My intrigue with wild birds continues to bring me joy. Tuesday's Truths WK 232

Yikes! It's been a week since I returned to my Tuesday's Truths series (with no post in between)! Not the best of practices for returning to this blog but all I can say is Neurofibromatosis health issues continue to interfere. GRRRRR!

But fortunately, in spite these obstacles, my intrigue with wild birds continues to bring me joy.

The other day a female cardinal who visited my rooftop garden caused me to spend quite a bit of time just watching her apparent interest with something on a pole (or near to it) that's in the northeast corner.

I took photographs of her antics and two of those images are featured atop this entry.

This scenario of the cardinal mesmerized by whatever was on the pole or near to it, along with me being enthralled by the whole scene caused me to think of the quote within the text based image seen directly below.

Image Credit

In any event, and as many of you know, my fascination with female Northern cardinals has been going on for a long time and this type of creature is featured in my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak, where the stories are told from the perspective of this bird type. 

Tuesday's Truths WK 231: Determination Helps

My return back to blogging (although I don't know how long I'll continue) is fairly recent, but for now I'm here, and back in the day when I was more active here on Blogger, I had a series that I called Tuesday's Truths.

The last time I posted something within this series was February 2, 2022 after I had endured a surgical procedure on my brachial plexus which was prior to subsequent Neurofibromatosis-related set backs. 

Today I'm adding this episode to the series.

It is inspired by a determined American robin who visited my rooftop garden this afternoon.

The creature became an inspiration for me to persevere, for as I was looking out my back door to my garden, and didn't see "a giant doin' cartwheels" [or a statue wearin' high heels]," I DID see a robin whose eyes were bigger than his beak, as evidenced by the photos atop this entry which feature this creature grappling with Concord grapes that had been on a plate atop a table in may garden.

I was determined to take photos of my avian visitor even though it was a bit hard to hold my DSLR and maintain my balance since I'm still wearing a soft-shoe cast and need a cane to get around, but I did what I could (albeit with a blurry result) knowing this bird was accomplishing what he/she could in an attempt to grab a grape.

Moreover, this "entertainment" was a great distraction from the rhetoric occurring on this Election Day and it was a nice "respite" from my ongoing battle with the recuperation from my August 14th 2024 foot surgery.

FYI, American robins (as do many other birds) always add delight to the atmosphere in my garden.

As you might recall, my garden is the setting for most of my bird-themed books and American robins are just one of many bird types included within my stories. 

Today, 2/02/22, is known as Twos-day! Tuesday's Truths WK 230

Welcome to my two hundred and thirtieth segement of Tuesdy's Truths.  I realize my last  post re this series was published on November 16th 2021, a little over two months ago and that particular post was published soon after I had an accident which resulted in my needing to have a surgical procedure known as Open Reduction/Internal Fixation Surgery.

Upon discharge from that surgery I had to wear a pump for a couple of days...

.... unfortunately something with the pump malfunctioned and I nearly died as a result.

Short Notice Tuesday's Truths WK 229

I've been a bit preoccupied with logistics re my upcoming surgery and didn't realize that Fine Art America was offering a 25% off discount on my cards but for today only!

The artist is always the last to know!

You might NEVER have an understanding of life's secret! (Tuesday's Truths WK 228)

Have you ever walked along the shoreline and felt as if you were really approaching an understanding of life’s secret, when suddenly you spot shorebirds using their long orange beaks to search for food and are immediately humbled into an understanding that you might never know life’s secret?

This question is posed in IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS, my newest book which is available in Apple's Bookstore.

On another note, the bird type I'm referring to and who can be seen in the photo directly above is an American oystercatcher and is featured in volume three of my hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak, which is available on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be back to "normal" this year of 2021! (Tuesday's Truths WK 227)

The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be back to "normal" in this year of 2021! 

Please click here to read my article.

Mourning doves concur with Thoreau's sentiment! (Tuesday's Truth WK 226)

It's National Pumpkin Day and my visiting Mourning doves concur with Thoreau's sentiment (being quoted in the image atop this entry). 

As you may know, dear reader, National Pumpkin Day, Mourning doves and Thoreau are all topics I've covered on this blog.

Week-ender bags, totes and pouches (featuring my photographs) are available on Fine Art America! (Tuesday's Truths WK 225)

My Tuesday's Truth for this 225th segement is to announce that week-ender bags, totes and pouches (where each have a selection has one of my photographs printed on them) are now available via FAA (Fine Art America).

