Sunday's Sequel Regarding Canadian Geese (The bird type featured in Friday's post.)

CANADIAN GEESE ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME 2

The photograph atop this entry features a prominent (and feisty) member of the Canadian Geese family. He/she is spending time in the lake within Central Park while a lone female Mallard duck (at the left) observes (with amusement) the silly goose.

Identifying with Pigeons who are Marginalized

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

Thanks to the long lens of my DSLR, I was able to observe the eyelids of a pigeon who stopped by my rooftop garden and sat on a pole which supports my string lights. Yes, I said that this bird sat on a pole supporting my string lights.

Stanley Tate (in a column) proclaims,"Pigeons sit on top of something rather than grip a perch. Their feet are fatter and shorter and their toenails are less curved."

This seems to be the case with the pigeon who visited my place the other day as evidenced in the photograph directly above as well as in the one directly below.

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

However, I wouldn't say that my visitor didn't "grip," for he/she seemed to do some gripping as evidenced in the next series of photographs.

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

The way in which this pigeon alighted on my pole was not the only action that caused me to be curious re his/her behavior, as states in my introduction, I initially noticed his/her lids were nearly closed; as seen in the first picture included within this entry, and the one directly below, my first thought was that he/she was about to take a nap.

PIGEONS ARE FEATURED IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

However, since I couldn't be certain this pigeon's eyelids indicated he/she was about to snooze, I did some research re the eyelids of pigeons and discovered some interesting facts. According to an unnamed general web-page in my Google search, "Pigeons, like humans, can see in colour, but unlike humans they can also see ultraviolet light, a part of the spectrum that humans cannot see. As a result, pigeons are often used in search and rescue missions at sea because of this unique sense combined with excellent all-round vision." 

It's hard for me (and it seems Stanley Tate feels the same way) to comprehend why pigeons are so marginalized. Tate proclaims, "Although there is no objective dividing line between the two, people tend to separate them in their thoughts and attitudes. Doves are seen as clean in feather and in heart, gentle, peaceful, calming; and they have pretty blue eyelids. Pigeons are viewed as grimy, poopy, pestilential, and they are utterly common. But the birds we call doves are no cleaner than the ones we call pigeons — even the most urban pigeon is scrupulously well groomed, iridescent, and tidy. Tar on its coralred feet, perhaps, but no dirtier than a country mourning dove."

Perhaps I identify with pigeons being marginalized because of the way I've been sidelined as a result of my physical appearance as a result of having been born with Neurofibromatosis as well as four eye ailments (Keratoconus, Monocular vision, Optic atrophy and Staphyloma).

More News Re 12/12/2018

Earlier today, I published an entry here on Blogger re the fact that today is Connie Francis's eightieth birthday and in it I discussed my association with one of her songs.

Now I'm "reporting" some other news re today's date. As many of followers of this blog might recall, I have four separate eye conditions: Keratoconus, Monocular vision, Optic atrophy, and Staphyloma.

This means I only have "counting fingers vision" in my left eye and only see out of my right with corrective eye glasses, adaptive computer equipment, and long camera lenses.

Today, 12/12/2018, I have an appointment (noted in the screen shot atop this post) to check on the status of my situation and am anticipating a good prognosis, but it's been a very hard year, enduring eye procedures from January-September.

Still, with Chris Deatherage's (CD) encouragement as well as his editing/formatting skills, I was able to complete and publish my book series, Words In Our Beak.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

In the first volume of the series, I reference the fact that the entire population of both male and female house finches (the bird type pictured below respectively) was nearly wiped out due to a type of eye trauma that impacted them.

THIS IS FROM A STORY IN VOLUME ONE

THIS IS FROM A STORY IN VOLUME ONE

These birds are also featured on a couple of my greeting cards...

Sunday's Sentiments: Catching a Dragonfly (and other beings) On Camera

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

"Yesterday a child came out to wonder Caught a dragonfly inside a jar..." are a couple of lines from Circle Game, a song by Joni Mitchell. These words are on my mind as I write this, because Friday, when I went out to wonder, specifically in Central Park, where I had gone for a morning walk with a mission of observing dragonflies through the long lens of my camera, I caught a dragonfly.

Reflecting on Fanny and Rosa Sonnenschein (Yom Kippur 2021)

On this Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish faith, I am reflecting on my ancestors.

Having said this, I should mention that I was not brought up with any practices in Judaism. I knew nothing about my Jewish roots until I was in my thirties and living in New York City.

Getting back to my ancestors, Fanny 'Wink' Sonnenschein, my father's grandmother, and my great grandmother, had an eye afliction. One of her eyes performed so much less than the other that it caused it to turn completely inward; and she was ultimately nicknamed Wink, by her mother, Rosa Fassel Sonnenschein.

Images of both Fanny and Rosa Sonnenschein are featured in the collage atop this entry.

Fanny is at the left, Rosa is at the right. Rosa Sonnenschein was the "flamboyant editor and publisher of The American Jewess, the first (1895) independent American Jewish magazine, published by a woman" and dedicated to issues concerning women. 

I am not certain if Rosa had poor eye-sight and perhaps if she had an affliction, she hid it. However, from what I understand about Rosa Sonnenschein, she was not shy about who she was or what she stood for. This is evidenced in a description that is on the backside of the image I've included in the collage atop this entry.

I realize that text is hard to decipher so I've taken the liberty of posting a copy of it directly below:

"The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest." (Friday's Fact — Actually Everyday's Fact)

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR BOOK SERIES

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR BOOK SERIES

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR BOOK SERIES

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR BOOK SERIES

Nearly a couple of weeks ago on the day of July 12th 2020, it slipped my mind to write a post in honor of Henry David Thoreau who as born on that day in 1817.

As followers of this blog undoubtedly know, I have written about him a number of times here on Blogger, and if you'd like to refer to those posts, please click here.

In the past (on a number of occasions including on an anniversary of his birthday that took place in 2017), I have confessed that "I think of the wisdom shown in Thoreau's writings on many times, but even more so when I encounter a house sparrow, which happens on countless occasions, given the number of this bird type that are living in NYC."

However, for the past few weeks, it is the presence of a squirrel in my rooftop garden which is the setting for my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

In any event, this squirrel (who is not included in my books as he/she came here long after their publication) has been causing me to ponder the writings of Thoreau; and from the pensive look on the face of the creature seen in the photos atop this entry, it seems I'm not the only one pondering.

Monday's Musings for May 7th 2018

The PEANUTS comic strip that I've posted atop this entry was published 39 years ago today, and upon my seeing it, I was reminded of my initial experience of hearing birds sing in my rooftop garden.