songbird's crazy world

Happy happy, joy, joy, the Mets are in first place … for now …  My Instagram is full of posts by the Long Island Ducks as they prepare for their season.  Their first season was in the year 2000, so this is the Ducks’ 25th anniversary season.  Season starts April 25th. It’s going to be fun.  We have tickets for several games. This morning, before dawn, I was serenaded by an interesting duet — an American Robin and a Northern Cardinal were singing. Well, I did say I wanted birds in my yard … Especially robins.  I really love robins.  My new favorite toy … yes the cats are spoiled …  water fountain But then, what did you expect?  They get fed this stuff: Well, one cat is a Duchess and the other wears a tuxedo … Becca called earlier this afternoon.  She is bringing her friend to the Seder Saturday night.  Our new guest is a woman I’ve known since she and Becca were in kindergarten. Another guest at the table is a blessing. I’ve been a bit ob...

 

 So the Mets and Yankees are doing well, both starting the season on the right foot.  I hope they keep it going. The weather, however … it’s so cold that I wore a sweater dress and boots to work.  It’s so cold that Drew sent me a text telling me he was driving in sleet.   It’s so cold that the Mets changed today’s game from a 7 PM start to a 4 PM start.  Ugh.  But at least it’s not snowing …remember how the Yankees’ home opener had to be postponed in 1982 because of a blizzard?  I found this  story  about it … But warmer days are coming. Yesterday’s Lockhorns  was spot on.  Yeah, you need to take down the Christmas lights before you have to start mowing the lawn.  Even funnier when you realize that the strip used to be called The Lockhorns of Levittown  before the strip was syndicated.  Yeah, and there’s a house right here in Levittown that’s still fully decorated for Christmas…less than two weeks before Easter. I can...

  Brining cross contamination and spring cleaning — they are all Jewish  oncepts, So … Passover is coming.  Although I don’t keep kosher year-round, I try to follow the rules during Passover. So I’ve been thinking a lot about the rules, what makes food “kosher” and what makes food “kosher for Passover”. So the Bible tells us which meats and fish are kosher and which are not.   The rule for land animals is a simple one: kosher animals must both chew their cud and have split hooves  ( Leviticus 11:3  and   Deuteronomy 14:6 ). A fish can be kosher if it has both scales and fins  ( Leviticus 11:9  and Deuteronomy 14:9 ). So chicken, beef and lamb are kosher, pork is not. Carp and salmon and kosher, shrimp and lobster are not.   There is a prohibition against consuming blood.  Leviticus 17:14: "For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life" and "You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every ...

 The bad news about the weather — it’s been cold and rainy for days, and we’re stuck in this pattern. The good news about the weather — next week will be warmer, sunnier, and much more pleasant. We booked a trip to Florida to visit some friends who live outside Tampa.  We’re going next month.  We were supposed to go in February, when it’s cold here in New York, but the trip had to be delayed.  Still, we’re going to see our friends, and we’re going to have some fun.  Looking forward to it. (First time in a long time that I won’t need a seatbelt extender on the plane.) I enjoyed my cousin’s bridal shower.  It was great to see my cousins again.  I wore the green lace dress I bought for Becca’s shower last year.  I’ve lost 10 pounds since Becca’s shower, the dress looked amazing.  It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this good in my clothes. I did a bit of shopping for spring/summer.  I can’t wait for the weather to improve so I can wear al...

 Today’s theme?  Rain showers. I just posted a bunch of songs  last month  

 Street sign 

I’m going to a bridal shower today.  My cousin’s daughter is getting married next month; it’s a destination wedding and I won’t be able to attend, but I am looking forward to the shower.  I don’t get to see my cousins very often.    One week until Passover. The wine is purchased.   Most of the non perishables are purchased.  Yes, there was the usual craziness finding everything we want.  We will shop some more during the week.  I am looking forward to the holiday. Weather has been miserable, so I haven’t been able to walk. I’ve been working out to YouTube videos. I really like Leslie Sansone’s fitness walking videos.  I’ve been using her videos for years, I feel like she’s an old friend.  I’ve finally finished bingeing on Mr.Ballen’s old YouTubes and podcasts. Waiting with bated breath for each new episode. I’m loving the strange, dark and mysterious… I set up the bird feeder in the back yard, but I haven’t seen any birds feasting…maybe ...

