When "Irish Eyes Are Smiling," they are probably reading "Words In Our Beak"

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, dear reader.  Mine has been made more so by my annual Irish visitors (an array of figurines). I'm happy to say they still enjoy reading my three volume hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak — as evidenced in the image atop this entry.

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. 

They make a perfect gift for someone who may be in quarantine or lockdown due to consequences of the coronavirus because the stories in them can bring the outdoors into the homes of those who cannot go out and about.

Another Surprise Visit Tuesday's Truths WK 167

MOCKINGBIRDS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME THREE

Yesterday as part of due diligence re the authorities request for folks to stay in as much as possible in order to minimize the amount of people outside during this frightening Coronavirus spread, I was rewarded for my efforts as my garden was visited by a few bird varieties whom I could observe from my windows.

Saint Patrick's Day 2019

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, dear reader! As you can see, I'm honoring it with a cartoon by Dan Regan, that's posted atop this entry and was sent to me in bygone years.

Sunday's Sequel: It's a Northern Pintail Duck!

My photos that are atop this entry were featured in this past Friday's blog post (albeit without arrows affixed to them). At the time of that entry, the identity of the duck who is swimming in a body of water within Central Park (where the arrow is pointing) was unknown to me, but I reached out in a Facebook post today and got my answer!

Saint Patrick's Day 2018

IMAGE CREDIT

Today is St. Patrick's Day, and I wish all of those who celebrate it a safe and happy one! As for me, I've written about the holiday a number of times (including entries here on Blogger, so please click this to read those posts).

In Honor of Saint Patrick's Day

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, a couple decided to re new their vows in the presence of their Irish friends. The event took place at a wooden church, which they posed in front of after the ceremony took place, as seen in the photo atop this entry. A close-up of the happy couple can be seen below,

and, if you follow me on Blogger, then you probably see a lot of familiar faces in the first image.

Wednesday's Wisdom: 2017's March Arrival! Will it be as a fierce lion? OR Will it be as a docile lamb? (What about a pig?)

The beginning of the month of March, which is today, seems to beg the discussion of rather the month will come in like a lion and go out like a lamb or vice-versa. And hence, my premise for this week's Wednesdays Wisdom.

I recently read that "the origin of the March Lion & Lamb can be traced... to ancient times and (to) those who watched the stars... March begins as the Constellation Leo is crossing toward the meridian. Leo is the Lion. As Leo marches away, the Constellation Aries begins to rise toward the end of the month. Aries is the ram: What many lambs will become someday!"  

At the advice of my visiting figurine (pictured above in a photograph showing him spending time in my indoor garden, during last year's Saint Patrick's festivities), I suggest we give the lion, as well as the lamb, a break, and, proclaim that the month of March comes in with a pig! This would make sense since the first of March is the day set aside as National Pig Day .

On another note, this particular March first coincides with Ash Wednesday. And, today, rather the month comes in like a lion, or a lamb, or one decides to honor a pig, for many Ash Wednesday, is a reminder that we are all dust, and to dust we will return.

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.

The Luck of the Irish — NOT SO LUCKY FOR PIGS!

A little over three weeks ago, March 1, 2016, I announced here on Blogger that it was #NationalPigDay. In that entry, I had pictures of pigs that have visited my home from time to time, including a different image of the pig that is featured in the photo (accompanying this entry) of her in my succulent garden, where she has been spending the month of March.

The month of March is known as Irish American Month, and today, March 17th, NYC will have its annual parade. The parade is in honor of this heritage, and in honor of of Saint Patrick’s Day.

