Winged Words

Kids in wheelbarrow

2012-02-01T10:30:00.001-05:00

More fun than an SUV

Minoan wall mural

2012-01-26T10:15:00.001-05:00

This picture was created 3,600 years ago and was found on the island of Santorini. Dolphins leaping, bells jingling, a pleasant cruise with boats' oars like fish skeletons. Wonderful!

Underwater archeology is now going on in the waters around Crete. Can't wait to see what they come up with.

Your gift

2012-01-19T12:00:00.001-05:00

Thank you, Lana!

I've wanted this for a long time.

Just ducky

2012-01-12T13:00:00.001-05:00

Gadwalls, widgeons and mallards

After 10 days of sunshine

2012-01-11T20:15:00.003-05:00

Bad weather moving in

Winter food

2012-01-03T18:30:00.001-05:00

Deer stalking

2011-12-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

At Wildwood State Park in Wading River

Some of my favorite carols

2011-12-23T09:00:00.005-05:00

In the Bleak Midwinter Listen Listen

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming Listen

Once in Royal David's City Listen

Bethlehem Down Listen

Wexford Carol Listen

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Listen

I saw Three Ships Listen

Oh Come, All Ye Faithful Listen

Oh Magnum Mysterium (Lauridsen) Listen

Hanya in the library

2011-12-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Number 42

2011-12-15T22:00:00.003-05:00

By the time you read this I will have swallowed capsule #42 of my Doxycycline regimen for Lyme Disease. The End!!
Just thought you would like to know.
(Didn't The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reveal the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything to be the number 42? or am I remembering wrong?)

"Honor Your Campus Library"

2011-12-09T12:30:00.002-05:00

An article that highlights the campus library and

librarians. (Nice to be appreciated.)

Not camera shy

2011-12-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

This may be the place

2011-11-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

This may be the place where that blasted deer tick lived, the one that bit me and gave me the Lyme Disease I have just been diagnosed with. October 8th was a lovely day and I enjoyed a walk in Wertheim Wildlife Preserve on the South Shore. It seems likely that was the date and scene of the crime. Thanks a heap, Ms. Tick, for the Borella burgdordferi!

How did it go, now?

2011-11-17T10:00:00.007-05:00

Season of mist and mellow ... ornamental grass?

Who spilled the burgundy?

2011-11-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Why should there be differences in coloring in the same oak species in the same location?

Poor thing

2011-11-07T20:20:00.001-05:00

I wonder if it hurts

She knows that

2011-11-01T18:30:00.001-04:00

I am not a big, bad wolf,

I am not a big, bad wolf

Last June

2011-10-19T09:15:00.001-04:00

Wooden shoe

2011-10-16T20:00:00.002-04:00

Everything at the beach is a pic waiting to be taken.

Cones

2011-10-13T12:40:00.003-04:00

Pitch pine cones at Wertheim Wildlife Refuge

October clouds

2011-10-08T10:25:00.001-04:00

Such interesting clouds last Sunday

Oops, missed the big moment

2011-10-04T14:00:00.002-04:00

My car is now officially middle-aged.

My spring chicken

2011-10-02T12:20:00.002-04:00

is approaching a milestone (to mix metaphors)

Coleus ready to plant

2011-09-29T18:20:00.001-04:00

Thirteen days in a glass of water

and this cutting is ready to pot up.

Thanks, T!

Google Noir

2011-09-23T21:00:00.004-04:00

A student showed me this the other day:
Black Google
"bpled has been made black to reduce the energy of your computer screen by making a black background. It will consume less energy than a white screen. In addition it's better for your eyes."
(By the way, BPLED doesn't mean a thing ... although, think of all that mental energy you could waste puzzling out a meaning for it!)
It is also called Blackle.
Blackle

I like fish, but ...

2011-09-16T10:00:00.002-04:00

I don't want to get into them to this extent!

Dusky grouper

Enduring color

2011-09-14T09:30:00.004-04:00

My floral favorite this summer is a mixture of portulacas, also called moss rose. Each blossom lasts only a day or two and on a cloudy day the buds won't open at all. The more you nip them back the more flower buds appear. Great for small gardens like mine.

