Back to the Park

The bruised leg has taken a quantum leap in healing, and it was great to get back to the park today.
the big bruise is almost gone - probably should have taken a picture for posterity, but I'm not about to recreate it. Hamstring still a little achy, but I can almost touch my toes now, and I tied my own shoes for the first time in 2 weeks! (Lucky for Ber that I have so many clogs and slip-ons).

Poor JJ didn't want to go at all, after the last 2 days of pouring rain. Funny how she jumps in the lake at every opportunity but doesn't like being rained on. Anyway, she went and hid under the table, and Ber and I spent some time coaxing her out with promises of dry weather. And it was!! Sky gray, but dry, and we even got a bit of blue sky and sunshine for a while.

I really missed going. I do believe the swans were actually happy to see me, even without popcorn, and I was certainly happy to see them. Cayuga and entourage are now venturing onto dry land - probably because there have been very few people for the last couple of days. Most of the trees are still bare, but a few are already in flower, and really looking fresh and cheerful. See photos of magnolias and forsythia. Ed and Ann were there, as they are almost daily to monitor park conditions, and caught us up. The injured swan as seen in the Channel 11 newscast, alas, died. He was only a cygnet and should have had a long and full swan life. He was taken to a Wildlife Rehab Center way out in Nassau County, and Ed hasn't been able to get much more info than that. The Parks Dept. is testing the lake water, but first they lowered the level, then refilled it. So if it's ok now, they'll never know how bad it was, and why there were all the dead animals (2 opossums, 1 bird, 1 crawfish, 2 ducks, several turtles, several fish) plus all the chicken heads. I suspect the Parks Dept. is into that "Don't panic the public" syndrome, as seen so successfully in the movies. You know, "the earth is just taking a rest, not standing still," and "Pay no attention to the man-eating blob swallowing your grandmother, everything is under control." I wonder if this is the Ronald Reagan influence - you remember how he cited movie plots as if the were real events?

It's great to be mobile again.

Feel like I'm back in Ireland

Woke up feeling a little more energetic and the bum leg weighing only 100 pounds instead of 1000, so I headed to the Park with hubby and dog. The beautiful spring weather of last week is quite gone. Rain, wind, barely above freezing, very reminiscent of the top of the Hill of Tara in Ireland - and that's not really a good thing. The wind is quieter here, and there was no sleet or hail, so I guess "vaguely reminiscent" is the term to use. And I wasn't wearing the large scarf that used in Ireland as a neck warmer/face mask/extra hood. So I turned back about 1/2way to the park. Maybe 1/4 mile in all. Then back to bed.

So now I'm quietly doing various house chores to the sound of someone's car or house alarm. It seems to be broken - goes for many minutes (beyond the alloted legal time) then goes off for a minute or two, then starts again. Not enough "on" time to acclimate and ignore it, not enough "off" time to get accustomed to the quiet. Guess I shouldn't complain, since our neighborhood is generally quiet. Ditmas Park is the name of the nabe - check out something called Ditmas Park Blog to explore it a bit.

Ber saw only one other intrepid dog walker in the park. Sensible people stay in on a day like this. Sooo nice to come up with the very wet dog to see how I was doing.

Spring relapses

After a week of beautiful spring weather, that dreary old winter weather has come back with a vengeance. Rain, rain, rain, temps in the 30's, cold and damp. Leg still sore, although the bruise has shrunk substantially. I think my venting the other day got rid of some of that bile, both physically and mentally.

I am now walking slowly, no longer hobbling. Progress!! New flowers are blooming every day. Even the fallen trees in the park are budding and flowering - one last shout of glory before they die!

It's supposed to be about the park, but.....

It's supposed to be about the Park, but I haven't been in a week. Ber has been my eyes and ears, and is doing a great job, but I miss seeing things with my own eyes. It's the continuing saga of my leg. I fell on the 17th, as described earlier. Excruciating pain in my butt and back of thigh. Managed to get home. Actually, I got outside the Park, had a coffee and a seat, and waited in the beautiful weather until Ber and JJ went home and came back with the car. Probably a first for me - not insisting, "I can do it!" So I was hobb ling around for a week, including the 4-mile hobble to the Grand Army Plaza Farmer's Marker last Saturday. It seemed to be getting a little bit better each day. Then on Wednesday THE BRUISE appeared. 13' long along the back of my leg. I though it was very impressive, especially since I'm only 60" tall. And it hurt more again. So on Thursday, I (with a lot of encouragement) finally went to the doctor. I don't like going to doctors, did I mention?

