Sessions 60-62 (May 29-May 31)

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANTS

In spite of the recent violent protests that have taken place in NYC re the senseless murder of George Floyd, a number of people are still holding together in other forms of solidarity and #ClapBecauseWeCare sessions (tributes to first responders, healthcare professionals and essential workers who are keeping us safe during the coronavirus pandemic) continue to take place.

The photo-op directly atop this entry is from the 62nd session which occurred in my vicinity, a few hours ago his evening, Sunday, May 31st. The people seen here and have participated in the tributes on a regular basis.

Sunday's Scenario: To be the Teflon OR to not be the Teflon? That is the question!

IMAGE CREDIT

Snoopy's got this, PARTIALLY.... and it is definitely how I felt this past Sunday when I was verbally attacked for my having Neurofibromatosis AKA NF.

BUT I do realize I don't have to "suffer these indignities," I most likely will have to be subjected to them over and over again...

And I will remind Snoopy, we don't have to "suffer these indignities," THAT part (suffering them) is in our control; as a friend of mine said to me upon hearing about my unpleasant encounter this past Sunday, "BE THE TEFLON."

With today being the last day of this month of May (which is the month set aside for NF awareness month) perhaps the wisdom of being the Teflon is truly noteworthy (at least for me).

Facts re Decoration Day

CARTOON BY JOHN T. McCUTCHEON

The cartoon by John T. McCutcheon which is posted atop this Blogger entry, is featured within prior entries here on Blogger. It was initially published in the year of 1900, with a caption accompanying it stating: "You bet I'm goin' to be a soldier, too, like my Uncle David, when I grow up."

As most of you probably know, the 2020 Memorial Day holiday took place (in the United States) this past Monday, May 25th, as it is currently celebrated on the last Monday in May. Prior to it being celebrated on the last Monday in May, the traditional date for Memorial Day was May 30th.

Session 59

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

Session 59 for #ClapBecauseWeCare (tributes to first responders, health care professionals and essential workers who are keeping us safe during the pandemic) took place a few hours ago (Thursday, May 28th 2020). As usual many people took part in the tribute, but I only took a couple of photographs. One of them can be seen atop this entry.

Reunited with Turtles

TURTLES ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR ONE OF MY KALEIDOSCOPIC PRINTS

TURTLES ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR ONE OF MY KALEIDOSCOPIC PRINTS

TURTLES ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR ONE OF MY KALEIDOSCOPIC PRINTS

The turtles seen in the pictures atop this entry were seen by yours truly when I ventured out into nearby Central Park this past Sunday for the first time since March (at the initial time Governor Cuomo shut down New York and advocated for people to shelter in place).

I have been heeding the governor's plea for people to shelter in place in an effort to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) ever since the eve of March 21st and did not go out (with the exception of walking a few blocks to the postoffice, walking a few blocks to a bank and walking a few blocks to check the status of a local laundromat, which is two blocks away).

However, I had to go out on May 11, 2020, to my orthopedist as I was past my need to follow up on the injury I sustained to my Greater tuberosity this past January and two days later, I began physical therapy at a facility in my hood.

Other than the aforementioned occasions, I've not been outdoors except to water my rooftop garden and to stand in it when participating in nightly #ClapBecauseWeCare sessions (tributes that honor first responders, healthcare professionals and essential workers who keep people safe during the this COVID pandemic).

Under normal circumstances, I spend time in Central Park on countless occasions enjoying the array of flora growing there as well as seeing the many varieties of dogs, and observing wildlife, including numerous bird types, fish and turtles.

The ones included here were spending time in the lake as well as in Turtle Pond and seemingly not concerned about social distancing.

Session 58

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

Session 58 for #ClapBecauseWeCare (nightly tributes to first responders, health care professionals and essential workers who are keeping us safe during the coronavirus pandemic) took place last evening (Wednesday, May 27th). As usual many people took part in the tribute and three of them can be seen in the photos stop this entry.

An Unpleasant (but typical) Encounter

As many people know, I have been heeding the governor's plea for people to shelter in place in an effort to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) ever since the eve of March 21st and did not go out (with the exception of walking a few blocks to the postoffice, walking a few blocks to a bank and walking a few blocks to check the status of a local laundromat, which is two blocks away).

