My Garden-themed Note-Cards

I received a notification from Fine Art America (FAA) that "someone" purchased my greeting cards and one of them, A NYC Rooftop Garden is featured in the image atop this entry. 

The other one, Echinacea Triplets, can be viewed in the  screenshot directly below.

FAA does not disclose the name of a given buyer but every now and then a buyer lets me know which is the case with GK, the woman who purchased these cards. She notified me that she had bought them and I'm grateful for the sale and that she took the time to let me know. GK and I met over ten years ago when Vivianne Tvilling (owner of äskling a boutique that was on the UWS for a number of years) had an event.

As for these particular cards, they feature views of my garden, which is the setting for my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.  These are directed to children and adults who are curious about gardening as well as birds and want to learn about them from a unique perspective.

MY BOOK SERIES

The stories are set in my garden and these books are narrated by a female cardinal whose picture is on the cover of each volume. 

They make a perfect gift anytime but especially during the Easter season which began on April 14th 2021 and lasts until May 23rd.

Rocking in the treetops? (I don't think so)

The bird (American robin) featured in the sequnce of photographs atop this entry is not exactly "rocking in the tree tops" nor is he "singing his song," but he seems to enjoy being in an Ailanthus, although not half as much as I enjoyed having him in my midst.

American robins are referenced in volume three of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

The goal of these books is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in a rooftop urban garden (mine) in New York City, my story is told in the voice of Cam, a female cardinal, who visits it. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. 

These books make a perfect gift any time but especially at Easter, the season began this past Sunday, April 4th and lasts until May 23rd 2021.

Easter Figurines are Re-reading "Words In Our Beak" (Tuesday's Truths WK 210)

For this 210th segement of my Tuesday's Truths series, I'd like to say I'm so thrilled that my Easter-loving friends (figurines) stopped by to re-read portions of my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak (which is featured in the photograph atop this post). 

Most everyone knows the Easter season is 50 days so they have plenty of time to re-read their favorite passages. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective.

MY BOOK SERIES

The stories are set in my garden and these books are narrated by a female cardinal whose picture is on the cover of each volume. 

They make a perfect gift anytime but especially during the Easter season which this year lasts until May 23rd.

A Tale of a Pigeon Holding His Beak Open

This past June, I wrote (on Facebook) about an American robin with  an open-beak who was visiting my garden (that creature is featured in the image atop this entry) and I stated, "At first I thought he/she was a young American robin and holding his/her beak open in hopes of being fed. I thought this because the sweet-looking bird seemed to be looking around as he/she held his/her beak open. 

"Then I remembered that when it's hot (which it is today) some avian species will also resort to gular fluttering. The bird will open its mouth and “flutter” his/her neck muscles, promoting heat loss (think of it as the avian version of panting).

"But if truth be told, I don't know the motive behind my visitor's open beak, as he/she did not tell me. All I know is that the day is hot and an open beak is one way to beat the heat."

I did not see any birds with an open beak after that until last Saturday (4-3-2021) when I saw a pigeon with an open beak which had me concerned.

Meditation for Easter Sunday 2021

In addition to a lone American robin visiting my garden yesterday (4-3-2021), a pair of Mourning doves spent many hours here. They are featured in the image atop this entry.

I am comforted being in their presence which is not surprising, given the consensus is that this bird type "represents peace and safety. However, a pair of these doves, in literature, presents a picture of devotion, love, and friendship. The mourning doves are said to encourage healing, after one lets go of emotional baggage. They represent forgiveness, release, peace, and finally moving on, or forward."

I am certainly in need of healing physically (dental wise) but I’m also in need of emotional healing  (due to my feeling broken over re the actions of someone), so I welcomed these doves as well as any healing they can offer.

Holy Saturday 2021

It is such a blessing to be visited by a robin anytime but especially on Holy Saturday (which is today). Did you know that robins (the bird type featured in the image direcly above) are associated with a tale about the crucifixion of Jesus?

The 17th Evening: An Inspiration to Decorate

A #ClapBecauseWeCare Participant

The 17th night of clapping and cheering (that has been dubbed #ClapBecauseWeCare) to honor first responders and healthcare workers who are keeping New Yorkers as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic took place last night.

I did not expect to see or hear so many participants tonight as it coincided with the evening of Easter and also an evening in Passover, BUT, much to my pleasant surprise, MANY participated (one an be seen in the image atop this entry and others in the series directly below)...

Easter Sunday 2020

In a recent post on my personal Facebook Page, I made a commitment to share a poem a day during the month of April in honor of this being National Poetry Month.