Luckily, it was not very bad news. I learned:
1. I had torn my muscles.
2. I have very strong muscles.
3. It took a week for the blood from the torn muscles to get out.
4. There was NO danger of a stray blood clot getting to my head or heart for a stroke or heart attack. Just because I don't like going to doctors doesn't mean I'm not a hypochondriac. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds (Shaw).
5. I should be better in 2-3 weeks.
6. I didn't break anything or I couldn't have been hobbling around for a week.

Now, I know this is not a serious injury, but I can't seem to stop obsessing about it. Do generally healthy people make the worst patients? I have always been very healthy and very physical. Not for team sports - there was no Title 9 and therefore almost no team sports for girls when I was young. Also, I've never been one for teams. When I was stressed, I used to take my bike and ride for hours on random streets in the South Mountain area, trying to get lost, never did. Strong muscles and a good sense of direction. Probably how I got the strong muscles. Anyway, the bruise is under 12" today. Still hurts. hurts all the time. My doctor was not inclined to give me stronger medicine, although Aleve and Motrin and aspirin don't help much.

I did go to my gentle yoga on Thursday - it was a sort of "left-sided" yoga, but worthwhile - I could do a bit more than I thought. It's the right leg that got injured. That's probably all I have to say for now. Maybe forever. I have vented. It wasn't just my son that gave me no sympathy (The comment about most people my age would have broken a hip.) My doctor said pretty much the same thing. Can I help it that my expectations are still higher than not breaking a hip? My bar is not that low yet. The people in yoga were sympathetic, but they're in their 20's and can't imagine a genuine physical ailment. And Ber says that a torn muscle is like a knife wound, and it takes weeks to heal, and I should just take it easy. So reasonable, so rational, arrggh!!!

Anyway, back to the Park. There was a dead duck in the lake the other day (see photo). It looks like one of Cayuga's entourage (see other picture). The good news is there has been some action. Channel 11 had a news piece about the spate of dead animals in our corner of the park - there was also a dead blackbird and a crawfish in the water. The dead turtles, the chicken heads, the possible intestines, and an injured swan were also mentioned. The fire, not mentioned. Ann and Ed were on, looking and sounding very good. (Aside: I have noticed that non-professionals often come off looking and sounding like idiots on TV - they didn't, not at all). And there was Tupper Thomas (Head of Parks) saying there is nothing wrong. If a flying saucer landed, she'd say it was part of nature and not to worry.

The news report said the local precinct would be investigating. They suspect illegal dumping. And the lake water will be tested, because of the possible contaminants from the dead animals. Can't wait for those results.

The plan is for me to be back in the park in Monday. Meanwhile, I give you my forsythia bush. Planted in my garden last year, I love how sculptural it looks. Probably due to my philosophy of "Let it grow, I can always prune it later." I may have to prune it to a more traditional shape this year.

Is there a naturalist in the house?

It's possible that NO ONE is dumping intestines in the park. It is spring, and the intestine-looking things in the park may be toad spawn, aka toad eggs.

this site has been helpful
http://www.umaine.edu/WaterResearch/FieldGuide/inthewater.htm#eggs

and gives the following description :-

- long strings of hundreds of eggs together.
They seem to be suspended in jelly
What is interesting is that the eggs are suspended in a coiled helix shape.
They all seem to be attached or draped around the plant life, and only in about 1 foot of water...."

Interestingly toad eggs and tadpoles are poisonous to fish and most fish learn this
quickly but some fish are not that smart. So a dead fish nearby might not be so strange and horrible at all.

Doesn't explain the dead chicken heads, but it makes them into a smaller problem. So9metimes that's the best you can do.

Snowy Egret

Yesterday, Ber came back from the park with ugly pictures of a dead fish and decapitated chicken heads. Today, my darling made up for it with this picture of a snowy egret at the Lake. He apologized for the plastic bag in the front, but he was trying to manage the popcorn bag, JJ, and the camera. Excellent job, what a shot!

Paradise with chicken heads

The 4 miles yesterday was a bit much with the aforementioned strained hamstring and bruised butt. Actually, I'm getting tired of the whole thing - the discomfort and the complaining about it. It's really not serious, just a pain (in the you-know-where). Anyway, no park today, but my delightful husband brought pictures of a dead fish and a bunch of chicken heads that Anne was cleaning out of the water. I think it was Anne. Anyway, hideous pictures. Truly, amazing contrasts in our beloved Park.

