Love of Neighbor

Today, May 31st, is The Feast of the Visitation; and the "fruit" of this "event" is love of neighbor, which is not always so easy to do. The day commemorates when Mary — even though she had just received her "own news" —  visited Elizabeth with the conviction that she might need help.

Being a good neighbor is not always easy, especially in this day and age when folks are bombarded with obligations and commitments; but I find it sad that in a time when there are so many ways (as well as venues) in which to communicate, a number of folks simply do not do it!

And often being a good neighbor simply involves listening to his/her thoughts, worries, concerns, struggles as well as sharing the good times. These are moments worth taking — and even preserving — as Lou, a gentleman living in New York has done by "installing" a tree-pit in honor of his dear friend who lost a battle with a terminal illness.

Visiting Birds & the "CB" Feeder

The house finch pictured here is part of a "breed/variety" which was once known as Hollywood Finches (according to many sources including Wiki). They were given that nickname as a marketing artifice when this variety was initially sold illegally in New York City, and this past Friday, this little guy seemed to be living up to his nickname as he mimicked Gene Kelly's Singing in the Rain ,whilst accessing food from my CB (Chris Baker) feeder.

I am calling the feeder a CB feeder in honor of Chris, a birder extraordinaire, who has been very helpful in advising me on how to "accommodate" the birds which visit my rooftop garden.

I am fairly new to birding, an acute interest which was initially brought on by a humming bird visiting my garden in late May and June of 2012. To my knowledge, the humming bird never returned, but, as you may recall, dear reader, his/her visit was followed by visits from Cam, my lone female cardinal, who has been an on again off again visitor since that time. Cam can be seen in the images below, which were taken on the same day as the photograph atop today's blog entry.

In the first of this series of three pictures, the house finch is to Cam's right, and a portion of my CB feeder is to her left. The second image shows cautious Cam surveying the CB feeder whilst the third of these photos shows Cam surveying yours truly!

Memorial Day 2013

In honor of Memorial Day, the American Flag on the Verrazano-Narrows Bride (in NYC), seemed to be saluting all who have died while in the military service. Some of TLLG's Memorial Day refection's can be found by clicking here.

the "UNOFFICIAL" start to SUMMER 2013

The first day of the 2013 summer season will occur on June 21st 2013, which is four weeks from now. But because today is the Friday before Memorial Day, the "unofficial"  start to the summer season has begun, and one sign of this is the "activity" taking place in my succulent garden, which I have atop an armoire in my kitchen.

If Dorothy Parker had met Linda Derector . . .

The photographs atop today's entry may be faded, but most of my memories associated with it are not. I believe that all of these images were taken by my mother, for she was the one who attempted to "document" our family life pictorially when I was growing up.

In pre-adolscent years (which were much later than the years when these photos were taken) I found the constant picture taking to be annoying, and I felt as if more attention was being given to setting up images than living in the moment in which a given picture was being taken: a sentiment that I've already expressed within this blog (in a 2010 post called Thoughts on the Creators of Photo-Albums, which you may refer to by clicking here). And if it's true that the setting up of "photographic scenes" was more "standard" than experiencing them, it's no wonder, for those were very painful years in our family as my father had left us to be with his secretary. As I've said (in other entires here on Blogger) before, perhaps, behind the lens, my mother was protecting herself from the sadness she must've felt.

However, in the pictures above today's entry our family was still intact. The first one is of my maternal grandfather holding my sisters and me and has been included in a previous entry here on Blogger, the second one is an image of us girls which was also featured in a prior post, and in the third image, I am featured preparing to feed birds, which may have been when my appreciation for the array of birds (who now visit the garden) began.

And while I usually write about my garden and the birds that visit it, the fact that I may or may not have acquired my appreciation for birds at a young age is not the "thesis" for today's entry; rather the focus will be on the wearing of eyeglasses, which you can see I am doing in all three photographs.

Actinida kolomikta RETURNS TO THE SPOTLIGHT! (Courtesy of a Neighbor's Window!)

