What Is So Rare as a Day at the Beach?

 

I’ve only been out of New York for slightly more than 24 hours, and I’m not much more than a hundred miles away, but it feels like a million miles away. Travel, not unlike everything else in our lives has changed considerably in the last six months. After some consideration, the choice of destination was narrowed to places that were relatively short drives and didn’t require a two week quarantine after I got home. Rhode Island was at the top of the list, but recent data required quarantining. I’ve wanted to revisit the Connecticut coast for several years and, happily, it was a viable destination.

It’s a not-quite three day trip, but it’s been great. There was some rain this morning and high winds, but by noon the sun was out and this was the fabulous view at the beach in Stonington. I’ve probably taken as many pictures in the last two days as I have on much longer vacations and I will start to share them in the next few days. 

As, ever, thanks for visiting and take care.

Happy National Coffee Day

 

Good evening, friends! I’m off on a total change of scenery adventure, but I couldn’t let National Coffee Day go by without a shout out to my favorite beverage. This is my at home brunch from the weekend, cinnamon oatmeal mini waffles and coffee. 

I’m finally out of state and enjoying some of my favorite towns. It’s a quick whirl of coffee, seafood, sightseeing, sea air and lots of photographs. I’ll post a few of my favorite pictures of tomorrow’s food adventures tomorrow night. 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and see you tomorrow!

A Pink Saturday Happy 25th Birthday

 

Happy birthday to the Little Garden Around the Corner

Actually this pretty little garden is down the block and not around the corner. I pass it often and always enjoy the bright colors and variety of flowers. During one of my walks yesterday I noticed that the garden was celebrating its twenty fifth birthday, an occasion well worth celebrating on  Pink Saturday. 

 Thank you for the many flowers and many colors, beautiful!

These flowers are from a different house, but they, too, deserve a shout out and thanks. My walks have been brightened by the efforts of many neighbors I haven't met and I am so grateful. 

We are nearing the end of September and the end of the Buttercupland Walking Challenge. If you're a friend of Buttercupland and you've walked a mile at least 25 days of September, you're part of the challenge. I'll be posting on October 1 , and you'll be able to post your mileage. My goal for September is 80 miles and I've walked 73.1 miles, as of yesterday. I hope I've had lots of walking company this month.  

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.   

Rest in Peace, RBG

 The RBG window at the local store, West Side Kids

I'm not sure I have much to add to the tens of thousands of words that have been written about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the last week. I was aware of many of her professional accomplishments, but was most interested in the personal memories. She was a great friend, a fan of opera and theater and a dedicated to working with her trainer, who she started working with after first bout with cancer in 1999. She was a woman of many firsts and now she is the first woman to lie in state at the United States Capitol today. 

During my walk yesterday I came upon this window in a local shop and it said so much about my feelings. I'm not sure I've ever seen a store window dedicated to a Supreme Court Justice or a judge that evoked such strong positive feelings in so many people. In reflection, I'm not sure we will again in our time. 

Thank you, RBG for all you contributed to America and thank you , too, for being a role model of continuing to be totally engaged in everything around you.  

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care, my friends, and enjoy the weekend. 

See You Later, My Y

 

Semi-selfie in the Weight Room

I was never the girl in elementary school, or most of high school, that looked forward to gym. I was usually among the last picked for teams, disliked changing into my gym suit and dreaded the rope climb. Things got a little better in high school when I discovered soccer, but I was never pleased to about being hot and sweaty at ten o'clock in the morning. That changed with swimming in college and it really changed when I retired and discovered my local Y. 

It was a rough start, but I came to enjoy the strength training machines, yoga and in the spring of 2019 I took up water aerobics, which I loved. I added lap swimming and really looked forward to my days at  the Y. That, of course, all changed in March. I've kept up my walking for both exercise and my sanity, have done some videos through the months, but nothing takes the place of the pool or the weight machines.

