blue spot (and green spot) mystery solved

It turns out that the blue (and green, which I hadn't yet mentioned) spots are marking the trees that are to be trimmed/pruned/tended to in some way. The parks Dept. contracts with an outside company to do this work. Sounds reasonable, but I am very concerned. How far will this pruning go? Are these trees, which all seem to be big, marvelous, possibly old ones, to be "taken care of" - aka killed? Or will they cut off all the nice branches, the ones that we walkers like to look at, stand under when there's a little rain, enjoy the shade, etc.

And aren't there better things to do with the Park's budget than cut down trees? How about that bathroom in the Wellhouse that's been promised for years? How about dredging the lake so as to clean it up a bit? How about restoring some of the classes at the Boat House that have been taken away due to budget cuts?

There was a lot of rain and storms this summer, and the park lost a lot of trees. Too many. But the ones that didn't fall seem to be healthy and solid. Why are we attacking them by trimming them? Maybe they stopped killing animals and are starting on plants? We should be nurturing the remaining trees, truly taking care of them, helping them to stay healthy. For example, there's one in the Peninsula that got blown partway over. There's a picture of it in my blog a couple of weeks ago. Someone put a stump next to it to prop it up, then attached ropes to the trunk to straighten it, and it looks like the roots are regrowing. The tree will, I think, be saved. That's the kind of tree care that should be happening.

In other news - they've started to put up the tennis house - guess fall is here. And a very clever podiatrist is advertising in the park. I actually find that the more I walk the BETTER my feet are, but maybe that's just me.

We saw a dead opossum on the walk up Lookout Hill yesterday - at about 7:30. Had no idea there were opossums in Prospect Park. By 9:00 we were coming back by the Wellhouse, saw some Park people in a truck, and told them about the poor thing. They had already picked it up!! Amazing efficiency. They said it would be analyzed to see why it died.

And I had a lovely time with my favorite small dog, Mo, a hairy chihuahua, the other day. I have to say that generally I am not a fan of small dogs, especially chihuahuas. But this one is absolutely wonderful - sweet and cute and friendly and very distinctive looking.

Too Damn Depressing

It was a beautiful early summer day today, and the walk in the park should have been filled with joy. The growth is lush and rich and green. The tennis courts are outdoors again - they took down the blow-up building that covers them in the winter. Sun shining, dogs running, but there are more dead animals than ever. Something is seriously wrong with the Prospect Park lake, Haven't seen a live gosling yet, but have found 3 dead ones. Another dead turtle - not decapitated or eaten, just dead. Another dead raccoon, a dead possum, and lots of fish. All right next to the lake water. Allegedly, the Parks Dept. tested the water weeks ago, but no results have been released, and I'm sure they won't be. What do you expect. The retiring Parks Commissioner proudly announces that he doesn't like parks, and that he cut the staff by 70%. The retiring Prospect Park head proudly announces that she doesn't really like parks and doesn't go near them., but got lots of private money to build things in the park. How about people who like parks running them? Wouldn't that be novel? But that's not how things go these days. We see "management" as a skill that can be applied everywhere, regardless of any knowledge of the underlying business. Which is why there are fewer and fewer American businesses.

Meanwhile, the scenery looks great from a distance. The turtles have found places far enough from shore so that they can at least sun themselves in peace, and the nesting swans are still there. I fear for their future, and for the future of any cygnets that might hatch. Papa is more protective than ever - he bit my shoe when I got too close to the water.

Oh, as predicted, the big tree trunk has been rolled into the lake. Paddleboats are out to be rented, with danger signs posted at various places where the parks dept. can't be bothered to repair Olmstead's 1890 masterpiece.

I came home and spent time fixing up my own garden. I like public gardens, but don't know what else I can do to insure that they survive.