PICTURE ONE FOR 5-19-13's POST

Today's post is being co-authored by my very prolific Actinida kolomikta, who, as you may recall, is the one (of my kiwi vine "couple") that starred (as the narrator) in my first garden themed Virtual Story (mini-movie) titled The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame . . . almost, which can still be viewed in my Vimeo Library by clicking here.

My Actinida kolomikta has been somewhat disgruntled lately as he was looking forward to appearing in a sequel to that movie! However, I have had one delay after another in terms of producing it, and, therefore, I'm "allowing" my media savvy vine to assist me in this entry; which has been inspired by my recent visit to a neighbor's home, a neighbor who lives in a building five doors west of me, where her kitchen window looks onto a portion of my rooftop garden, a "view" that can be seen in the image at the top of today's entry.

Where have all the peonies gone?

In my last entry here on Blogger, I departed from my "usual" rhetoric of giving voice to the array of birds that visit the "things" which grow in my urban (NYC) garden (the garden pictured above in an aerial view taken by Juan V exactly one week and one day ago), to offer a "report" on Bike New York's Five Boro Bike Tour.

Today, I return to my "normal" content, and so much has happened since my last recollections of "garden events" (which I have chronicled in detail in a five part series of posts here on Blogger that began on April 26th 2013 and ended on May 2nd 2013). You may refer to this series by clicking on the various links for part one, part two, part three, part four and part five.

In terms of "happenings" in Juan V's image, there have been significant changes in the "lives" of the "things" which grow in my garden, including the fate of my Paeonia suffruiticosa's  (Tree Peony) — whose awesome white flowers can be seen in the lower right hand corner of Juan's image — fate.

Cyclin' on Cinco de Mayo!

This past Cinco de Mayo (May 5th 2013), I participated in Bike New York's annual Five Boro Bike Tour where I rode as cyclist #3787; and once again I sincerely want to thank The Achilles Club in New York City (and especially Ayesha Rosena Anna McGowan) for making it possible for me to participate in The Five Boro Bike Tour. 

This was the fifth year that I've taken part in this awesome event with Achilles and the image posted with this narrative shows yours truly with my captain at the start line of the Five Boro Tour. The image was taken by Keegan Stephan of Time's Up, a cycling related organization/charity.

Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing? (PART FIVE of FIVE) ASK THE PLANTS, ORNAMENTAL GRASSES and a few FLOWERS!

MAC, A MALE CARDINAL

April showers woke-up Ajuga flowers! These are the light purple ones seen here where they "live" with my Crocuses in the "home" of my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines). They are all thrilled to have Cam's beau alight on their "home," especially this morning when the crocuses and ajuga are scheduled to be some of the "things" featured in today's post: part five of my series (which I introduced this past Friday on Blogger) where the things I grow are assisting me in answering the question: Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINLLY springing?

Both the ajuga and the crocuses share the "limelight" today with my plants (Farfugium japonicum AKA 'Cristata', Creeping Jenny, and my Pyracantha coccinea AKA Orange Charmer Firethorn), as well as my ornamental grasses (The Hakanechola Macra Twins AKA Japanese Forest Grass All Gold and my Ophipogon planiscapus Triplets AKA Black Mondo Grass).

Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing? (PART FOUR of FIVE) ASK THE VINES!

Happy May Day, dear reader, and, as you might recall, I've blogged about this "special holiday" of May Day here on Blogger in bygone years, including a post which you may refer to by clicking here. 

And, with my opening salutation, I offer you a few "scenes" (posted above) from my garden on this first day of what Guinevere (from Camelot) called a "merry merry month." 

There were a number of "scenes" on this bright May Day and the ones above show a bud from my Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony), which is about to give birth, my sweet Cam enjoying a spring snack, and two mourning doves soaking up the sun whilst nibbling from a feeder near my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines), two vines that are scheduled to be featured in today's post: part four of my series (which I introduced this past Friday on Blogger) where the things I grow are assisting me in answering the question: Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINLLY springing?