songbird's crazy world

 I came to a decision last night.  I won’t be participating this year. It’s a great challenge and I had lots of fun.  But it’s also a lot of work.   And I couldn’t come up with a theme that inspired me,  Maybe next year.

 In today's news:   Cat Sanctuary Burns Down MEDFORD, Long Island (WABC) --  The owner of a cat sanctuary and at least 100 cats were killed in a fire on Monday morning. The blaze broke out around 7:15 a.m. at the Happy Cat Sanctuary on Dourland Road. Officials say the owner was killed as well as at least 100 cats. There were 300 cats inside at the time of the fire and officials say the owner went back into the home to rescue the animals. The investigation is ongoing into the cause of the fire. Few other details were released. You can see a video report with more detail  here . Apparently the man initially escaped the fire, but kept going back inside to rescue more cats … and then he didn’t come out … I heard about the fire several hours before the news at noon.  Why? Because of   John Debacker .  He’s somewhat of a local hero.  Anytime you’re on Facebook or Neighbors or Ring and someone mentions a stray or feral cat that needs to be rescued, inevi...

 Passover is coming and I must prepare, The first Passover Seder will take place Saturday April 12, the second on Sunday April 13, and I will be hosting both. Our home will be filled with laughter,  light and love for the holiday. Passover is the quintessential Jewish holiday.  The Exodus from Egypt, the release of Israel from bondage and the giving of the  Law at Mt. Sinai forms the base of Jewish theology, from which all else flows. In ancient times Jews were commanded to bring a Passover sacrifice to the Temple in Jerusalem.  In modern times we celebrate the holiday in the synagogue, but the most important observance is the Seder, held at home.  We read the Haggadah, we say special prayers, drink wine and eat symbolic foods. Passover has a special focus on children. It is incumbent upon each Jew to view him or herself as though he or she were personally freed from bondage in Egypt, and we are commanded to tell the story of our liberation to our children....

 A freedom of choice week. Johnny Mathis just cancelled a bunch of concerts and announced his retirement .  No surprise there, he’s 89 years old. So let’s play some of his music.

 Is it really spring?  Yesterday was warm and sunny.  I didn’t need a jacket when I took my walk in Wantagh Park.  Today was considerably cooler.  Tomorrow will be the same, then warmer later in the week, then cooler, then … you get the picture. And then there’s the pollen count … tree pollen … I’ve decided to set up a bird feeder in the back yard,  I showed you who has been frequenting the yard ,.. I’d like to see more of these guys.  Let’s keep my Merlin app very busy. I’m not a Yankees fan but … All true baseball fans should be impressed with the Yankees.  Yesterday’s game against the Brewers was amazing.  First inning, first batter, home run.  First inning, second batter, home run. First inning, third batter, home run.  I’ve the course of tge game the Yanks would hit a total of 9 homers, including three by Aaron Judge (one a grand slam),  They won the game 20-9. As for the Mets … Sounds like fun.  But there’s no substi...

 When I lived in Wantagh I spent a lot of time in Wantagh Park.  It’s a county park, right on the water, across the bay from Jones Beach. It has a pool, a playground, ball fields, miniature golf, picnic areas …and it’s a nice place for a  walk. Well, the weather yesterday was delightful, more like May than March.  A perfect day for a walk in the park. There’s a memorial to the Vietnam vets.    Not a lot of boats in the marina just yet. But there are gulls …  A lighthouse at the picnic area. And a great view of the water … with the Jones Beach Theater and the Jones Beach water tower. Very windy there, the trees even bend away from the wind. I love the gazebo.  Beach grass Broken clam shells … the gulls drop the clams and mussels onto hard ground to crack the shell, so that they can eat the contents. A word about Canada geese. Long Island is home to non-migratory geese.  They’re here all year round.  But the island is also a major stopover...

  Yes, two robins. I’ve always see robins on my lawn, in every house I’ve lived in …except one.  The house we lived in last year,  The house that wasn’t a good fit. There were robins in the neighborhood, but they didn’t come to our yard. But we are much happier in this house.  And apparently so are the robins.

  Can't We Talk It Over Welcome to  Saturday: 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! Saturday 9: Can't We Talk It Over (1950) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) In this song, The Andrews Sisters plead for verbal communication.  Is there someone you'd like to engage in a heart-to-heart conversation? Not really.   2) They want to sit together for this talk. Think about the most recent personal conversation you had. Was it in person, over the phone, or via Zoom?  In person.   3) This week's tune was written by Victor Young. He was prolific, earning ...

Look at that tail! Cats and boxes   Remember these photos? Some things never change,