Take Note (of my note-books)!

FAA (Fine Art America) can render my images on to spiral notebooks! This one's cover is a copy of a photograph featured in volume two of my hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak, but I have several note-book varieties to choose from on FAA. Please check out the selections by clicking here.

Wednesday's Words (10/6/2021): New selections are in my Fine Art America Shop!

I've added some new selections to my cards that are produced by FAA (Fine Art America) and one of my recent additions is titled Pumpkins Dress Up for Halloween, a copy of its image is featured atop this entry. To learn more about the specifics of this card as well as get info re my other greeting cards, please visit me on FAA by clicking here.

FAA can also render this (and a number of my other images) selection into a jigsaw puzzle  (a copy of an image of its box can be found directly below). For more details re this puzzle and to see my other selections, please visit me on FAA by clicking here.

This particular one is fun for families to work on together as each member could work on adding the pieces that belong to a particular pumpkin. 

The image, Pumpkins Dress Up for Halloween, is featured in volume two of my Words In Our Beak hardcover book series.

It's available on Amazon or by giving the ISBN number 0996378537 to a clerk wherever books are sold. This book makes a great gift at anytime, especially Halloween!

Friday's Fact: It may be too early for some boo-shit but not all....

There are six more days left in September and then Halloween will not be celebrated until the thirty-first of October… So, yes, on many levels, it’s too early for boo-shit!

BUT if you want to send cards for the occasion and/or give a gift such as a Halloween-themed tote, now might be the time to start thinking about this because while it’s too early for boo-shit, it’s not too late to order products since shipping tends to take time (unless you have Amazon prime).

I have created items (totes and greeting cards) for celebrating Halloween and they can be purchased from FAA (Fine Art America). Samples can be seen here (in the collage posted directly above). To see details my Halloween card, click here, and to see details re my Halloween tote, click here.

To see more of my Halloween selections visit me on FAA by clicking here.

Moreover, some of my Halloween-Themed products are based on images included in volume two of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

Its is available on Amazon or by giving the ISBN number 0996378537 to wherever books are sold; it makes a great gift at anytime, including Halloween!

All versions of Words In Our Beak have a goal which is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. The setting for my books is my rooftop urban garden in New York City, my stories are told in the voice of Cam, a female cardinal, who visits it. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective.

Fred (or Freddie), A Touring Pumpkin

It's been a very rainy (understatement) chilly day in NYC, but that didn't stop Freddie the pumpkin from continuing with his greenmarket tour.

He's been making the rounds (visiting various greenmarkets in NYC) since the first Sunday in October (when he debuted — wearing a face-mask — at the Greenmarket alongside The AMNH (American Museum of Natural History) on the UWS.

He wants people to guess his weight and whomever comes the closest will win a bag of local produce.

Contestants write their guess along with their name and contact info on a piece of paper and give it to the person monitoring his space.

And evidently, on this Saturday, which is the last Saturday in October, the winner will be annouced at the Greenmarket at Tucker Square and where I saw him today).

You would think with the array of pumpkins that are in my garden, which I've carried up five flights of stairs, that I might have an idea, but I don't, I just put down a wild guess, for you have to be in it to win it as the saying goes.

It's begining to look a lot like Halloween...

Today, October 26th, is National Pumpkin Day, and in spite of the fact that the morale of many people is at a low due to consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, many are making an effort to carry on and do things to lift their spirits. 

One of the ways this is evidenced is by the fact that people are painting faces on certain pumpkins (presumably in honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday) which can be seen in the photo atop this entry.

Others (at least in the area where I live) are decorating the outside of their homes.

Halloween Figurines Return to Reread Vol 2 from the "Words In Our Beak Series"

Halloween Visitors Re Read Volume Two

My Halloween visitors are back again and a few of them are rereading volume two of my book series, Words In Our Beak  (as seen in the photo atop this entry), because it has a section  that discusses safe outdoor decor for this holiday, as certain decorations can often be detrimental to birds. 

This holiday is ten days away (counting today) and it will be celebrated quite difffently because of the coronavirus pandemic safety regulations.

One very safe way to celebrate it with the family is to read together and Words In Our Beak Voume Two is the perfect choice.

BOOK JACKET FRONT

A picture of the pages that discuss Halloween (in relation to birds) can be seen directly below.

PAGES 44 AND 45 WIOB V2

Moreover, two images from that segement of the book have been rendred on to greeting cards (a photo of each of the cards I am referring to can be seen in the next sequence of images...

JACK-O-LANTERN BIRDWATCHING

THE PUMPKIN CHOIR NOTE-CARD

..and these cards are (along with other selections) available via Fine Art America (FAA).

Additionally, one image from this section ("The Pumpkin Choir") of voume two has been rendred on to a tote bag (also by FAA) which is available in three sizes.

