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Saturday, July 30, 2016

Life Tips From Turtles?





There has been a long heat wave this month in NYC; and I don't think it's over yet. The series of hot days with oppressive humidity are leaving me short tempered as many things seem to do. However, the weather conditions are not stopping the turtles in NYC's Central Park from enjoying life, as evidenced by this guy/gal soaking up the sun atop a rock near a lake located in close proximity to the park's west seventy-second entrance. I like how he/she works on his/her suntan by rotating sides of his/her body, seemingly unaffected by the heat wave. Perhaps I need a few life lessons from him/her. 

In any event, seeing turtles enjoying Central Park in the  summertime begs the question, what do turtles to survive the winter? I did some research and here's what I found:

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Tuesday's Truths Week Two: The American Oystercatcher's Beak Functions Somewhat Like the Beak of a Bluejay!


Last Tuesday (July 19th), here on Blogger, was my first week of publishing a feature I hope to keep going within this blog. This feature is Tuesday's Truths, which I stated would be entries about interesting truths that I've discovered about the flora that grows in my urban (NYC) garden, and or the antics I've observed re the avian creatures which visit it. 

Today only marks my second week with this format, and I'm already expanded my spectrum, for one of the bird types I will be discussing in this post is not one who has visited my garden. It is a type that I met this past Sunday and is a shorebird known as the American Oystercatcher (pictured above taking refreshment from the Atlantic Ocean).

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Reflections On A Crayoned-Creation ETC


The drawing atop this blog entry was presumably created by yours truly for my signature (By Patti) can be seen in the upper lefthand corner. I have no recollection of creating this picture; but it would have to have been when when I was at least seven or eight years of age; as that is the time cursive writing was introduced in the school. During that time period, my teachers required me to spend many recesses in the classroom, working on my penmanship under the "direction" of peers who had mastered The Palmer Method.

My other clue as to when I created this drawing is the fact that my signature refers to me as Patti. From birth up until the end of third grade, I was called by this nickname. After fourth grade I went through my being called "Pat" phase, but was unsure how it felt, so I would sign my name "Pat (ti optional)." Being called Patricia came much later. I've never been thrilled with the name Patricia, and I suppose I could've changed my name, but the legality of what would be involved to do this has never been something I wanted to contend with.   

But getting back to my drawing! I came upon it while going through a box of papers that I have had a hard time tossing as they are associated with cards and letters that have been sent to me over the years. Upon my tackling the act of oranizing these correspondences caused me to think of the long departed entertainer, Dean Martin. He was known for his weekly closing remarks of his television show, where he said, "keep those cards and letters coming."  

Because I have designed greeting cards over the years (and have written about the value of sending non-cyber cards and letters), you might conclude that I was in agreement with Dino on this sentiment. But I am here to confess that there are times when I am going through the many cards and letters which have been sent to me, that  I find myself  tempted to say, "Please! Don't keep those cards and letters coming!"

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Tuesday's Truths Week One: The Construction of Young Starlings's Beaks Help Their Parents!

                              

Those of you who have followed this blog over the years have probably discovered that I have incorporated certain templates and after a bit of time stopped using them, switched to another format, but have often wound up reverting back to what I started with. My behavior re this "process" reminds me of how Oscar Wilde once described his editing. Here's what he said: “I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.”

Today, Tuesday, July 19th 2016, I am returning to a posting feature I once provided in my blog during the years of 2011 and 2012. The feature I am speaking of is to designate a given day of the week for an entry topic. During the years of 2011 and 2012, I often designated Mondays as "Mondays Musings"; Wednesdays as "Wednesday's Wisdom", and Friday's as "Follow-Up Friday." I set aside Tuesday's for referring folks to my activity on tumblr and called those Blogger posts, "If it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr..." 

While it has been a long time since I desingnated a certain day of the week as a springboard for a blog topic, all of those day-of-the-week posts can still be found within my blog by going to the left hand column titled TLLG's Blog Archive. Meanwhile, as I just stated, today, Tuesday, July 19th 2016, I am returning to a posting feature, which will be designating a day of the week as a springboard for a post. 

Beginning with this Tuesday,  I will feature "Tuesday's Truths." These series of posts will provide an interesting fact about flora growing in my urban (NYC) rooftop garden and or an interesting fact re a member of the avian community who visits it. I was encouraged to return to this type of feature by Jenn G, a young woman who works in my hood (she drew the bird I've featured below).


