Honoring Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was born on this day of October 16th in the year 1854.

The quote featured within the text-based image atop this entry is attributed to him and is one I've referenced in prior blog posts where I've stated that were he alive today Wilde would likely change the quote and say, "It's very sad now days that there is so much useless information."

Wednesday's Words: A Resilient Pigeon's (now named TAM) Update

THE WILD BIRD FUND

I’m offering this blog post as a follow-up re the status of an injured pigeon whom I initially discovered in my garden this past Saturday (10-10-2020) and whom I spoke about in Monday's (10-12-2020) entry here on Blogger.

The collage directly above gives a pictotial overview of the pigeon's fate, and below is a copy of what I baiscally said (italicized text) about it on Facebook:

As of this posting, my injured pigeon, now named TAM,* after the people who weighted in on what I should/could do and someone who helped me capture him (for transporting to The Wild Bird Fund (WBF).

[*TAM: “T” for Tina Pina, pigeon advocate and artisan, “A” for Amanda Remsberg, bird re-habber, and “M” for Martha, AKA MB, the woman who helped with my rescue.]  

MB can be seen in the next photograph (which was taken in 2016) where she is standing in my garden. 

We were working in my garden during a time, the now often full-time wearing of face-masks could never have been imagined. However, re-purposing plastic bags into rain gear was quite the norm. 

In any event, the weather, was very similar to the conditions taking place in March of 2016 and when an attempt was made to sweep/clean behind the container housing my Smoke Bush (which is a large dark-green box seen to MB’s right in the image, or to the lower left in photo view), a dead pigeon was discovered.

AN UNFORTUNATE PIGEON

I began to weep, and MB, unaware of my recent experiences in discovering an injured pigeon, warned me to take it easy. As the work in the garden continued, a planter that is home to my fall blooming anemones which butts up against a large planter that is now housing my Sweet Autumn Clematis and toadlilies (seen in the following image)...

TOAD LILIES WITH OTHER FLORA

... was moved and in doing so, my injured visitor’s hiding place was discovered and she was able to pick him up and set him in my bathroom..

A SAFE PLACE FOR AN INJURED PIGEON

...until we could (within an hour’s time) take him to The WBF. 

Alas, I had no brown paper grocery bags on hand as I don’t buy many groceries and when I do, in the interest of recycling take a bag from any store as I carry a cloth bag. Therefore I lined a box with one of my bedsheets, placed the pigeon in it.

Then I put his box in a Christmas gift bag — the only bag I had on hand — for transporting.

TRANSPORT FOR AN INJURED PIGEON VIEW 1

MB drove me to The WBF...

THE WILD BIRD FUND

... where the intake person mentioned how remarkable it was that this creature survived the heavy rains of the past few days.

Out of an abundance of caution, convo exchanges between rescuers and rehabbers is extremely minimal and I neglected to ask how I might follow-up on his condition (they do not take phone calls).

Moreover, I “coulda” offered to release him in my garden, but the thought did not occur to me as I was focusing on helping him get the care he needed at the time.

On another note, my first experience in rescuing a pigeon and having him transported to The WBF is included in volume one...

WORDS IN OUR BEAK VOLUME ONE

... of my three hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY THREE VOLUME SERIES

I hope Tam will recover as one of my other rescuees (named Thursday) did under the care of The WBF, and if I'm able to find out Tam's prognosis, I'll be sure to post it on Facebook and on this blog.

An Injured But Resilient Pigeon

SAINT FRANCIS IS FEATURED IN MANY OF MY BLOG POSTS

I need Saint Francis's (whose image is imprinted on a copy of a prayer card which is posted atop this entry) intercession on a situation with a pigeon who visited my garden this past weekend. He is known to be the patron saint of animals (especially birds, which is something I referenced in a recent FB post).

In any event, this past Saturday (10-10-2020) in the early evening, I noticed a pigeon in my outdoor space who did not seem to be doing very well. I had hoped to "capture" him in order to transport the creature to The Wild Bird Fund  (WBF) but since they were closed for the evening, my next best option was to "capture" him and make him comfortable for the night so I could take him to The WBF the next morning (which would be Sunday, 10-11-2020).