  Heart Like a Truck 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: Heart Like a Truck (2022)     Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) In this week's song, Lainey Wilson longs to hit the open road. What do you yearn for this morning?   Summer weather 2) She says her heart runs on dreams and gasoline. What fuels you? Purrs and meows…I am relishing my current role as cat mom. Shadow and Duchess are my babies. 3) Lainey sings that her heart has been "drug through the mud." The correct past tense of "drag" is "d...

 What demon sits at the top of the stairs? The Shadow knows …    Comfy on the couch     So I was sitting in. the living room when I heard Duchess growl.  I looked up, and Duchess was on the couch.  Shadow was sitting on the coffee table, with her back to Duchess … clearly taunting Duchess while pretending to be innocent … Truly a sibling relationship. Any parent would recognize it.  Just look at Duchess’s face … that’s a “ mom, she’s bothering me again” face. That’s a “I can’t believe I have to deal with this again” face. And yes, I hear my “mom” voice when I’m talking to the cats. And look what I brought home from the supermarket  And that tail

 A rerun from earlier this week … Wantagh Park #skywatchfriday

 

 

 Cory Booker must have watched a lot of Frank Capra movies … Go Cory! I’m still upset about the cat sanctuary fire.  I’d love to take a foster, but I can’t.  So I sent a donation.  They’re going to relocate the surviving cats to a farm upstate.  In fact, that was the plan even before the fire.  So sad … Another walk, more blooms … The forsythia are lovely, aren’t they?  My father loved forsythia.  He planted forsythia at the house we lived in when I was very little.  He also planted a pussy willow, and some hyacinths and tulips.  We moved out of that house when I was 8… our second house had a lot of trees, including dogwoods…we planted rhododendrons and azaleas and hydrangeas, but no forsythia…but the family next door planted forsythia, so we got to see the yellow blossoms. We’re going wine shopping today.  Wine is an important part of the Passover Seder, we are expected to drink four cups of wine during the course of the service. ...

 So it’s spring, and things are starting to bloom. Folks are starting to decorate for Easter Nothing too elaborate …well, except for this house  And … birds! I saw these guys  There were lots of other birds, but it’s hard to get a picture when they won’t stand still …but I heard sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, mourning doves and crows. The Merlin app is my new toy … I bought a small bird feeder and set it up in the back yard.  Maybe I’ll see even more birds now …

 The fire at the cat rescue is front page news.  Posts from every cat rescue group on Long Island have been popping up in my Facebook feed.  Can’t imagine why.  Yes, I sent a donation. How could I not? Shadow, as you know, was a private adoption.  But Duchess is a rescue from  North Shore Animal League .  I went with Drew when he chose Duchess .  She was only 3 months old, she was born at the shelter.  Not that you’d know it based on her attitude today; Duchess is aptly named. But Monday proved the value of apps like Ring and Neighbors. All of the surviving cats were rescued and placed in carriers simply because someone posted that carriers were needed. Bad storms Monday night. At least we didn’t have tornado warnings, like they did in New Jersey.   (And yes, I’m still playing with our Ring cameras.) And it’s baseball season.  I’ve been watching the Mets, and occasionally the Yankees.  And the Ducks will start their season late...

Whan that Aprille with his shour e s soot e , The droghte of March hath perc e d to the root e , And bath e d every veyne in swich licóur Of which vertú engendr e d is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swet e  breeth Inspir e d hath in every holt and heeth The tendr e  cropp e s, and the yong e  sonn e Hath in the Ram his half e  cours y-ronn e , And smal e  fowel e s maken melody e , That slepen al the nyght with open y e , So priketh hem Natúre in hir corag e s, Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimag e s, And palmeres for to seken straung e  strond e s, To fern e  halw e s, kowthe in sondry lond e s; And specially, from every shir e s end e Of Eng e lond, to Caunterbury they wend e , The hooly blisful martir for to sek e , That hem hath holpen whan that they were seek e . Can't read Middle English?  Here it is in translation: When fair April with his showers sweet, Has pierced the drought of March to the root's feet And bathed each vein in ...