songbird's crazy world

 The neighbor’s cat came to visit again. There’s an above-ground pool in our yard, covered and unused even in summer.   I don’t know why the cat thought it would be a good place to hang out … Our cats are cozy inside.

Ring around the moon,   #skywatchfriday

 Yesterday a friend posted a tale of woe on his blog and his social media.  The friend’s son is a young man in his 20’s.  The son is also severely cognitively impaired. The young man is employable, and found work through various social services agencies designed to help individuals with his disability. Yesterday the father posted that the son’s hours were being cut from 16 hours per week to 4 hours per week, and the son’s was therefore in need of a new opportunity, “preferably in an office environment”. And when I read that, I groaned.  The odds of him finding an office job … There's a reason his hours are being cut … When I first started working, back in the 80’s and 90’s, support staff — secretaries, typists, file clerks, messengers — were the most important people in the office.  My profession is document-intensive, and a veritable platoon of people were required to keep the paperwork organized and accessible.  Incoming mail had to be opened, sorted and ...

  One of my favorite businesses is  Bobb Howard’s General Store .  It’s a real mom and pop shop, a small candy store attached to an automotive repair business.  They sell retro candy and toys.   I’ve written about this place many times, most recently  here  and  here .  Regal Crown sour cherry, Charms sour balls, Chunky, Reggie Bars, Bonomo Turkish Taffy … Well, in the pre-Covid world, they had a wonderful promotion.  Every year, on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, they’d sponsor ‘free egg cream day’. An egg cream is a drink.  It contains neither eggs nor cream.  Its components are chocolate syrup (preferably Fox’s U-bet or Bosco), milk, seltzer and nostalgia.  There was a time  where this beverage was served in every deli and luncheonette and candy store in NYC and environs, but these days it’s hard to find anyone who sells the drink. So once a year they’d invite all their patrons to drop by the store, and they’d...

  Back in the 80’s, when I first started working, everyone in the legal profession wore business attire. The men were expected to wear a suit, button down shirt and tie.  Women were expected to wear a skirt suit, blouse, pantyhose and pumps; pantsuits were not common.  I’d wear sneakers to commute, then change into pumps at the office or in the courthouse. Business casual became the rule in the 90’s.  And I can wear anything I want when I work from home.  But there are occasions … I don’t have to be in court often, but when I go to court I have to suit up. I bought a pantsuit at the end of August, had it tailored to fit me (short girl problems, I almost always have to have my pants hemmed.) Basic navy blue suit, perfect for court.  Yesterday was the first time I had occasion to wear it. The pants are way too big on me …

 So I live and work on Long Island.  Pre-Covid I commuted to NYC, but that was five years ago. (Five years! Can you believe that?) But yesterday I had to attend a business meeting in downtown Brooklyn.  That meant taking the Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal and then the subway to Borough Hall. During rush hour.  And the meeting lasted all day, which meant taking a rush hour train home. The commute wasn’t bad. It felt so familiar …  There are days when I miss working in the city.   But I don’t miss the commute.