Here's a link to the Brooklyn Paper article with the hideous pictures. http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/13/33_13_sb_park_butcher.html

It was also a strenuous day because we went to my neighbor's funeral. Sharon Berman passed away. She had cancer 20 years ago and it was in remission, but it came back about 4 years ago. Six children, 5 of them adopted. Eight grandchildren. A rock for all of them. A lifelong fighter for truth, justice, and progressive causes. Truly a role model for everyone who knew her.
we will miss her.

Spring has Sprung!!

Gorgeous day and the first day of spring. It seemed like half of Brooklyn was out in the Park today. The road was so full of cyclists, runners, walkers, skaters, etc., that we kept to the woods. Since it was Saturday, we went all the way across to the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket for our fabulous bacon and a couple of foccacios. Daffodils blooming on all the little hillsides. There was a turtle sunning itself on a log in the Lullwater. Three people fishing in different places,. They catch and release, but I hear rumors that there early morning fishers who keep and eat. Not Recommended!! Assorted horse-back riders. Dogs galore in all 3 meadows. There was a triathlon being held. Ber and I speculated as to what the third sport might be, since there is no swimming anywhere in Prospect Park. Traffic dodging? Taxi-hailing? Getting through yellow lights before they change? I finally asked one runner - a fairly slow one, I didn't want to interfere with anyone's winning time. Run, bike, run. Doesn't sound like three sports to me, but I guess they have to make do.

Since I am still suffering from the fall (bruised butt and strained hamstring), I was quite slow, and the c. 4 miles that we walked took its toll. Why does walking slowly with some sore muscles make you so much more tired than brisk movement? Makes no sense to me. But we did come back later than usual. Interesting to see what happens after 9 when the dogs go home. Long Meadow had several pick-up ball games - baseball and soccer. These aren't official fields, just a big, long (as the name indicates) meadow. Nethermead had a huge frisbee game going on. This is not just throwing frisbees, but looks to be a frisbee soccer game. Is this a new sport? Is it or will it be in the Olympics any time soon? Looked like fun, and was being played by men and women - no gender separation. Always a nice thing to see. Peninsula meadow became a huge green tot lot - at least a dozen parents with children, strollers, some balls and such, all engaging in that free play that is supposedly dying out across America. And I realized we no longer have to be concerned about the water-fowl going hungry. The lake was lined with family groups on blankets, tossing bread, crackers, apples, cereal, everything.

Looked like Paradise, but unfortunately there is some trouble in Paradise. Thursday or Friday morning there was a huge pile of animal intestines by the side of the lake. Someone sent me a picture of it, but I haven't figured out how to get it here yet. Parks Dept. was notified and sent someone to clean it up. There were things in the lake too, which turned out to be a bunch of chicken heads. Doesn't bode well for the cleanliness of the lake! Not that children go in much, but they put teir hands in, and dogs go in to swim, and of course water fowl and turtles live there. The thought of the bacteria that might live there is a little scary.

You wonder the Parks Dept. doesn't monitor these things more closely, especially since there are fines of $1000 and up for this kind of dumping - might help the city close the budget gap!

Another beautiful spring day!! Crocuses and hyacinths are blooming everywhere, and I saw my first daffodils of the season - so bright and cheery!! Hobbled to and around the park; figured it's best to keep moving, and the epsom salts bath last night helped. Skipped the steps, though. Last week at yoga I could forward fold and put my hands under my feet. Now I can barely reach my knees. Well, enough about my health issues. The second duck egg was broken open, and the yolk still inside. No signs of a third egg. Either mom has quit altogether or found a better hiding place. The turtles have found a better place to congregate, and are keeping out of the burned phragmite stand. Of course, we don't know if these are the same turtles. Ed tells us that he told the head of FIDO and a person at the Sean Casey Animal Shelter about the turtle rescue. The Sean Casey told him that 1) the turtles were hibernating [nonsense in this weather and location], and 2)came and took 3 turtles away for study. Since all the park animals are owned by N.Y. State, it is a crime to take them away - punishable by about a $4,000 fine. I do not believe this fine has been levied in living memory.