However, I had to go out on May 11, 2020, to my orthopedist as I was past my need to follow up on the injury I sustained to my Greater tuberosity this past January and two days after seeing this doctor, I began physical therapy at a facility in my hood.

Other than the aforementioned occasions, I've not been outdoors, except to water my rooftop garden and to stand in it when participating in nightly #ClapBecauseWeCare sessions (tributes that honor first responders, healthcare professionals and essential workers who keep people safe during the this COVID-19 pandemic).

In any event, this past Sunday I took a very short walk carrying my DSLR, which is something I've NOT done in the few times I've ventured outside.

I was wearing a hat and my sunglasses plus a face-mask (a standard one, I don't have the ones I created yet), which meant my facial features were nearly covered, but I had opened my jacket a bit as it was getting hot and it wasn't opened very far, only my neck and the pendant I never take off (except for medical procedures) were exposed to the elements as a result.

Be that as it may, during my short journey, I passed a man (who can be seen in the image atop this entry) selling fruit on the street and was taken by the fact that he was on Instagram (which was indicated in a large print sign attached to his stand).

Session 57

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

Session for #ClapBecauseWeCare  (tributes to first responders, health care professionals or essential workers who are keeping us safe during the coronavirus pandemic ended a couple) finished about two hours ago. As usual many people took part in the tribute. The woman in the image atop this entry is a regular participant.

Face-Masks Should NOT Be Hammocks! Tuesday's Truths WK 181

WOMAN WEARING MY KALEIDOSCOPIC MASK 

WOMAN WEARING MY DRAGONFLY-THEMED MASK

FEATURED IN SUNDAY's BLOG POST 

This past Friday night (5-22-2020), I received an email from PG (her pictures can be seen in the pictures atop this entry). In her correspondence, she included the aforementioned photos of herself "modeling" three styles of face-masks which are available via Fine Art America.

I initially  designed them in response to the need to wear them during the coronavirus pandemic coupled with the need to not look so frightening when complying with the request to wear them.

Memorial Day Evening 2020: Session 56

On this Memorial Day Evening at the fifty-sixth session of #ClapBecauseWeCare (a nightly event to honor first responders, health care professionals or essential workers who are keeping everyone safe during the coronavirus pandemic), there were a number of participants (a few of them can be seen in the following images).

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANTS

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

I heard someone playing "TAPS" in the distance, presumably doing so honor of the Memorial Day observance coinciding with a #ClapBecauseWeCare session, helping me to feel in spite of all that is going on, I LOVE NY MORE THAN EVER!

Memorial Day 2020

A BRAMHALL CARTOON

As many know, Memorial Day (which is being celebrated today), was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers.

But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971.

According to Wiki, "The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress' change of date within a few years.

"Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the unofficial beginning of summer. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to the original date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:

"Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.

"Starting in 1987 Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, introduced a measure to return Memorial Day to its traditional date. Inouye continued introducing the resolution until his death in 2012."

This fact re switching the date of the holiday may be the reason that a number of Americans seem to have forgotten the true meaning of this solemn day; as poignantly illustrated in the cartoon by Bramhall, seen in the image atop this entry.

Memorial Day Eve and Session 55

A RESIDENT HONORS MEMORIAL DAY 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and someone who lives across the courtyard and who is a regular participant in #ClapBecauseWeCare sessions (tributes to healthcare professionals, first responders and essential workers who keep people safe during the coronavirus pandemic), has put up an American flag, presumably to commemorate the solemn holiday.

Sunday's Sentiments

A SUPPORTER OF "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

This past Friday night (5-22-2020), I received an email from PG (her picture can be seen in the picture atop this entry) where she is posing a book-themed tote bag I created for my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

If this tote bag was looks familiar to you, dear reader, included in a prior post, when soon after it became available via Fine Art America (FAA).

TOTE  AVAILABLE VIA FAA

In any event, the aforementioned, PG, has read and reviewed all three books (seen in the image below) and you can read her reviews for each one via Amazon (the links are available within "my book information" blog entry).

