Hurray It's March Random 5 Friday

I know that if I had actually posted on Friday it would still have been February. But it's been a busy week and I've posted a lot less than I'd hoped to. I'm happy to be catching up with Random 5 Friday fun. Please excuse my lateness.

1) Happily I have a dining area floor. There's still a lot left to clean up and rearrange. I'd moved lots of things around to clear space for the work, and I'm going to sort and discard as I move things back. I learned I like having more space.

2) I spent a lot of time at the library last week and really enjoyed it. Four of my reserve books arrived and I've been reading quickly. I finished "Reconstructing Amelia,"  and liked it a lot. When I looked at the reviews after I finished it there were a lot of comparisons to "Gone Girl." I'm so glad I didn't see those comparisons because I think I'm one of the five people living who didn't like "Gone Girl." I disliked it a lot, and while I found the plot inventive, I loathed the characters. I like the characters a whole lot more in "...Amelia" and the plot kept me reading.

3) I've been socializing a lot more than usual this week. I was in Lower Manhattan for a going-away party, Greenwich Village for a college alumnae event and in Queens yesterday for a retirement party.

 Despite the extreme cold on Wednesday night I had to stop and take pictures of one of my favorite places in Lower Manhattan, Stone Street. There are restaurants on both sides of the street and in the summer there are tables outside. Yes, there are still cobblestones here. 

4) Aunt Buttercup continues to say thank you to the kind New Yorkers who have come to her assistance this week. A nice stranger helped when the bus stop met a snow pile. 

This was the last of the snow we've received in February. Right now the streets are clear but we're looking at snow again tomorrow night and Monday. This is definitely "keeping it real" snow, not the pretty fluffy flakes. 

5) My college class mini-reunion is in Wilmington, Delaware in April. I was looking at the itinerary and saw that one of the features is a show of costumes from "Downton Abbey" at Winterthur. Something to keep me going during the long wait to Season 5. 

Good to be back in posting mode. As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

Breaking News from my Dining Area

I know there's a lot of breaking news around the world, but most of it is so glum. I am delighted to be able to bring you some happy breaking news right from my dining area, fifteen feet away from where I am writing.

Dining area floor construction began this morning at approximately 9:45 a.m. Most of the subfloor has been constructed and work will resume tomorrow on assembling the rest of the parquet floor. Your intrepid blogger, Buttercup, is seen reflected in the far right upper corner. Yes, that is dust from the construction covering the mirrors. Generally they do not look like this. Actually, they never look like this.  

What will one day -- Thursday or Friday of this week -- be my floor. 

This is the door to my bedroom, and the the picture shows the last remaining obstacle course of the 2014 Olympics. The area to the right of the door is my next decorating challenge. 

I had a different post in the works, but I spent at least two hours looking at websites for a small cabinet/bookcase for this space. I had a large and very ungainly white bookcase in this now empty spot. I was told that the bookcase would have to be moved in order for the floor to be put in. That was the impetus I needed to move it out permanently. I would like a smaller piece in the entryway and an airier feeling. Despite having the living room stuffed with the dining table and chairs, I've actually liked having a more spacious feel in the empty dining area and am going to see what I furniture I can move or give away. I can definitely see some serious time with Pinterest coming up.   .   

I am very glad that in this one little corner of the world the breaking news is happy. Would that this happiness spreads! 

I spent a productive and fun day keeping out of the workmen's way. I was actually up, dressed and ready to go by 7:45, just in case they arrived early. I did three errands and had the pleasure of lunch and blog talk with my friend, Carol, of Wheat-Free Dairy-Free Kitchen. 

I hope you, too, have some happy news in your corner of the world.  As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

Pagophobia

Yesterday's post was all about fun and football. But as we know the football is all gone, spring training has yet to start and when there's an inch of ice -- yesterday's weather -- it's not much fun at all. I gave in to my not-so-irrational fear of falling on ice, Pagophobia, cancelled physical therapy and spent a quiet day at home. Up until ten minutes ago I didn't know that fear of ice had a bona fide phobia label, but I thought, "Just let me google fear of ice..." It is comforting to know that I'm not alone with my worries about walking on ice.

