It's Not All Coffee and Books Random Five Friday

After last month's coffee revel and this month's book expo, I feel that the title for this blog could easily be Coffee, Books and Me. Actually I like that a lot and if I ever merge Coffee Light and Mysteries Noir with Buttercupland, that may be my new title. But this week held more than coffee and books and it's my theme for a return to Random 5 Friday blogging.

1) Finally at the end of this week spring returned to New York City. If it wasn't for Lincoln Center in the background, I could be in the country. But it's actually a living screen for the parking garage ramp at Lincoln Center.

 

Yesterday did include coffee and books, but it also included a trip to the gym, the bank and the post office. I took the subway to one of my favorite places, Columbus Circle and 59th Street for my errands and enjoyed a perfect spring day.

2) I got to see the musical Shuffle Along, and enjoyed every minute of it. It included three of my favorite Broadway actors, Audra McDonald -- who enchanted me in Carousel over twenty years ago -- Billy Porter and Brian Stokes Mitchell. If you're a fan of musicals and looking for terrific talent do a search for their music and you won't be disappointed.

3) In a totally different musical direction I came across Underground Horns in the Times Square subway station last night, and yes, the people in the picture are dancing in the subway. I wasn't sure how to describe the music, but their website calls it "Afro-funk, New Orleans brass," and it was great. I stood in the subway station for several numbers enjoying the music, the people and the fun.  

4) The week had to include coffee. Every week includes coffee, but I am sad to report this isn't happy coffee news. O Is for Oren's Daily Roast is closing its Broadway branch. Much regret from this coffee drinker. I will look for the other locations when I'm traveling around New York.   

5) The week also had to include books. I finished Graham Swift's Mothering Sunday -- a short book, but not slight in any way -- and began reading my copy of Jay McInerney's, Bright, Precious Days, which is due out in August. I loved his first book, Bright Lights, Big City and this one looks equally good.  

It was a busier week than I remembered. I have made headway on sorting out my books from Chicago, as well as putting my summer clothes in order. I now firmly believe that summer will arrive.

As ever, thanks for visiting, and joining the book and coffee revels. Take care and have a great weekend.   

Spring Thoughts Random 5 Friday

It's been a wonderful holiday weekend. I've had the joy of spending both Seder nights with dear friends. There's been much good conversation, thoughtful reflection and great food. I've got any number of random thoughts flying through my mind that I'd like to share. Without further ado, welcome to five random thoughts for this Random 5 Friday post.

1) My first thought is about Passover. One of my grocery stops was at my local fruit and vegetable market. Horseradish is still part of the service as we recall the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. We had roots very much like these on our tables.

2) I am so enjoying the spring weather. It's really here and it's really wonderful. This planter is at the building next to mine. I was delighted one morning as I turned the corner and this beautiful display greeted me.

3) One of my favorite buildings in Manhattan is Trinity Church. There are generations of Lower Manhattan buildings in this photograph, including One World Trade Center on the far left. Black  and white depiction per Google.

4) I am in a somewhat state of disbelief that I will be leaving for Japan in less than a week. I've got a dentist appointment on Tuesday, one more Weight Watchers meeting to attend on Wednesday, one more trip to the gym, laundry, banking and of course, packing. I've bought new jeans, I'm trying to determine which shoes will be comfortable and I'm downloading a few library books to read on the plane.  I'm both anxious -- I get anxious at every long trip -- and so excited.

5) I don't think a Random 5 recap would be complete without a picture of food, and those giant horseradish roots don't count. In anticipation of Easter I present these sweet cakes. I saw them at a bakery this evening, and only the knowledge that regular baked goods are not on my food list for Passover kept me from making an impulse purchase. I was especially taken with the pink ones.

To everyone celebrating Easter, bright and joyous wishes!  

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take very good care.

Shopping in My Closet Random Five Friday

It's been a busy few days -- haircut. gym, lots of cooking, services and a wonderful evening with friends at a school fundraiser -- but I couldn't miss joining the Random 5 fun.

