The magic of ‘Encanto’ crests with tonight’s broadcast of the Academy Awards, in which Sebastián Yatra just performed a song from that now-Oscar-winning movie. Yatra earns his first Dazzler of the Day thanks to his impeccable way around a ballad, which he just proved in front of the world.
Sunday is a day of rest, so rest your eyes on this shirtless Zac Efron shot direct from the beach. Zac Efron always makes a fine shirtless splash, and sometimes deigns to show off his skinny-dipping outfit, or entire birthday suit. Happy Sunday Funday!
When I was at therapy earlier this week, I was explaining how I was having difficulty finding the joy I once did in planning and preparing for events because so many have been canceled. My therapist said that was to be expected, and everyone was in the same situation. In a meditation book I’m reading, there was some advice on not worrying about things that may or may not come to pass, as it takes up mind space with worry and concern over things that we have no control over, and that may not even end up happening.
This is a conundrum I’ve been tackling for years – the tension between wanting and trying to enjoy the moment, to indulge in the hope and happiness I’ve always found in planning things, with the reality of the likelihood of disappointment in today’s disappointing world. My therapist said it was ok to hope that things pan out as planned, and I realized in the last few years I’ve lost that hope, and stopped enjoying what I once did because I was so worried about everything.
Hearing her say that it was ok to hope, especially if I understood that it would be ok if things didn’t always work out, has already made a difference.
I thought of that as I assembled the makings of a dinner party, set to take place this coming week with some good friends. I’m planning a Filipino dinner, and a tablescape of items made in the Philippines. The shell hurricane pictured here will be our centerpiece, and while I’ve learned to keep expectations low, I’m also enjoying the sense of hope that’s suddenly in the air, even if it’s fleeting, even if it proves elusive and cagey as spring.
Andy and I have been happily watching the bright chartreuse emergence of the fig leaves in our potted plants that have been overwintering in the garage. They are the very first signifiers of spring, starting well before anything outdoor feels safe enough to emerge. March is dangerous business for an outdoor plant in upstate New York.
We enjoy the delicate first flush of leaves close-up, taking the time to examine and appreciate them, because they will not last. In the dim windless protection of the garage, they come into the world to cheer us momentarily, but as soon as they get brought out into the wilderness of the backyard, where there is no shade and no buffer from the wind and colder nights, these leaves will shrivel and drop before the real summer crop begins.
For now, they give us hope. I know Andy is getting antsy for the warmer weather, for the time when his back will ease a bit with the heat and the pool and the extended sunlight. He has eyes on opening the pool at the earliest opportunity, a happy thought not very far away.
I yearn for that too.
This fun pic shows the reflection of Andy white illuminating that Abba was playing on the radio – ‘Fernando’ to be exact. The last time we had the twins over, I made a joke of Abba and I’ve been texting it to them ever since. An inside joke, it’s just something that makes me smile now, and Abba has become a code word for fun when talking with them.
Behold the Ficus umbellata!
Emboldened by the recent success of this Ficus ‘Audrey’, I’m trying my hand at the predicted plant superstar of 2022, the Ficus umbellata. Supposedly its care falls somewhere between the ease of ‘Audrey’ and the difficulty of the infamous fiddle-leaf fig. Unimpressed by the wrinkled form of the latter, I never bothered trying the fiddle-leaf, and I’ve had mixed success with the common Ficus benjamina (I currently have a variegated version of the weeping fig doing relatively well. It loses some leaves, but soon grows new ones.)
As for the Ficus umbellata, its big, bright and beautiful leaves are the main attraction, getting larger the happier it is with its surroundings. Hopefully we can find enough light and humidity to keep it content. My finger are crossed.
When in the proximity of children and their playthings, one comes across all sorts of interesting scenes and scenarios, such as this baby seal tucked cozily into its little bed in the top floor of a dollhouse. I’ve never encountered such a thing, not even at the New England Aquarium. The idea is a fun one to entertain, though I’m guessing this bed may be a little dry for a real seal’s liking.
My Mom just gave us a few of her tea cup sets as she downsizes, and while these are more decorative than functional, my life was once about favoring decorative over functional, so let’s indulge. I did enjoy a cup of elderberry tea in this pretty little cup, so I suppose there is function here too – it’s simply about a third of the volume that one of our usual mugs would supply. For cocktails that might have been fine – for tea, I needed to refill for more, but there is mindfulness in that, and it’s a good check on how much we are indulging.
