Real Life Friday

(One section of) My Living Room 

I've survived the first section of my building's gas line reconnection project. The workmen did a great, i.e., very neat, job of opening the walls for the pipes to be reconnected, or if necessary replaced. This opening in the living room is for my next door neighbor's pipes and one in the bedroom is for my pipes. The next step is a visit from the plumber sometime in the next few weeks. 

When the work in all the apartments has been completed, Con Edison (our utilities provider) and then the New York City Buildings Department will be here to inspect what's been done. After we pass inspection the walls will be sealed up again and repainted. Then I can move the furniture back, rehang paintings and make some order out of the chaos that is not in the picture.

I'm continuing to go through my books and happily have already sold two books out of the forty or so that I've listed. My goal is to make sure that when this project is over I don't have any random stacks of books and everything fits back in my existing bookshelves. Though there may be space to accumulate new books, and I'm sure new books will find their way here, I',m going to use the library and enjoy what I already own. I've (re)discovered dozens of books that I've been "meaning" to read and that's my goal.

I had a wonderful walk in the park this morning and took photographs for this week's Pink Saturday fun. Looking forward to sharing them with you in the first Pink Saturday of August. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care. Stay well and keep cool!

The Gas Line Saga Continues

Pep supervises the packing

I have been remiss in completing our Christmas in July weekend. Yes, it's Wednesday and I'm not sure if I will do the post while it's still July. But after I met with my building superintendent and the contractors who will be doing the (de)construction last week I realized I needed to get going with emptying my bookcases and other chores I needed to do. I have emptied approximately fifteen shelves and added twenty books to my eBay sales. I've also added thirty books to our building's "library" shelves in the laundry room. I realize that are at least twenty or thirty more books to be added in the future and as I put books back on the shelves I will continue sorting and recycling.  

The snow globes are all wrapped in bubble paper and there was only one minor snow globe catastrophe. I dropped "Colorado" and there's a very small crack above the water line. They will all be washed before they go back on the shelves and I think the collection will be looking good. 

As tedious as this part of the project has been, I'm really not looking forward to getting things back in place when the work is over. I am sure the construction group will be as neat as they can be, but dust and some mess is always a part of construction.  

At 8:30 tomorrow morning (approximately) we will officially be on the way back to gas service and I can't wait. 

You now know what I've been doing. Let me know your activities this week. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool.

Christmas in July: Fifth Avenue and Macy's

It's Pink Saturday Christmas in July

We kicked off our Christmas in July weekend yesterday in Brooklyn and now we've got a full day of fun across the river in Manhattan. We're starting with  some of my favorite windows from the past on Fifth Avenue. Because it's Pink Saturday, they all feature pink. It's not the norm for Christmas decor, but pink certainly helps create beautiful windows.  

Let's do a little pink and red window
 shopping at Bergdorf Goodman.

Our next stop is a visit with the hot pink gingerbread man

We're crossing Fifth Avenue to spend some sidewalk browsing time at Tiffany's and we discovered this fun ice cream decoration. 

Let's celebrate Christmas and National Ice Cream Month, 

which just happens to be July!

We've now made our day down Fifth Avenue to 34th Street. We're at the site of the miracle on 34th Street, Macy's. By the way,  in 2020, it's 153 days until Christmas.

 I'm taking a break from our pink theme and posting one of my favorite Macy's decorations, the iconic Macy's "Believe" that presides over West 34th Street. Can't think of a better thought these days than to believe in miracles and joy that Christmas represents. 

I love revisiting these wonderful scenes from happy days past and I hope you do, too. As promised, we're visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art tomorrow for the last day of our Christmas in July fun. 

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

Christmas in July: Brooklyn Edition

We're traveling through time and space to
Christmas in July, Brooklyn 2015 

The heat broke today, thankfully and though it's not cool it's possible to enjoy some blogging time without the air conditioner's background noise. But it's still July and summer and we will need to go through space to Brooklyn and then backwards in time to December, 2015. We're making a few stops on a tour of the legendary lights of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. 

 Mrs. Claus is happy to greet us upon our arrival in Brooklyn

Dyker Heights is well known for its extraordinary displays of lights and ornaments. Thousands of lights and huge crowds, as you can see from the photograph above. We definitely have gone back to a time before the phrase "social distancing" was part of our vocabulary. 