It is hard to figure what is happening in Prospect Park. The trash seems to get worse and worse (I am on a hiatus from collecting until the leg is better and I can bend down.) The police presence seems nil, except for the dog runs at 9:00 to make sure all dogs are put back on leash. The dog people, all come with their bags and are scrupulous about picking up after their dogs, so as not to lose the off-leash privilege. Apparently at Brooklyn Bridge Park, a relatively new and small park, is going to get 7 -8 full-time security people. Could it be because it is surrounded by the new multi-million dollar lofts now in the 19th century warehouses? Also, the Parks officials don't give straight answers. The phragmite fire is an example. According to one park ranger and the man in the bodega closest to that bit of the park, it was a huge fire, tons of smoke, and many fire engines came. The official park explanation, according to Ann Wong, was that it was a small fire that went out all by itself. Ignorant or lying?

No steps, ergo no crack bag count todayl

Teach about ducks, learn about turtles

Another beautiful day, but I was not in the park today - more about that later. Ber and JJ went, and came back with the following reports. The duck egg from yesterday was broken open (see bottom picture). Whether it was an accident or it got eaten, we'll never know. However, another egg was laid today. See second picture - it's sitting right on the middle tree root. (We've since figured out how to use the zoom on Ber's new camera) I think this duck is a little confused- maybe she'll find a more secluded spot soon. Maybe not. It's possible that her instincts tell her to lay the next egg near the last one. Don't think she realizes that she's laying them in the middle of Grand Central Station. As to the learning about turtles, research has been done! Apparently they must swim underwater to get food. So the turtle setting atop the phragmites (in yesterday's photos) was actually stuck. Anne had tried to go in to move it, but sank in the mud. Ber, wearing his waterproof hiking boots, ventured forth. Ed took charge of JJ and the backpack and Ber set out. He found sufficiently solid mud so that he only sank boot level, and got the turtle. Turtle's head went in, and stayed until quite a while after they put it down on the little boat launch by the lake. All three humans backed off, and eventually turtle's head came out and it was last seen swimming happily away in search of fresh food. Anne says the Park Ranger's exam has a question about this, so it's a very useful fact. Turtles Eat Underwater!! Teach about ducks, learn about turtles.

One crack bag, two condoms - it is not just ducks whose thoughts turn to love in the spring.

So, what happened yesterday was that I was prancing around on the top of Lookout Hill, going after a bit of trash that was off the path, put my foot down on some very uneven ground, twisted my leg and fell down hard. I felt ridiculous plus in great pain. Seemed to have pulled the muscle in the back of my thigh and bruised my backside. And I got very little sympathy. My son, who is normally quite sensitive and caring, said, "Most people your age break a hip when they fall." This is the aging part that I can't get used to. When I was young, I was quite limber and quick, mountain goat-like. In fact, when I backpacked around Europe for a year, I actually lived in an abandoned goat pen for a while. In Greece. Me and some fellow travelers that I had hooked up for a while (that's the 20th century definition of hooked, which didn't include sex) stayed there for a couple of weeks on the Greek island of Ios. Maybe 1/2 mile up from the beach on a twisted, bumpy path. Up means up - the view was spectacular. And never a fall. Fond memories of skipping down the the beach, grabbing a cold shower for a few cents from the lone motel, having coffee and yogurt with the lovely crust for breakfast, then swimming, playing, etc. all day. Another 1/2 mile into the town for dinner and maybe a little grocery shopping, then back up to our mountain shelter and a quiet moonlit night. Hmmmm. Now, I think if I exercise a bit more, do some yoga, and get back into shape, I will be like that again. Maybe not. Oddly enough, today there was an article in the Times on that very subject: Appreciating Your Value As You Age. It's more about plastic surgery and make-up than fitness. Never worried about that. i realized a long time ago that I was cute enough, but never had that kind of beauty that I worried about losing it. As long as I acted younger than my years I was fine. And my hair is now a bright reddish-orange, since gray makes my face look gray. Anyway, I am hobbling around today with a sore butt, and hopefully will be back in form tomorrow.

Photos of downed trees

Duck lays eggs, Turtle returns home.

