Monday's Musings

A Northern mockingbird, who appears to be checking out a ball-shaped terra-cotta object which is on the floor of my rooftop garden, is featured in the two images atop this entry.

The object of this bird's interest is an upside down planter that is better suited as an outdoor sculpture than the planter it is supposed to be. This is because it is very difficult to plant flora inside of it. You might suspect this from seeing the next image, which was taken in 2011, and features creeping thyme attempting to thrive in the round container.

In any event, to the mockingbird's right (or left in the first two photos) is a grape that has rolled off a saucer of grapes (which can be seen near to the container).

An imaginative person, upon seeing the mocker staring at the terra-cotta object, might envision that the mocker thinks the round structure is a huge grape. Whatever this bird may or may not be thinking, remains private with him/her, for he/she has not revealed any thoughts on the matter.

Admittedly, the two top photographs are quite similar, but they are not identical. The gaze of this mocker is slightly different from picture to picture, the same holds true for the next sets of photos.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-D (June 2012)

Today's post is part two-D of a series of posts pertaining to a year-end review for special occurrences in my rooftop garden for the year 2012 (this series is described in part one as well as part two-A of this topic) and in today's entry I will be reviewing the month of June for the year 2012.

My Sweet Larix Kaempferi

Douglas William Jerrold, the English dramatist and writer, is reported to have said, "He was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain."

I thought of this quote when I came across one of my favorite strips from Mutts, which I've posted above today's blog entry. As you may recall, dear reader, I am a Mutts fan, and if you want to refer to Blogger entries where I've referenced this fantastic strip, please click here, and you may also click here to "catch" my tumblr post which includes yet another Mutts strip.

My sensibility towards the 80+ things which I grow in my urban (NYC) terrace garden can be quite similar to Jerrold and Mutts; as there are moments when I want to hold an umbrella over some of the things I grow; especially when they are suffering from too much rain; as they did this past May. Too much rain, however, was hardly the issue this past week, as NYC was under a very oppressive heart wave for a number of days, and I wanted to stand in my garden with my umbrella, to give a few of the less heat tolerant things that I grow some shade, as there is nowhere to prop one up, and there is little, if any, shade in my garden.

"If it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr . . . " Week No. 23

As you can see my "If it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr . . . "  weekly feature has a new look! From this Tuesday forward, I'll provide links to the new content, but as always once you are at tumblr you can scroll around and see images or read content that is not included on this Blogger Blog.

Image above's story on tumblr: “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, he who finds one finds a treasure; A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth …”  Click here to read.

Image above's story on tumblr: “Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup . . . ” Click here to read.

Image above's story on tumblr: "Once the paparazzi convinced one  of the Helichrysum roseo-niveums which grows in my urban (NYC) container garden (first image shown here) that she was indeed, 'camera ready' . . . "  Click here to read.

Image above's story on tumblr: “Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear?” Click here to read.

Image above's story on tumblr: "TWO THUMBS UP!" Click here to read. 

Image above's story on tumblr: Memorial Day Reflections. Click here to read.