I miss the winter that never was!
Call me crazy, but dealing with un-naturally warm temperatures, way before it's time, has thrown me off kilter.
Each Spring, like a mad scientist, I track the burgeoning lime green buds on city trees, calculating their size and color, expecting them to appear somewhere between April 10th and 15th.
This year, fully bloomed trees already dot the wide expanse of esplanade on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. Cherry blossoms have dropped their leaves on Park Avenue South, and magnolias are rotund and full in Brooklyn.
And with this new show of pre-Spring bravura, coats that were never worn have been stored, boots with one more season in them given away, and women in an impending sandal panic are flocking to pedicurists in droves. Try getting a chair at your local salon at 5 PM.
For me, with hope of one strong, personality driven snowstorm, I still have my treasured antique ceramic snow capped Christmas tree with the yellow lights sitting pitifully on a side table. I long for the sweet sounds of intense quiet that a heavy snow brings, as the white marvel of nature blankets tarred and potholed streets. With a grand overnight snowfall, everything stops....for a moment.
Farina boxes are unearthed and wonderful hot cereal concoctions with the oozing sweetness of maple syrup appear on breakfast tables. Hearty soups bubble on the stove for hours, creating that magical sound and building anticipation of satisfying deliciousness for lunch. Sure, by dinner, shoveling has had to happen, and cars dug out. But for just a few lovely hours, we are able to stay put, enjoy the beauty and stillness and just be...for even a little while.
This scenario was not to be this year. I tried hanging on to the notion that clothing reserved for winter would still have the possibility of being worn. And yet they stayed on their hangers...just waiting.
And now, my confession. This week, with temperatures soaring to near 70 and possibly flirting with 80, I by passed my old standbys. My most comfortable
suede, stiletto heeled boots that never give me any bother. My boots that are my favorite part of my wardrobe, come in many colors, and styles. From over the knee, to ankle boots. From sleek and sexy to chunky and buckled. Electric blue, magenta, taupe, lime green, camel and of course, black, they sit hopefully in my closet, waiting for me to choose.
This week, I bypassed them all, and broke out my open toed, slingback shoes. With great hesitation, I put them on, and decided to walk confidently into the warm New York City sun.
My day ensued, and little by little, I felt the cutting sharpness of.... open toed, slingback shoes. And by night, I had received my first painful blister. It's only March, Easter and Passover are two weeks away, and already a foot has been ravaged by a non-boot (which is what I call shoes and sandals.)
It is going to be a helluva long, long hot summer.
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a 5 time Billboard Magazine Award winner, is perhaps best known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 position in the New York radio market as the midday host of New York’s 106.7 FM. She was also the co-creator, writer, producer and host of 'Spotlight On,' a nationally syndicated program that featured in-depth interviews with top recording artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting and Celine Dion, to name a few.
Presently, Valerie can be heard on her new daily radio show, Valerie’s New York on WOR.710.com. She is also the voice of numerous commercials and television promos. She has been the “Voice of God” for many prestigious live events including: The Clinton Global Initiative, The New York Emmy Awards, The Tony Preview Concert on CBS, and many more. She writes a weekly nightlife column for TheThreeTomatoes.com and writes a theater column for Examiner.com.
As adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts, Valerie teaches a course on Internet Radio and Voice-over, coaches talent privately, and produces promo reels and demo tapes for various clients.
An actress and writer, she has appeared in numerous off -Broadway productions and co-wrote a play with music entitled, "Spit it Out!"
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