In the driver's seat

2011-09-12T21:00:00.001-04:00

In a dog's mind

2011-09-03T12:40:00.006-04:00

Even a non-dog person would get a chuckle out of Julie's recent post,
http://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/2011/09/chet-baker-captain-and-schlemiel.html
I just love this blog. She writes so well and is so alive to nature in all its forms, and what a sense of humor she has. (Takes good pictures, too)

Boston -- Batch #4

2011-08-31T19:50:00.006-04:00

Magnificent Trinity Church on Copley Square was dedicated in 1877 and is renowned for its richly colored interior. It has been deemed one of the "Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States" by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). I was awestruck by the stained glass windows. Even in low light the colors and scenes are so impressive. You can see more pictures of Trinity Church in the Wikipedia article,

Trinity Church, Boston

So much for that bright idea

2011-08-27T13:45:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd put away some water in convenient-size bottles. Why not freeze it? This is why. It bursts.

I felt the earthquake!

2011-08-23T18:15:00.013-04:00

This afternoon about 1:55, after a nice walk on a pine-needle trail in the woods, I was sitting under a tree beside the track at Shoreham High School, enjoying apple juice, chocolate chip cookies, and Chasing Aphrodite, the new tell-all book about the Getty Museum. Suddenly the ground under my nether parts began to go back and forth. Weird! What is going on? After the shaking had gone on for ten or twenty seconds I felt very uneasy and got up. Am I having a stroke? The few people running on the track showed no awareness of anything wrong. Was it a giant groundhog tunnel being excavated? (There are many resident groundhogs here.) A sprinkler system rumbling into life? Has New York City been bombed? What the h___?
I went into the North Shore Library, which is only steps away, sat down at a computer, but before I could get to a news site I heard someone say "we had an earthquake". Whew! What a sense of relief. Only an earthquake. It wasn't me, then. Only an earthquake after all! (5.8 and centered in Virginia and I feel for those in tall buildings).

Boston -- Batch #3

2011-08-18T10:00:00.006-04:00

You can get around this way, too.

In Copley Square

there is a hare

and a tortoise too

and you remember who won that race!

The Boston Marathon finish line is nearby.

Also in Copley Square: a farmer's market.

These are heirloom tomatoes.

The lobby of the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel is a museum in itself. Quite magnificent. Where we stayed was a little smaller.

Lion, George, and moi.

Cobblestone street in front of Paul Revere's house.

Boston -- Batch #2

2011-08-16T10:00:00.002-04:00

Inca musicians

A crowd had gathered at Quincy Market awaiting the arrival of a celebrity...Ellen de-something or other.

Lovely old merry-go-round

The Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, quite beautiful.

Google it for better pictures.

A glimpse of Old Ironsides

Unicorn on top of the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read out to the people on July 4, 1776. Nearby is the site of the Boston Massacre.

The Bunker Hill Monument. This and the three pictures above it were taken from the trolley.There wasn't enough time to see everything in Boston--that would require weeks--but this narrated tour showed us many things and the drivers were very entertaining. The ticket was good for two days, so we went on the tour twice, getting off and on at different places.
Old Town Trolley Tours

To be continued ...

Boston -- Batch #1

2011-08-14T11:00:00.024-04:00

I'm just back from a lovely 4-day vacation in Boston with my brother George. Took 102 pictures. Some of the better ones I'll post over the next days and weeks. Wonderful city!

The Boston Public Library is magnificent.

These murals of the Muses are by Puvis de Chavannes. Others are by John Singer Sargent.There was just too much art to absorb at one time. Fortunately, there are sites like this one to refresh one's memory.

The interior courtyard

where you can lunch with your laptop in a cloister

All over Boston are public bicycles for rent

Looks like George is going to try one out!

Paul Revere's house in the North End.

We tourists shuffled through bumber to bumper.

Thank goodness it was air conditioned.

Trinity Church as reflected in the John Hancock Tower in Copley Square. A remarkable juxtaposition of the old and the new.

To be continued ...

A few pix from our wandering around Lincoln Center

2011-08-05T13:15:00.001-04:00

Ballet students playing in front of the Henry Moore sculpture

A green space good for picnicking

It's fun to watch the fountain perform.
Must be spectacular at night.