Tuesday's Truths WK 224

Here is Tuesday's Truth for segement 224: My web article (that includes a few of my photos), titled Guess the Pumpkin's Weight — A Halloween Tradition, was published by iLovetheUpperWestSide yesterday morning. Howevever, I was unable to share the link to it because of the lengthy outages on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp that occured throughoout most of the day... so here it is now and I hope you enjoy it.

Sparrows are the most ubiquitous of birds! (Tuesday's Truths Episode 222)

Yesterday my country celebrated National Peanut Day and my blog post re it featured a male House finch, taking the oportunity to enjoy peanuts that are in a feeder which is in my garden. That bird type is hardly the only avian creature who comes to nosh on the peanuts which I offer, House sparrows nibble on peanuts when they grow older as evidenced in the image of one of my comic strips.

Photo-comics, as I've mentioned here on Blogger, are a means of sequential storytelling that use photographs rather than illustrations. The inspiration comes from photo-novels, also known as fumetti. They are popular in Italy and Latin America.

This aforementioned strip is included in my recently released book titled BIRD TALES.

It features a number of birds participating in a variety of activities and is dedicated to all birds and everyone who loves them. An interactive book for people of all ages to enjoy together and is now available via Apple Books.

Since I've titled this 22nd episode of my Tuesday's Truths series, "Birds are ubiquitous," let me share with you the fact that they live all over the world, throughout Northern Africa, Europe, the Americas and much of Asia. There are many more sparrows than humans — wherever humans go, House sparrows live!

This is because they feed on scraps that people leave behind! You can find them on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building and have even 2,000 feet underground in a mine.

These birds are also included in my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

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.

Rough roads BUT progress is being made.... (Tuesday's Truths Episode 221)

Image Credit

 

Checking with this 221st segement of my Tuesday's Truths series re an update from my last entry here on Blogger which was published on Friday, 8-6-2021 and where I stated, "I am fully aware that I haven't published a blog post in a little over a month but I plan to be back in the not too distance future. Thanks for staying tuned, dear readers."

The update is this: It is with great regret that I had to pull back on keeping up with my blog for I enjoy sharing my content with others (which I began doing on the date of 12-31-2009) and I've been humbled when hearing about the joy and insights my posts have given to readers.

At this juncture, I'm thankful to say that my physical therapy which I'm doing in an effort to avoid knee replacement surgery is going well...

... and I should be able to return to blogging soon!

On another positive note, I've been able to move forward on a digital, interactive book which is titled, Bird Tales.

At this juncture, I can only offer Bird Tales in digital format, but I’m still excited as I’ve been able to make it interactive, and I’ve included sound effects.

I’m having a few tech glitches in sending it off to Apple Books and hope to resolve them sometime between Thursday, September 2nd and Labor Day, Monday, September 6th.

I pray everyone in my Blogger community will stay tuned re this new endeavor, knowing I have not given up on making public educational presentations based on content in my three hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak.

My other book project, Imperfect Strangers (a project I've discussed in a number of entries here on Blogger) is complete... 

VIEW ON VIMEO
VIEW ON YOU TUBE

....and now that oportunities that were diminished due to consequences of the cornavirus pandemic are opening up again, I'm actively seeking agent representaion.

Blue jays continue to beat the heat in my garden! (Tuesday's Truths WK 220)

No, the  Blue jay seen in the picture atop this entry is probably not using his/her feathers as a means to hide from the camera.

It's National Aquarium and Zoo Month! (Tuesday's Truth WK 218)

Sharing a copy of a 1970's Peanuts strip (atop this entry) because the month of June, which begins today is known for many things, among them is bringing attention to aquariums.

In 1982, President Ronald Regan declared the month of June to be a time to learn more about them (as well as zoos) and this fact about the month of June, dear reader, is the essence of my 218th Tuesday's Truths segement.

What a differnce a week makes!

One week ago on May 23rd 2021, the “real feel” temperatures climbed into the 90's and in my last Tuesday's Truths segment, I mentioned how these conditions are very hard on our avian community. 

Today — one week later — the temperature is no where near those which occurred in that mini heat wave. They have been hovering at 52 degrees with real feel temps around 44 degrees, accompanied by a third day of steady, heavy rainfalls (which can be seen in the photograph atop this entry featuring a partial view of my rain-soaked garden.