In the event the text of this poem too small or too pixelated within the golden backdrop that I created as an image, here's a copy of Oliver's poem:

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful
than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon
and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone–
and how it glides again
out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower
streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance–
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love–
do you think there is anywhere, in any language
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure
that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you
as you stand there
empty-handed–
or have you too
turned from this world–
or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

Because it is now Easter morning, I chose The Sun, by Mary Oliver, for today's selection to post there but wanted to share it here too. Re this poem, Robin Bates writes, "I have periodically turned to Mary Oliver to provide Easter poems, even though she seldom speaks overtly about religion. A number of her lyrics reenact the progress of Easter week, from dark suffering to miraculous release and ecstatic union with the divine. In 'The Sun,' Oliver’s main focus is on the moment of transcendence."

Palm Sunday then (2011) and Now (2020)

IMAGE CREDIT

Today is Palm Sunday 2020 also known as the beginning of Holy Week, which will ends on Easter, a season that then lasts for fifty days.

This 2020 Palm Sunday is like none I've ever known as is the case for people throughout the world affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which is forcing (as a precaution) houses of worship to remain closed to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus.

Therefore, for today's entry, please allow me to revisit some content I published re this holiday back in a 2011 blog post titled A&P Catholics.

On 2011's Palm Sunday my morning routine was what I had I have been doing since the year 2002 or 2003: I went to the Seventy-Fourth Street Home (known as The Home) — an ecumenical assisted living center in the Upper Westside of Manhattan, to visit the homebound, and to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion.

However, on Palm Sunday 2011, we had no hosts, and we could only offer palms; not communion.

The reason for this was that there were throngs of people at the mass (where the hosts are picked up prior to coming to The Home) and the priest ran out of hosts.

The residents at The Home were good natured about their loss, and not surprised that there were not enough hosts to go around, for it is common knowledge that throngs of people do show up at mass on Palm Sunday; as well as Ash Wednesday: The "A  & P" Catholics.

"But I bet the church did not run out of offertory envelopes," a male resident named Vincent (who happens to be blind and who can be seen in the next picture) quipped.

VINCENT IS FEATURED IN "THE RESIDENTS"

Vincent is the author of Wino in a Three Piece Suit, and is dry-humored remark had caused another resident Mada (pictured below) to laugh heartily.

MADA IS FEATURED IN THE RESIDENTS

Vincent and Mada are featured in a short video within my Vimeo Library.

It is titled, The Residents, and includes a few of the other folks who were living there  at the time of this Palm Sunday humor.

Today will likely be a difficult time for residents who still live there as well as for residents of any assisted living facility throughout the world, as places like that are on lockdown meaning their loved ones and friends cannot come in to visit them as per the concerted effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Hopefully the faith of those confined to these facilities and the faith of everyone in the world will sustain them this Palm Sunday and beyond.

Wednesday in the 2019 Octave of Easter

Today is Wednesday in the Octave of Easter. And it is also Wednesday of Earth Week (since Earth Day was celebrated this past Monday. I've written about the event in prior entries here on Blogger.

This year, I'm honoring the official holiday a couple of days later with this poignant Peanuts Comic Strip featuring Woodstock doing the right thing. There is nothing I can add to Schulz's strip except refer you to bit of history re it, which may be found by clicking here.

Tuesday in the 2019 Octave of Easter

THE STORIES ARE SET IN MY ROOFTOP GARDEN

THE STORIES ARE SET IN MY ROOFTOP GARDEN

It is Tuesday in the Octave of Easter for 2019 and my first day back on Blogger since last Thursday when I notified you, dear reader, that I would be returning to blogging at this time; so, welcome to my 123rd segment of Tuesday's Truths.

I'm not the only one returning to activity: Bees have begun to visit my garden! I have not seen them at my place for years and I'm very grateful for whatever has brought them back! I suspect they like my Muscari which are the purple flowers seen in both images atop this entry.

REMINDER NO POSTING UNTIL 4/23/2019

IMAGE CREDIT

IN ORDER TO CONCENTRATE ON THE COMING HOLY DAYS, THIS WILL BE MY LAST POSTING UNTIL THE TUESDAY AFTER EASTER (WHICH WILL BE 4-23-2019).

Monday's Musings: Dyngus Day 2018 ETC

Today is Easter Monday and on 2017's Easter Monday I wrote about the significance of the Monday after (here on Blogger) Easter, saying, "according to Wiki, 'Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is a holiday in some countries. Easter Monday in the Western Christian liturgical calendar is the second day of Eastertide and analogously in the Byzantine Rite is the second day of Bright Week.'"