The lobby of the Metropolitan Opera

One of the chandeliers, refurbished in 2008

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

2011-08-04T13:30:00.003-04:00

You deserve something nice on your plate.

Farmer's Market uptown

2011-08-02T15:00:00.004-04:00

What a surprise. As we emerged from the subway at 66th St. we found a farmer's market. We browsed and came away with Tart Cherry Berry Preserves from Prospect Hill Orchards in Milton, NY. Yum.

Played tourist again

2011-07-30T11:00:00.004-04:00

We came into the city day before yesterday

but we didn't see this

and we didn't see this

nor this

but this is what we came in for,

the Pompeii exhibit

79 AD. Mt. Vesuvius erupted. A whole city was entombed. Amazing. The human casts are very moving; the real objects--everything from graceful murals to strigils to gold jewelry to pots and pans to a loaf of bread--vividly remind us that they were real people leading ordinary lives when the catastrophe happened.

Pompeii the Exhibit
New York Times review
More reviews

Some really neat blogs

2011-07-28T20:30:00.009-04:00

Just discovered a wonderful blog from Lebanon, Ohio. Julie's pictures of freshly picked blueberries made me want to go right out and pick some. Oh, and she's a birdwatcher/rescuer, too, and has essays on NPR.
Julie Zickefoose

And this blog, Somewhere in NJ, has been following the life and growth of four piping plover chicks. The pictures are adorable. I've enjoyed watching our own LI plover chicks but have never been able to get a picture of the lightning-fast little things.

Last but not least,for the past couple of years I've been enjoying the irrepressible Mary Beard with her blog A Don's Life. Her commentors are always interesting though a few are quite barmy.

Hear the music?

2011-07-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

These Etruscan dancers greet me each morning on the desktop as the computer comes to life.

The Do-Not-Sell List

2011-07-22T21:00:00.003-04:00

To me the Russian Olive is a beautiful shrub with silver foliage that I've encountered on walks, but now I learn that it is considered an invasive species and may not be sold on Long Island. There are 63 plant species on this list and it's a real eye-opener. The law prohibits the sale, introduction and propagation of these invasive species banned in Suffolk County or Nassau County.
Suffolk and Nassau Counties Do-Not-Sell list
Information on Invasive Plants

Comfy new chair

2011-07-20T10:00:00.005-04:00

Still room for a coffee cup on the table.

A day of temporary retirement.

What?

2011-07-17T14:20:00.001-04:00

Hanya taking a picture of her big brother taking a picture of her.

The Look

2011-07-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

Thirteen going on 25

Dani in the Wilderness

2011-07-14T15:10:00.001-04:00

What a lovely place

The Canadian Rockies

The cool gaze of a soccer hero

who likes the color purple

This is my favorite picture

Omer in the Wilderness

2011-07-13T18:30:00.002-04:00

An almost smiling Omer

Number 94

A serious Omer

A nautical Omer

An almost smiling nautical Omer

Mystery plant from 5/21 in bloom

2011-07-12T11:15:00.002-04:00

It's a wild phlox, of course, of course.

Genus: Phlox. Species: ?

There are about 70 to choose from.
Perhaps P. divaricata

More pics from the open house

2011-07-10T20:00:00.002-04:00

In a pergola

Umbrella pine

Advert for the movie

Clever use for an old handbag

Little train for little train buffs

2011-07-10T19:50:00.002-04:00

Something for everyone at the open house

Cornell Extension Open House 2011

2011-07-10T19:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the weather was perfect and there were zillions of beautiful flowers plus an extensive herb garden on view at the Cornell Extension Open House in Riverhead. The lilies (2nd pic) are trials that cannot be seen elsewhere. In the 4th pic the little flags indicate votes that we visitors were urged to cast for our favorites, also trials.

Mosaics

2011-07-09T10:00:00.004-04:00

From Malta

And now

2011-07-04T19:30:00.001-04:00

Veronica begins

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T09:00:00.005-04:00

I came across this charming video on Bing, the search engine. I used to have Google as my home page but when they put an ugly black line across the page a few days ago I switched to Bing and now I'm delighted by the beautiful photo they provide every day together with links.

