Friday 5ive- April 1, 2022

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly-ish blog post featuring five things that caught my attention this week. Happy April Fools' Day!

1)  I attended a mass and ribbon cutting for the new Advanced Memory Care Unit at Archcare at Ferncliff in Dutchess County this week. Timothy Cardinal Dolan said the mass and visited the new unit which is dedicated for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. The unit is so lovely, the walls are painted sky blue and it brightens up the whole floor. The resident dining room even has a decorative fireplace, and lots of windows with a beautiful view. The staff are wonderful too. The residents even sang two songs for the Cardinal!

2)  We stopped for lunch at Foster's Coach House, which has this very cool stagecoach inside the restaurant. My husband's family has been going there for years, and if you ever find yourself in Rhinebeack, NY, stop in. They are known for their London Broil, and where else will you find Lasagna listed under "Side Dishes"?

3) My birthday is next week and it's a big one. The birthday gifts have been arriving early, and they include some really cute bookish stuff from my brother, sister and mom. They know me so well....

4) I watched this week's episode of This Is Us and sobbed through it. Kay Oyegun's script was just brilliant and moving, and if somebody doesn't give Mandy Moore an Emmy for the last two week's performances, there is no justice in the world. She is playing a 60-something mother to three people in their 40's and she is just 37 years old. She is amazing in this role. 

5) I read a fantastic book that will be publishing in June- Matt Cain's The Secret Life of Albert Entwhistle. It's the lovely story of a lonely postman in England whose entire life is his job. When he finds out he must retire at age 65 (which is a few months away), he decides to open up and share his true self with his coworkers and the people on his postal route. With their encouragement, he decides to look for his lost love, a young man he loved as a teenager. It's a beautiful story, perfect for anyone who loved The Guncle (me!) and The Story of Arthur Truluv (me again!). 

Have a safe an healthy week.

Friday Five- April 5, 2019

This week's Friday Five begins with a quick road trip.

1) We spent a day in Washington DC, where my husband had business and I visited the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. They have such interesting exhibits, like Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence and One Year 1968: An American Odyssey. I really went to see the Barack and Michelle Obama portraits, which are marvelous. Barack's looks almost 3D like, and Michelle's is magnificent. It was great to see so many school groups there looking at them. While there, I heard the best thing I've ever heard in DC. A young boy, maybe 8 or 9, was talking to his older sister and while standing in front of the huge portrait of Bill Clinton, he pointed at it and said to her, "Look, it's Hillary Clinton's husband!" He couldn't understand while he was there and not Hillary.

2) I've always wanted to eat at Jaleo, chef Jose Andres' DC restaurant, and since it was down the block from the National Portrait Gallery, I finally got the chance. I had a JLT- jamon (Spanish ham), lettuce and tomato on grilled brioche bread with a tasty mayonnaise sauce. The best homemade chips I've ever had came on the side and I added a red sangria for a delicious lunch. 

Lunch at Jaleo

3) Tuesday night I attended a book talk and signing of Jacqueline Winspear's 15th book in her Maisie Dobbs series, The American Agent, at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side. I've read all of her books, and this is one of her best in the series. It's set during the London Blitz during WWII, and Maisie and company are back together again. Winspear's talk was very interesting, she spoke about how the character of Maisie came to her at a stoplight during a rainstorm in California, fully formed. 

Jacqueline Winspear at Barnes & Noble

4) The season three finale of This Is Us was on this week, and it was everything you would want it to be. I have been a fan since day one, and seeing into the future of the Pearson family was so heartbreaking and emotional, I can't wait for season four. Everyone associated with this wonderful show is top notch- writers, producers, directors and actors. If you don't watch it, I highly recommend it.

5) Speaking of things that make you emotional, I finished reading Lisa See's newest novel, The Island of Sea Women, about two female divers who lived on Jeju Island, off the coast of Korea. I knew very little about the history of Korea prior to the Korean War, and this takes place between the Japanese occupation of Korea, through the Korean War, and ends up in 2008. It's a stunning novel, and as I read the saddest, most horrifying part, I had to stop myself from sobbing on the train. It's one of the best books of 2019.