This house may be my favorite. I love all of the color 

and the assortment of decorations.  

We're making a quick stop on the way home in Bay Ridge, another Brooklyn neighborhood.  It has great decorations, too, but is still relatively undiscovered. It's one of my favorite neighborhoods and where I've celebrated Christmas with friends for the last twenty years. Love all the bright blue lights!

I hope the pictures of Christmas decorations brought cooling thoughts to places where the heat didn't break. I remember the night I visited that it was cold and hot cocoa was my drink of choice and not lemonade, my favorite summer drink these days. 

Tomorrow Christmas in July meets Pink Saturday as we tour some of my favorite decorations in Manhattan. We'll be visiting Fifth Avenue, and then making a side trip to 34th Street and Macy's. It wasn't my original plan to go off Fifth Avenue, but could not leave Macy's out. I started going through my photographs today and it's going to be difficult to choose which ones to post. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care. Stay well and keep cool.  

Let's Talk Bookshelves

Do you  mix books with your collections?

Obviously, I do. 

I have a lot of bookshelves and most of them -- except for the very top shelves and the very bottom shelves -- include my paperweight collection and assorted pictures and souvenirs from my travels. Interior design is not one of my talents, and I go with comfort and memories over style. Actually, if my decor had a style, it would be wall to wall books. 

I haven't thought about my book collection until yesterday when I had a visit from the contractor who will be working to reconnect the gas lines in our building. I knew that there would be some reconstruction, but I assumed it would only affect my kitchen. The kitchen will be the smallest part of the process. The stove will be moved and then moved back into place. However, there will be drilling in my bedroom and the living room. The workmen will move the furniture, but I am in charge of emptying eleven shelves of books, and things. I've started wrapping up my paperweight collection and hope the start the book packing tomorrow. It will be a good time to sort through my shelves and figure out what books can be sold or recycled. My goal is to have two empty shelves when it's time to move everything back in place. 

I naively asked if the construction next week was the last step before the gas would be turned on and the contractor laughed in response. We got the full schedule today and if everything goes as scheduled, gas should be restored by October 31. But as we all know, construction rarely goes as planned and I will be happy if I can use my oven in January 2021. If it's sooner than that I will be thrilled, and if it's longer, I will be less disappointed. 

I was so pleased that our visit to the Metropolitan Museum was so popular. I said we'd make a return visit soon and soon will be this weekend. I've had a lot of fun during my blog travels with seeing Christmas in July posts and Buttercupland is having a Christmas in July weekend. We're going to enjoy three days of New York Christmas fun. One of days we'll be at the Museum. We're also going to see some of the best light displays in New York City in Brooklyn and we're going to revisit some of my favorite Fifth Avenue decorations. 

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

Pending State and City Approval...

I will, again, return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and 

savor Van Gogh's Irises, actually.

I'm delighted that I have a photograph -- one of dozens I've taken through the years as a devoted visitor to the museum -- but there is nothing like the thrill of seeing a great work of art in person. The museum plans to reopen on Saturday, August 29, with August 27 and 28 set aside for members. I am eagerly keeping an eye on my email to see the details for this visit. My guess is that it will be timed admission with reservations and I  want to make sure I don't miss out. I am sure many of the museum's members are equally excited. The caveat to this is the need for state and city approval, and that depends on New Yorkers keeping safe and being sensible. 

While I was visiting the museum's website I found a fascinating visual tour of Van Gogh's flower paintings, where he strove for "simplicity in bright color."

https://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/collections/ep/van-gogh-irises-and-roses

  

In the interim let's visit a few favorite places in the museum. I've blogged about it many, many times, but it's impossible for me to either visit too often or write about it too often. I hope you'll agree.

One place I often wander, the Robert Lehman Collection, which holds some of my favorite Impressionist paintings.

This is Marie, better known as The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer, by Edgar Degas

I love the photography exhibitions, not surprisingly. Unless it's an especially well known name, the rooms are rarely crowded, an extraordinary treat. 

In the summer the roof is open and this is the view

 looking west, across Central Park.

I have left out one of my absolutely favorite times to visit the Metropolitan and that is at Christmas. But, no fear, I've been inspired by several of my blog friends and I'm going to post "Christmas in July." I will definitely include the beautiful Italian creche in my post. 