Luckily today I had a lunch planned with friends from my New York City government days, one of whom I hadn't seen in over twenty years. Today was cold, but sunny and it was going to take more than a concern about slushy corners -- what a mess! -- to keep me in on a bright and clear day. Our lunch was really fun and we had a great time catching up. I also got to the bank, drug store and grocery and so enjoyed being outside.

Though there's not much fun for me in all of the storms of this season I found this snow person on my walk this afternoon and he is a lot of fun.

This is definitely keeping the glamour of life in New York real. Big piles of slushy snow, Con Edison signage for electrical work and our trash waiting for pickup. 

I hope you can find some fun in this winter, too. As always, thanks for visiting and take good care.  

Ketchup, Mustard and Mayo

Now that I'm at home a lot more than I was a year ago I have more time to actually read articles on Facebook. This article from the "Good Housekeeping" Magazine blog caught my attention. Mayonnaise is now the largest selling condiment in the United States, have passed up long-time favorite, ketchup. Actually, salsa passed ketchup twenty years ago, but salsa is being considered as a dip and not a condiment, which led the way for mayo to take top place in the condiment hit parade.

My refrigerator -- mustard, coconut water and champagne. Always ready for a party. 

This is not apparent from my refrigerator. There are two mustard containers -- I love mustard and put it in just about everything -- a jar of tomato chutney and salsa. There's no mayo or ketchup. I've got nothing against the most popular condiments. I like mayo in tuna fish salad and from time to time I can be found dipping my french fries in ketchup, but mustard is my go-to condiment. It's far down on the list of popular condiments that follow mayo and ketchup;  soy sauce, barbecue sauce and hot sauce.   

Am I the only one out of step on mayo and ketchup? Are there any other mustard fans in Buttercupland? It's Condiment Tuesday. Please share your condiment favorites. 

Happily we have a day off from snow today and I'm going to meet a work friend for lunch. The sun is shining and I'm off to Westchester.  As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

A House is Not a Home Without a Floor

Just twelve hours ago this was my dining area with my beautiful parquet floor. Now it's a semi-floorless area, covered by this board. Otherwise I would fall into a hole that contains the pipes that connect the water lines in the my bathroom to my kitchen. When this building was first built in 1911 there were two thirteen room apartments on each floor. This was the era when well-off families gave up their single family brownstones and moved into large apartments with enough space for big families and servants. My family, recently arrived in America in 1911, did not live in a building like this. Over the years the big apartments were cut up into smaller ones and kitchens were created where no original pipes had been installed.

This was news to me. My super mentioned on Friday that the neighbors in the apartment below me had a major leak and the plumbers might have to cut into my floor to repair it. I spent the weekend praying this could be resolved with no floor damage, but alas, the pipe under my dining room table, was completely corroded. I thought I had my share of plumbing issues after the Christmas plumbing disaster, but that must have been for 2013. I learned to appreciate functioning plumbing in 2013 and in 2014 I am learning to appreciate a fully functional floor. If I'm not careful I could step in the wrong place and the temporary floor might not hold.

   Why I learned to appreciate floors

Happily, the floor contractor will be here either tomorrow (I hope!) or Wednesday and will begin the process of  rebuilding the wood platform and then putting the parquet back together.  

I am grateful for my wonderful super, the plumbers, who worked quickly and professionally and for taking pictures during the work. Otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't remember where the floor had been taken apart. I've spent sixty-three years taking floors for granted, but you can be assured I will never do that again.

I cancelled my card making class for tomorrow in order to be available at home for the floor contractor. I did a lot of decluttering today, and caught up on magazines and blog visiting. Still lots to do -- always lots to do -- but I feel pretty productive. I've got a Sue Grafton mystery, "W is for Wasted," to keep me company tonight. It's a long book, so I think it will keep me company tomorrow, too.  

As always, thanks for visiting. Keep cozy and take good care. 