Discovered this vending machine in the Y lobby

I was excited when the Y reopened the weight rooms and tread mills last week and thought about a return. But when I visited my internist she was adamant that a return to the gym was not a good idea for me, and she gave me a list of reasons. As much as I wanted to start going again I realized she was right and yesterday I put my membership on hiatus indefinitely. I am optimistic that I can return in the spring and even begin water aerobics again. But for now, I'm sad and somewhat surprised that the girl who was thrilled to miss gym for many years, now misses the gym and of all things, strength training, so much.  

But yesterday wasn't all gloom and I had lunch on the roof deck of a friend's building. The temperature was perfect for sitting out and the view of Lincoln Center was fabulous. The tables were spaced at a distance and there were even fire pits ready for colder weather. 

Perfect lunch time view of Lincoln Center

After lunch and the Y yesterday I did walked to the post and then took the bus across town to Target. Today is a quieter day with Zoom Weight Watchers this morning and a walk in Riverside Park in a little while. I have a list of computer errands to do later and want to spend a little time decluttering, too. What's on your schedule for today?

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Happy autumn! 

 

Welcome 5781

 

At Sundown tonight the Hebrew year of 5781 begins. Traditionally this is the day that Adam and Eve were created and the world was born. In Hebrew it's Rosh Hashanah, or the head of the year. 

For as long as I can remember I've celebrated the new year with synagogue services, festive meals with friends and family and cooking and baking.  Due to the ongoing gas situation in my building there's little cooking or baking and due to the state of the world in 2020, my service attendance will be virtual. I am, very thankfully, having an out of doors lunch with friends who have a backyard deck. There will only be three of us, but I'm sure there will be enough happiness and gratitude for all of New York City. 

This year has lost a lot, but the opportunity to pray has not been lost. Our services will be shorter, but there will still be lots of time to offer individual prayers. I'm including all of Buttercupland in my prayers and will also, as usual, be honored to offer any individual prayers you'd like to send me. 

Another tradition that hasn't been lost in the changes of 2020 is sending good wishes to family and friends. The traditional wish is Shana Tova, meaning a good year. We ask that we are inscribed in the Book of Life and wish each other a sweet year. Foods with honey are traditionally served, symbolic of the wish for a sweet year. 

This year, as always, I wish all of Buttercupland a sweet and good year, with peace, good health and happiness. Shana Tova!

There's Trouble in Paradise

 

As Johnny Maestro and the Crests told us in 1961, "There's trouble in paradise, My turtledoves changing wings." Yes, friends, Wedding Wednesday is usually upbeat, but this week our Wednesday Wedding news is not upbeat. The couple of Pep Le Monkee and Nessie Scotland are on hiatus, indefinitely.   

I know Pep and Nessie's friends in Buttercupland are asking, "What went wrong?" They moved their friendship up to a relationship in December and became engaged in early May. A whirlwind of online dress browsing and honeymoon thoughts followed. But things hit a snag in July. Pep became sidetracked as he began to pursue a career as an opera singer and Nessie realized she still had the dream of a destination wedding. The lovebirds went back and forth and came to the decision to end their engagement this week. 

There have been some sniffles and sadness, but Pep is deep into his opera videos, and Nessie is thrilled to spend time with her two friends from Scotland, Summer and Winter, who came to  visit last week. Will they get back together in the future? Only time will tell.

I've been out of commission for the last day after getting my (senior citizen) flu shot. My antibodies for the flu went wild with chills and fatigue. Thankfully, it came and went quickly and I'm now back to myself and feeling good. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. West Coast and Gulf Coast friends, you're in our prayers! 

Pink Saturday Street Art

For Pink Saturday I'm sharing some of the murals in the World Trade Center area

 

Welcome to the World Trade Center

Though September 11 is a solemn day of remembrance, the area around the Trade Center site has both been a site of new buildings and an area that is still being rebuilt. As you can see in the photographs (especially the one above) these murals are on construction walls. One World Trade Center is in the center of the photograph and the Oculus building is to the left. The Oculus includes both a shopping center, the entrance to the PATH train to New Jersey and my own local subway stop. 

