Month: May 2020

I walked by this lilac bush and the scent was so powerful the first thing I did when I got home was order a lilac-scented Yankee Candle. Lilac is one of my favorite fragrances. I was surprised to smell them outside actually, because when I buy a bouquet of them they usually have a very weak scent. I remember when I could buy one bunch and their scent would fill my apartment. It was wonderful! As was walking by the ones here (Madison Square Park).

First, all my cats are fine. No one is sick, but I’ve been dealing with a behavior problem for some time. Quick back story: It began when I started fostering kittens. Bodhi and Bali decided they like chasing Bleecker, and Bleecker decided this is terrifying. I worked with a behaviorist at the ASPCA for months, following all her instructions to the letter, but nothing worked. I have to separate them. Bleecker spends the day in the bedroom, while Bodhi and Bali are with me in the rest of the apartment. Then, at the end of the day I put Bodhi and Bali in the bedroom, and Bleecker spends the evenings with me. (I don’t use the bedroom as a bedroom, so I’m out in the rest of the apartment at night.)

I couldn’t get a decent picture of Bali in focus, but here they all are. This is Bali in the bedroom, stopping for one split second to allow me to get an almost-in-focus shot. He’s a sweetheart though. Loves attention.

This is Bodhi, the evil one, who normally won’t stop long enough to get a shot that even pretends to be in focus. It was probably a ruse to get me to let my guard down so he could bat my face.

Here’s the baby Bleeck. Not a baby anymore, but I still call him that. It’s like he’s looking at the camera and thinking, “Jesus, what is that?? Should I be afraid?” Poor, easily stressed Bleecker.

For some of my walks I like to go to places that are normally crowded, to see how they feel now. Yesterday I went to Grand Central Station. When I first arrived there were zero commuters. By the time I crossed the floor to take a picture a train had arrived and this tiny handful of people got off the train. Normally this floor would be packed. More below.

There was a small military presence. I don’t imagine they have a lot to do.

I took this picture because I have very warm feelings gazing up at this spot. Many years ago, before most people had even heard of the internet, on New Years Eve I installed a row of computers across this balcony and with the help of Echo employees and volunteers (the online community I established in 1989) we introduced New Yorkers to social networking. Sigh.

The Wild Bird Fund posted this on their Facebook page (I’m sorry for the upsetting photograph, but I’m hoping it will lead to your emailing these people, as it did for me):

One morning, one building: 28 birds dead, 2 found alive. These are all migrants, most have flown thousands of miles to be here only to crash into a condo building’s windows.

This happened at Circa Central Park, a glass-fronted building recently constructed right next to Central Park, one of the most important migratory stopovers on the East Coast. These deaths occur daily here every spring and fall.

There are many solutions, but the building owners have to implement them. If you’d like to voice your concerns, consider calling or emailing: http://circacentralpark.com/contact

And if you’d like to help us during this intense time, we thank you: bit.ly/wbfdonate

They cracked down on the crowds at the pier at Christopher Street and this is what it looks like now. A little sad, but safe.