Little Monkey on the Mend

I am happy to report that after some breathing treatments Little Monkey is getting better.  In fact, he was back riding the subway today like a champ.  He is a huge fan of the C Train. He is also a huge fan of his daddy.

Little Monkey is a little punky still.  

Also, we had a great surprise tonight at dinner time.  We were at the table and noticed Fire Truck 47 pull up to adjust the fire hydrant.

Here are just a few pictures of the fire fighters adjusting the spray cap...

Just a few pictures, mind you...

 Not too many pictures or anything...

Oh, I didn't want to forget this one...

Have I mentioned that I have a strong admiration for firemen?

The stream of water coming out has actually been a little low which is dangerous for the kids because cars can not see the water and be alerted that the kids are playing on the side of the street. The street is very busy.

This is not a big enough stream for the kids' safety.

One of the neighborhood mothers called the fire department to help adjust the flow. And like the wonderful civil servants that they are, they came to make everything safer for the kids.

Bye, bye.  Come back anytime, really.

Our monkeys were so excited!

Little Monkey's friend Samson joined in the water party.

Then taxis and other cars came to get impromptu car washes.

"Free car wash!"

Before long, everyone was singing, smiling and super soaked.

I love summer, and happy monkeys, and fire fighters!

Hugs,

Melissa

The High Line

The past few times that we have visited Manhattan, it has been February.  And when it's February in New York, it's cold.  Let's just say outside activities are not very fun in February. There are so many amazing parks and nature trails right here in the city, but in the winter-no bueno!

I have been dying to go to the High Line though. This nature lover's dream is a repurposed elevated train track turned meandering sky garden.

It is so lovely that we have been there twice already.  We plan on going again to participate in one of the many kids' activities hosted at the park.  Like Wacky Wednesdays, where today our youngest monkeys could explore the wonders of photosynthesis.  The High Line provides a beautiful backdrop for all kinds of learning and exploration.  It is a must see in NYC, in my opinion.

The plantings in the gardens remind me of Pete's parents' prairie in Wisconsin.  Black-eyed Susan's, Cone flowers, Bee balm, Queen Anne's Lace are everywhere, and oh-so-fragant.  Bees as big as my thumb buzz lazily around the gardens, drunk from all the nectary goodness.

There are gorgeous areas to sit and soak up the sun and views of the river and the city.  In fact, some of the seating areas are moveable because they are attached to the old railroad tracks.

The monkeys loved dipping their toes into the pebble pool, or watching the city move and shake from the viewing windows overlooking the avenue.

Pete and I loved the food court with amazing selections from local vendors like Brooklyn Soda Company or my absolute favorite The Taco Truck.  Let me tell you something, their green salsa is so darn tasty that every time you eat it,  it should be declared a national holiday.

The best part about the High Line is that it is free.  Oh, and they are expanding it. Yippee!

Hugs,

Melissa

Runny Noses and Fire Hydrants

We have had a couple of down days around here.  There is this horrendous cold that has been picking us off one at a time.  Poor Little Monkey is so miserable right now.  Truth be told, I am feeling pretty gross as well.  Could it be several sleepless nights in a row?  Or the fact that Pete has been on a business trip (I never sleep when he is gone).

Sick in the City

The good news is, it's just a cold and it will run its course.  And trust me, there is a lot of running and flowing of the nose with this junk.  And also, the obligatory high fever that leaves your forehead feeling like a frying pan.  It stinks.

Speaking of flowing and frying pans.  New York City is having a heat wave, my friends.  It is hotter here than it is in Orlando.  And oh, so humid.  The play yard was a ghost town yesterday when I passed by on my way to the pharmacy.  Then around 3 PM,  just when the heat was reaching a fever pitch, something magical happened on our street.  The fire hydrant was opened and all the kids (and some big kids at heart, a.k.a adults) took to the street and had a party water.  There were mommies and their babies, teens with buckets, cups, anything that would hold water, and one renegade goofball with a super soaker.  It was awesome to watch!

Our monkeys were too sick and so sad not to be able to go join in on the fun, but maybe tomorrow?

Let's get this party started!

Interesting fact:  NYC has 109, 000 fire hydrants. It is actually illegal (and potentially dangerous) to open a fire hydrant unless you have a spray cap which tames the water and makes it come out of the hydrant like a sprinkler. An adult can go to their local fire department and ask for a spray cap, and if you are really lucky (in my opinion) a NYFD fire fighter might just come turn on the fire hydrant on your street for you. Here is a quick article about spray caps with some cool pictures. 

