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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

More Tree-Lined Streets in the UWS of NYC (Tuesday's Truths Week 65)





Welcome to week sixty-fifth of my Tuesday's Truths series, dear reader! I wanted to let you know that this past Thursday, The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade had barely finished before NYC began to see more tree-lined streets, as evidenced in the images atop this blog post.

With the exception of the first image, the pictures feature Christmas trees that are brought down from by French-Canadians who dominate New York's Christmas tree market.

Monday, November 27, 2017

"The Monday after Thanksgiving."


As I mentioned this past Wednesday here on Blogger, John F. Kennedy was assassinated fifty-four years ago on the day of November 22nd 1963. I have written about President Kennedy in a number of posts here Blogger, dear reader, and you may reference them by clicking here.

But on that day, another event that occurred on November 22 (in 1995), which happened to be a Wednesday, just as it was this year, has been my mind. And that is the date that my father spoke his last words, into a tape-recorder from his hospital bed, saying, "the doctor hoped to have him out of the hospital the Monday after Thanksgiving," which fell on November the twenty-seventh, just as it does this year.

However, the doctor did not have my father out of the hospital on "the Monday after Thanksgiving," as he had hoped. Instead, he took a turn for the worse, before succumbing to death by septic shock eight days later, on November 30, 1995.

My father must have sensed death was near, and he took the opportunity to say a few things. His very short tape is included in this posting, and if you decide to listen to it, dear reader, you can click on "play bar " below the image of the cassette pictured here. FYI, it may take a few seconds before you hear any sound.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Thanksgiving 2017


The photograph atop this entry was taken by yours truly. It is featured in one of my very first entries here on Blogger. The picture was taken on a Thanksgiving day in the 1990's. This photo is featured in Photo-Glaz Magazine, as a result of a competition juried by Roy DeCarava.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

John F. Kennedy 5/29/1917-11/22/1963


John F. Kennedy was assassinated fifty-four years ago on this day of November 22nd 1963. I have written about President Kennedy in prior posts here on Blogger, dear reader, and you may reference them by clicking here.

The essay atop this post was published eight days after Kennedy's death in The New York Times. It was written by E.B. White and I've included it in a few entries here on Blogger. I've also written a number of blog posts which reference E.B. White, please click here if you'd like to read them.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Instead of talking turkey, I'm talking tulips! (Tuesday's Truth for WK 69)






Welcome to week sixty-nine of my Tuesday's Truths series. It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so I should probably talk turkey, but since I don't eat it and know very little about it, I will talk tulips for this"episode" of Tuesday's Truths.

This past Friday, Juan V came by to help me plant tulip bulbs. One of the varieties that we planted is known as the Elegant Lady; and her bulbs can be seen in the pictures atop this entry.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Monday's Memo: "GOURD-JUS" Gourds! Creating Awesome Thanksgiving Decor


The photograph atop-this entry features a carton of awesome looking gourds that I procured from Pamela Torres of Prospect Hill Orchards a few weeks ago (November 2, 2017). She delivered them to the building where I live (transporting them on a dolly) from the greenmarket at Tucker Square (located on the UWS in NYC), where her farm has a stand on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

It's only the Sunday before Thanksgiving 2017! (Not SOO Fast With Holiday Decor)


It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving and leave it to the Candy Corn Fraternal Twins to put things in perspective re holiday decor! They can be seen having a convo with the Peppermint People in the image atop this entry. The corn twins are folks that you might recognize as they have appeared in a number of posts here on Blogger. The most recent one being my entry for October 30, 2017, which was National Candy Corn Day.

In any event the candy corn twins were a bit miffed that the Peppermint People (the candy of Christmas) showed up to my home with the intent of being the focus of my decor for the Christmas holidays when Thanksgiving had not even arrived!

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Honoring Mickey Mouse ETC


Hello, dear reader, and welcome to my blog post for November the eighteenth. I've been unable to post for a couple of days, because it is the second time this month that there was a power outage in my hood, and I had no Internet access. Hopefully this time everything has been fixed by Verizon. In any event, I'm back on Blogger in time to give a shout out to Mickey Mouse, as today is the anniversary of the first appearance of this well known cartoon character.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Thursday's Tale: "It's coming on Christmas. They're cutting down trees..."