1) Besides all of the above I spent one evening going through my entire closet. I was spurred on to this project by the combination of the advent of spring -- I'm ever hopeful -- losing a little weight and the upcoming trip to Japan. I needed to know what fit, what could be salvaged by alteration and what I might need to but to fill in the gaps of my wardrobe. Two pairs of pants went to the tailor to be shortened, a bag of clothes are going to the Salvation Army and a bag of wire hangers will go back to the cleaner. It turns out I need very little for Japan. but will look for a new pair of jeans before I go. Besides a few new t-shirts I feel set for the summer and I'm happy that I could "shop" in my closet for clothes for warmer weather. I realize I have much more than I need for my life now and moving forward I'm going to really carefully consider clothing purchases. I feel that I've made a transition to a "retiree" wardrobe and I have a good sense of clothes that works for my non-office life.

2) I also window shopped on my excursion to the West Village on Thursday. I didn't get very many pictures because it was raining steadily, but I did get a picture of this cute shirt.

 I'm a fan of French bull dogs and this shirt caught my eye. Not buying, just looking.

 

3)  I didn't make it to the Metropolitan Museum this week, but I'm sharing a picture I took two weeks ago. This is a favorite section of Medieval art. Often I am the only one in the gallery and I spend a lot of time enjoying the stained glass and the sculpture. 

  

 

4) Snow flurries this morning...I just about started to cry. They were gone quickly and the sky was a bright blue. With the winter lingering well beyond it's welcome I've almost lost track of the fact that Palm Sunday is tomorrow and Passover begins in less than a week. 

 

5) On a totally frivolous note, I was running an errand at the drugstore and found this cute guy ( times a dozen) looking out at me.  Thumpers, you made my day.

 

 I hope all is well throughout the extended world of Buttercupland. Wishing you sunny days and blue, blue skies. Thanks so much for visiting and take good care!

Very Random Five Friday

I'm all over the place today for Random 5 Friday.  I've got some weather thoughts, some for spring and some for the winter that seems to be hanging around. I've also got a few Metropolitan Museum pictures and a book idea. Very random today, but I hope you enjoy them.

1) Yes, it's officially spring, but really we're still in the midst of winter. I knew it was going to snow today and wore my boots, but my heart said spring and I forgot my hat. I was a soggy picture when I finally arrived home late this afternoon. It's stopped snowing now, but this was the view from the bus stop this afternoon just as the snow began falling. 

 2) I'm not going to talk gloom and snow all night. I walk by the Museum of American Folk Art on my gym days. This scene in the window said spring to me. I try to keep out of their wonderful gift shop due to budgetary and space concerns, but it's difficult. So many interesting things.



I love quilts, but the dog pillow really caught my attention.

 

 

3) I'm a fan of Anne Tyler's novels and I'm happily enjoying her newest book, "A Spool of Blue Thread." I haven't been as keen on the last few books, but this one is holding my attention and I read the first hundred pages today. I keep thinking I need to do other things -- blog, for example -- but I just want to finish one more chapter. 

 

 

4) I was back at the Metropolitan Museum yesterday for another lecture on Japanese Art, which was as sublime as the one last week. I passed through one of my favorite areas, The Temple of Dendur. This extraordinary building, which is over 2,000 years old, was given to the United States by the government of Egypt in 1965 and was installed at the Museum in 1978. The glass wall looks out onto Central Park. This area of the Museum is used for receptions and it looked as though they were taking apart sound equipment.  

 

 

5) I'm adding to my photographs of rippling water with this picture of the reflection in the pool at the Temple of Dendur.

Thanks so much visiting. Wishes for a great weekend to all!

Random 5 Friday (Sort Of)

Even though I've been blogging steadily for the last month I feel like I've been away from blogging for a long time. During April I had a focus each day and now I need to get back in the rhythm of thinking of ideas for posts and taking pictures. To prime the writing pump I'm going to jump back into blogging using the Random 5 Friday format I've so enjoyed.  

1) Sadly, that's past tense. Random 5 Friday is now officially over as my blog buddy, Nancy, has ended her blog, "A Rural Journal." I miss Nancy's writing and photographs and I miss the companionship of the Random 5 link and the wonderful bloggers I met through linking to Random 5 Friday. Thanks, Nancy!