Unfortunately, I've been doing a lot less walking because of the heat. I did make it to the drugstore today and tomorrow, hot or not, I have an appointment with my audiologist, which I'm really looking forward to. My audiologist is a sweet, sweet young woman and I always enjoy seeing her, especially now.      

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and keep cool.

Jane Austen Pink Saturday

Welcome to Jane Austen Pink Saturday

Per my friends at Facebook, I was reminded that yesterday was the anniversary of the death of one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen. This led me to speculating about whether Jane and I would have been friends on Facebook in an alternate universe. I assumed we would, but then I realized I knew virtually nothing about Jane Austen's personality and I just assume that Jane Austen, the author, and Elizabeth Bennett, the character, were an extension of each other. 

I am friends on Facebook with a number of my favorite writers. Most of them I have met at conferences and some I haven't met in person. It's been fun to get to "know" them better. As I followed this path of thought I started to think about other authors from times distant and less distant and wondered if we would be friends on social media. Would I be following Shakespeare's blog or Louisa May Alcott's Instagram page? I've always admired Henry David Thoreau, but I'm pretty sure Thoreau would have permanently ensconced at Walden Pond and would still be using the nearest pay phone if needed to be in touch with anyone. 

I did some research about Jane Austen and learned that she died at 41 and her sister burned thousands of her letters. What remains doesn't give us a clear picture of her personality. But I'm going to stretch and believe that Jane and I would so be friends on Facebook in an alternate universe. Who would be your Facebook friends from the past or even from fiction?

When I was in England two summers ago I visited the Jane Austen Centre in Bath and got to take my picture with my Facebook friend, Jane.   

Jane is much more elegantly dressed than I am. 

I had hoped to meet Mr. Darcy, but he was in the country the day I visited. Instead I had the good pleasure to chat with Captain Wentworth of Persuasion. He was so gracious. I know we would be friends in the alternate universe Facebook.

 And amazingly in the alternate universe of 2018 I am standing next to someone I haven't been sequestered with for the last four months. 

We have entered the hot, hot days of summer and my only foray out today was a quick trip to Dunkin Donuts for iced coffee. I've spent the day reading, watching television, catching up with friends and totally enjoying my iced coffee. I know I'm remiss in posting a visit to the Metropolitan Museum, but that will be our next post.

As ever, thanks for visiting, take good care and stay cool. 

Our Hearts Are Broken

Tonight we mourn Congressman John Lewis (1940-2020),
and we will mourn for a long, long time. 

My heart breaks to write the second number, 2020, inside the caption. It's not often that we get to meet our heroes, the people that make our country and the world a better place. I am beyond grateful that I had the great good fortune to meet and thank Congressman Lewis for all that he contributed to America.

I took this photograph at BookExpo America in 2013. I had the privilege of attending a panel where Cong. Lewis spoke about March: Book One, a graphic novel he co-authored about the Civil Rights Movement. At the conclusion of the panel I introduced myself to Cong. Lewis and he could not have been more gracious. It is a moment that will be with me always. 

We honor your work and your life, Congressman Lewis, by working for a more just nation. Your memory will always be a blessing. 

I had a very different post planned for today, a virtual trip to the Metropolitan Museum. We will visit the museum over the weekend and enjoy a few of our favorite pieces of art together.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.    

The History of Buttercupland

It started with the idea of a  buttercup...

Once upon a time in a land not so far away and a time not so distant I had the idea of starting a blog. It was the winter of 2009 and there were tough times all around. The economy was in free-fall and the agency I worked for was beginning to discuss layoffs. Though it may be hard to imagine I was crabby a lot of the time time. As I thought about a name for my blog I went with just about the first thought that came to mind, the sunny little buttercup. I added the thought that was most important to me at the time, counting my blessings, and this blog, Buttercup Counts Her Blessings, was born on January 12, 2009. 

I started with two paragraphs and very little computer knowledge. Most of the first month or two my posts were short and had no pictures. But I leapt into the blogging sea and kept swimming on. I asked a lot of questions, figured out how to attach pictures and links and started to make blog friends.  

I didn't realize that when I chose Buttercup as my blog name,  I was developing an entire on-line identity. I wasn't the most upbeat person, especially in the midst of the worldwide financial disaster. But something somewhat amazing happened. The longer I blogged as Buttercup, the more upbeat I became. I'm still not the sunniest person around, but I'm much more hopeful and optimistic than I would have been without my persona as Buttercup. It was an outcome I never imagined. Sometimes I think about how quickly I chose a blog name and wish I'd spent a little more time and thought in naming my blog. But at other times, like tonight, I once again think there are no accidents in this world and I'm grateful for becoming Buttercup. 

