memories for for blessings. 


Today also marks the eightieth liberation of Auschwitz by Russian troops. Between its establishment in 1940 in German-occupied Poland and its liberation, about 1.1 million people were killed there. This includes about a million Jews, and this was only one of a number of concentration camps established during World War II.


All four of my grandparents came to America from Eastern Europe before the First World War, but a lot of their family stayed in what was then Poland and Russia and now Ukraine and Belarus. My paternal grandmother came to America with my grandfather in 1918 and her family stayed in Russia. Excluding a few cousins, all of her family was killed. She never spoke of the family left behind and I, sadly, never asked any questions. Many years after her death in 1975 my aunt shared the few photographs of my grandmother's siblings that had been sent to her before the war. I was struck by how much her brother Leo and my father resembled each other. I've had no luck discovering what happened to my family, but today has made me begin to search again for the history of my lost family.   


For all the lost families: we must remember, so they will not be forgotten. 


As ever, thanks for visiting. Always appreciate your visits. 

Italian Dreaming, On Such a Winter's Day

When I can't be in Italy, I find Italy in New York

I've been remiss in posting about one of my favorite activities, drinking coffee. I also like buying coffee and making coffee, but drinking coffee is one of my very favorite activities. Tied with all-things coffee is all-things travel. I'm also a fan of traveling, thinking about traveling and planning trips, both actual and fantasy. In this cold and windy snap of winter weather I've been combining drinking coffee and thinking of fantasy trips that I'd like to take. I combined my fantasy of traveling to Italy with drinking coffee with a visit to Da Capo on Madison Avenue. 

Which cookie would you choose?

I discovered Da Capo one day after a medical appointment in the neighborhood and it looked so inviting. When I stepped in I felt that I'd stepped into a cafe in Italy and I'd only crossed Central Park. Choosing my coffee and a treat was difficult, but I went with a latte and a cornetto aka croissant, and I wasn't disappointed. It wasn't quite being in Venice, but it brought me a lot closer to being in Venice. 

The Grand Canal, Venice, 1982 

I don't have any actual plans to go to Italy, but I'm enjoying thinking about Italy. I've been reading about places I'd like to visit and I started to study Italian last May on DuoLingo. I haven't made a lot of headway in my Italian study, but I am enjoying it. I'd love a return visit to Venice and I'd love a first visit to both Sicily and Sardinia. Are you a fantasy traveler, too? If you are, what places are your dreaming about?


My polka dot socks

I'm still keeping up with No-Spending January and so far I've kept to my "no-things" rule, with the exception of the socks I bought last week. They arrived yesterday, just in time for Polka Dot Day, which was yesterday, January 22.  I'm a big fan of polka dots and they were so cheery on this cold winter Thursday. 


As ever, thanks for visiting and keep warm and cozy.
 

Here Are a Few of My Favorite Days

 

Penguins in Patagonia

Actually this post is only about one of my favorite days, Penguin Awareness Day, celebrated yesterday. I missed -- at least for this year -- posting about bagels on Wednesday (National Bagel Day) and it's too soon to post about my love of polka dots. That post may appear this Wednesday, January 22. Yesterday was World Snow Day -- penguins and snow: perfect together -- and New York City had snow to mark the occasion. 

I'm always happy to write about penguins and the penguins of Patagonia, the very Southern tip of Argentina, are my feature today. We think that penguins only dance on ice and snow a la Happy Feet, but they can flourish in other environments. In Patagonia penguins come ashore to breed and raise their chicks. 


Penguin Life 


Ushuaia, Patagonia is 3094 Kilometers south of Buenos Aires
10,000+ Kilometers from New York City (Approximately 6600 miles) 

Ushuaia was the last land stop before five days of cruising in Antarctica in 2017. This was one of my dream come true trips and definitely worth the long flights to Buenos Aires and back to New York. 