2) The very wonderful "Sunlit Sunday" link ended at the beginning of April. Between these two links and "Pink Saturday" I had a very fun weekend structure. I'm still sticking with Pink Saturday and will be posting my Downton Abbey costume pictures for it tomorrow.

3) I had hoped to meet my goal of forty bags of clutter out the door by Easter and I have discarded/donated/recycled twenty-five bags as of May 2. Not quite the goal I had hoped for, but probably twice as much as I would have done without attempting the Forty Bag Challenge. There was one casualty of the project. I looked for my black leather flats last week when I was packing for reunion and I could only find one of the pair. I believe in my zealousness I discarded the other one accidentally. I wore these shoes a lot and they were my most comfortable shoes besides my sneakers. I'd worn them for a number of years and they were getting close to their last days, but I think they had another year to go. I actually need to go shoe shopping -- not one of my favorite activities -- and replace them.

4) I'm still basking in the glow of our class reunion and also having difficulty getting back into my regular life at home. I'm not sleeping quite as well and feeling a little more tired than usual. The weekend was such a success that there are plans to do another reunion next year. These are not the usual reunions of thirty or forty years at the college, but off-site. I'm not sure where we'll go next year, but I'm thinking somewhere South might be a nice choice.

5) I've got lots of pictures from last weekend and I'd like to share a few more Longwood Garden photos.

   

 

Everything was beautiful at Longwood Gardens, but this may be my favorite picture from our visit there. 

We've had two glorious days of spring weather and I'm happy to say I'm officially back to iced coffee season, one of my all-time favorite parts of the summer. I'm also back to wearing my spring jacket, packing my gloves away and actually thinking about air conditioning. Somehow I went from wearing my winter coat on Wednesday to thoughts of air conditioning today. Beyond comprehension...

Wishes for a sunlit Saturday. As ever, thanks for visiting. I'll be back tomorrow with a visit to "Downton Abbey," and hope to see you then.  

Welcome to Midtown Random 5 Friday

Happy, happy, happy it's Random 5 Friday, one of my favorite times of the week. It also may actually be the first Friday of what I hope will really be spring. Yesterday morning was winter, but today really feels like spring. It's in the 50's and I was warm in my lighter jacket. I'm just praying it stays this way because...

1)

...these guys really need a chance. I'm rooting for them! 

2) Yesterday -- the day I hope was the last day of winter -- I braved the cold for the dentist. Her office is not quite two miles from where I live, but the neighborhood changes drastically. It goes from my relatively residential neighborhood to office buildings and more office buildings. The area below 59th Street to 34th Street is considered Midtown, both on the East and West sides of Manhattan. I was surprised to see that in a neighborhood I couldn't imagine more densely packed with buildings there was a lot of construction. I'd been there in the late fall and these changes have taken place since then. 

The view here is from West 58th Street to West 59th Street and Central Park is in the distance. 

These are the new buildings that are going up. I like the mix of shorter buildings and the light they let into the area. 

Old in front and new in back. The buildings couldn't be more different. I don't often get on my preservation soapbox, but the contrast was complete here. My dentist's office is down the block. 

3) Call me odd, but I don't mind going to the dentist. I've got a great dentist and I like all of the staff very much. I'm pretty avid about keeping up with brushing, flossing and wearing the dreaded night guard and thankfully I'm holding onto my teeth. 

4) I'm up to 12 bags of clutter gone.  I'm beginning to see a few places that are coming along and 28 more bags should really make a difference. It's also getting easier to part with things. One of the senior programs is having a sale in May and are looking for knickknacks and I'm going to put a bag together this weekend.  

5) A sneak preview of my pictures from the Macy's Flower Show. 

Please stop by tomorrow for more pictures for my "Pink Saturday" post. 

I hope you enjoyed our tour through Midtown Manhattan and our brief detour to West 34th Street. Now that the weather is warming up I'm hoping to really get around the city. I feel that I've been cooped up for years, though it's only three months. 

As always, thanks for visiting. Take good care and have a great weekend!