Jenn believes that folks are interested in fun facts and has encouraged me to share some of what I know, hence my new Tuesday thing. I'll start this new series with a fact that I've just about the bird type known as European starlings. One can be seen (in the images posted below) alighting upon the container which is home to the kiwi vines which grow in my garden. 



Some of you may recall, I was once criticized (by a stranger) for writing about this bird type. Be that as it may, I am continue to be fascinated by the antics of European starlings; and I recently discovered something I hadn't known about them, after placing a saucer of blueberries atop the table in my garden.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Inspired by a One-Legged Mourning Dove



Anyone who has been following  my postings within the cyber-venues known as Blogger, Facebooktumblr and twitter, knows that I've been a bit pre-occupied from my "usual" content of "reporting" on the flora that grows in my urban rooftop garden; as well as "reporting" on the antics of the array of birds which visit it. My preoccupation has been with the steps I've needed to take to recover from an accident that I had this past May

One of these steps was to go for a doctor-ordered  Xray to determine rather or not I had broken my ribs when I fell. I wrote about this on Blogger, one month and two days ago after I had that test. In the aforementioned entry I discussed that I was more fortunate than Super (the Northern Flicker I helped rescue this past April), for I was able to have a C scan the night I had the accident; and  I was ultimately able to have my ribs Xrayed at Park Avenue Radiology. Super had not been able to get the Xrays he needed to help him (which I wrote about in a prior post here on Blogger).

In any event, the findings of the Xray of my ribs revealed that I did break ribs, but thankfully, as of this posting, the pain from that injury subsided. However, I had another pain, re my accident that came up unexpectedly on June 23rd, a little over a week after I had my ribs Xrayed. This was a nerve pain that the doctors involved believed to be related to a tooth. 

Since my nose was broken in the accident,  the doctors  suspected my new pain had something to do with the fact that the nerve serving the tooth in question (which also has a function that serves the nose) was the cause of my agony, and I was sent for another type of Xray. The machine used to determine what was causing my pain, as well as the picture it took, can be seen in the images atop this blog entry. 

I am most grateful that I have been able to get medical treatment re my accident and each time I have, I think of injured birds who may not be able receive the medical attention when it is needed. I've written about this in relation to Super and have provided links to my musings. And now, another bird that visited my garden, reaffirmed my concern about the plight of injured birds.

Friday, July 15, 2016

The Inspiration of Holocaust Survivor, Mathilde Freund (And Other News)




I have been away from my cyber-venues tending to matters related to the accident that I had this past May. Whenever I stray from the momentum of my writing, I always find it difficult to begin again. But I'm sure this idiosyncrasy of mine is of no real interest to anyone, and so I'll just begin my reentry into cyberspace where I left off, which was with a post I made on July 4th, 2016, — one week and four days ago.

In the aforementioned entry, I wrote a little bit about Mathilde Freund, a holocaust survivor who lives in my hood. I stated that Mathilde and I "spoke about Elie Wiesel, the holocaust survivor who died in his NYC home this past Saturday, July 2nd. Mathilde knew Mr. Wiesel because he was in the same camp (Buchenwald) that her husband had been in. She told me that she was in hiding at the time, but her husband was killed at Buchenwald two months before it was closed. She recalled that her husband was twenty-five years old at the time and that Elie Wiesel was much younger. She also remarked that the man who was pope at the time “turned the other way,” and she is quite impressed with the efforts of the current pope. She is someone who is most thankful for what Independence Day is SUPPOSED to represent, and is truly an amazing lady! I’m always grateful when I see her!" 

Since the publication of that blog post, I came across a YouTube Video that includes Mathilde. It is produced by Fordham University and I've posted it atop this blog entry. If you view it, dear reader, I'm sure you will see why I'm always grateful to see her. Moreover, I dare say I believe upon viewing the clip, that like myself, you will find her attitude toward the tragedies in her life uplifting and inspiring.

Monday, July 4, 2016

July 4th 2016


It's a rather quiet Fourth of July for me as I'm still recuperating, but progress is being made. In bygone years I've gone to NYC's Macy's Fireworks, but this year I'm laying low. However, I do have the company of my patriotic figurine-friends. Placing them in my kitchen (photo one), where I also have my succulent garden (photo below) makes me feel a little like Laura in Tennessee William's play, The Glass Menagerie.


The activity of putting these characters in strategic places in my kitchen as well as my main living area (photo below) helps me to keep my creative juices flowing and distract me from my woes.