A few days after my visit to Ushuaia, I had the privilege of seeing 
the extraordinary scenery of Antarctica


Amazingly almost three weeks of 2025 have gone by and I've settled into a cozy winter in New York City. I've been walking -- just about fifty miles so far -- reading and I hosted my synagogue study group for our first study of 2025 last week. I haven't been spending, except for ninety-nine cents for two pairs of socks, which I hope we can celebrate on Polka Dot Day on Wednesday. 

As always, thanks for visiting and keep cozy.

The Journey of 8,065.8 Miles

 

On the Sidewalks of New York...

...Providence, Rhode Island; Sedona, Arizona; Wildwood, NJ; Litchfield, Connecticut; Boothbay Harbor, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Halifax, Nova Scotia and Paris, France. I walked in eight states and three countries and my mileage total for 2024 was 1135.2 miles. My goal for 2024 was 1100 miles, which I met in mid-December.

I've done a Thousand Mile Walking Challenge for the last eight years and have walked 8,056.8 miles. Last year I decided to really challenge myself and upped my goal to 1100 miles. It took effort, but was doable. I'm giving myself leeway this year and my goal for 2025 is 1,000 miles. I'm not sure how many states and countries I will walk in this year, but at  this time in 2024 half of the places I walked weren't even in my thoughts. 

A few years ago I decided to walk 10,000 miles (over a number of years) and it looks like over the next two years I'll complete that challenge. I've "only" got 1,934.2 miles to walk, circumstances permitting. I'm smiling/laughing as I type this. As we see every day so much is out of our control and the thought that a woman in her mid 70's with a myriad of orthopedic conditions will walk thousands of miles seems definitely ambitious and optimistic. But if all is well in December 2026 I will complete a 10,000 mile walk, the distance from New York City to Sydney, Australia. Sydney, here I come.


My Walking Goal: Sydney, Australia 


The last few weeks I've been walking around New York City and mostly staying in the neighborhood. I did brave the cold and get down to the Times Square neighborhood on Wednesday for breakfast with a visiting friend. It's been cold, cold, cold and I've enjoyed keeping cozy, reading and working on cards. I've also returned to decluttering, which took a break for the  holiday festivities.  I've got lots of shredding to do. 

No-Spending January is going well. I've bought nothing, except for groceries and cleaning supplies. I have been very tempted and the sales don't make it easy. But when I think about the purchases I might have made I realize that there's nothing I need. How is No-Spending going for anyone else who is doing the challenge?

Dear California friends, know that you're in my heart and prayers.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  




       

Welcome Back, No Spending January

 

Stayed in the store!


Once again, we welcome back a dear friend, No Spending January. While I saved up, shopped ahead and thought I was being prudent, December was still a pricy month. No surprise. I was royally spoiled and am so grateful for all the goodies that appeared in my mailbox, and I have no need to indulge myself with spending and treats in January. I planned for No Spending by ordering one gift, buying a gift and a shirt I had been looking at for months (now marked down to 25% of original price) and shampoo before the clock struck midnight yesterday. 


My rules for No Spending January are simple, no buying things. I can still buy groceries, tickets and household supplies, like the paper towels I need to buy this week. I am making a few exceptions to my rule. If I happen to find the holiday tissue paper I'd like for next year, it will go in my cart. So far there's no half-price tissue paper anywhere in New York City, but I'm still on the lookout. 


As in the past, I'm tracking my spending when I do spend in January. I spent $2.26 this morning for two greeting cards using my $2.00 discount at CVS. I also spent $25.00 on a gift. I'm optimistic that $27.26 will be the extent of my spending for January.  


Anyone else joining me in No Spending January?


I got my walk in this morning and looking forward to seeing friends this evening to celebrate Chanukah. Chanukah will officially be over at sundown, but our scheduling deferred to those who are still working. I'm also pleased to be blogging two days in a row. I've been a haphazard blogger and definitely glad to be less haphazard (so far) in 2025.


As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.