This Is What Passes for Spring in the City Random 5 Friday

I know yesterday was Happiness Day, but I'm happy today, too. It was sunny, warmer and it's time for Random 5 Friday. That's an unbeatable combo for me.

1) Pussy willows have always meant spring to me, even when they're stuck in a bucket in one of the most crowded urban settings on the planet. This isn't the prettiest picture I've ever taken, but this was my first pussy willow sighting this year and it's spring to me.

Yes, that's a shadow selfie in the bottom right corner. 

2) I started to do some research on sights to see in Dublin this summer. I'll be there for not quite three days and I compiled a list today that could fill a week easily. I want to leave some time to enjoy a cup of tea, take lots of pictures and do some walking. If anyone has been to Dublin I'd appreciate your thoughts. 

3) I don't think I say this often enough, but I love the comments I get. I'm still laughing over the thought of being rescued by a "hunky fireman" during my chair almost-disaster. My thought at the time was that I was going to be humiliated by a fire truck racing to yoga. But on reconsideration, if they promise to send cute firemen -- aren't they all! -- I'm willing risk intervention by the FDNY.    

4) While we're on the topic of blogging, I'm wondering what happened to my page views this month. I was getting about 200 every day and in the last two weeks the number has dropped to closer to 120. I did a little research and all of the page views from the Ukraine are gone and most of the ones from Russia are gone, too. I never could have predicted that the Ukraine crisis would have an effect on my blog. Has anyone else noticed this trend?

5) I'm looking for a favorite and easy chicken slow cooker recipe. I'm in a cooking slump and need to get out my slow cooker and make something easy and yummy for the tomorrow's dinner and the freezer. I know there are creative cooks in Buttercupland and I welcome your suggestions. 

These five just flew by and I've really enjoyed chatting. As always, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

"The Chew" and More Chew Random Five Friday

After a busy, busy week it's happily time for Random 5 Friday, always a favorite part of my week. Without further ado...

1) I started Wednesday morning with an early on-time to see the "Katie Couric Show." I got there before my scheduled time, but the other people with tickets got there much earlier than I did and all the seats were taken. I was offered a ticket to "The Chew,"  and I happily took it. Sarah Evans cooked chicken with Chef Michael Symon. I sat in the row in back of the guests who got to sample the food and everything looked delicious.

After the taping of "The Chew."

Chef Michael Symon and a fan after the taping

2) Wednesday morning was an almost spring day and as I was walking on West 66th Street after the taping I saw someone who looked very familiar. All I could think was, "There goes the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' and yes, in that moment I realized I was looking at Will Smith. It took place in the blink of an eye and I was too stunned to get my phone out for a picture.

3) I was filled with energy on Wednesday. I had just about forgotten how much more energized I am in nice weather. It was much easier to be up and out and around town on an almost spring day. Yesterday was twenty degrees and all I wanted to do was take a nap and drink tea.

4) I am in a spring cleaning and clearing mode and this weekend it's my shoes and boots. I'm dreaming of a neat closet floor.

5) I've gotten an idea to photograph food I see around New York City. I'm thinking of calling my food pictures, Delish in the City (#delishintheCity.) My inspiration were these pretty containers of all things, vegetable yogurt. I didn't buy them -- $2.99 a container -- but I did take pictures.

Blue Hill Tomato Yogurt and...

 ...Butternut Squash and Parsnip Yogurt. I did a double take at the flavors on the containers. 

Not bad for one week..."The Chew," Will Smith and Parsnip yogurt. What will next week bring?

As always, thanks for stopping by. Take very good care and have a great weekend.  

Travel Time Random 5 Friday

It's one of my favorite times of the week, Random 5 Friday. I'm out of town and can't officially join the link up, but I want to be part of the fun.

1) I'm happy to be spending a long weekend visiting my friend Sue in Florida. It's truly a balmy 75 degrees, and the first thing I thought when I walked outside this morning was that it was too hot. Bad me, after all my negative thoughts about being cold for the last two months. Very bad me.

2) Though I thankfully had a good flight, I miss the old days of flying...

3) ...but I love having my kindle on the flight and traveling with an entire library. Love it!

4) Slept under a ceiling fan last night. One of the joys of life.

