the wild pigeons of salisbury beach part 110

I went jogging this morning only to find a poor pigeon face down in the snow bank. When I got a closer look the bird was still  alive but frozen stuck  to the ice.
Oh my God.
I managed to pull him off the ice. He must have been there in this position for God knows how long. Maybe he was hit by a car or a hawk strike, and then did a face plant in the snow..There was some blood in the snow near his mouth. This didn't look good but I couldn't just walk away.
 I gathered him up in a towel and brought him home. Even though the basement temp is only 42F it was still warmer than being outside. I put in him an aquarium with a towel and heating pad. After an hour the ice melted off. I really didn't think he would make it.  I let him rest so I could  assess his situation later.
A few hours later he was looking around. I introduced water and food but he refused. Later in the afternoon I called a few vets but they only referred me to Tufts in Grafton (that is a 3 hour highway drive) and most likely he would have to be put down.
I warmed up a few peas and moisten some pellets and shoved them down his throat. He later pecked a little at the seeds at the bottom of the aquarium. Sadly, his legs are paralyzed and he can't move other than his head.
I contacted the rehab lady for advice and she recommended seeing a vet and well, I just told you what happened.
For now, there is nothing I can do but wait and see.

otra vez, mas nieve

I finally went down to the beach today even though there is a still a parking ban. I took a few photos but my fingers were getting frost bitten.
I brought some food down for the pigeons and as you can see the poor things were starving. Check out the snow banks and drifts. Yikes...
We are expecting more snow today -exclusively in the north shore.
Lucky us.
The local convenience store finally got a gas delivery in which I was grateful for since we needed gas (again) for the snow blower.
I feel soooo sorry for those poor people that have to take the commuter rail into Boston. First of all it sucks in the first place to have to take the commuter. Plus, standing out in the cold sucks  and now, the commuter rails are not running. The ultimate cherry on the shit sundae.There is no back up plan via the MBTA to add RELIABLE shuttle buses to get people to work either!.
Funny, during the blizzard of 78 the buses all ran. You couldn't drive but at least you could take the "T". I distinctly remember that. The former person in charge (some nitwit whiny lady) complained the reason for the "T" problems is money but yet they have people shovelling the rails out working 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off for a break at $30.00 an hour.!( I wished I made that kind of money!) I could go on and on about this but you get the ridiculous picture.
Last sunday for the first time,I think, in history, church services were cancelled.
Meetings, shows and classes have been cancelled. Everything is at a stand still.
We finally got running water. It's black and crunchy but at least I can wash. We will continue to drink bottled water for the time being.
 The folks on Plum Island got it worse. For days, the road going in and out of PI was closed. And now, the sewer system is backing up fouling basements and tubs. They have no water either. The underground pipes all froze.
 Roofs everywhere are collapsing. The little strip mall up near "Mattie the dog"  had their roof cave in. Walmart was evacuated last week with a threat of a collapsed roof.
I do hope this next storm is a dud and the one after that too.
We need a break......

sueno de Mexico

 This obnoxious weather makes me dream of my past  trip to Mexico.
In the above photo, I put together some of my Mexican trinkets and art pieces that I had collected. Some are gifts given to me from my cousin, things I had bought in international speciality shops and treasures I scored in thrift shops. There is a distinct style in Mexican art that I admire.

 

When I was in Mexico I came across some interesting wildlife. There was these  large rodents called "zerekes"(above). They were everywhere. They were as common as squirrels. I thought they were really cute like bunnies. 

Another creature I saw digging in the dumpsters were called "mapaches". Mapaches is the word for raccoon in Spanish but these critters were not raccoons like what we know as raccoons but they were ring-tailed lemurs.

The birds were interesting too and fun to watch.

Since I've been stuck in the house during this snowagedon I've completed another painting.
I followed the Mexican "el dia de los muertos" (day of the dead) theme with their bright colours and almost cartoon-like skeleton characters. Even though it death related theme it appears cheerful to me.
We are expecting still more snow.
I've just finished the last of my delicious Mexican coffee.
I dream of the sun warming my skin, scuba diving and wearing nice shoes.
I dream of Mexico.
Yo sona de Mexico.

snow bollocks

 Welcome to 2015 snowagedon.
We got another 3 inches of snow on thursday which was considered a 'dusting' on top of the 6 feet of snow we already had and then, saturday night we got a major bollocking of snow with hurricane winds.
 The news said we got 18 -20 inches but WE (in Salisbury) got at least 24 inches of snow. We, at the sea coast got bonked.
*In the above photo, is a shot from the side door entry.
As I said, there was at least 24(maybe more) inches of snow on top of all the other snow there as well.
I go out this way to clear off the back deck so I can feed the birds. As I was stepping on top of the old/new snow I waded in snow up to my waist until I hit a sink hole and fell in a soft spot up to my neck.
 The wind was whipping and my head was only sticking out of the hole. Thankfully I was holding my shovel and dug myself out. The outside birds, I think, were grateful for the seeds since it is apparent we were "the only restaurant in town open". I had at least ten bright red cardinals swinging on the feeders.

My husband is in charge of using the snow blower and I, unfortunately,  am in charge of the f***ing shoveling of entry ways, walk ways, vents, and back deck. I have been shoveling nonstop twice a day everyday for over three weeks plus I do the same for my Mother. Argh...
I did see a funny photo post on the news. There was a pic of a snow shovel with a sign on it that said "free personal trainer".
Isn't that the truth.
I haven't been jogging for close to three weeks. All I do is shovel and carry snow. It is like I am imprisoned in a Siberian labor camp.