Years ago I learned about transporting injured or sick birds to The WBF so I knew this could be done but I was a little unsure of how I might keep this unfortunate pigeon comfortable over night so I phoned the Brooklyn based pigeon advocate (and artist extraordinaire), Tina Pina AKA Mother Pigeon (who graciously called me back with helpful tips) to seek her advice as I could not reach bird rehabber Amanda Remsberg  (AR) whom I usually contact when I have questions re birds in need.

But it turned dark outside very quickly and so it was impossible to see anything but I prepared my rescue and transport supplies to ensure I'd be ready for Sunday's mission.

I did not see my visitor in the morning but he was there in the afternoon and I was able to determine he could fly but was injured. Plus I could hear a thumping sound when he limped across my terrace.

However, in spite of my past successes with swooping up a bird in order to take him/her to The WBF, I could not grab this guy, but I could take pictures of him (seen in the next sequence of photos)...

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOK SERIES

... and contact AR about this for a form of "tele-med" (via Facebook Messenger). The following is a copy of our correspondence that was based on the images posted above.

ME: Here is what my limping visitor looks like. I thought from the face he/she is a youngster BUT from what you said about the feet, I may be way off. I'm not confident I'll be able to "grab" te bird in order to transport him/her /to the WBF, but I can hear "thumping" (from a limp) when the bird moves  about. Thanks again for your time.

AR: Yea, he does look young with that knobby pale beak.  Such pretty colors.  I hope he will be ok.  The placement of his feet doesn’t look like a broken leg, maybe just soft tissue damage.  Tis a hard life for a pigeon in the city. 💕

ME: He's out there right now and I guess I should just let him alone because I can't capture him and he may be safer here?

AR: Hopefully.

ME: Hopefully indeed. It's hard to her him thumping about and not be able to provide relief.

UPSHOT: It is now Monday(10-12-2020) and a cold rain is falling heavily but I am keeping my eye out for the pigeon and ready to continue to take action in order to transport him to The WBF. I truly care about this pigeon's well being. 

As some of you may know, pigeons are featured within my three volume hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak which are available wherever book are sold get your copies now and please stay tuned for updates on the pigeon featured in today's post.

MY BOOK SERIES

Remembering What Would've Been John Lennon's 80th Birthday

John Lennon's song, "Imagine," was the class song chosen for your truly's graduating class.

AND the "Imagine" circle (seen in the image directly above) honoring John Lennon is very near to where I live. Moreover, I've written about him in a number of blog posts as well as in an article for I Love The Upper West Side. BUT it slipped my mind that a couple of days ago, October 9th 2020, would've been his 80th birthday, or more correctly, it slipped my mind that a couple of days ago was October 9th!

It is SO hard to keep track of what day it is during this cornavirus pandemic but it's not to late to pay belated birthday homage to the dearly departed John Lennon.

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.

Thursday's Testimony: There are times when care taking is for the birds.

A CARETAKER

It's no secret that there is a lot (understatement) of negative content both on Twitter as well as Facebook. 

Moreover, there is a lot of negative content about pigeons. But every now and then (if not more than now and then) a heart-warming "story" is shared. 

Here is one of them:

As you can see from the image directly above an eldery man is in a hospital laying on his side in a bed and a pigeon is sitting on his blanket. Supposedly “the nurse who took this photo said the following: ‘This elderly patient was admitted to the hospital three days ago and during those three days no family members came to visit or take care of him. The nurse who took this photo said that a pigeon came two days ago and stayed in his bed for a long time ..’. Later it was learned that he always fed the pigeon when he was sitting on the bench in the park near the hospital …”

Not sure if any of this story is true, but I do know from my experience in assiting with rescuing a pigeon in my rooftop garden, as well as with my observing other pigeons who visit my place, they are very smart. 

After all pigeons truly helped out during war time.

As readers of this blog may know, pigeons are featured in my three volume hardcover series, Words In Our Beak.