These photos are also a good reminder of the imperfections of life, and how we should embrace and laugh at them. Notice the way the tea cup sits slightly off-center – something that would have irked me to no end a few years ago. When I noticed it here, I didn’t bother to change it. The universe wanted it to be just so, and I left it alone. So many things would be just fine if they were simply left alone.
There are many lessons to be gleaned from a simple tea cup.
My first memory of Congressman Paul Tonko was of his family home’s Christmas lights during the holiday season. When the trees behind our house had shed their leaves for the winter, we could just barely make out the glow of that display, and we always made a point of driving by several times during the season. That glow merely hinted at the warmth and affection he has shown to our hometown of Amsterdam, and it grew into a lifetime of service in which he has consistently and unrelentingly championed the well-being of all his neighbors and constituents.
One of the greatest things about Congressman Tonko is that he shows up – and not everyone does that these days. He’s there for all the events that a Congressman should be at – engaging and talking and sharing – and he’s there for all the minor moments that don’t get the airplay, but remain important to the people he represents. That points to a heart of service greater than himself: for Congressman Tonko, it’s always been about the people, and making the world better for all of us. For that reason alone, he is our Dazzler of the Day.
Check out his website here for more of his accomplishments, and join me in supporting his campaign this year. He’s also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In keeping with this promise, here is the cheery spring thought/visual of the day: ranunculus. These flowers deserve a prettier name, though some might think ‘ranunculus’ is a gorgeous, if cumbersome, word. Personally, I don’t. They are too magnificently frilly and fancy, their petals softer and yet more voluminous than a rose. They personify the delicate beauty that spring can, at certain moments, so preciously embody. Their color is brilliant – coming in all shades of bright yellow, fiery orange, steamy scarlet, and thrilling pink, along with creams and whites for more elegant moments. They pop up sporadically in Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market, as well as the more decent florist shops, and they make great cut flowers, opening fully and staying fresh as long as they have adequate water.
On this fourth day of spring, we celebrate the season. Pause and inhale, then let it all out.
Rising majestically near the Hudson River in downtown Albany, this domed beauty is the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, where I work as the Associate Director of Human Resources. Every now and then I pause on my lunch break and take it all in, along with remembrances of the journey that brought me to this Emerald City of buildings. It’s a source of pride that I am privileged enough to work at an agency whose work and mission to conserve and protect the environment is one that is both noble and necessary. Even better than that is the fact that I get to work with some great people, including good friends I’ve had for over a decade and a half.
It is a gift, one that I consistently appreciate, and the gratitude I feel is genuine. It makes me want to do the best work that I can do, to contribute in some small way to the larger mission of what our agency does. When I started out as a Data Entry Machine Operator in the summer of 2001 just down the street at what was then the Department of State, I didn’t envision the turns and twists that my state career would take. Looking back during a sunny lunch break, I’m grateful for all of them.
When I was growing up, no one talked about being gay, and when you don’t see yourself in the world you wonder at your worth, your value, and your entire existence. #SayGay
These spring primrose plants lit up a corner of the Faddegon’s greenhouse, heralding the season in cheery, colorful form. They are fleeting beauties, like the season they represent, and all the more beautiful for it. What doesn’t last is always loved a little bit more.
This spring I intend to take each day as it comes, finding a little ray of hope – the essence of spring – at every turn. In this blustery stretch of March, these primrose blooms will suffice. May they cheer your day too.
Today marks the anniversary of Madonna’s epic ‘Like A Prayer’ album. For those of us old enough to remember the spring of 1989, this will always harken to that heady time of burning crosses on MTV, and a darker, more somber and serious Madonna than we’d ever encountered before. It remains a masterpiece that holds up – a timeless classic rooted in solid songs and musical brilliance – and it has endured because of its universal themes. Let’s revisit its track-list, link by exuberant link:
St. Patrick’s Day came and went, and the first day of spring was right behind it. This week has exciting events coming up too, but rather than get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a peek at some seasonal verdant underwear by Burberry, and recap the week that ended this winter.
Winter wasn’t going without a grand finale, so we weathered this storm with family and friends.
The birds were hinting at spring with a new song.
A pause decked out in purple and pink.
As Liza Minelli would say, ‘Balls!’
The humble and magnificent quahog.
The last day of winter, here at last.
Waiting for the winter exhale.
Winter ended as it began – with a meditation.
Dazzlers of the Day included Chuck Miller, Nathaniel Gray, Dominick Purnomo, and Pati Jinich.