How did you choose a name for your blog? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'm not sure how it happened, but this week has flown by. Somehow it's the middle of July and I'm noticing the days are getting shorter. But not that much shorter yet and I'm still enjoying the longer days and after dinner walks. 

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

Phase Three Is Pedicure Time

The finished product

New York City officially entered Phase Three of Recovery last week. The two major items were tattoos and nail salons, as indoor dining (a phrase I'd never used before last month) has been delayed indefinitely. I'm wasn't interested in a tattoo or a manicure, but I was beyond eager for a pedicure. Due to my spinal issues I'm unable to cross my right leg, which makes taking care of my right foot very difficult. I've  muddled along since March and by July it was not a pretty picture.Out of basic decency, there is no before photograph. 

The view from my pedicure chair

As with my haircut adventure in Phase Two, I did a pre-visit to scope out the procedures. There is a small back room now only used for one customer that I would prefer if there were more customers, but I chose to go when the salon opened. I was there at ten a.m. and watched the two staff members who open the salon turn on the lights and disinfect my chair. I was there with my mask, but without iced coffee (my usual pedicure treat). When I was ready to leave there were two other customers getting manicures and no one else was near me in the pedicure chairs. The door was open the entire time to improve the air circulation. 

Most of my life is still virtual, but I'm happy to have added an every other month haircut and pedicure to my schedule. I've still got a few overdue medical appointments to schedule and I've enjoyed iced coffee several times at my usual coffee and bagel shop, out of doors, of course. They've added half dozen tables in front of the store right on Broadway, and it's a surprisingly pleasant place to people watch. I had a good surprise today to chat -- at a distance -- with another regular who is a synagogue friend. I haven't seen Naomi in months and so enjoyed catching up. 

Note to self: If there's an inkling of a stay at home order on the horizon, stock up on hand sanitizer and get a pedicure. I'm hoping and praying that this won't be the case, but one thing I've learned in the last four months is to be prepared. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care! 

Just Browsing Pink Saturday

Welcome to Nordstorm

This Pink Saturday we're going department store browsing. 

After I finished my dental appointment on Thursday I realized I was just a few blocks from Nordstrom and I couldn't miss the opportunity to do a little window shopping But then I noted that the door was open, the store wasn't crowded and they had a display with hand sanitizer at the entrance.

 The store was calling me in. I had no intention of buying anything, but it was a huge treat to be able to be inside a beautiful department store and just browse. What sweet words, just browse. 

 The view inside from West 57th Street

Loved the beach tubes as decoration!

I'm beginning to catch up on some of the errands I put off during my birthday celebration and celebrated another "first" in Phase Three today. I'll be sharing my Sunday in my post tomorrow. Please stop by and join in the fun. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Have a happy and safe week. 

(Belated) Random Five Friday

Pep prepares for his opera debut

It's actually the day after Random Five Friday, but not too late to share the goings on for this week. With both Pep and I celebrating birthdays it's been very busy. I've fallen behind in blogging, blog visits, thank you notes and phone calls. But next week will return to a slower pace and I look forward to catching up. 

1) Pep and I share a birth day and party animal Pep loves a celebration. He enjoyed all the birthday fun and especially loves his matador outfit, a gift from dear friend Lonni. Clothes make the monkey and I think Pep looks especially dashing. Please note: Pep does not condone any instances of animals being mistreated and does not plan to take up bull-fighting. However, he was inspired to listen to Carmen and is preparing for his opera debut. I think this may be Pep's wedding outfit. I'm envisioning Nessie in matching lace, with red accents. Not traditional wedding attire, but they are not a traditional couple. 

2) The first of my (very) good news to share. Last August there was a gas leak in the street outside my apartment building and the gas was turned off. Yes, that means what you think it means. No gas to cook with since last August. The boiler was converted to electricity, but the building was unable to reconnect the individual apartments. We got a notice in February that the contractors would start the reconnection process sometime at  the end of March. We all know what happened in March and I had begun to despair of ever baking in my oven again. Early this week I got a note under my door letting me know that sometime in the next month workmen will enter our apartments and begin to reconnect our gas line. It's a big project and I know there will be a lot of disruption, but I have the time to follow up on everything that will need to be done and by September -- fingers crossed -- I will be cooking and baking again. This time my cooking will have an entire new level of gratitude. 

