MEMORIAL DAY 2019

I have written about Memorial Day many times here on Blogger; but none of my musings come close to Bramhall's (seen above) and on this Memorial lDay for 2019, l am thinking of how those who lost their lives through war made it possible for me to enjoy the simple pleasures and so-called “little things” in life.

Sunday's Sentiments: A Tribute to my G'pa (Albert Elmer Herman Lewis Melahn)

The photograph atop this entry is one you might recognize, dear reader, for it has been featured in many of my blog posts here on Blogger (including one of first entries which was in 2010) when I've referenced my maternal grandfather (Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn), the man featured in this picture. Last Sunday would have been his one hundred and sixteenth birthday had he not died at the age of sixty-nine.

I think of him on countless occasions, but he was especially on my mind yesterday when I was at The Conservatory Gardens in Central Park and came upon the peonies featured in  the next set of images.

My grandfather introduced to this awesome flower when I was nearly three years old.

"Saturday in the park..." (AGAIN)

Every time I spend part of my Saturday in Central Park or in Riverside Park, I think of the hit song (Saturday In The Park) by the band Chicago and it is something I've written about in prior entries here on Blogger; you may reference them by clicking here.

I thought of Chicago's song again this morning when I was in an area of Central Park and came upon the Burnett Memorial Fountain. A partial view of it is featured in the photographs atop this entry and as you can see a male Northern cardinal is enjoying certain features of this sculpture which is part of the fountain.

ATTN: "Imperfect Strangers" is in Progress! (Friday's Follow Up)

CLICK THIS TO VIEW ON YOU TUBE

A few months ago (February) in an entry here on Blogger and a posting on Facebook, I mentioned an unkind (understatement) experience I had regarding my having Neurofibromatosis (NF).

In that entry, I also mentioned that I might return to a book project that addresses issues related to the condition. Now that we are nearly through with this month of May for 2019, which happens to be Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month, I have done something about it; and I have just posted an announcement on my You Tube Channel with a very short video that you can view by clicking the link underneath my screen shot that's atop this entry.

This past Wednesday Andre, Matthieu and Joshua came to my rooftop garden to celebrate my endeavor and we can be seen (below) in a photo Andre took with his phone.

Andre (second from the right) is my optician and I initially met him in June of 2016 after I had an accident where one of the consequences was breaking my glasses. I met Matthieu (seated in front of Andre in this picture) soon after. Wednesday evening was the first time I met Joshua (who is standing next to  me).

I am honored to say that this past summer Andre purchased volume one and volume two of my book series (volume three had not been released at the time), Words In Our Beak for Anne et Valentin.

The evening was fun which was something I have not had in a long time for a variety of reasons, but it was bittersweet because Matthieu is moving back to France in June; which is another reason all of us got together. He said he'll return to NYC on occasion to visit; so hopefully this past Wednesday was only a goodbye for now.

Hey! Hey! Hey! It's #WorldTurtleDay!

Today's post is dedicated to World Turtle Day, which is a holiday that has been celebrated on the twenty-third day of May since 2000. According to Wiki it is sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue and this event "is celebrated around the globe in a variety of ways, from dressing up as turtles or wearing green summer dresses, to saving turtles caught on highways, to research activities. Turtle Day lesson plans and craft projects encourage teaching about turtles in classrooms."

I've written about World Turtle Day in prior entries here on Blogger, including posts you may reference by clicking here. This year I am honoring the day with the photographs atop this entry featuring turtles who appears to be drumming their nails on a sidewalk in Central Park.

Their nails seemed unusually long to me, but I have learned that turtles (unlike humans) do not need to have regular man/pedis —  at least the ones in CP.

Pet turtles will require having their nails trimmed but in the wild, turtles and tortoises walk or exercise enough that their nails will naturally wear themselves down to a manageable length.

Seeing what looked like drumming, prompted me to research the activity of drumming one's nails and the web has a lot to say about this including a page called Changing Minds, where the following is proclaimed.