At the time that I posted my March 1st entry re pigs, I did not know that they are a part of Saint Patrick’s history, but since that posting, I’ve read the following:

“…when (Saint) Patrick was traveling with some sailors on land after they docked their ship in Britain, they had trouble finding enough to eat while crossing through a desolate area of land. The captain of the ship on which Patrick had sailed asked Patrick to pray for the group to find food, since Patrick had told him that God was all-powerful. Patrick told the captain that nothing was impossible for God, and he prayed for food right away. Miraculously, a herd of pigs appeared after Patrick finished praying, in front of where the group of men was standing. The sailors caught and killed the pigs so they could eat, and that food sustained them until they were able to leave the area and find more food…”

I don’t eat meat and have an appreciation for these creatures as Charlotte (from Charlotte’s Web) did! Therefore I found this information to be disturbing! For while pigs may have met luck to the persons traveling with Patrick, this animal type was not so lucky…

Hat Trivia

One may carry a pot of gold. One may carry a pumpkin. But this leprechaun (first image top) and pilgrim (second image top) have similarities: They both enjoy spending time in my succulent garden, albeit during different times of the year!

However, no matter the season, they both wear nearly the same head gear! So… my question to them has been: Why a buckle on a hat?

They each had the same answer which is this: “Simple. Our hats are based on the one-size-fits-all pattern. The buckle is for a ‘belt’ which you use to adjust the crown to the head size!" (And I thought baseball caps were the first adjustable headwear….)

Seductive Looking Easter Bunny Causes Irish Eyes To Smile!

The day before yesterday — here on Blogger — I introduced you to a a girl who is visiting my succulent garden for Irish American Month. And yesterday she introduced me to one of her traveling companions, who happens to be a musician.

Both of them are well acquainted with an Irishman, who has also been traveling with them. And they've told me that he has a thing for the ladies. He can be seen here (in the image above) with an Easter bunny, who has arrived to help prep my succulent garden for Easter, which is only nineteen days from today!

She was doing some watering in my succulent garden, while wearing some very skimpy clothing, as she had a case of Spring Fever now that the weather is warming up a bit!

You can see that her attire — or lack of attire — was appreciated by the visiting Irishman, whose Irish eyes were smiling!

Like my visiting bunny, I also got a bit motivated by the warmer temps, as well as the weather reports, that announced the prediction of even warmer ones coming our way!

Visitor Arrives In Honor of Irish American Month!

This is the first time that whimsical characters are visiting my indoor succulent garden in honor of Irish American Month, which occurs annually in March. Saint Patrick's Day is eleven days from now, and the figurine pictured here has suggested I get moving along if I want to prepare any treats for the upcoming holidays, something she has already done! This is evidenced by the platter of Irish Oatmeal Cookies she has on the platter that she is holding in her photo-op.

I'm not skilled at baking holiday treats, which is something I confessed (on Fb on Saint Patrick's Day in 2014), when I wrote about a NYC treat shop that featured special Rice Krispie Treats that were designed for the Irish Holiday (you can refer to this Fb entry by clicking here).

In any event, if I were to be good at baking, I probably would need to do it much closer to the actual holiday, to avoid eating any goodies before I had the chance to share them!

The Consequence of Reporting on Sturnus vulgaris (European starlings)

On Sunday, March 16th 2014, the day before a number of folks were due to celebrate the Saint Patrick's Day holiday, I realized another holiday was taking place. The holiday I am referring to is the 124th anniversary of the arrival of the bird type known as Sturnus vulgaris (European starlings) in New York City, the city where I live and have an urban garden that this bird type is now visiting. It appears they truly enjoy noshing here as evidenced by the photos above.

Happy Lá Fhéile Pádraig — Saint Patrick's Day (Enhance any of your celebrations with . . . "Dogwood Yawning")

Top of the mornin' to you, dear reader, with a salutation that you are likely to hear on this day, Lá Fhéile Pádraig — Saint Patrick's Day ( a day which provides an excuse to hoist a green beer to celebrate), but did you know that this greeting actually comes from New Zealand and not Ireland? This bit of trivia was brought to my attention when I spent time in Galway, Ireland, some years ago, and learned that New Zealanders coined the phrase — because they believe they are at the top of the world. Whether the phrase belongs to the Irish or not, the color green seems to, and the city of Chicago honors the Irish by dying Lake Michigan a kelly green color.