A Bird's Form of Panting (to cool down) Tuesday's Truths WK 217

The “real feel” temperatures climbed into the 90's this past weekend and weather conditions like this are very hard on our avian community. I am very mindful of having fresh water for them but it is still very difficult for them to cool down in situations like this. One thing birds do to cool off is to open their beaks ever so slightly as the young European starling is doing in the picture atop this entry.

My Garden and Visiting Birds Were Violated! Tuesday's Truths WK 216

The photo atop this entry features a very compassionate Mourning dove (visiting my garden today) seemed to be "feeling the pain" of a lone American robin, also visiting my garden and who was staring forlornly at the area where my landlord violently ripped off my Autumn clematis vines this past Saturday. I'm now thinking there may have been a nest there. 

My garden as well as the insects and avian community who come here mean so much to me that it broke my heart to know such violence was done to them.

This is not the first time the landlord has hacked my flora, in 2019 he destroyed a large portion of my kiwi vines which I've had for over ten years. I'm doing my best to recover from the assault and to think of any recourse I might have.

On another note, and as some of you know, my garden is the setting for my three volume series hard-cover book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

They are directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. Over twenty-five bird types are featured in various books of the series, including Mourning doves and American robins.

"Leaving New York is Never Easy [for the one who leaves and the one he/she leaves behind]" Tuesday's Truths WK 215

For my 215th episode of Tuesday's Truths, I'm referring you to an article of mine that was published (yesterday) by "I love The Upper Westside." 

In it I discuss the truth that leaving New York is never easy [for the one who leaves and the one he/she leaves behind].

Bird Day 2021 (Tuesday's Truths WK 214)

Yesterday shortly after Juan V (JV) left from working with me in my garden, I had a visitor who happened to be a male Northern cardinal.

This incident was most welcome after having made my place more beautiful with yesterday's plantings. In any event the handsome creature is featured in the sequence of images atop this entry which serve as a play-by play to his discovering peanuts I had placed in a small petri-dish-style bird feeder, that hangs in close proximity to my lush pair of kiwi vines.

One of these vines is the narrator of my garden-themed movie, The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame...almost, which can be viewed on my You Tube channel and/or my Vimeo channel. 

In this mini movie, the vine talks about what it is like to live within my rooftop garden which is located on the Upper Westside of Manhattan.

A few years after this kiwi vine experienced nearly fifteen minutes of fame by talking about my place, a wildbird, known as a female cardinal named Cam, also expirenced fame by narrating a three volume book series about my place.

Tuesday's Truths WK 213: Lilies of the Valley can be deadly.

Lilies of the Valley (the flower type seen in the images directly above growing in front of a brownstone on the street where the building I live in is located), are not as innocent as they look, they can be deadly. 

I first was introduced to this flower type when my grandfather, seen in the picture directly below with a tree he had just planted.

His Lilies of the Valley grew alongside of the northern portion of his home which is off camera in this image. He might've been an influence in my liking trres and garden,s which is something I've discussed in one of my earliest posts here on Blogger.

I do not recall ever hearing about the dangers posed by Lilies of the Valley, but if you'd like to read about this phenomenon, dear reader, please allow me to refer you to an article published by The Spruce, and that dear reader, is my Tuesday's Truth for this two hundred and thirteenth segement.

I still need help. (Tuesday's Truths WK 212)

This past Saturday was phase three of my extensive, complicated, much needed dental procedure which I initially mentioned here on Blogger back in February and since that time have posted updates, the last one was on 4-7-2021.

In any event, as I stated, my procedure this past Saturday was phase three of the ordeal and although my time in the chair was much shorter, the procedure was awkward because something is going on with my gums near the area of the affected teeth and my malfunctioning bridge which have been involved.

So I'm not done yet. I have to return to the chair which is disheartening on one level, but it's good on another. This turn of events gives me a bit (a very little bit) of time to scramble for paid assignments and spread the word about my fundraiser.

That being said, last Saturday's appointment left me with a feeling of discouragement as well as a huge headache, so I took a brief walk in nearby Central Park.

During my stroll, I came upon an egret who was carrying a live fish in his beak as he flew across the pond to eat the creature. The following sequence of photographs is a "play by play" of the transport I witnessed. 

Upon my seeing this, I thought as bad as my day was going it was better than the fish who was in the grip of the egret's beak.