 

This mural caught my attention, framed by a chain link fence and the sewage drain. 

I loved the bright colors in this excerpt from a wall of hearts and thought it would be perfect for Pink Saturday. 

I'm not quite sure what is going on with Blogger tonight, but it's balking at all of my attempts to get margins lined up. I've tried a few things three different times and this post isn't looking the way I'd like it, but I'm going to let it go in its present state and know you'll all understand that it's Blogger acting up. 

It's been a busy weekend, but most of it was in front of the computer on various Zooms. As a result I missed a lot of great weather and didn't get in the walking I hoped to do, but I did spend time with friends, "attend" three synagogue services and "go" to my college volunteer weekend, courtesy of my computer and iPad. I enjoyed the college's presentations, but felt a tinge of sadness nonetheless. In other years this college volunteer weekend takes place at the college and I so missed being on campus on an autumn weekend in the New England countryside. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Continuing prayers for our friends on the West Coast. Please stay safe!

No Day Shall Erase You from the Memory of Time

 

The quote from the 9/11 Memorial Museum

This year I thought I could actually write about September 11 with upbeat photographs of murals that surround the World Trade Center building sites, and I still may be able to do that tomorrow. But for today it seems too light and too frivolous. This picture is a much better fit for my thoughts today. I took it on Sunday, and though today and tomorrow still reduce me to tears, I was able to visit the 9/11 Memorial without crying. 

It is now nineteen years since that perfect September morning and this is the twelfth post I've written commemorating the day. Every year I think the day will be much less painful, but it still hasn't gotten to the much less stage, and I doubt that it ever will. Not a day, not years or decades will take away the memory of September 11, 2001. 

Long time members of the Buttercupland community have read my posts and know that I worked in in Lower Manhattan, not far from the Trade Center. Many evenings after work I'd walk up Broadway, run an errand or two in the stores in the shopping area that surrounded the entrance to the subway in the below ground level of  and sometimes have a quick dinner before heading home. The link to past recollections is in the second paragraph. 

May the memories of those killed on that beautiful September morning be forever a blessing. 

 

National Teddy Bear Day 2020

 

Paws and Teddy wish you a happy National Teddy Bear Day, 2020

Thanks to my good friend, Myra at Respice, Prospice I discovered that today was National Teddy Bear Day.  I knew I would be totally remiss if I didn't organize a Buttercupland celebration to honor the teddy bear members of our community. 

No surprise that there a number of teddy bears in Buttercupland, but today I'm featuring Paws and Teddy. Paws joined the group in 2013. He didn't arrive in a tuxedo, but he's a party animal and once he discovered it in Pep's wardrobe, it became his regular wear. Teddy on the right was my mother's bear, which makes him over 100 years old. Teddy is the cherished elder of our community and looks remarkably well for a very senior teddy bear. 

It's not just Teddy Bear Day, but it's the day following the US publication of The Darkest Evening, by Ann Cleeves. I posted about this yesterday on my mystery blog, Coffee Light and Mysteries Noir. I enjoyed it very much and am now eager to catch up on the entire Vera Stanhope mystery series. I highly recommend it -- especially if you're a British mystery fan -- as well as the Shetland series.

Tomorrow and Friday, September 11, I will be posting photographs from my visit to Lower Manhattan. I hope you will stop by for both posts. 

As ever, thanks to visiting and take good care. Our prayers and hearts go out to everyone suffering from the fires in the West. Please stay safe, my friends. 

Thanks to All Who Labor Today

Workers Holiday, Coney Island by Ralph Fasanella,

American Folk Art Museum

It's a beautiful, sunny day in New York City. In a little while I will be joining friends for a trip to Lower Manhattan. We'll take public transit, eat in a restaurant and I may stop at the grocery on the way home. While I and millions of others are enjoying a holiday from work there are also millions of Americans who are at their jobs. Their efforts today keep New York and America running. 