MY BOOK SERIES

And to reiterate what I've been saying here on Blogger, "During this time where many people are confined to their homes due to lockdown restrictions (re the coronavirus pandemic), these books (whose stories are set in my rooftop garden) are great to have around as a reminder that there is still so much beauty in our fallen world."

As you can see in PG's image, she is wearing a face-mask designed by yours truly (which is featured in close-up view in the next photograph.

NORTHERN CARDINAL MASK AVAILABLE VIA FAA

I designed the masks in response to the need for folks to wear face-masks during the pandemic which is mentioned in a press-release describing them.

Patience and Fortitude

PATIENCE, THE LION, IS FEATURED IN VOL 3

On this day of May 23rd in 1911, the New York Public Library (NYPL) was dedicated. As many people know the library at Fifth Avenue and Forty-Second Street attracts visitors from all over the world, many of whom come to see Patience and Fortitude, the world-renowned pair of marble lions that stand proudly before NYPL's Beaux-Arts building.

According to a NYPL web-page, "Henry Hope Reed in his book, The New York Public Library, about the architecture of  the Fifth Avenue building, the sculptor Edward Clark Potter obtained the commission for the lions on the recommendation of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America's foremost sculptors. Potter was paid $8,000 for the modeling, and the Piccirilli Brothers executed the carving for $5,000, using pink Tennessee marble. After enduring almost a century of weather and pollution, in 2019 the lions were professionally cleaned and restored.  

Their nicknames have changed over the decades. First they were called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, after The New York Public Library founders John Jacob Astor and James Lenox. Later, they were known as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox (even though they are both male lions). During the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named them Patience and Fortitude, for the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression."

These names have stood the test of time: Fortitude sits to the north and Patience still guards the south side of the Library's steps as seen in the image atop this entry, which is included in volume three of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

I thought of these lions, or rather Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's reasoning for naming them Patience and Fortitude during last evening's (5-22-2020) session of #ClapBecauseWeCare (to honor the first responders, health care professionals and essential workers who are helping people get through this pandemic) because the personal traits of patience and fortitude are certainly possessed by those people.

Friday's Follow-Up #ClapBecauseWeCare Sessions 51+ 52

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

I'm bit behind in my coverage of the #ClapBecauseWeCare sessions that I've been participating in since March 30, 2020. These tributes are a small way to honor our first responders, health care professionals and essential workers who are keeping us safe during this COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. I joined in on March 29th, two days after the onset of the event and have been posting content about each one of them.

This morning's blog entry covers sessions that took place on Wednesday May 20th, as well as  Thursday (last night) May 22nd, and the photo atop this entry is from the May 20th session.

Throwback Thursday: "LIFE CAN'T WAIT" (Today's my video's one year anniversary.)

VIEW ON VIMEO
VIEW ON YOU TUBE

As of this blog entry, we only have ten more days left in the month of May, which happens to be known as Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month. I was born with this horrific condition and have attempted to raise awareness about it through postings here on Blogger as well as in my presentations (speaking engagements) including one I gave in December of 2018 at NYSEC (The New York Society for Ethical Culture).

Moreover, I've written a book, Imperfect Strangers, about living with Neurofibromatosis (NF) and today marks my one year anniversary of posting my video (the cover for it is posted atop this entry) about the book.

An Update Re My Crabapple Tree ETC

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR "WIOB"

So thankful that JV was able to come over yesterday and help me with my crabapple tree that topped over during severe winds that occurred in early April, which I wrote about on Blogger at the time. The "repaired" tree can now be seen on the left hand-side of the image (featuring a partial view of my garden) atop this entry.

It's so great to report the fact that my crabapple tree is now standing upright on her own (just to the north of my bouncer).

#ClapBecauseWeCare: The 50th Session (Tuesday's Truths WK 180)

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANTS

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANTS

#CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANTS

Tonight's #ClapBecauseWeCare session (which was number 50) showed just how creative people are becoming in documenting it! The images atop this entry shows a participant using a frying pan as an instrument while the woman who lives below him "filmed" him on her Apple computer!

In Memory of my Maternal Grandfather

MY GRANDFATHER MAKES A WISH

I'm thinking of my dearly departed grandfather, Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn, who was born on this day in 1903 (he died in the late 1970s.) The image atop this entry was taken on one of his birthdays in the early 1970's.