Hugs, 

Melissa

P.S. I have a "strong admiration" for fire fighters and sound designers. 

She Did What She Could

Yesterday, I met Jerry Lewis. No, not the comedian, champion for muscular dystrophy, friend of the Rat Pack.  Not that guy.  The Jerry Lewis I met was indeed funny, quite a character in fact. Unlike the other Jerry though, he is not in the public spotlight.  In fact, if you walked by fast enough, you would not even know that he existed.  And "Rat Pack" for him has quite a different context.

Jerry Lewis is just one of the thousands of homeless people in this city.  We see them every single day as we walk along, taking in all the sights.  Some are quietly suffering while others are actively begging for help, some are very vocal as they present their case to a subway car full of people during rush hour.  Others are so quiet and still that you are not even quite sure if they are asleep or dead.  Like the man I saw lying in a stupor on the sidewalk.  A hospital emergency room to his left and a large cathedral to his right were like bookends to this tragedy.  Tossed aside, lying in the dirt with his hospital socks still on because either no one cared to know his story or they were sick of hearing it.

My heart is broken into a million pieces as I think about these people.  These are fellow human beings, fellow human beings! And I know the tired old conversations and cliches about choices and addictions and blah, blah, blah.  I know and I agree, but to see a fellow human being hungry, sick, sweaty and covered with flies, urine and sitting in their own feces, and just walk on by. I just can't stand for it.  No.

God bless all of the champions for the homeless.  From the large organizations to the individual who offers what he or she can give.  A cold bottle of water and something to eat.  A listening ear.  A call to 911 for medical assistance.  Whatever.  These are fellow human beings.

There is a story in the Bible.  It talks about a woman who washes Jesus' feet at a dinner with a very expensive bottle of perfume.  Those around her criticize her and call her wasteful.  Jesus comes to her defense.  He makes it very clear that no one else had offered him the common courtesy of washing His feet when he entered the host's home.  He says that the woman did what she could do.  She had perfume, his feet were dirty, she cleaned them.  She did what she could.

I want to be like her.  I am only one person, I can not save the world, but I can do what I can do.  That is my job.  Whatever is put before me.

If everyone did what they can do what would happen?  Would world hunger end?  Would everyone have a home to live in and proper health care?  Would sex trafficking be eradicated? Such high and lofty aspirations, right?  I will do what I can do.  That's what I can do.

Hugs,

Melissa

She Lights the Way

The New Colossus

(Emma Lazarus)

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

All of my life, I have wanted to see the Statue of Liberty in person.  I mean, I have seen her in the pictures of text books, on television and even from a distance while in the city, but I have never seen her.  Until yesterday...

She's beautiful.  I cried.  Sorry, but I could not help myself.  She is an amazing symbol of our nation. 

She watched with those mild eyes as countless immigrants (my family included) arrived at the "golden door" of freedom.  She lit the way to freedom for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses with her beacon in hand. 

She also watched over the horrific events that unfolded across the harbor on September 11, 2001 as the World Trade Center towers came down and our freedom was shaken.  She witnessed such loss and devastation that wretched day.

1 WTC (Freedom Tower)

Reflecting pool for 1 WTC at the 911 Memorial

Still, she stood firm for freedom on Liberty Island .  I like to imagine that mighty woman with a torch crying out with silent lips, "Give me your tired, your broken hearted, your huddled masses of emergency workers, terrified loved ones, displaced people, and exhausted survivors.  My lamp is still lit for you.  It still symbolizes world-wide welcome. I am the Mother of Exiles and harbinger of freedom."

Freedom that our ancestors, our family, our children, and hopefully our future generations are proud of and forever grateful for.  

God bless America!

Hugs, 

Melissa

Little Monkey Gets Stuck Up in a Tree Like Thingy

There is a school down the block from where we are staying that keeps the play yard open for the kids in the neighborhood all summer.  It's a wonderful little place and quite the hub of activity.

Our monkeys really enjoy playing there with the other kids.  Today, there were races on the track...

Pick up games on the courts...

And lots of monkeying around...

Until...

Little Monkey got stuck...

and then he cried, "Help!"

And Daddy rescued him.  

And then, all was right with the universe. 

The end.

Hugs, 

Melissa