Ground Hog Day, Again

Horrors are repeating themselves.

Had a chance to see the Anne Frank exhibit on its final day this past Sunday, ahead of Ground Hog Day.

No photos were permitted other than the collage at the end, and some signage.

It is happening again - the government sanctioned cruelty and othering, the removals from society, the prison camps, the indifference to human lives.

"...even now there is in our world a lot of prejudice leading to discrimination and everyone of us should fight against it in his own circle."

We must not let it happen, again.

Snowing US

The most significant snow in years fell today, and certain government appointees think they can snow us, too.

Going out bare legged in rain boots was not the best idea.

Snowstorm Fern marching eastward across large swaths of the country arrived today in New York City, with some headaches, some fun - a pure white and fluffy light backdrop, in contrast to what is happening in Minneapolis.

It was freezing inside when I awoke - I figured due to my leaving open part of a kitchen window. Initially it seemed easier to try to close it from outside, push the outside sash up; I thought it would be a quick few steps out to the terrace....

... Venturing out bare legged, even in rain boots, was ill-advised, particularly given the snow drifted deeper than the neck of the boots....

...All I did was track snow inside (at least there were plants ready to receive it)....

...Meantime, the wind kept blowing it, packing it up against the terrace door, within a few hours preventing any other half-baked attempts to go out.

So, shut in, I proceeded with the more conventional method of closing the kitchen window - cleared a few items that were in the way (and did some dishes in the process), climbed a ladder, and muscled the stuck window upward. It didn't heat up right away, but eventually inside felt warmer, enough to inspire more housekeeping catch-up - normal, typical snow day activity. "Paper work," too - friendly favors drawing on my professional knowledge, emails, promises kept.

With that off my plate, after a day of anticipation, and being patient for the snow to ease - it didn't cease, just lessened, into tiny ice pellets that hurt our faces when the wind off the East River blew it at our faces - finally, Sissy and I went out to go sledding at dusk (at times holding the sleds as shields to protect out faces from the flying frozen water beads). The usual fun, watching more adventurous snow lovers...

... followed by a ritual diner meal, ...

...including apple pie for dessert. 

What could be more American than apple pie? 

... Well, freedom of speech, guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution - its exercise is American to the core. It used to be that welcoming immigrants was a hallmark of America, too. And democracy. In government, it used to be that accountability, and transparency, set us apart from the rest of the world. Now, not so much, when ill-trained masked federal thugs set upon peaceful protesters with apparent immunity, and Cheeto-in-Chief's sycophantic mouthpieces try to gaslight us into believing we did not witness their sanctioned murder of a man who nursed veterans back to health, who spent his final moments aiding a woman who was attacked.

May our democracy and country be protected and delivered safely from he who would turn it with his narcissistic, retributive idiocy, aided by spineless, morally devoid brown nosing rubber stampers, into a personal plunder box.

To a New Mix in 2026!

Greeting the new year.

Happy new year!!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, successful 2026! And may there be enough joyous noise and light to ward off all the troubles, and those who would foment and abet them.

2025 felt heavy on the troubles and trials front - in the world - Cheeto-in-Chief and his ilk, among my circle - four notable deaths, routines out of balance. I would point to the overall effect of these as a culprit in the lack of blog posts here. So I am looking forward to a fresh start, and this post is part of that renewal.

New Year's Eve day was spent taking care of administrative tasks - not losing money and benefits: spending down my limited purpose flexible spending account to make the salary dock count, collecting on as many credit card perks as made sense. And then, toward evening, finishing up my charitable gifts that happen to get me a better deduction this year than next.

I still cut it close, so hopped into a cab with Sissy (at her insistence), and we arrived at the Central Park loop just as the fireworks 🎆 started and the NYRR New Year's run 🏃🏻‍♀️began - a fun, low key way to start the year. It was our fallback plan, but a darn good one; next year maybe it will just be the lead plan. I might even be inspired to think about signing up to run one of these years...

As for ever going down to Times Square? Unlikely. Though I was not beyond peeping the lit "2026" in the days before it was hoisted up for the big show - and, no, I did not wait in line with the tourists; no self respecting New Yorker has time for that stuff (hence the sideways shot). We have ordinary tasks of day to day life to get done in this big city of ours.

As we exited Central Park, a light dusting of snow began to fall - so lovely. As was the strikingly illuminated Ukrainian Institute (may the people of Ukraine have lasting peace and security soon).

Nothing better to wrap up New Year's Eve than a late dinner of local pizza - with veggies for a healthy start! (That's what Sis and I told ourselves; it was her first real meal of the "day," and my way late dinner.) Lots of other folks had the same thought, arriving dressed up (the women in short skirts and heels - open toed! the men more casual and sporting nice sneakers, as Gen Z does) from their fancy parties - I imagine overpriced, crowded and noisy, where perhaps they were underfed? We rather relished that our casual plans allowed for bundling up in appropriate cold weather attire and comfy footwear - no more cold legs from the scanty New Year's Eve fashion choices of our youth. So over that! (Clearly rolling into my cantankerous older lady phase.)

And on the first full day, I accepted the bounty of my Buy Nothing community as incentive to (late) start my day. On one of my returns, encountering a spent Christmas tree adorned with a giveaway hat from the prior evening's festivities, branded with a corporate gym logo, captured the mood pretty perfectly - done with the old, marking aspirations to do better in the coming year.

My first attempt at better: Selecting the quinoa bowl for lunch! Sissy got a couscous based bowl with similar healthy salad and protein fixings.

Here's to good choices and good outcomes in 2026!