5) I'm spending the day at a very glitzy mall while my friend works. I've got a lunch date and I'm looking for summer clothes -- on sale, of course. I don't do malls very often living in New York and this is a treat. 

Hope the weekend holds lots of treats for you. As always, thanks for visiting and take good care!

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. 

Empire State Building Random 5 Friday

It's time for one of the high points of the Blog week, Random 5 Friday. Without any fuss, here are five very random thoughts.

1) I was set to call this post "Tundra Random 5," but happily that doesn't apply for our weather for this week. I am positively giddy at the turn in the weather. I was going to share a picture of the snow mound I jumped over last Friday, but now it's greatly diminished and very dirty ice. Even for keeping it real, it's just not a very attractive picture.

2) Because the weather is so nice I've done some traipsing around town, including a trip to West 34th Street. This was the scene that greeted me getting out of the subway.

I'm not sure how I left the Empire State Building off my list of places to visit in New York City.

3) On that note...My list of places to visit only included sites in Manhattan. New York City is five boroughs and though I've written about visits to the other four -- Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island -- it's time to do a little more exploring. I've got a visit to Staten Island lined up in the next little while and will plan a few other excursions. Stay tuned for the mini blog series, "Leaving Manhattan..."

3) I'm scheduled to get a new floor in the dining area next week. No matter how disruptive -- and it will be -- I will be so glad to have less overall chaos and my furniture back to where it should be. Six dining room chairs in my living room has not been fun.  

4) This Sunday will be the last week for "Downton Abbey" for this season." It's a great temptation to see what's going to happen in this episode, but so far I've resisted. 

5) It's amazing how pretty the snow can be when I'm looking at it in the past. I took this picture at a bus stop in Greenwich Village last Saturday. There was a lot more snow than I anticipated and at the time I was not happy with myself for making the trip. A week later it just looks pretty, and I'm glad to have the picture.   

Definitely enjoyed the change in weather and I love knowing that no matter what happens in the next few weeks, spring really is just around the corner. As always, thanks for visiting and take good care! 

Money Doesn't Buy Love Random 5 Friday

Yes, I know it's Saturday, but my computer was misbehaving, so I'm a little late to one of my favorite parties, Random 5 Friday. But I'm glad I can still join the fun.

1) It's been quite a few days. We had snow, freezing rain, thunder and a beautiful sunny day yesterday. I couldn't wait to get out of the house and was thrilled to find my friends from the Sanitation Department cleaning the streets and bus stops.

In the right corner you'll see some of the enormous puddles that made crossing streets our own Olympic  sport yesterday. On the other side of the street I got stuck between a snow plow, a puddle and two feet of snow. I was so thankful when a woman helped pull me over the snowbank.

2) I got to the grocery yesterday and found this scene. 

...a salad shortage. There were also #nobananas. Luckily I'd bought bananas and lettuce on Tuesday. 

3) I'm continuing to watch "Downton Abbey." Yes, they have a huge and beautiful estate, but money doesn't buy happiness or love, does it? Sorrow seems to be the lot in life of most of upstairs and the servants don't seem to be having much luck either. I'm especially concerned for Lady Edith and Anna. 

4) Of course it does seem that every man in England is romantically interested in Lady Mary. Yes, she is pretty, but I'm not sure of the reason for the complete overabundance of romantic interest. 

5) Aunt Buttercup is stopping by for the fifth random thought and saying a fond farewell to Shirley Temple Black. She brought so much happiness to America and then went on to a continuing life of purpose. Auntie's not mentioning any names, but you know who you are and you know you can take a leaf from Shirley Temple Black's story. 

So far, no snow today. A big, big hurray. I'm planning on getting to services and if the snow holds up making an excursion downtown in the afternoon. I've put it off for the last few weeks, but I'm eager to do a little exploring again. 

As always, I'm so glad that you stopped by. Take good care and keep warm, cozy and safe.   

Sunny Day in February Random 5 Friday

Today is actually a sunny day in this long, long winter. I wore sneakers to walk to physical therapy and it was just fine...not much ice out there. It's time to link up with our friends at Random 5 Friday, the most fun that doesn't involve calories.

