songbird's crazy world

 

 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 ...

 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.