Throughout the last six months we've celebrated essential workers who kept things going when many of us stayed at home. Once again, Buttercupland says thank you. The list is long, but a special shout out to my colleagues at Transit agencies. You keep America moving --  over fifty New York City Transit employees paid the ultimate price during the Pandemic -- every day  of the year. 

Thank you to those who are working and happy wishes to everyone who is enjoying a rest on the last days of summer. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  

Quilting Pink Saturday

 

Finishing the Quilt, a painting by Nan Phelps

I am not handy. More than one person has suggested I find an avocation other than knitting, sewing or any other craft that involves fabric and a needle of any kind. I still have memories of one of the worst home ec projects of all time, an olive green polished cotton dress, where more stitches were ripped out than were left to hold the dress together. That said, I love to learn about quilting and love to look at quilts.  

I found a treasure trove at American Folk Art Museum on Friday. The museum is in my neighborhood and I've passed it many times, but rarely go inside. It's a small museum, but the collection is beautifully curated. I was fascinated by many pieces, but the quilts in the current exhibition really caught my attention. 

Freedom, created in Parrott, Georgia in 1983, by Jessie B. Telfair

Diamond Four Patch in Cross Quilt, 

created in Boligee, Alabama, 1991 by Lureca Outland

A detail from the Diamond Four Patch in Cross Quilt

This is my favorite, a quilt with an inset of President Grover Cleveland. I was remiss in not getting the information about the quilter, but will be returning to the museum to see this exhibition before it closes in January and will follow up.  

Are there any quilters in Buttercupland? 

The weather has been perfect this weekend. I had lunch outdoors with friends yesterday and then we visited the Metropolitan Museum. It was much more crowded than the day of my visit last week, but we found places to enjoy with fewer people. There are several exhibits I want to see and both of them had long lines waiting to get into them. I'm going to plan to be at the museum when it first opens on weekdays to be able to see them without the long wait. My plan for tomorrow is to visit Lower Manhattan for the first time since March.  

A note on Nan Phelps (1904-1990), whose painting opens this Pink Saturday post. I hadn't heard of her before seeing this  painting on Friday. Her work is in a number of museums and is a well known folk artist. I love the color and detail in "Finishing the Quilt."

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and have a great rest of the weekend.  

The First Buttercupland Walking Challenge

 Manhattan, looking south

Happy September, my blog buddies. I love the long days of summer, but I'm also a fan of the cooler days that September ushers in. We've had a hot and humid August, but that finally seems to be on the wane. I've had the air conditioner off more than it's been on for the last few days which is a wonderful change. 

The hot weather really put a damper on my walking, but with September I'm inspired to try harder. Traditionally, I've done a lot of walking this time of year and I don't want to slack off. I started the month off with 7,000 steps yesterday and my goal is to reach the same number every day. 

To encourage myself -- and anyone else that may need a nudge -- I'm hosting the first Buttercupland Walking Challenge. It's an on-your-honor challenge where persistence is more important than speed or distance. Just be a friend/follower of Buttercupland and walk a mile twenty five/thirty days in September. On October 1 I will do a post where you can post your miles for September and then be added into a giveaway for everyone who completes the challenge. There will  be one prize for every ten entrants. If there are more than ten entrants there will be two prizes. I'll be posting my progress throughout the month and I hope you'll join in, too.   

I'm adding a quick update on restoring gas to my apartment building. We're actually moving along. The de-construction phase is over and the plumbers were here today and the new gas line has been installed for my neighbor's apartment. I know this sounds convoluted, but their kitchen and my living room adjoin each other. If this phase is finished as planned this week on the other floors of the building, the line for my gas service will be installed -- but not turned on -- next week. That's not the end of the process, but it feels so good to have the project progress.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Happy walking!