Canadian Please

The Baaras root

2011-06-30T09:15:00.003-04:00

For the past several months I've been slogging through Josephus' The Jewish War, which was written about 75 AD. After the terrible destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD), he describes a mopping-up operation near the Dead Sea in Book VII. This amazing passage jumped out at me,
But still in that valley which encompasses the city [Machaerus] on the north side there is a certain place called Baaras, which produces a root of the same name with itself; its color is like to that of flame, and towards the evenings it sends out a certain ray like lightning. It is not easily taken by such as would do it, but recedes from their hands, nor will yield itself to be taken quietly, until either the urine of a woman, or her menstrual blood, be poured upon it; nay, even then it is certain death to those that touch it, unless any one take and hang the root itself down from his hand, and so carry it away. It may also be taken another way, without danger, which is this: they dig a trench quite round about it, till the hidden part of the root be very small, they then tie a dog to it, and when the dog tries hard to follow him that tied him, this root is easily plucked up, but the dog dies immediately, as if it were instead of the man that would take the plant away; nor after this need any one be afraid of taking it into their hands. Yet, after all this pains in getting, it is only valuable on account of one virtue it hath, that if it be only brought to sick persons, it quickly drives away those called demons, which are no other than the spirits of the wicked, that enter into men that are alive and kill them, unless they can obtain some help against them.
What is this plant? how did it get such a frightful reputation? Is it used today?
Went to Google. An interesting essay by Benjamin Taylor discusses the Mandrake (pictured above) and claims that this is what the root of Baaras is. Apparently only magical uses.The Devil's Candle.
No other info found, just references to Josephus.
Lucky for those healed. Not so lucky for the dog.

Berkeley Heights, my home town

2011-06-17T17:30:00.003-04:00

Well, well. The New York Times has an article today about my home town, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. It is described as a community that has retained its country feel, even while there is a three-year waiting list for a parking spot at the train station. Full of interesting facts.

Berkeley Heights

Student

2011-06-16T18:30:00.002-04:00

Where there's a will there's a way.

(Thanks, A, for the photo)

Splash of colors

2011-06-14T18:15:00.000-04:00

Cloudy afternoon

and the sundrops have gone to bed early

And then the rain begins

Hen-without-chick

2011-06-13T09:00:00.003-04:00

Last July I went to the Cornell Extension Open House and bought a small planter with 3 or 4 types of sedum. The centerpiece was Hens-and-Chicks. It has grown but does not have any chicks. Perhaps I've overwatered it. How to encourage it to reproduce?
LI Horticultureal Research and Extension Center

Wadsworth Atheneum

2011-06-09T08:20:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday the nine o'clock ferry to Bridgeport then a bus ride of 45 minutes brought us to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, a wonderful little museum with a great collection. The exhibit Monet's Water Lilies was still on and we enjoyed a docent-led tour. One large canvas was on loan from MOMA and as you sat there and looked it seemed to change slightly. Later I looked at the rest of the collection and especially enjoyed the Hudson River School paintings (Cole, Church, Bierstadt, et al.).

The first pic above is the remarkable mural you see as you enter the building. No picture taking was allowed in the galleries, but you can see much of their collection online on the website. Well worth a visit!

I visited Harriet and Sam the other day

2011-06-06T09:00:00.035-04:00

Mark Twain's house in Hartford, CT.
It's described as Picturesque Gothic.
I especially liked the 3rd floor billiard room
where Sam did his writing;
you could still smell the cigars
more than a hundred years later
Click here and scroll down for pictures
of three of the rooms

Decorative brickwork approaching front door

Mark Twain's front porch

A view of the conservatory

The Gillette House is nearby

And next door is neighbor

Harriet Beecher Stowe's house

The back of the Stowe house.
They had seven children and it wasn't a roomy house.
No picture taking allowed inside either house, alas.

Yipes! a video!