1) Let's start with a little sunny fun. Tuesday was a beautiful day, cold, but clear and sunny. For the first time in weeks I was on the railroad to spend the day with my friend Sandy in Westchester. We had a terrific lunch and walked in Tarrytown. I enjoyed seeing the marquee for this vintage theater.

Besides the theater there were antique and thrift shops that caught my eye. I definitely need a return visit. 

2) The status of my dining room floor remains unchanged. I've got the temporary board over the hole in the floor and I'm waiting for the final go-ahead. I'm both eager and not-eager to get the work done. I'll be glad to have a solid floor again -- I don't take floors for granted! -- but the week of work will be difficult.  

3) I wasn't one of the bloggers chosen for SoFabCon in May. I'm disappointed, but appreciative of the submissions that the winning bloggers created. 

4) Aunt Buttercup was moved at Jay Leno's last night on the "Tonight" Show yesterday. No, I'm not just a biddy aghast at celebrity behavior, but I try to look at the positive in the world. I especially liked seeing Carol Burnett, one of my all-time favorite television friends.   

5) If you need a chuckle I hope this works for you. I saw this sign in Grand Central Terminal and I had to stop and snap a picture. 

I hope you're having a bright and sunny Friday. As always thanks for stopping by and take good care. 

Happy It's Random 5 Friday

Happy that it's Random 5 Friday, one of my favorite times of the week. I've started to make notes during the week to capture my randomness and it's a lot of fun. With no further ado...

1) One of my favorite pastimes during the week is going out for a cup of coffee. I don't generally go anywhere very fancy, but I really enjoy having a cup of coffee in the middle of the day and knowing there's nowhere I have to be. This was at my local coffee shop and I liked the circles and lines in the picture.

2) I must be really behind the times, but I just learned this week that there's a new hundred dollar bill. I don't usually see currency that's larger than a twenty, but I'm not sure how I missed this in the news. Am I the last person in America to know this?

3) I'm still working on the Sue Grafton book, and it's going more slowly than I anticipated. I did take a break and read "Shovel Ready," a dark, dark dystopian book about New York City. I liked it, but with the caveat that bad dreams might follow. It's not my usual, but I read the review and it sounded interesting. It may be awhile before I go into the dystopian universe again.

4) Aunt Buttercup is still at the Puppy Bowl. She has lots of opinions, but right now she's enjoying the puppies.

5) Question of the week...Downton Abbey or the Big Game? I don't generally record television, but this may be the week to record "Downton Abbey" for later viewing.

We just covered the gamut from coffee to currency to dystopia to puppies. I think I lived up to the concept of being very random, and I hope you enjoyed our random journey.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take very 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! 

Extremely Random 5 Friday

Welcome to my little corner of Random 5 Friday. It's where I take all of the thoughts swirling in my head and try to come up with five cogent paragraphs. I don't know if I always make it, but I do have a good time, and I have a great time visiting with my Random 5 buddies. Now on to the big thoughts.

1) The week started with a difficult decision. Would I watch the Golden Globes or "Downton Abbey?" I was out to dinner with friends and missed the first hour of the Globes. I arrived home just in time for "Downton," and then switched over to the Globes. Definitely the most organized television evening I've had in years. Which did you choose?

2) I finally completed reading my first novel this year, "The World Without You," by Joshua Henkin. I enjoyed it a lot and found the story of a family mourning the loss of a son, husband and brother -- not unlike the journalist Daniel Pearl -- engaging and compelling. It's the first ebook I borrowed from the library and was so excited to see that the process worked. I've just borrowed "Matrimony" by the same author and I'm hoping I like it as well. "Bridget Jones" has gone home only slightly read to the library. Sorry, Bridget.

3) I'm starting to get excited about the Super Bowl coming to New York/New Jersey. I am sorry, sad, upset that my beloved Giants won't be playing, but I'm trying to move beyond that.

The subway system has Super Bowl excitement

4) There's a great giveaway in honor of the book, "The Headmistress of Rosemere." The link is in the upper right and it's definitely worth a click. I'll be writing about the book later this month.