MY THREE VOLUME BOOK SERIES

Another New Yorker Wears My Face-Mask

NEW YORK STATE LOGO

I love that NYC residents (for the most part) are wearing face-masks in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (the coronavirus). Hence in this post, I'm including (directly above) a copy of a modified I-HEART-NY image (that I saw uncredited on the web-page for the state of NY's Twitter account). I love it even more when they are wearing face-masks which I've designed. 

Therefore, this past Monday, I was thrilled, when by chance I happened to see my friend's (RF) partner (CM), who can be seen in the next image)...

MY DRAGONFLY-THEMED FACE-MASK

... at an outdoor space on the UWS, wearing my dragon-fly themed face-mask.

I knew RF had purchased my cardinal-themed mask back in June because she emailed me a picture of her wearing it (a copy of that particular image can be seen below and is one you might recognize as I've featured it in prior entries here on Blogger).

MY CARDINAL-THEMED FACE-MASK

If you'd like to see and or learn about my collection of face-masks (which include one with my kaleidoscopic image printed on it, as well as one that has my impressionistic black and white photo printed on it and of course the ones seen here), info can be found within a page on my website, patriciayoungquist.com

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.

It's Saint Francis's Feast Day

 Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of animals and environment and many web-sources concur, he could "be viewed as the original Earth Day advocate. Francis' devotion to God was expressed through his love for all of God's creation."

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.

Wednesday's Wisdom: Keep your eyes are on the sparrow....

HOUSE SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN WIOB VIEW 1

SOME BIRD TYPES FEATURED IN WIOB VIEW 2

You aren't living life to the fullest if you aren't appreciating Houses sparrows enjoying a puddle. As you can see from the images atop this entry, a young one changed her mind on spending time in a Central Park puddle, jumping out to move to the sidelines. Whatever the case may have been in this situation, the bird type seen here is featured in my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

Window Crash Victims Should Always Be Evaluated (Tuesday's Truths WK 197)

WINDOW CRASH VICTIM TAKEN TO THE WILD BIRD FUND

Whenever I'm having a bad day (which is all too frequently lately), I think I'm not so bad off as I needn't worry about having a window crash. This past Sunday (9-27-2020) I found the victim of such a tragedy on CPW (seen in the image directky above) on the UWS in NYC. 

I brought the creature to The Wild Bird Fund (WBF), but alas life was over for this sweet one.

This organizartion has recently been reporting that a large number of warblers have been involved in window crashes as this is migrating season. They have advised folks to bring birds they spot on the ground, who may appear dead, to their facility, as the bird could be alive, but very dazed and confused.

I did not think the sweet creature I came upon was alive, but I still took him/her to The WBF on the off chance I had misinterpreted his/her demise.

Unfortunately, this absolutely adorable innocent creature was dead upon arrival at The WBF, but I do take solace in taking this bird to them, because he/she will have a better burial than what might've occurred had his/her presence been ignored AND by my bringing a bird to The WBF, I think it increases their chances of raising awareness and/or obtaining funding.

By the way, The WBF along with a rescue story is referenced in my book series, Words In Our Beak.

Monday's Musings: White is still being worn! Labor Day 2020 Three Weeks Later

Today is Monday, September 28th and I realize the last time I published a post here on Blogger was on Sunday, September 20th 2020. Eight days is certainly not a long duration but if you follow this blog regularly, you know that I publish on a more frequent basis, so I aplogize to those of you who may have been expecting content during my mini absence. In any event, as of today, it will  be three weeks since 2020's Labor Day. My blog entry for that holiday discusses the question of wearing white after this holiday passes (in any given year) from  the point of view of Jewel, the Muscovy duck seen in the next image.

JEWEL HAS A STORY IN VOLUME THREE

After all, she wears white throughout the year. (Stories about her are featured story in volume three of my book series, Words In Our Beak).

MY BOOK SERIES

As you may know, dear reader, the stories within these books are all set in my rooftop garden. This is a place where various flora wear white after Labor Day, in fact in the case of my fall blooming anemone variety, known as 'Honorine Jobert' (and seen below), only begins to show her colors after Labor Day has come and gone.

ANEMONE FLOWERS 

ANEMONE FLOWERS

ANEMONE FLOWERS

ANEMONE FLOWERS

ANEMONE FLOWERS