2011-06-02T09:00:00.012-04:00

I hit the wrong button by mistake, and lo and behold, my camera made a video! (Yep, I never knew it could do this; what a surprise.) A whole new world is opening up.... I feel like Louis Pasteur accidentally discovering penicillin. (Correction: It was Alexander Fleming)

Barnyard ducks

2011-06-01T09:00:00.003-04:00

At the Stony Brook Duck Pond.

These two seem right at home.

No wonder there are Mallard hybrids.
(See posts of 4/19 and 5/5)

Red clover

2011-05-31T12:51:00.001-04:00

Trifolium pratense
Now where are those rabbits?

Dental reaction

2011-05-29T13:00:00.005-04:00

Is this boy happy because he gets to go to the dentist? Or is he escaping therefrom? Perhaps they react to these things differently in Northport. (I know I'm happy to have all my dental procedures and projects now completed.)

Such a beautiful name

2011-05-27T20:00:00.004-04:00

Liriodendron tulipifera

Tulip tree

Lana, we really are two weeks behind you. Your May 11th post inspired me to go looking for a northern cousin to your tulip tree blossoms.

Please identify this!

2011-05-21T14:00:00.002-04:00

Opposite leaves, decussate, never blooms, just keeps growing, spreads on jointed runners with unrooted knees. Looks like basil but crushed leaf smells like grass. Took a sample at the beach the year before last and it grew readily in a shady place here. Can't find it online. What is it?

My Iris have changed color!

2011-05-14T08:40:00.002-04:00

Today (5/14/11)

Last year (5/27/10)

"If your iris are blooming a different color than originally purchased, it is because of letting your iris go to seed: the bloom stalk was not removed shortly after blooming. Bees do a wonderful job of pollinating different colors for the following year. The dominant color of iris is purple and will take over if the bloom stalk is not removed shortly after the bloom dries up. Chemical damage, overcrowding, and heat stress can be a factor in some color changes."

So says one website. Yet I think none of this applies to my small bunch of iris. It's a mystery!

They're baaaaack!

2011-05-05T18:50:00.001-04:00

The mallard/domestic duck hybrid family that I saw and posted on April 19th was there again today in the same spot along with some Canada Goose friends. So they're locals, not migrating birds. Stay tuned.

My least favorite bird

2011-04-30T19:45:00.002-04:00

Double-crested cormorants

840 gold coins dug up in Suffolk

2011-04-28T10:40:00.006-04:00

Suffolk, England, that is.

Wickham Market Hoard

The Bard's Birds

2011-04-23T12:30:00.002-04:00

Since today is William Shakespeare's birthday (1564 to 2011, you figure it out) I thought I'd check and see how many times the Bard mentions birds in his works. After all this blog is about birds and the classics.
Well, here is a list.
And another list.
"Fly pride, says the peacock; mistress, that you know."

Peacock

Peacock dance
Lovely video

Mallard hybrid

2011-04-19T21:30:00.003-04:00

A tight-knit little duck family at Stony Brook Harbor showing that mallards and barnyard ducks can interbreed. They were very tame, almost as if they were used to being given handouts. Wonder how long the young one will stick around.

It's time

2011-04-17T08:10:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's time to get going! says the Giant Euonymus.

All better

2011-04-08T09:00:00.002-04:00

March 14th

March 25th

I can't praise them enough--Michael's Auto Collision on Hallock Ave. in Port Jeff Station--for the great job they did in repairing my car. They gave skilled, courteous, convenient, and kind service. They handled every detail of the insurance drill. I was without my car for only four days. If you ever need a body shop, this is the place to go.

Michael's Auto Collision

Stick with the hardware store, is my advice.

2011-03-28T13:15:00.003-04:00

My Story:

A few weeks ago I was at the Mall buying a gift for a friend which gift I found in the Williams Sonoma store. I also saw they had small coffee grinders, something that's been on my list for ages. So I bought one. Cuisinart. Seemed a good brand, I thought. After using up all the ground coffe I had on hand I finally opened the box the other day. Put in the beans. Pressed the button. Nothing. Tried it in several different outlets. Nothing. Dead as a doornail. Disgusted, I took the thing back to Williams Sonoma two days ago, making sure everyone behind me in the line heard of my disappointment in being sold defective merchandise in an upscale store. They immediately credited my credit card the full amount, so no problem there. The same day I was near an Ace hardware store and I thought, I really need a coffee grinder, have nothing but beans and my head hurts from caffeine withdrawal. So I went in and bought this nice little grinder that works beautifully. AND I paid ten dollars less. After the fact I did my homework on the Internet and found that (lucky me) Krups is the number one recommended brand of small coffee grinder!