"It's coming on Christmas They're cutting down trees...," is a lyric lines from the popular song River, written  by Joni Mitchell. I thought of her song this past Saturday, when the Rockefeller Christmas tree arrived in NYC. The You Tube video posted above features a slice of the event and I have posted more information on Facebook.

It seems a shame  to sacrifice such a health tree for this purpose. One small consolation: once the entire 2017-2018 Christmas holiday season has passed, and the tree is taken down, Habitat for Humanity will build houses from lumber derived from this Christmas tree.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Here's One Way to Re-Use Plastic Bags (Wednesday's Wisdom)


No words needed for this week's WW (Wednesday's Wisdom), the photograph (seen directly above), which was taken at a dog run on NYC's UWS is one of those pictures that's worth a thousand words.

I've posted it here today, November the 15th, because it is — according to Holiday Insights— has been designated to be America Recycles Day.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Here's Tuesday's Truth for Week Sixty-Four Facts re Benjamin Franklin and Turkeys


Hello and welcome to the sixth-fourth week of my Tuesday's Truths series, which is being posted on the Tuesday of  the week before Thanksgiving, a day when many Americans, unlike yours truly, who is a vegetarian (ninety-five percent of the time), will eat turkey. I happen to find it foul to eat fowl, and cannot eat turkey, but I can talk turkey about the myth that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of The United States instead of the bald eagle being our avian rep.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Sunday's Sentiments for 11-12-2017


It's a few minutes after midnight Eastern Standard Time and I am just now composing my entry for Sunday, November the 12th 2017, as it is my first opportunity to write a blog post for that day.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Veterans Day 2017


Today is the solemn holiday known as Veterans Day and in bygone years, I've written about it in posts here on Blogger, including an entry where I featured a quotation by Jose Narosky, who was known to have said, "In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." 

There is not much I can add to this profound quote from Mr. Narosky, dear reader, so I'll leave to stand on its own on this Veterans Day 2017.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Friday Follow Up on 11-3-2017's Post


In my entry last Friday here on Blogger, I announced that "a hard-cover version of the book I wrote with Cam, "Words In Our Beak Volume One (WIOB_V1)" will soon be available in bookstores, speciality shops, and on line." A photograph of this particular version of  book is posted atop this posting. The picture was taken by Chris Deatherage, who formatted the book. Today, I'm pleased to announce that the book is now available on Amazon Prime. Moreover, it is also available for book sellers through Ingram Content. The ISBN number is 9780996378529

Additionally a press release has been completed and it will be going out over the next few days. A copy of the ad attached to the press release can be seen directly below.


This image was also taken by Deatherage. If you would like to receive up dates, please sign up on my mailing list and also stay tuned here on Blogger.

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The digital versions of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold.




Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

PRESS RELEASE for 9780996378529


Dear reader,
    The image atop this entry features a sheet that will accompany the press release for the hard-cover format of "Words In Our Beak Volume One." The press release reads as follows:

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Identifying With a Pup


Normally I publish a blog post much earlier in the day than I'm doing now, but there was a Verizon power outage in my area and the Internet was completely down. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but I work from home and am in a very precarious situation, which made the circumstances more frustrating! Therefore, I'm identifying with the pup in the comic strip (by Patrick McDonnell) posted above this blog post. Please tune in again tomorrow, I STILL have some barking to do!

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

In Honor of Dunce Day + Wednesday's Wisdom, The Meaning of The "Dunce Cap"!



The You Tube posted above this blog post is honor of Dunce Day, which according to a web-page on Holiday Insights, is always celebrated on November 8th, and that is today's date. I'm posting it on my Wednesday's Wisdom series because you never know when this topic may come up in conversation, and now you'll be prepared to discuss it — if need be, dear reader.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

NYC's Marathon is still for the birds! (According to Cam)


Today The New York City Marathon is taking place, and Cam, the cardinal pictured here, still thinks it's for the birds! In this photo she can be see running across a table that is in my rooftop garden.

The image is featured in all three formats of Cam's book, Words In Our Beak, Volume One. 

Friday, November 3, 2017

WIOB_V1 is Coming to a Bookstore Near You! (Friday's Follow-Up)


If you have read my blog post for yesterday and the one for the day before that, then you may know a hard-cover version of the book I wrote with Cam, Words In Our Beak Volume One (WIOB_V1) will soon be available in bookstores, speciality shops, and on line. An image of this book's cover can be seen atop this entry. The photo was taken by Michael  Murphy.