 I do not know if you can even see the tiny tips of our 6-8 foot trees. You can see it barely by the building's black window.

 Here is my husband as the sexy male model posing at the freshly cleared walkway. As you can see there is no place to chuck the snow. Look how high the banks are getting.

 Here I am posing as another sexy runway model next to where the driveway that has been snow-blowed. Mind you the temp is -2F not including the wind factor.

 This is my neighbour’s house. The 6 foot fence is disappearing.

Here is my husband in snow-blowing action. I took this photo while sitting on top of my roof trying to push the gigantic ridges off.
 It was a bloody avalanche when I pushed it off. My husband first made an attempt to remove the snow off the roof  but he got stuck and couldn't get down. The wind was whipping and he was completely covered in snow. He's not very flexible so he couldn't position himself so therefore he was stuck.
Thank God for my work outs in cell block 9.
 I pulled him out (he weighs the same as me) and then I got out there . I had no problem pulling myself in and out the top window. With that being said, I tried to just focus on pushing the massive ridges off while shimmering across the peak. I kept saying to myself, "don't look down..don't look down". I made the mistake of watching the snow tumbling down and got sick. I closed my eyes and shimmied back.
We were literally out all day digging, carrying snow and repeating the process over and over.
When I finally came in the house I thought, can this get any worse?
When I turned on the kitchen facet to get a glass a water I then realized it definitely can get worse.
No water came out of the faucet.
F***!
A water main broke on our street and because of all the snow the DPW couldn't find the break. No water.
The stores, of course, were all closed because of the storm but luckily I had some bottled water for drinking and I brought in buckets of snow to melt on the stove to use as wash water. I felt like I was living on Walton's mountain hauling buckets and buckets of snow in to boil on a stove pot. It was amazing how much snow I had to bring in just to make a gallon of water. I would say at least 6 good size buckets full.
And yes, it is getting worse, since friday, at least in this area, the gas stations are running out of gas. And they do not know when they can get a delivery.
This situation is a thousand times worse than the blizzard of 78.
The blizzard of 78 was a sissy storm..

mas ojos grandes

It's still snowing and snowing.
Since I am stuck in the house I created another "Big Eyes' painting.
(*Pardon the photo distortion. This happens whenever I photograph a flat surface)
Speaking of distorting lenses and art.
I rented a very good movie, "Tim's Vermeer".
*I highly recommend it.
Engineer Tim Jenison wanted to recreate  a Vermeer painting by replicating the technique in which 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer composed his incredibly realistic paintings.
Tim Jenison was not an artist but he used the exact methods Vermeer painted using mirrors and lens to produce the lens-produced images of light and colour.
It appeared that Vermeer was in fact "an engineering genius" and critics therefore were dismissing him as a  "cheat" and not a "true artist".
I find that Vermeer was indeed brilliant but to dismiss him as an artist?
Are you kidding?
Art is art is art no matter how you get there.
 He was a creator not unlike graphic artists that use the computer as a tool to create just as he did. He alone invented this tool calculating the way light filters through a camera-like box using varying thickness and shapes of glass, and then projecting it onto a stretched canvas.
I've seen artists using complicated computer programs rendering images to look so real. Are those computer engineers not artists?
I've seen comic book (graphic novel) artists using airbrushes and other devices to paint fantastic fantasy images and yet, some traditionalists dismiss this as art.
Seriously?
There are some things that are passed off as art in which, come on, aren't art. For example, someone sits on paint and then sits on a piece of paper making a butt print isn't art. I could go on and on but I'll refrain from some of the gross things that have been passed off as art.
As I had mentioned in a earlier post on contemporary artist Margaret Keanes' "Big Eyes" paintings. Her painting were dismissed as "not real art".
I don't care.
I like 'em.

superballs

Ok I'll admit I watched the super bowl.
And it was actually a pretty exciting game, "ball" controversies and all.
As you know I am not really a football fan but with that being said I had recently took an interest in the game as a "new"mode of conversation.
When I visit my father in the nursing home it has been hard to talk to him.
It used to be easy years ago because we both loved cars, trucks and discussing our big time "kills' (bargain/coupon) grocery shopping.
Sadly because of his dementia these topics cause great anxiety and agitation for him (and me having to experience his agitation). Even though dementia has taken his mind and the Parkingson's disease has taken his body he still "insists" that he can drive and had his license taken away "unjustly" because all (he) "wants to do is go shopping at the Star market".(The Star market  has not been in business for years)
 It is so horribly sad. It is terrible what dementia does to a person and how it profoundly affects your family.
So I started to take an interest in football because I felt that this was both a 'safe" topic to talk about and something he had always loved.
I would sit with my husband and ask questions so I could learn and understand the game more.  I couldn't understand why there would be only a minute left in a game and that dam minute could last up to a half an hour. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind too much when I asked questions. The birds all seem to love watching sports. They would all pile up on the couch sitting on my lap, head and shoulder.
So after watching (or listening) to a game I had material to talk to my father about. Yup, I know who Brady, the "Gronk", Edelman and Butler are.

I like the "Gronk'. He's a big goober with a lot of personality. He's good to his fans too.

I watched "the half time show" too because I like Katy Perry and that show was  itself was with some controversy. It appears one of her dancing sharks was "half in the bag".
So when I visited my father I would ask him: "What was the score? Who is your favourite guy? What team do you hate? What did you think of that interception play? What did you think of that silly 'deflategate' controversy?"
At least it was something.