3) The second item of my very good news. In March of 2019 -- at a routine eye examination -- I was diagnosed with macular degeneration. I went for further testing and found a medical practice that specialized in retina disorders. With very sophisticated testing my diagnosis was changed and I learned I have a macular pucker, which is much less serious than macular degeneration. I began to go for checkups every three months and take vitamins for retina disorders and added a lot of spinach and kale to my diet, per my doctor's recommendation. I missed my three month checkup in June and caught up on Monday. Thankfully, my eye is stable and since it's been stable for the last year, I am now on an every  six month schedule. I think this may have been the best news I could get for my birthday or any day. I am continuing with my vitamins and spinach, and will be hoping for the same good news then. 

4) My eye appointment was my first excursion out of my immediate neighborhood since mid-March. My second appointment was a visit to the dentist on Thursday. I don't dislike going to the dentist -- my dentist and her staff are terrific -- but usually I'm not excited. I was so happy to see everyone again and happier still that missing my regular appointment in April hadn't led to any problems. This was my view when I came out of my dentist's office. 

Looking west on West 58th Street

5) I didn't make it to Riverside Park this week, but found beautiful flowers all around, including this one in a planter at the building next door. 

 A tropical moment with this beautiful hibiscus

Thanks for joining me in a recap of the week. My trip to the dentist gave me the opportunity to visit another favorite place I have been to in months. I took lots of pictures and I'm planning to share them for Pink Saturday fun.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!

   

My Oh My, It's Birthday Pie

Someone baked an amazing cherry pie

I never met a cake I didn't like, but I've never met a pie I didn't love. I like cake, but perhaps I've eaten too many very average sheet cakes at office parties to get very excited about cake.  Betsy is away for the summer, but to celebrate my birthday she arranged for this absolutely beautiful cherry pie to be delivered. And yes, it tasted as good as it looks, with a perfect crust and slightly tart cherries. She also arranged the delivery of a lobster roll and potato chips, the traditional accompaniment to cold lobster, to be delivered, too. My dream is next year in Maine, but this year in New York, I had my exact choice of dinners. I appreciate all of her work to organize my surprises. 

After I had a very generous slice of pie, I started to ponder why we eat birthday cakes and not birthday pie or birthday bread or birthday oatmeal. Thanks to the genius of the internet I had my answer. Cakes made of flour and nuts and sweetened with honey were served for weddings and special birthdays in Ancient Rome. As early as the Fifteenth century German bakeries began to make cakes for weddings and special birthdays. These cakes were for the very wealthy. 

The tradition of  the birthday cake -- as we have come to know it -- arose in 18th century Germany with the Kinderfeste. Each year on the morning of a child's birthday a cake was presented with candles for the age of the child, plus an extra candle for the light of life, or as we always said, "One to grow on." The Industrialization Revolution made it then possible to mass produce cakes and made the birthday cake a popular custom. This doesn't answer why cakes were adopted and not pies, but I found the origin of the birthday cake fascinating. 

It's been a wonderful two days. I've loved hearing from many, many friends and family members from literally all over the world. I've enjoyed great food, phone calls, texts and cards. There are still a few more celebrations to come, a little more subdued than what might have been, but they still will be times of good wishes and laughter. And tomorrow night for dessert, I've got birthday pie awaiting me. 

Thanks, too, to my wonderful blog friends. I'll be blog visiting tomorrow to thank all of you for the good wishes. Please stop by for Random Five Friday tomorrow. I've got some great news to share! 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.   

Who Knows Where the Time Really Goes

Exactly forty years ago today...

...I turned thirty years old. This picture was taken just before I was about to leave for a celebration dinner at the fabulous Windows on the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. It was a wonderful evening and forty years later it is still a fabulous memory. What I had no idea of, on that hot July night in 1980, was that two months later I would interview for the best job I've ever had, in the Mayor's Office in City Hall.   

Today I turned seventy. I find it almost impossible that forty years have elapsed and the job I didn't know existed is now long ago history. I am amazed these years have gone by, slowly at times, but mostly like a freight train trying to make up for lost time. There's a lot of life in the rear view window, but despite all the turmoil and difficulties of 2020, I am optimistic about the time to come. 