What a gorgeous spring day, second in a row! We spotted a duck egg in the park. Nice and white, with a waxy, slightly opalescent look. Unfortunately, someone had moved it to a sheltered area, so I don't know if mama will sit on it. I explained what we learned in Troutville, 25 years ago, when we had a farm and raised ducks, chickens, goats, etc. A duck will lay an egg every day or so for several weeks. Then, Mama will sit on them for 21 days (if I remember the number correctly) and hatch them. If they're handled, she might not come back. However, obviously the duck egg laying season has started, and I'm sure there are more clutches better hidden around the lake. The other really neat thing was a large box turtle returned to home in the burnt phragmites. I guess the burnt smell, which has been keeping animals away from that spot, has dissipated. The top 3 pictures are the burnt stand of phragmites.

What I love about Prospect Park, is that it is really a park for everyone. Some people love the wildernessy aspect. When Ber and I want wilderness we go upstate to Adirondack Park, officially "forever wild," and backpack and camp for a few days or a week. We have gone days without seeing a soul. Love it,k but don't need it here. Here in Brooklyn it's just a taste of nature for city folk. For all the city folk. A little respite from city pressures. Bird watchers, fisherpeople, children, ball players, dog owners, barbecuers, and even the crackheads. The trick is that everyone needs to be able to share the space. I fear that if there's too much of one activity, like strewing trash, smoking crack, making things very quiet and meditative, or even fishing, there will be a tipping and the park will only be for some. The Parks department makes some decisions that are hard to understand - like concreting large areas, to keep bbqers in certain areas, but not bothering to keep other areas clean.

A Park workers tells us that there were 45 trees down in the storm. They have started to clear away a few, but of course the downed trees on roads are much more hazardous and must be cleared first. All the swans were out in the middle of the lake today. Three of them flew in formation from one side to the other. I tried to catch it on film, but they never seem to fly like that unless my camera is turned off, and I can't get it on fast enough. I'm not giving up!! There's one of them looking for a nibble.

1 crack bag today, 1 yesterday.

Trash Can Restored! Trees Down!

took the camera to photograph some of the storm's aftermath. Two pictures of downed trees here, more to come . The biggest news to me is that we managed to restore the missing trash can on top of Lookout Hill. Photos tell the story, although I haven't figured out how to move the pictures around so as to have them in order. They seem to upload randomly. Anyway, there's a picture I took the other day of "The Trash can that Wasn't There." Ber and JJ are examining the pile of trash that was heaped at the former site. Today, we walked on the loop that is at the top of Lookout Hill. The tall grasses had been blown down, and lo and behold! there was the missing trashcan! We did our civic duty and returned to its proper location, and even returned the trash to its proper location inside said can. Let's see if it stays that way. Sort of nice to see that it was probably some kids fooling around, and not a deliberate attempt by the Parks Department to trash the natural areas. I have heard this theory from park visitors - if the natural areas are trashed, then the Parks department will have an argument for concreting over more of the park.

I do feel that we are a bit odd and eccentric with this trash pick up business, but that seems to be onlyl in America. Apparently in some other parts of the world it is normal to clean up public spaces. I remember when we were in Hong Kong in 1990 discussing Hong Kong vs. New York with a local resident. He couldn't believe how dirty NYC was, and said he'd be glad to clean the streets himself if he lived there. Then, the other day, Ber met a friend of Ed's in the park, a man from the Ukraine. He loved the park but was amazed at the disrepair and trash. He said in his home town people would have come in to fix things - the local stone mason would have fixed the stones around the lake, people cleaned up after themselves, etc. Many Americans seem to feel that their house is their's, but everywhere else isn't and not worth looking after. I mean, look at McMansions, gated communities, even health care (I've got mine, to hell with you!) When I was at Legal Aid, there were a couple of lawyers with children who couldn't work night arraignments due to child care obligations. I remember a single man saying," Well, I've got a boat, how come I can't leave early to spend time with it?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a better sense of community about the things that are the future of us all? Or is that just my inner 60's youth talking?

crack bag count: just 1, but 2 condom wrappers.

Some storm yesterday and last night - trees are down all over the park - whole ones, uprooted, not just the usual branches. Clean-up crews will certainly have their work cut out for them. One dead goose in the Parade Grounds (the ballfields/tennis court area we cross before reaching the park). Looks like it might have gotten blown against the fence by the wind. Seems that wind speeds were up to 48 miles per hour at LaGuardia Airport, up to 60 mph on Staten Island, supposedly 70 MPH somewhere in the Northeast. - can't seem to find a number for this neighborhood.

A whole tree also went down on Cortelyou Road - luckily, not on any person , house or car. Also: very soggy ground all over, especially as it's still raining. Time to order some seeds for my garden! Must choose carefully, since I offered to give up some space to grow herbs for Third Root. Maybe I'll give them some of the tubs I usually use for cherry tomatoes - should keep them differentiated from other plants.