I Hope I'm Not Stale Random 5 Friday

Welcome to Random 5 Friday where we examine some of the great issues of the day and have a lot of fun, not necessarily in that order.

1) No, I'm not a baked product, but there are times I worry I'm getting a little stale, both here and on Twitter. I think I need to be more edgy and relevant. I'm not quite sure what edgy means exactly, but in an effort to exploit my inner edginess I promise not to mention the "Polar Vor..." again on this blog, at least this year.

2) And on that note, I'm @buttercup10024 on Twitter and you can tell me yourself if I'm a little stale. I won't be hurt, and I love new friends.

3) On the relevance trail, I'm introducing a new Random 5 concept, "What I'm thinking..." I will select an issue of the day (or week) and provide advice to a famous person. Just call me Aunt Buttercup. Today I'm thinking about Justin Bieber. This is probably the first time I've given Justin Bieber any thought, but I've seen at least 100 references to him on television, in newspapers and all over the internet. And what am I thinking about Justin? Justin, you've got every opportunity in the world, please don't toss them away so casually. Somehow I don't think Justin is going to listen to Aunt Buttercup, but I think it's really good advice. I've got some thoughts about Kim Kardashian, too, but I'm saving them for next week.

4) I baked again this week. I've realized that there are few things nicer than a cozy kitchen on a cold day and the aroma of baking. One thing I hadn't realized is coming in from the cold to a home-baked treat is even sweeter.

5) I haven't forgotten my photos. But this week I'm going with very down-to-earth pictures. This is what New York City looks like during the "Polar Vor..." --Oops! -- and after a foot of snow.

Inside this tent there are dozens of roses, kept safe from freezing.

This is my bus stop across from the library. Dirty slush and a little mountain between the bus stop and the bus. This is the worst of the remainder of the storm. The major streets are clear and the crosswalks are shoveled. 

As always, I'm so glad you came to visit. Take care and have a sweet evening! 

Just Keeping It Real in Manhattan Pink Saturday

Pink Saturday has become a regular stop on my blogging calendar and I look forward to my visits every week. Last week I couldn't get the link to work, but I am optimistic that I can officially join the fun this week. I am always on the lookout for something pink to photograph, and generally find something pink and pretty to share in a post. There are also themes and the last few weeks have been autumn seasonal.

I feel as though I've been striking out on both fronts lately. There's very little pink around. We seem to have moved into full-fledged orange all around my neighborhood. This scene is much more typical, than pretty in pink.

 Yes, friends, it seems to be orange everywhere.

But I kept searching for a hint of real pink. Between the gift card display and the cash machine, not very pretty and especially not glamorous, in the lobby of the drugstore I found pink. 

Gift cards to the left and a snippet of a cash machine to the right -- and pink right in the center. It's not glamorous, but it's pink and it's keeping it real in Manhattan. 

I know that thoughts of Manhattan conjure a scene that's much more glamorous. Whether your mind goes to "Sleepless in Seattle" or "An Affair to Remember," "You've Got Mail," or "The Devil Wears Prada," most -- almost everyone -- who lives here lives a much more mundane life. Some days it's party time and lots of fun and some days our flashes of pink and pretty are glimpses at the drugstore. Buttercup is just keeping it real in Manhattan. 

We're back in our late summer weather. After my drugstore visit I met my college roommate for some neighborhood clothes shopping and now I'm happily blogging. Our shopping trip has inspired me to once again attempt to sort through my closet. I know there are a number of things that went out of style when Ronald Reagan was President -- big shoulder pads, anyone? -- and I will never wear them again. But I've kept them,  just in case I need jackets two sizes too small with shoulder pads. If anyone is planning to dress as a "Dallas" character for Halloween, please be in touch. I may have part of a costume for you. 

I'm now off to go through my closet, put ice on my foot and maybe finish "The Beast." I wish I could say I was going to be out dancing until dawn, but I'm keeping it real on a Saturday night in Buttercup's New York. Thanks for stopping by and take good care of yourself.