The smiling young woman in the photograph is still smiling, at least some of the time. I am so grateful for the gift of seventy years of life. I am especially grateful for the people I've had the good fortune to share these seventy years with. It's unlikely that there's an exciting new job just over the horizon, but I know there will be people to meet, books to read, flowers to enjoy and sometime there will be new places to visit. Join me in a toast to the next journey of the freight train. It's pulling out of the station and the scenery ahead looks beautiful.    

Welcome to Pebbles and Lace

Pebbles and Lace, Lititz, PA

In one of the most charming towns in a quiet corner of Pennsylvania is one of the most charming  stores I've had the pleasure of visiting, Pebbles and Lace. The store stocks lots of practical items and also everything your heart might desire. It truly is a "collection of beautiful things," curated by my friends, Becky and Chelsea. 

As with so many other parts of my recent life, there is a blog connection. Ten years ago I took a huge leap and went to meet a group of bloggers for a weekend in Maryland. I stayed with strangers and yes, it was a huge leap as I hadn't met any of the women in person. But happily people were as nice as they seemed in their blogs and ten years later I am still friends with a number of members of the group. Last summer I visited a friend in Pennsylvania for the Fourth of July weekend. We were thinking about places we could drive to that neither of us had been to and I suggested Lititz. We had lunch and a wonderful visit with Becky and extended family.  

A peek into the fabulous interior

As many of you may know one of my hobbies is entering giveaways. I used to be part of an online sweepstakes site, which was discontinued this winter. I didn't use it as much recently, as in the last few years many companies switched their giveaways to Facebook and Instagram, and for the most part I've followed the trend. A while ago I entered a giveaway in the Pebbles and Lace Facebook group and to my surprise and happiness I was the winner of this adorable journal. Love the bunny ears and the sweet bunny expression. 

Adorable journal exterior...

...Precious journal interior!

It's been a busy few days. I had an eye doctor appointment yesterday and a socially distant birthday visit with my friend, Pene, today. I also enjoyed another Zoom wedding this afternoon. The bride was  K's niece, Kathryn and I'm so grateful to all who made it possible to share the wedding with friends who have become family. 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and stay well!

 

She's a Grand Old Flag

Mackinac Island, Michigan, 2016

Independence Day is over, except for a few random fireworks still going off.  I hope it was a safe and enjoyable day for all of Buttercupland. I celebrated with iced coffee out of doors in the morning, a long and fun Zoom with my group of travel buddies in the afternoon and a Zoom wedding in the evening. 

I gathered a few of my favorite American flag photographs to share. One of my all-time favorite photographs is the one above taken on beautiful Mackinac Island in Michigan. Mackinac had long been one of my travel destinations and I so enjoyed my visit there. My only regret was not spending time on the island after a flight, a long drive and then a ferry ride. It was a lot of travel, but so worth it.   

  July at Rockefeller Center, pre-social distancing

A perfect summer day in the West Village, New York City, 

on one of my favorite historic blocks

The first pictures are  from times past, but this one was taken yesterday, just a few blocks from home. The building is next to one of the fruit stands I frequent and across the street from my hair stylist. It was one of many flags I saw displayed in the neighborhood.

I'm linking to the Fourth of July fun at Pink Saturday, though it's now officially Sunday. While I wrote this post the fireworks have ended and it's quiet once again in my corner of the world. I hope your corners of the world are peaceful, too. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and stay well. 

Friday Flowers

Meet the Creeping Zinnia

Before anyone thinks that I am a plant and flower expert, I want to be very clear. I am not. Not a bit. I can recognize roses, tulips and lilacs and at least a few dozen more usually found garden flowers, but with anything slightly more challenging I'm at a loss. I'd never heard of the creeping zinnia above, and when the friend I was with said it was a Gerber daisy, I thought that sounded somewhat plausible. But since photographing flowers has become my latest avocation I did what everyone now does for enlightenment, I got an app. I downloaded Plantsnap, and now I can correctly identify what I'm snapping.  There is a paid premium version -- isn't there always! -- but so far I'm happy with the free version. 

I knew this was hydrangea, but glad to have

 the confirmation from Plantsnap. Isn't the color fabulous!

We're still in the heart of lily season and they are beautiful this year. I hope to be able to post at least a few more weeks of them.