Back to the park: about 6 swans hanging around the Peninsula. The storm probably tossed up all kinds of goodies for them. Zero crack bags today!! And the bloody rocks have been washed clean. However, others have noticed these strange sights. There's a somewhat fear-mongering article in the Brooklyn Paper. Here's the link : http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/12/33_12_sb_blood_in_the_park.html

At home, the rose bush that I've been trying to train to grow up on the garage roof in order to have cascading roses in season blew off the roof completely. I think I'm giving up, and will just trim it way back and keep it is a regular, but large, bush. I know it was probably a bad idea - bad for the roof and all, but it would have looked so pretty!! When we first moved here there was such a rose bush/vine growing up from the back of the property onto the garage. Huge cascades of pink roses every June! Alas, the root was actually in the back-neighbor's property, and they cut it down one year. Don't even know if they realized it was the same plant as the roses that bloomed in our garden every year, and I never asked. Pointless, since no one could have done anything to put it back.

Second hand notes

Miserable, rainy, windy - I slept till 10 and never went to the park. Ber and JJ are indomitable, however, and did go. Well, Ber is indomitable. He tells me that JJ objected until they got to the park, when she decided it was fun after all. This is Saturday, after all - the day of the big Farmers Market at Grand Army Plaza, the day we like to get special treats, like the organic, homegrown bacon from the Flying Pigs Farm people, and the herbed goat cheeses. Ber also brought home what was probably the world's most expensive liverwurst - absolutely delicious, but destined to be a rare treat. Long Meadow was filled with puddles, and the dogs were having a grand time jumping in them. This picture, by the way, is from a sunnier day - looking up the steps up Lookout Hill.

Big news: a stand of phragmites have been burned. Phragmites are very tall grasses that grow in clumps at various points at the edge of the lake. They grow thick, almost like small forests, and are quite beautiful, but invasive (meaning not native - invasive does not refer to their intentions) and give a lot of privacy once you're in the middle. The park mavens are abuzz with speculation - pyromaniac? plot to destroy the park? what? This particular stand had a path going into it - I went in about a month ago to check it out, and came out with two large bags of trash. This was before I decided to become a Bag-Of-Trash-a-day lady, but luckily, since we have a dog, we always have pocketfuls of plastic bags. Anyway, there were many beer cans, a few condoms (I wore gloves), empty DVD boxes that used to contain porn (cover pictures - very graphic), and some fabric stuff that suggested someone might have slept there at one time. My suspicion is someone was trying to keep warm, careless crack user, "concerned" citizen trying to get rid of the riff-raff, or local juvenile delinquents having a wild and crazy night. Any serious pyromaniac could have done a lot more damage. It looks disgusting, but I'm not seriously worried at this point. The very same stand burnt 4-5 years ago, and grew back by the middle of summer.

Crack bag count: only 2 + 1 used condom

Gray and rainy today - the park seemed quite empty. No one but us feeding the water fowl, only half a dozen or so dogs in the Nethermead, even the lake seemed empty. I'm already missing ice and snow a little bit. When the lake was mostly frozen, all the water birds congregated in the open water. Always a crowd. The middle picture stems from those days. Now they are scattered. One swan lives near the boathouse (see above photo on the right.) Others are in the island and river-like areas in the park. It's hard to believe that the entire park is man-made. The lake, the waterfalls, the creeks - all seem very natural and a great place for wild life to hide from us people. Very peaceful and serene, albeit damp today. Here in the Outer Boroughs, we don't feel like we're in the big, busy, chaotic, stress-inducing city, but it is still essential to feel like you can get away from the cars, loony drivers, rude people, lively children, stressed out friends that prevail, even here in the People's Republic of Brooklyn.
We did see that spring is coming - workers were out cutting and trimming branches that died over the winter - NOT trees, just branches. There was a cleanup crew clearing the paths of dead leaves, although they never seem to attack the trash. They're even repairing the park benches! I did see a unicyclist walking (cycling?) his dog, but he went too fast for me to get a picture. This is the last week that the ice skating rink is open, and three hardy souls were out in the rain this morning - doing some nice leaps and spins. Cayuga and Big Mallard and their Caramel duck entourage (better term than harem, I think) were in the southeast cove, arguing with geese about territorial issues. They seemed to reach a detente.

crack bag count: only 4. Maybe it's the weather? Maybe they're not so fiendish, and can stop when the weather is bad - bodes well for more community centers stopping people from using. Or maybe they're in stairwells, or mom lets them party at home to stay dry. Above: still life of crack bags and cigar wrapper, with shoe for size comparison. Note the bags come in clear and blue - blue much easier to spot.