Moral of the story: whatever you need, the hardware store probably has it. (And freshly ground coffee is out-of-this-world.)

Spring?

2011-03-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Like my wheels?

2011-03-22T12:20:00.001-04:00

This is the rental car they gave me to drive this week while my car is being repaired in the body shop.* It's a 2010 Hyundai Elantra, quite nice. Of course, wouldn't you know it, as I picked it up and was driving it for the first time yesterday we had a freak snowstorm! which soon ended, thank goodness.

*I was rear-ended by a flatbed truck on 3/14. No damage to me, but my car ... well, I'll show before and after pictures next week.

Let's help them

2011-03-16T11:00:00.002-04:00

Here's how to make a donation to help the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami:
Donation
More organizations

Roman Mosaic

2011-03-08T20:30:00.001-05:00

From Rabat, Malta

Sharing a video

2011-03-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Sent by a friend
Life is Like Coffee

We are WI!

2011-02-25T10:55:00.001-05:00

WE ARE WISCONSIN
A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT IANNUZZI:
I know that many of you have closely watched the events unfolding in Wisconsin. I'm sure your mood has swayed from disbelief to disgust. As dedicated public employees, you must wonder how such animosity and venom can be aimed at teachers, educational staff, nurses, health professionals and other public employees who, like you, are serving the needs of their community. The fact that unscrupulous political leaders would use economic hardship and state fiscal crises (real or exaggerated) to advance their own ideologies and anti-union attitudes is despicable.
As members of public employee unions in New York, we might have a sense of detachment (it can't happen here) based on our experiences and our strength--but we must not take anything for granted. Current attacks on seniority and maintenance of contract language (Triborough) are attempts at weakening a union's ability to protect hard won benefits. It is not hard to imagine significant deterioration of collective bargaining rights in several states contributing to bold attempts to test the legislative waters here in our own state.
In the end, Wisconsin is New York and WE are WI!
I need you to turn your disgust and disbelief into determination and direct action. Rallies have been held around the state and more are scheduled--in fact a rally in Albany this Saturday at noon is scheduled to coincide with rallies in state capitals around the country! If you can't be in Albany, attend a rally locally and let your voice be heard. Our sisters and brothers in Wisconsin are standing up for their right to be in a union; they are standing up for union members across our nation; they are standing up for you and for me.
Join the struggle!
(Photo above taken by NYSUT's Pete Ludden outside the capitol in Madison)
Why Wisconsin Matters

Many Ducks

2011-02-24T18:25:00.014-05:00

Saw a flock of about 25 of these Ring-necked ducks this afternoon at Melville Pond. Also a couple of Shovelers, a bunch of Gadwalls and the usual gaggle of Mallards. What caught my eye first, though, was a group of Hooded Mergansers. They are so striking.

Scary story

2011-02-19T09:45:00.004-05:00

I refuse to take one more picture of snow. If we must remain indoors here is some distraction, a ghost story for librarians (and others).
The Tractate Middoth

Fifty-five degrees today

2011-02-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, spring will come!

Something growing, update

2011-02-05T11:55:00.001-05:00

Feb. 5

The way of all flowers

January 27

I see what you mean, Mo.

The smell is not pleasant (to me).

Sunday 1-23-11

Paperwhites 1-20-11

Icy curtains

2011-02-02T09:25:00.001-05:00

I think ...