5) I've been dreaming of attending  #sofabcon14 in Arkansas in May. I've never been to this conference, but it looks fabulous. But as much as I've been dreaming of the conference, the airfare has been a nightmare. I was thrilled to discover a giveaway for six all-expense paid trips to the conference. They will be looking for the most creative entries and I'm clearing my calendar to put together the most fun, creative and convincing blog post/video/painting I can. Arkansas, here I come! I've been dreaming of you.         

Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you have a great long weekend and take good care!

Snowy, Rainy Random 5 Friday

First there was snow this morning and then rain. Happily it's not slippery out and even more happily it's time for Random 5 Friday, some of the most fun I can have that doesn't involve calories. This post is all over the place. Fasten your seat belts, friends, it's a wild ride.

1) The last thing that I learned in 2013 was not to place any trust in decaf coffee. I was awake until 3:00 a.m. on January 1st, 2014 and I wasn't partying. My cup of decaf coffee at dinner kept me wide awake. My rule for 2014 is no coffee after 5:00 p.m. if I intend to sleep that night, or any night.

2) I'm still working on reading my first book of 2014. I'm finding "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" very slow going, and I'm stuck somewhere in the third or fourth chapter. I found the younger Bridget delightful and fascinating, but the older Bridget, not so much. It could be the older Carol and my perspective on life and not Bridget at all. I'm going to give it a few more chapters and I hope Bridget and I will bond.

3)  I saw "The Wolf of Wall Street" this morning. I liked the movie a lot, though I would have liked it better if it was half an hour shorter and contained a lot less profanity. I've taken to going to morning movies and it's the perfect time for me. I'm awake, it's not crowded and it's half price. I'm thinking of attempting to see all of the films that are nominated for Best Picture this year. I've gotten out of the habit of movie-going, but I've seen four movies I've enjoyed this season and I'm drifting back to being a movie fan again.

4) Along with Valentine materials and note cards I bought myself a calendar to be used for blogging and writing projects. There are no pictures, just big spaces for each day. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before.

5) Had a lot of fun Wednesday joining the audience for the Katie Couric Show.  The guests were terrific -- Jane Pauley, who looked incredibly fabulous, Wanda Sykes and chef Michael Symon. I got to chatting with a very nice couple from New Jersey and I felt I was with friends for the show.

There was still snow on the ground and it was cold, but the wait outside wasn't long. 

I'm sitting near the back for the show. I'm the woman in a pink sweater with hat hair. 

 This is the view looking west on West 67th Street, where the show is taped at the ABC Studio. 

Many, many thanks for the good wishes for my blogaversary and for the article. I will be visiting blogs to thank all of you who stopped by in the next few days. 

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. Sweet dreams, dear friends!

Snowy Day Random 5 Friday

It's time to join the fun group at Random 5 Friday, one of the most enjoyable ways to spend the coldest day in New York City in the last five years.

1) I like the idea of snow in theory, but in reality... I have drippy snow boots in the bathroom and I got myself caught in my down coat when the top button loop got tangled. But it was so nice to be outside today, or as my mother always said, "to get some air."

 The trees may be here for awhile. The sanitation truck/snow plows were busy with other pursuits. 

Broadway in the snow. Sidewalks were okay, but crossing the street was tricky. 

2) I like the idea of staying indoors and being cozy in theory. By two o'clock I was getting a little stir crazy and went on an expedition to the grocery, which is two blocks away. At first I thought I can't go out because it had snowed. I realized that last year I would have been out in the dark to trudge to work, and while I didn't have to do that -- thankfully -- I certainly could go outside in six inches of snow.  

3) Signed up to read fifty books this year, which is only one book a week. Have I started even one...

4) I also signed up for an on-line writing class for next week. There will be a novel in 2014, or at least a novella, or at least a long short story. You all will be the first to know.

5) Anyone else excited about "Downton Abbey" on Sunday night? I'm not quite counting the hours, but it's less than fifty. 

It was twenty-six degrees this afternoon and now it's down to eleven. This is the time to stay in and be cozy. I think it's also time to begin the first book of 2014. Next week I'll let you know what I read.  

As always thanks for visiting and keep warm and cozy!