Love ducks that recycle!

There's one and only one Cayuga duck at the lake. I know this because my friend Anne told me - she participated on Bird Count Day, where many volunteers get together and count every bird in the park (obviously). The Cayuga duck is quite large and looks black, but when the light shines on it you can see it is also iridescent green and purple. He (gender assumption) hangs out with a very large mallard, and Cayuga seems to have a following - about a 1/2 dozen brown-and-white caramel ducks. Cayuga and Mallard were hanging out, and they noticed a large piece of plywood. They swam over, got on, got off, and then back on with the Caramel harem ( yes, I'm anthromorphizing, so sue me). Alas, too much weight and the plywood began to sink. Nice to see them making good use of the stuff in the lake, since it looks like it will never get cleaned out.

Spring is bursting out - little snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths all over. Nice, since it was a gray day. The lake actually looks quite empty since the ice is gone and the birds have dispersed. One swan over in the southeast corner, busily terrorizing all the geese who tried to share his little cove. The geese are ignored once they go on land - even if they're only inches away from swan.

Trash count: only 8 crack bags today, and no beer cans on the steps. Evidence of another chicken sacrifice by the lake - fresh bloodstains and feathers. The reasons I think it might be voodoo are 1) I know it happens in some Brooklyn neighborhoods and 2) back when I was a lawyer at Legal Aid and working night arraignments, I came out at the 9:00 dinner break to find a beheaded, beribboned chicken tied to the gate. Didn't scare me - as a defense lawyer, I assumed the person was going after the DA or the police, not me.

A little history as of March 10, 2010

For about six months now, my husband Ber has been taking our dog JJ to Prospect Park, here in Brooklyn, every morning. It's a wonderful large park, and dogs can run off-leash before 9 AM in 3 very large meadows (Peninsula, Nethermead, Long). Every day is a little different. At the beginning of this year, when I retired, I started to go with them. Not every day - the newly retired like to sleep in from time to time, just because they can. We climb Lookout Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn, and enjoy the view. We look around at the trash and do not enjoy the view. Until last week, the large pond was very nearly frozen over. The clear space was crowded with swans, ducks, geese, seagulls and pigeons. Sometimes we bring unsalted popcorn to feed them. We've met other people who come, feed the birds, and kind of keep an eye on things. I have started to bring extra plastic bags to pick up some of the trash.
Anyway, as I said, every day seems to bring something new. Last week there was a dead raccoon atop Lookout Hill. We kept JJ from eating it, reported it to the Park Police, and now it is gone. At the beginning of the winter there were 7 swans living on the lake. Now there are 10. One lone male arrived about 6 weeks ago, and a couple arrived the other day - swooping across the sky, making a noisy long landing on the pond to make their presence known. ("We're here, look out, don't bother us.") The swoop was yesterday. Today, we didn't see them, but the pond was almost completely unfrozen today, and the birds are distributed all over.
I'm going to try to make daily observations about what we see.
GOOD THINGS: There were a number of moms with children, all enjoying the gorgeous spring day. Ed and Anne (our swan-loving friends) were feeding the birds -One or two of the swans eat out of their hands. One of the swans has moved to another part of the lake - by Audubon House.
BAD THINGS: Today, there were some bloodstains next to the lake. Looks like someone might have beheaded a chicken or duck. Voodoo? Food foraging? The stains were on a tree root and on one of the square stone blocks that edge the lake. A few small white feathers nearby. Substantial trash on the steps up Lookout Hill. 18 crack bags today (8 yesterday, 13 the day before). The crack bags were all accompanied by beer cans and cigar wrappers. Mancave in the park??? The trash can that used to be at the top of Lookout Hill disappeared last week, so there's a big pile of trash. The trash can at the bottom of Lookout, where it comes into the Nethermead, has also disappeared, but I carried my big bagful to the center of Nethermead (one of the few remaining trash cans lives there). What is happening to all the trash cans? Hate to harp on trash, but it's such a beautiful park and it would be nice to keep it so.