THE PUMPKIN CHOIR TOTE

If these items interest you, don't delay too much dear reader, nine days will pass quickly!

An Inspiration from The Great Pumpkin

BOOK COVER FOR GREAT PUMPKIN CAROLS

According to a FB Pagefor the Charles M. Schultz Museum, "Following the success of the 1966 TV special 'It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!,' Hallmark published a whimsical booklet of Peanuts Pumpkin Carols." (A copy of the booklet cover is seen in the image to the left, or the first picture in time-line view).

"As declared by Linus, and according to the front cover, 'Halloween is becoming a forgotten holiday. We dedicated followers of the Great Pumpkin must do something to rekindle the Halloween spirit. Let us not rest until the universe resounds with pumpkin carols.'

⁠

"🎼 The booklet includes eight pumpkin carols, set to well-known Christmas tunes, of course. Carols include: Great Pumpkin is Coming to Town, Pumpkin Wonderland, I’m Dreaming of the Great Pumpkin, Pumpkin Bells, The Twelve Days of Halloween, I Heard the Bells on Halloween, and O Pumpkin Cards." (Image and text are taken from the aforementioned FB Page for Peanuts @).

Upon my seeing a copy of the 1966 booklet, "THE PEANUTS BOOK OF PUMPKIN CAROLS," I thought of one of my 2020 Halloween-themed products titled. "The Pumpkin Choir" (totes as well as a note-card). They can be seen in the next two images to the right (respectively).

THE PUMPKIN CHOIR TOTE

THE PUMPKIN CHOIR NOTE-CARD

For your information, my photo of pumpkins caroling or ("The Pumpkin Choir") is included in volume two of my book series...

BOOK JACKET (FRONT) WIOB V2

PAGES 44 AND 45 WIOB V2

Words In Our Beak, in a section that describes how Halloween decor impacts the lives of wild birds. Information re the entire series (jackets pictured below) can be found by clicking here.

MY BOOK SERIES

I realize Halloween is twenty-one days from now and I don't like to rush the entrance of the holiday, but due to time needed for shipping (in the event you'd like to purchase items mentioned here), I thought it best to give a heads up now.

Monday's Memo: 2020's Halloween Note-cards Are Now Available

JACK-O-LANTERN BIRDWATCHING

This past Saturday here on Blogger, I published an entry re my Halloween-themed totes and discussed the fact that on 9-22-2020, re the COVID-19 pandemic (cornavirus) the CDC stated "for people who were planning to go trick-or-treating on Halloween this year: don't..."   

And I pointed out the CDC urged people to "Avoid activities that are higher risk for spread," and to "Consider fun alternatives that pose lower risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19." 

Within that entry I featured images of my new line of Halloween-themed totes and concluded with a promise that I would publish post on 10-5-2020 (which is today) to offer information re my selection of my 2020 Halloween cards. After all, sending cards is a perfect way to celebrate Halloween safely.

My Halloween cards are sized 5" by 7" and produced by Finr Art America (FAA). They use digital offset printers and 100 lb paper that has a UV protectant. The image is semi-gloss and the inside of the card is matte and blank so one can write a message, but if you prefer, FAA can customize any text or message that you want to include.

The card featured in the image atop this posting is from a few years ago but by popular demand it is also available this year. The ones which are directly below all have matching canvas bags/totes/pouches (that are available in three sizes which is described in the aforementioned post).

ALL HALLOWS EVE

HALLOWEEN IN THE GARDEN

EIGHT LITTLE PUMPKINS

FOUR LITTLE PUMPKINS

JACK-O-LANTERNS SUNBATHING

JACK-O-LANTERNS LAUGHING

THE PUMPKIN CHOIR

I realize Halloween is twenty-one days from now and I don't like to rush the entrance of the holiday, but due to time needed for shipping (in the event you'd like to purchase items mentioned here), I thought it best to give a heads up now.

Soon it Will Be Halloween (27 Days)

In just a a little under one month's time, 2020's Halloween will be here. Last year on that holiday I was on the UES heading west when I encountered a woman wearing a panda bear mask. She can be seen in the image atop this entry.

Who could have known that less than one year's time, most every one throughout the United States and other parts of the world be (or should be) wearing face-masks to prevent the spread of a pandemic known as COVID-19 (the cornavirus).

It's October!

Happy October! As the bulletin board in the background of the photo atop this blog entry states, "LEAVES FALL IN OCTOBER," so enjoy the foliage while you can. 

Oktoberfests also occur in this month, which ends with Halloween. 

And speaking of Halloween, even though it will not be here until thirty days from today, if you are planning to send greeting cards in honor of the occasion, I have a selection of them available via Fine Art America (FAA). 