My grandmother can be seen helping him blow out his candles and my next youngest sister and I are behind them. We were told to "pose laughing," by my mother, who took the snap-shot when his cake caught on fire. (Our cousin Karl, who is for the most part of camera, is to my left).

#ClapBecauseWeCare Session Forty-Eight (Monday's Musings )

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

Last night (Sunday, May 17th) was the forty-eighth session of #ClapBecauseWeCare and in addition to a semi-regular participant (the young girl seen in the image atop this entry), a dog checked out the situation.

Saturday Night's Alright for Clapping/Cheering (A Briefing on Session 47)

As many of you may know, in compliance with our mayor and governor's wishes during this coronavirus pandemic, I have been sheltering in place (since the evening of 3/21/2020), and only leaving my apartment building on a handful occasions to do essential errands and keep medical appointments that could not be done via tele-med.

On one of those occasions, I saw a sign posted under some scaffolding in my hood and it can be seen in the photo atop this posting.

They're just like Horton!

IMAGE CREDIT

As has been my standard for a few years, on May the fifteenth, which is today, I find myself thinking of Horton, the Dr. Seuss character seen in the image atop this entry accompanied by text describing the fact that during the "heat of the day," while splashing about "in the cool of the pool," Horton heard  a small noise, and wanted to help.

In the event the narrative in the image is too pixelated to read, below is a copy of what it states:

On the 15th of May, in the jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing . . . enjoying the jungle’s great joys . . .
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise.

The story then goes on to say:

So Horton stopped splashing. He looked towards the sound.
“That’s funny,” thought Horton. “There’s no one around.”
Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
As if some tiny person were calling for help.
“I’ll help you,” said Horton. “But who are you? Where?”
He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there
But a small speck of dust blowing past though the air.

I thought of Horton during this evening's #ClapBecauseWeCare (a couple photos of our tribute can be seen in the following pictures) because healthcare professionals, first responders and essential workers, are like this Seuss character: they hear a cry and want to help.

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

As you can see in the latter of these two photos, the participant has a face-mask.  Wearing a face-mask is truly a sign of appreciation for our healthcare professionals, first responders and essential workers.

Thursday's Testimony: A Report on Session 45

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

GIUSEPPE AND TERESA
(He has taken a video of a session from his window.)

This evening marked session 45  of #ClapBecauseWeCare and many of the usual participants participated abd a few photos of them can be seen in the photos atop this entry.

European starlings got this: The Importance of Washing! Tuesday's Truths WK 179

EUROPEAN STARLINGS HAVE A STORY IN VOL 3 

EUROPEAN STARLINGS HAVE A STORY IN VOL 3

EUROPEAN STARLINGS HAVE A STORY IN VOL 3 

EUROPEAN STARLINGS HAVE A STORY IN VOL 3 

EUROPEAN STARLINGS HAVE A STORY IN VOL 3

Welcome to my 179th segment in my Tuesday's Truths series. This evening I was blessed to witness an avian creature adhering to the on going request/plea during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, which is to wash one's hands: A European starling visiting my garden seemingly understood the importance of washing too, as evidenced by these photo-ops (directly above) of this creature taking a bath in my garden.

#ClapBecauseWeCare Session 42

IMAGE COURTESY OF SUSAN MIRANDA

In my entry here on Blogger for last evening, May 10th, I mentioned that my brother-in-law would be getting the results from his COVID-19 test today, but, unfortunately (understatement) his results were among the 2,100 that were lost by the facility administering the test (as evidenced in the image atop this entry which was sent to me by my sister).

As for me, I learned at my orthopedist appointment (that I also referenced in the aforementioned post) he reasoning behind my severe pain (re my Greater tuberosity injury) and have been warned to expect it to continue for quite some time and eventually surgery may be warranted.

However, in the midst of my concern for my brother-in-law and my severe pain, I still participated in session 42 of the clapping/cheering/pan-playing tribute.

After all, our health care professionals, first responders and essential workers carry on in the midst of whatever their circumstances might be; it is the least I can do to show appreciation. As usual, I took a few pictures of the tribute and a couple of them can be seen below.

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT

A #CLAPBECAUSEWECAREPARTICIPANT