In the country of Poland, the Monday after Easter is known as Dyngus Day, which is also spelled Dingus Day. A web-page within Holiday Insights (HI) describes this occasion as "a fun Polish Holiday (and explains that )"it is very popular in Poland, and in Polish communities across America. After the long Lenten holiday, Dyngus Day is a day of fun. And, perhaps a little romantic fun. It is always celebrated on the Monday after Easter." 

Easter Triduum 2018

IMAGE CREDIT

The Easter Triduum for 2018 began last evening and out of respect for events associated with the triduum, I don't plan to be posting until this coming Monday.

Easter Monday Musings

Today is Easter Monday (for the image credit re the picture above, click here). And according to Wiki, "Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is a holiday in some countries. Easter Monday in the Western Christian liturgical calendar is the second day of Eastertide and analogously in the Byzantine Rite is the second day of Bright Week."

In any event, this year's Easter season did not find me participating in organized religious services (other than Ash Wednesday), as I have felt alienated from my parish, and my attempts to worship elsewhere have been futile. Moreover, for the most part, church going folks have been the ones to let me down while those who don't attend services have been supportive of me.

However, this past Friday, which was Good Friday, I had planned to attend a service at a church other than my own. This was because someone who lives out of state had contacted me in early March to let me know that she would be in NYC, and wanted me to go to church with her on that date.

She also mentioned that she intended to introduce me to someone influential who might be helpful to me in advancing my endeavor with my collection of fauna-flora-insect-themed postcards and or my book, Words In Our Beak Volume One. 

In our last conversation, we agreed that she'd phone me on the Wednesday prior to Good Friday, and when she did not do so, I messaged her (via FB) the following day (Holy Thursday) to which she replied saying that she'd phone me later that day.

Thursday went without me hearing from her. And Good Friday went without me hearing from her, which was disappointing. However, on that day, I was truly blessed by an occurrence, which may not have been the case had I not been home!

Easter Sunday 2017

Today is Easter Sunday and for those of you who celebrate this holiday, I wish you a blessed one.  As for me, I am a bit dry when it comes to organized celebrations of this blessed time. It was quite an effort for me to put out my Easter figurines this year; and if you follow me on social media, you might recall that in by gone years I've created story-lines for my whimsical visitors who visit my main living area where they spend time in my armoire (as seen above) and atop my set of benches (as seen in the following image).

The figurine on the top shelf at the left can be seen in a close-up below, taken when she was sitting in my rooftop garden...

... prior to me de-winterizing it (unwrapping the containers which house my flora), and reading a draft copy of Words In Our Beak Volume One, prior to it being converted from digital into the soft-cover format that is now available in the MagCloud Store.

But getting back to my visiting figurines, as you may recall, dear reader, they also spend time in my succulent garden which is atop an armoire that is in my kitchen (see photo below);

and this year is no exception! Even a pouty chick admired them from a "ledge" above my stove,

which is across from the armoire. I'm grateful that these whimsical characters have the power to distract me from my moments of spiritual dryness, especially at Easter time!

FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop urban garden in New York City. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

Tuesday's Truths WK 35: Mourning Doves "PLAY POSSUM"

The image atop this entry shows a lone mourning dove in my garden, which as you may know, is on a "roof extension" in NYC. At first glance you might think that the dove has an injured wing which is exactly what he wants you to think! Doves do use the broken wing tactic to draw predators away from a nest site. 

Welcome to the thirty-fifth segment of Tuesday's Truths, where I will tell you a fact about this behavior known as the broken wing tactic. Young mourning doves are referred to as "squabs." 

And as an informative web-page states, squabs are "devoted parents rarely leave the nest or their young unattended. If danger is detected near them, they will perform  nest-distraction displays, such as a broken-wing display, during which they flutter on the ground pretending to be injured and easy prey -  to draw the predator's attention to them."

When I see mourning doves doing this, I say they are playing possum. This is because "apparent death, colloquially known as playing dead, feigning death, or playing possum, is a behavior in which an animal takes on the appearance of being dead. This form of animal deception is an adaptive behavior also known as tonic immobility or thanatosis. Apparent death can be used as a defense mechanism or as a form of aggressive mimicry, and occurs in a wide range of animals;" according to Wiki.

However, my seeing the dove behave this way could also be that he may have been sunning himself, even though it was not that warm. WBU explains that a mourning dove's "instinct to sunbathe even when already heat-stressed, supports the idea that it’s not always to warm the body. Like humans they probably enjoy a few rays but their main reasons for sunning must be to keep their feathers in top shape. Some ways birds maintain feather quality is through water, dust, and sun bathing.