One of my FAA selections can be seen in the image directly below.

CARD AVAILABLE VIA FINE ART AMERICA

It is sized 5" by 7" and FAA produces them on digital offset printers using 100 lb paper that has a UV protectant. The image is semi-gloss and the inside of the card is matte and blank so one can write a message, but if you prefer, FAA can customize any text or message that you want to include.

AVAILABLE VIA FINEART AMERICA

In the coming days, I'll tell you about my other Halloween card selections, for now, I'd like to turn your attention to the fact that today is the feast day of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. I have written about this in a number of posts on my blog, including one on this day in 2019, where I featured the same video which is posted directly below.

I confess that I barely have even a fraction of the faith that she was known to possess.

My "Six Degrees of Separation" led to sad news...

Once upon a time, I wrote little stories (unpaid) for hometalk (and also for this blog) about whimsical holiday-themed figurines. These were designed by an array of artisans including Patience Brewster, Lori Mitchell, Bethany Lowe and Byer's Choice. Although I no longer do this (except on rare occasion) I still get emails about new and old figurines as well as information re those who create them.

The other day I received a notification that the MacKenzie-Childs company is now producing Halloween themed figurines and home decor. Pictures of their works can be seen in the photo-ops atop this entry. I don't (nor can I afford) anything created by MacKenzie-Childs but their name is familiar with me for other reasons.

A Very Different Westside Story These Days (History in the Making)

IMAGE CREDIT

The copy of a PEANUTS comic strip atop this blog entry is from the 5/31/2020 post on the Facebook Page for the Charles M. Schultz Museum. The strip is from 1978 but was posted on the thirty-first  of May (a few days ago) to commemorate Christo, the artist Snoopy is speaking about here and included the FB entry include this explanation:

Charles M. Schulz met Christo in 1975 when the environmental artist, along with his wife Jeanne-Claude, were in Sonoma County working on the preparation for their installation art piece, “Running Fence,” a 23-mile, 18-foot high white nylon curtain that zig-zagged over the Sonoma County hills before plunging into the ocean at the Marin-Sonoma county line. Schulz attended town hall meetings to support the “Running Fence” concept during the planning stages and this began a friendship based on mutual respect and admiration that lasted a quarter of a century.
On November 20, 1978, Schulz memorialized Christo’s work in this Peanuts comic strip. Twenty-five years later, in October 2003, Christo and Jeanne-Claude gifted “Wrapped Snoopy House” [seen in the next image] to Jean Schulz, sharing that it was Christo’s conception of Snoopy’s imaginary doghouse. The work is on permanent display in the Schulz Museum.

IMAGE CREDIT

I first became acquainted with Christo's work when he and his wife put up their art installation known as "The Gates" in Central Park a number of years ago.

Friday's Fact: It's May! It's May! BUT The "Merry Month of May" is less merry due to COVID-19! (Maybe my masks can help?)

THIS PHOTO IS FEATURED IN A NOVEMBER 2O19 FB POST

Today is May first causing me to think of a song from Camelot, where some of the lyrics say,:

"...Tra la, it's May, the lusty Month of May
That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray
Tra la, it's here, that shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear
It's May, It's May, that gorgeous holiday..."

But this year the onset of May does not seem so merry due to the world wide-spread  COVID-19 pandemic causing people to be required to wear face-masks to prevent its spread.

And to  think it was a little under eight months ago (on October 31 2019, which was Halloween), that I encountered a woman on the UES of NYC wearing an adorable Panda bear mask (she can be seen in the first image atop this entry).

Her face-mask certainly lifted my spirits and from what I observed, caused others to smile too.

THROW BACK (WAY BACK) THURSDAY

Happy Halloween!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Halloween, dear reader. In honor of this holiday, I'm sharing a video that I recently discovered in my Facebook newsfeed. It is evidently from the 1970's and features celebrities, Paul Lynde, Billie Hayes, Betty White and Margaret Hamilton.

Sunday's Sentiment: National Black Cat Day (An Excuse to Celebrate Black Squirrels Too?)

Today is National Black Cat Day. According to many sources, including holidayscalendar.com, this occasion is "celebrated on October 27th, just four days before Halloween... National Black Cat Day is a holiday which celebrates an animal (who) has an image problem. Black cats are not only considered bad luck in the United States but they are also one of the cats that is the least likely to be adopted...

While no one is exactly sure when National Black Cat Day was founded, what is known is that the attitudes about these particular felines are different during different parts of history and in different parts of the world. For example, in Great Britain and Japan, a black cat is considered good luck. However, in the United States, it has come to symbolize bad luck or evil forces. In some parts of the world, if a black cat crosses your path, then it’s considered to be a bad omen. In folklore, black cats are often depicted as agents of evil or even evil itself. In some parts of Europe, they were considered so evil that they were burned alive by superstitious villagers in giant midsummer bonfires..."