I've managed to push the "Blehs" back into the corner. They do seem to emerge often these days and some days it's more difficult than others to get them out of the center of my thoughts. I don't wish them on the rest of my Buttercupland family, but it was comforting to be reminded that pandemic days are tough times for all of us. My goal is to keep occupied with useful and worthwhile activities and there are still some days when I give myself an A+ for just getting dressed and making my morning coffee. 

I had some bleh moments this morning,but I pushed on and gave the kitchen a good cleaning and disinfecting, spraying anything possible with Clorox spray. I took that momentum and went on from there. I took part in a long, long text conversation with Weight Watcher buddies now scattered around the country, had several phone calls with friends, got in my walk, "went" to Friday night services via Zoom and figured out Plantsnap. Not bad for a pandemic day. 

Tomorrow we're having a Fourth of July Pink Saturday celebration in red, white and blue. I hope you'll be by to visit. What are your plans for the Fourth?

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Happy Fourth of July!

July 2, 2019

These may be the best looking tomatoes I've ever seen

I didn't plan to write a post about good looking tomatoes. I had several more involved topics in mind, but I just sat at the computer unable to muster the energy to cut, paste, copy links and put together any of the posts I had in mind. I was as a friend texted me tonight, "Blah." I wasn't especially sad or depressed, but totally unable to muster the energy I needed to put a post together. Anyone else getting the Blahs lately?

So I decided to see what I was doing exactly a year ago. I was visiting my friend, Lucy, in Pennsylvania and we'd stopped at a wonderful farmer's market. There were any number of fruits and vegetable photos and this was my favorite.

 

Doylestown, PA

We also spent the afternoon in Doylestown, the county seat of Bucks County, PA and a delightful place to wile away a summer afternoon. Book store browsing, window shopping and of course, a stop for iced coffee at the Zen Den. The coffee was great and the atmosphere was relaxed and quirky. It was just one afternoon out of 365, but it brings back sweet memories a year later.   

Great coffee shop memories from my visit to the Zen Den

Thanks for wandering down memory lane with me. I promise that I won't recreate every day in 2019 in every post, but we will do a little time travel now and then. 

Tomorrow is Flower Friday -- yes, I just created it -- and I'll be sharing my favorite flowers of the week. I hope you'll stop by and enjoy the blossoms. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care. Much love and stay well!

O Canada!

 

Happy Canada Day

Today we're taking an arm chair visit to Ottawa, Canada's capital, to celebrate the day Canada became self-governing in 1867. Ottawa is one of my favorite cities and I've had the  good fortune to visit there a number of times. I was hoping for a follow-up to this summer to a trip I made in August, 2019. K and I had a wonderful time and I'm hoping you enjoy our virtual follow up.   

Welcome to Ottawa!

We're starting our day at one of my favorite places in Ottawa, ByWard Market. The market encompasses four blocks in the center of Ottawa. It includes formal restaurants, cafes, stores and a terrific farmer's market. We especially enjoyed a French cafe and started our day with a wonderful cafe au lait. It was so good that I drank it before I could take a picture.

Beautiful vegetables! I wish I could have taken them home with me.
 

The National Gallery of Canada

We're spending the afternoon at the National Gallery of Canada. We'll see the Gauguin Portraits exhibit and then go to a great photography show of work by the Canadian-American street photographer, Dave Heath. I was familiar with Gauguin's work, but Dave Heath's work was a complete surprise to me. There were very few people there and I had an extraordinary array of photographs almost all to myself. We'll finish our visit with a time in the gift shop. It's definitely a struggle not to choose one of everything,but I managed to contain myself. 

Ottawa by night

 

After a rest -- after all we've walked all over the center of Ottawa-- let's find a seafood restaurant in ByWard Market and then enjoy the view of the city from the hotel roof. The air is cool and the lights are sparkling. There's a rooftop bar if we'd like cocktail refreshment and linger in this perfect moment. 

I've enjoyed our perfect day in Ottawa celebrating Canada Day, and hope you have, too. I'm not going to focus on not being able to visit this summer, but I'm going to look forward to next summer. Ottawa, I hope to be back in 2021.  

Our next national day celebration will be later this month. We'll be visiting France to celebrate Bastille Day on July 14. 

Thanks for visiting and take good care! Much love and stay well.