"Most birds have a preen gland or uropygial gland at the base of the tail. With their beak, birds realign the barbs correctly, remove any dirt or parasites and apply preen oil. If the bird sunbathes the oil is exposed to the ultraviolet light from the sun. Then the uropygial gland secretions convert to an active form of vitamin D which is ingested with the next preening. This may explain in part why some birds sunbathe.

"However, doves don’t have the preen gland. Instead they grow powder down feathers that grow continuously and never molt. The barbs at the feather tips constantly disintegrate into a fine, talc-like, water-resistant powder. If you’ve ever seen a window strike by a dove, you may have seen a “ghost bird” on the glass. This is actually a tracing of the bird left on the glass by its powder down.

"In late summer doves are growing new outer feathers. Like ironing our clothes, the heat of the sun might help make it easier for doves to shape their new feathers. And along with easing discomfort associated with molting, the sun may also help dislodge parasites so the bird can preen them off more easily."

Perhaps the dove I saw was doing a bit of both: grabbing some Vitamin D while he could (as we've had very little sun); while feigning an injury so he could take a nap, as evidenced by his closed eyelids.

Julie Feinstein writes male and female mourning doves "have a small dark comma-shaped mark on both sides of the head below and behind the eyes. Their eyes are dark brown and ringed about with pastel blue skin. Their eyelids are blue, too -- one of my favorite things is to find a mourning dove asleep with its powder blue eyelids showing." And I feel the same way way when I see mourning doves do this, it is peaceful sight.

A Little Shop On A Corner

The photograph atop today's blog entry is a partial view of an awning that belongs to an exquisite  little shop known as More & More Antiques. It is located on the southwest corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West Seventy-Eighth Street, which is on the Upper Westside in New York City.

I am thrilled; as well as humbled and honored; to announce that Steve Mohr, the sole proprietor of More & More Antiques has decided to feature my fauna-flora-insect themed postcards in his precious shop!

Each postcard has an image on it that has been included in the book, Words In Our Beak Volume One, which is book that is set in  rooftop garden in NYC and the story is told from the perespctive of a female cardinal.

As you may recall, dear reader, I featured images of these particular postcards in a prior post here on Blogger and they are on my web-site, which was designed by Chris Deatherage.

In any event, Steve Mohr's place has been there for over twenty-five years. Mohr's vast knowedge of antiques, coupled with an excellent eye for spotting unusual and interesting collectible pieces, guarantees a fun experience to anyone who goes there.

In addition to offering unique collectibles, More & More Antiques has wonderful items for the home, especially for the various holidays. The way in which the shop's owner, Steve Mohr, displays them is magical! I confess that his talent in positioning the whimsical figurines (which he sells during the various holiday seasons) has inspired a number of the "stories" that I've written for hometalk.

Steve's displays, as well as the helpfulness of Nancy Nelson Mancini (who works there), have been the inspiration (whenever figurines are involved) for entries here on Blogger (as well as tumblr and Facebook) that have to do with New Year's, Three Kings Day, Valentine's Day, Saint Patrick's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any patriotic holiday.

If you find yourself in NYC, dear reader, I encourage you to visit More & More Antiques (at 378 Amsterdam Avenue) to check out my postcards and other items in his amazing store! What a treat for me it is to have my cards represented in such a magnificent place!

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The non-hardcover version (or versions)  of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

EGGS-TRA-ORDINARY FACTS re EGGS

The two images atop this blog entry feature different views of a guy known as Lil Devil. You may recognize him, for he was included as a wedding guest at a ceremony that I wrote about on here on Blogger this past Monday, which was also Halloween. 

Lil Devil can be seen in the fourteenth image included in that post. And in that particular image, he can be seen standing next to the bride! Lil Devil has been coming to my place for Halloween related festivities for a number of years, and at one point he participated in a competition that I wrote about for hometalk. And the following year, Lil Devil was included in an entry on that same venue; an entry which touched on the value of old as well as new friends.

Yesterday, November 2nd, as he was preparing to leave for the year, Lil Devil let me in on an eggs-tra special secret re a holiday that I had not known about: National Deviled Egg Day! Evidently this holiday always occurs on November 2nd. I've had a craving for deviled eggs ever since he shared this information with me!

The Octave of Easter in 2016

Today is the Octave of Easter and this marks the end of the Easter Tide for 2016. However, it is not the end of the Easter season, which continues until Pentecost Sunday, which will occur on May 15, 2016.