I don't have a black cat (or any cat for that matter), but I do have a figurine of someone dressed as a black cat for Halloween.

He/she can be modeling his/her costume in the pictures atop this entry.

WW* HALLOWEEN DECOR (SHOULD) BE FOR THE BIRDS! (*Wednesday's Wisdom)

In three weeks and one day's time from now, it will be Halloween, and this week's Wednesday's Wisdom is this: If you or anyone you know, puts up decor outside your home, please bear in mind, many decorations designed for this holiday can be detrimental to members of the avian community.

This is something I discussed in a 2018 blog post which you may reference by clicking here.

It is also a topic that is covered in volume two of my book series, Words In Our Beak and the photo atop this entry features my Halloween figurines memorized by this aspect of the book.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have a great selection of Halloween cards that are created from my photographs.

The one seen in the image directly below is available via Fine Art America (FAA) and I'm very impressed with their print quality.

It is sized 5" by 7" and FAA produces them on digital offset printers using 100 lb paper that has a UV protectant. The image is semi-gloss and the inside of the card is matte and blank so one can write a message, but if you prefer, FAA can customize any text or message that you want to include.

A Displaced "une citrouille" or "un potiron?" (Wednesday's Wisdom re Halloween in France)

Before this Halloween passes, I've another holiday related item to share, which I've just learned from the writings of an expat. She states: "Halloween is considered an American celebration – and that’s not a compliment. The idea of French Halloween is seen as yet another imposition of American culture on French customs and traditions – right after American fast-food chains and ketchup. This alone is enough to make many French people turn their patriotic nose up at the idea of celebrating or embracing Halloween in France." 

Because there is a french bistro proprietor in my hood on the UWS who sets out (every year around Halloween) an elaborately carved pumpkin (or "une citrouille" or "un potiron") atop one of his out door café's tables, I was surprised to learn this.

Perhaps the proprietor is not a Francophile (Gallophile) but rather a Francophobe (or Gallophobe)? 

Whatever the case may be re Halloween and the proprietor of this french restaurant, I'm glad he puts out his uniquely carved pumpkin as it always seems to cheer even the most disgruntled passers by!

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!

A Day To Celebrate the Beauty of Corn (Tuesday's Truths WK 100)

Today is National Candy Corn Day, a holiday which I've discussed in a few entries here on Blogger, but since this year it coincides with my Tuesday's Truths series (for which I've already published a post) the figurine featured in the image atop this entry has asked me to remind readers that this holiday (as I mentioned in my 2017 post) "is intended to celebrate the beauty of corn..."

As you can see, she is carrying a Jack-O-Lantern-style container to hold any treats she might get when trick or treating — which might include candy corn!

Plush Animal Lovers Day 2018

IMAGE CREDIT

Today a number of folks are celebrating the fact that it is #PlushAnimalLoversDay!

As I've said before in an entry here on Blogger,  "According to daysoftheyear.com, 'Plush Animal Lovers Day is a day of celebration that is held every year to show your favorite stuffed toy some extra special love and appreciation. There’s an urban legend that says that the Teddy Bear, one of the worlds most popular plush animal pets, was invented when American President Theodore Roosevelt saw a baby bear on a hunting trip, and refused to shoot it...

"'...The original origins of the day’s creation are vague but there is an unconfirmed Urban Legend that the day first came about after a collectibles dealer named Royal Selangor came up with the idea of a Teddy Bears Picnic Day in the late eighties. Other stuffed toys became jealous that Teddy Bears were being singled out for their own celebration and demanded a special day all of their own! Not long after, Plush Animal Lovers Day quickly replaced Teddy Bears Picnic Day in popularity!"'

Another resource (cute-calendar.com) explains that when it comes to plush animals, "Textiles commonly used include plain cloth and pile bodys like oranges plush or terrycloth. Common stuffing materials are synthetic fiber batting, cotton, straw, wood wool, plastic pellets or beans. The first commercial concern to create stuffed toys was the German Steiff company in 1880. Steiff used new technology developed for upholstery to make their stuffed toys."

A plush animal who is rendered in the likeness of a male cardinal (seen below) is featured in the first volume of my Words In Our Beak book series, where Cam (the female cardinal who is the story teller states:  "... Folks often dismiss me and focus on the males in my 'breed;' even choosing their likeness to create figurines and stuffed animals.."

The one rendered in the likeness of a polar bear (seen in the next picture) represents a polar bear who lived at the Central Park Zoo.

Moreover, with Halloween just around the corner (this coming Wednesday, October thirty-first), I'm including another picture of a plush animal within this entry.