songbird's crazy world

So Becca moved into her apartment.  The move was less that stress-free, and involved a dispute with the new landlord as well as a near-disaster with a furniture delivery, but everything got resolved; she's in the apartment and basically unpacked, and about  start enjoying life in NYC. I have to get used to seeing Jen in a different set of school colors.  When she worked in the school that she had attended as a student, she wore the same colors she'd worn years ago.  Now she works in a neighboring school district (the district where Drew was a student), and on Fridays the staff wear shirts in the school colors.  It's a little disconcerting My father is being released from the hospital, and we're all looking forward to having him home again.  There have been some permanent changes in his medical condition, though, which means changing the routine at home.  It is what it is. There is a truism that every woman turns into her mother eventually.  ...

So, the Blood Moon was hyped in the media.  And then I heard the disappointing weather forecast.  It would be cloudy, maybe too cloudy to see the moon. And then, when the moon rose...it  was big and bright and beautiful.  And I hoped the weather would hold. And it did!  I don't have a fancy camera, but I was able to capture two images with my phone.  the first is at the beginning of the eclipse, the second at totality.  You can see just a hint of the red color.

I spent Yom Kippur the same way as Rosh Hashanah. Services at the synagogue followed by time in my father's hospital room. The doctors say he is improving and will be able to come home in a few days. But my father has a myriad of medical conditions requiring a complicated treatment plan, and his current circumstances have made things even more complicated than they were before. The Rabbi in my synagogue always talks about life and death in his Yom Kippur sermon. This year he included a discussion of biomedical ethics, what is the difference between helping someone to live and keeping them from letting go? We're not at that point with my father, despite the scare the palliative care team gave my sister. But it was interesting to hear his perspective. Food for thought.

I'm back in "explore" mode, choosing new and interesting places for a walk. Drew suggested I check out the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick. Located off busy Merrick Road, the park is hidden behind the town sanitation department complex. You have to drive through the sanitation department property to access the park. Once inside, however, you feel as if you're miles away from suburban Nassau County. The park is named after a well-liked local politician who served in the New York State Senate, and who was a champion of environmental issues. Bring water -- there's no refreshment stand. And consider wearing a hat, there's not much shade. There are three trails suitable for hiking about the park. There's a place to launch kayaks onto the Meadow Brook, and there's a large fishing pier extending into Merrick Bay. The park uses goats as weed trimmers and Guinea fowl to control ticks. I decided to climb the hill, and followed the sign...

Pope Francis is in town, wreaking havoc with the NYC traffic,  As a non-Catholic, I have avoided the city, though my poor baby Becca had to deal with the chaos as she moved into her new apartment. The papal visit reminds me of one of my father's war stories, My father turned 18 in February 1945.  He served in the army during the tail end of WW II, He was stationed in Italy.Blonde hair, blue eyes, the very picture of an American GI. A GI who was also a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn, but you'd never know it unless you heard his very Jewish surname. My father and a group of his friends had the opportunity to spend some time in Rome.  They decided to see the Sistine Chapel.    While they were in the chapel, a priest approached them and asked if they'd like to meet the Pope.  Of course they wanted to!   The Pope knew my father wasn't Catholic because my father didn't kiss his ring.  The Pope chatted with them briefly and gave each of them a ros...