I've kind of gone backwards in this process of helping Cam (the "covergirl" on the book) write and publish her book. I say this because WIOB V1 started as a digital book in Apple's iTunes Store.

However, because there are over three hundred pictures in the book (taken by me), I was advised to convert it into a non-digital book, which I have done, and it has been available as a soft-cover book on MagCloud since this past March. Now, bookstores and speciality shops have expressed interest in carrying my book, but these places of business want to work with a publisher who offers distribution services, which MagCloud does not have at this point.

That's why I have created the hard-cover format that's seen in the image above. The book has been published through Lighting Source, a division of Ingram Spark. Last evening I had a meeting with Chris Deatherage, who formatted the soft and hard cover versions. We still have to work out a few details involving price points which I will hopefully be able to do today, or tomorrow as doing so, would enable me to have book available for distribution late next week.

Moreover, tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month in the month of November, which means it's one of the holidays for National Book Lover's Day. It would be great for Cam and I to celebrate it by completing these pricing issues and making the book available for distribution.

Meanwhile, I'm saying that I've kind of gone backwards, because normally authors start out with a hard-cover book, then subsequently publish soft-cover and/or digital versions. But who knew I'd take this route. In any event, Cam and I have finished volume two, but it needs to be formatted (by Deatherage, who has our files) and this time she and I will have that volume begin as a hard cover.

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The digital versions of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Identifying With E.B. White (Again)


Anyone who follows my musings here on Blogger must know how much I appreciate the works written by E.B. White, who wrote numerous essays for The New Yorker.

I've included copies, and/or excerpts from many of them in my cyber venues. White's also known for the many books he's written, including Charlotte's Web, which is one of my favorites. I have referred to this book a number of times within my blog entries. In fact, the picture atop this posting was included within one of my 2010 Blogger posts where I referenced an excerpt from a collection of White's essays, as well as an excerpt from Charlotte's Web.

If you know Charlotte's Web, you may recall that when one of the characters, John Arable (who is a farmer), discovers a new piglet is a runt, he decides to kill it. His eight year old daughter, Fern, persuades her father to let her keep the piglet as a pet and she names him Wilbur. Fern takes care of Wilbur for a while until he needs to be moved to a farm where he becomes very lonely. He soon is befriended by a spider named Charlotte, who not only keeps him company but also provides him with encouragement weaving the words "SOME PIG," "TERRIFIC," and "RADIANT" into her web.

Words are missing from the spider's web seen in the image atop this entry, and even though there is a bee within this spider's web in this picture, Cam and I could use some words of encouragement.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

There are some YES-ES in November! (Wednesday's Wisdom Replying to Hood)


Earlier today, here on Blogger, as a way of ringing in 2017's month of November, I posted a poem about the eleventh month of the year. It is written by the poet/humorist, Thomas Hood.

However, I hope Hood's poem is wrong about this year's month of November, as I'm certainly in need of a few yes-es; and so is Cam, my female cardinal. She can seen in the picture directly above, where she is posing in my rooftop garden.

As you may know, Cam, like yours truly is a writer, and I've helped her write and publish the book, Words In Our Beak, Volume One (WIOB V_1). Up until now, the book has only been available in digital as well as softcover format. But yesterday, which was Halloween, a treat was delivered to my home: the hardcover version of WIOB V_1, and is featured in the image directly below.


The book was sent to me for the purpose of my approval to have it marked available for retail distribution. Before WIOB V_1 can go into bookstores, as well as speciality shops, or be made available on-line, I will need to review everything with Chris Deatherage, our book's formatter.

NOvember

No sun--no moon!
No morn--no noon!
No dawn--no dusk--no proper time of day--
No sky--no earthly view--
No distance looking blue--

No road--no street--
No "t'other side the way"--
No end to any Row--
No indications where the Crescents go--

No top to any steeple--
No recognitions of familiar people--
No courtesies for showing 'em--
No knowing 'em!

No mail--no post--
No news from any foreign coast--
No park--no ring--no afternoon gentility--
No company--no nobility--
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

In honor of the onset of yet another November, as I have done in bygone years, I'm sharing the poem that's atop today's blog entry. It is by Thomas Hood. I've written about Hood a few times here on Blogger. If you'd like to reference my posts re him, please click here.