2011-02-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hope

2011-01-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

Jan 17, 2011 - Views to News

Today's wonderful news from a remote/poor Pakistani village......Hope!
A 25-year-old mother of two enrolled in primary school along with her children. Daud Khel resident 25-year-old Asma enrolled in class 1 with her two children. When the woman was asked by the school teacher about the reason for her enrolment she said that she had always wanted to go to school but her parents had forbidden it. “I always fought with them to let me go to school but they never let me. Then I got married and had children and I thought I had lost my chance,”
Asma arrived at the government girls school in Mianwali to register her daughters. “I initially came here to register my daughters a few days ago but when I went home I told my husband how much I regretted never having been to school myself,” she said. “He told me that I should enrol also,” Asma said, adding “I am very lucky, most men would forbid such a thing,” she said.
Asma, arrived for her first class in December 2010 clad in a traditional Mianwali burqa and sat along her children. “I always felt stupid because I never went to school and now I couldn’t even help my children with their school work so I decided to join them,” she said.
Asma said that one of the school teachers MF Abbas encouraged her to enrol in the school. “She often came to pick up her children early and she would sit behind in the class and listen intently,” he said. “I told her that she should enrol herself. No one who loves to learn should be stopped. Everyone who wants to get an education should be able to do so no matter how old they are,” he said.“It has been a month since she has been here and she motivates my other students also,” Abbas said.“I am especially proud of Asma’s family because they have set an example of tolerance by encouraging her,” he said.
“When she told me she had enrolled for classes I told her that she should go. She has always regretted not having been to school and now that she can go she should,” Asma’s husband Latif said. “I think people should go to school whenever they can get the chance at whatever age,” he said. Latif said that Asma was now teaching her mother-in-law how to pronounce the English alphabet.
“Due to special attention of the teacher I passed prep 1 and now I am reading class I books. My children are ahead of me in class but that only makes me proud,” Asma said. “Now that I can write and am learning how to read I hope to continue for as long as I can,” Asma said.
Asma told reporters that she hoped all women her age could learn how to read and write. “An entire world is opening up for me.
I can now understand bits and pieces of the newspaper and I can’t wait for the day that I will be able to read them entirely,” she said.
“I hope more and more women can read and write. They will be able to teach their children better and this will improve our society,” Asma said.
School teacher MF Abbas said that Asma was a courageous woman who had taken a step forward for all women. “Asma and her children are my best students and they motivate me as a teacher,” he said. Abbas said that Asma should be saluted for her courage and that the government and NGOs should also make arrangements to educate other people of her age.

I didn't realize

2011-01-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

During our tour of the Brooklyn Historical Society on October 20th we were shown a map on a table in the magnificent library. I don't seem to have taken a picture of it.
I now believe we may have been looking at the remarkable Ratzer map of New York City made in 1770 which is one of only four copies in existence and which is written up in today's NY Times. Or was it another old map we saw?

This got me wondering what other things (and people) of great significance I may encounter in daily life and never recognize, partly because of the never-ending din of the media and popular culture which engulfs us in trivialities, and partly because uniqueness, the really important, doesn't usually blow its own horn.

Branching out

2011-01-17T13:40:00.000-05:00

Oblivous to traffic

2011-01-13T20:00:00.001-05:00

I suppose he's hungry too

2011-01-13T09:30:00.001-05:00

and I'm tired of chasing him (them) away

Another big snow

2011-01-12T10:16:00.004-05:00

and the little feathered ones are out and about

Red breasted nuthatch is the most aggressive

Snow ended by 10 am
We got much more than NYC this time!

Mill, mill pond and gulls

2011-01-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

A picture from the archives

December 2008

Very little changes at the pond

On TV

2011-01-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Pummerin

Look who was in my mailbox!

2010-12-29T14:55:00.001-05:00

Cute little guy

Merry Christmas to All

2010-12-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Time standing still

2010-12-21T23:38:00.006-05:00

The equinox

when time was once thought to stand still

Listen to the sound of winter in this choral piece

Nox Aurumque by Eric Whitacre.

The text in translation:

NOX AURUMQUE
Gold,Tarnished and dark,Singing of night,Singing of death,Singing itself to sleep.And an angel dreams of sunrise,And war.
Tears of the ages.O shield!O gilded blade!You are too heavy to carry,Too heavy for flight.
Gold,Tarnished and weary,Awaken!Melt from weapon to wing!Let us soar again,High above this wall;Angels reborn and rejoicing with wings madeOf dawn,Of gold,Of dream.
Gold,Singing of wings,Singing of shadows.

Eric Whitacre's blog