It's May 17th! (World Awareness Day for Neurofibromatosis)

Today, May 17th, is the day designated for promoting WORLD WIDE awareness re Neurofibromatosis (NF), a medical condition that has affected yours truly since birth, please note the verbiage (referenced within the square) in the text-based image atop this posting.

Organizations seeking to promote awareness about this affliction are asking folks to wear blue and green as a sign of their being in solidarity with the plight of one's who have NF.

Additionally, buildings across the globe are turning on blue and green lights to to show their support; as evidenced in a posting by the Children's Tumor Foundation @ https://www.ctf.org/shine-a-light-on-nf/

Unfortunately, even though I have been traumatized by many consequences related to my having NF, I don't own blue and green clothing, so I cannot help in this manner, but what I am doing to raise awareness is working on a book which is tentatively titled, Imperfect Strangers, and its content describes some of the consequences of living with NF.

A video about "Imperfect Strangers" can be found within my Vimeo and You Tube channels. Here are the links:

https://vimeo.com/338407819

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt4SvgkRXuc&t=6s

And while I may not be wearing blue and green clothing, the European starlings who visit my garden, have blue and green features, as evidenced by the photos I'm including here in the images below:

This bird type is featured (along with many other bird varieties) in my books. You can find info re this matter within a post on my blog via this link:

https://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2018/10/one-sheet-book-series 

"A LIFE WITHOUT ANYTHING GOOD IS BAD."

Ever since my last posting here on blog, a number of months have once again passed in which, due to severe (some life threatening) health issues and other horrendous circumstances, I've been unable to post content. But here I am again and this time it's with promising news and a sincere hope that I will now be able to continue posting on a regular basis.

I'm off to a good start!

Today, I was able to get a $1.00 scoop of ice cream from Van Leeuwen Ice Cream!

Their flavor selections are truly magnificent (understatement), albeit pricey, but today, March 16, 2025, in honor of their opening a new location on the UES of NYC, they offered this tremendous price reduction!

AND, the first one hundred persons to come to this new location, were given a tote that has an image of an ice cream cone on one side and on the back, is a copy of their motto: "A LIFE WITHOUT ANYTHING GOOD IS BAD."

The collage posted atop this entry depicts my experience re taking advantage of Van Leeuwen's good and positive will, which could not have come at a better time for me, as I attempt to return to posting on this blog; and to commence with my book project, Imperfect Strangers, an endeavor which has been interrupted countless times due to the situations I mentioned in the intro to this blog entry.

Van Leeuwen's motto,  "A LIFE WITHOUT ANYTHING GOOD IS BAD," is the kick in the butt I needed  to restart my book project.

I have posted an entry on substack to announce my moving forward on this long standing book project.

Bird. Watching.

These recent avian visitors to my rooftop garden (pictured above) have been one reason I believe this animal type is behind the term "bird watching." The bird varieties included within the images here (along with many other bird types) are featured my books.

My intrigue with wild birds continues to bring me joy. Tuesday's Truths WK 232

Yikes! It's been a week since I returned to my Tuesday's Truths series (with no post in between)! Not the best of practices for returning to this blog but all I can say is Neurofibromatosis health issues continue to interfere. GRRRRR!

But fortunately, in spite these obstacles, my intrigue with wild birds continues to bring me joy.

The other day a female cardinal who visited my rooftop garden caused me to spend quite a bit of time just watching her apparent interest with something on a pole (or near to it) that's in the northeast corner.

I took photographs of her antics and two of those images are featured atop this entry.

This scenario of the cardinal mesmerized by whatever was on the pole or near to it, along with me being enthralled by the whole scene caused me to think of the quote within the text based image seen directly below.

Image Credit

In any event, and as many of you know, my fascination with female Northern cardinals has been going on for a long time and this type of creature is featured in my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak, where the stories are told from the perspective of this bird type. 

Tuesday's Truths WK 231: Determination Helps

My return back to blogging (although I don't know how long I'll continue) is fairly recent, but for now I'm here, and back in the day when I was more active here on Blogger, I had a series that I called Tuesday's Truths.

The last time I posted something within this series was February 2, 2022 after I had endured a surgical procedure on my brachial plexus which was prior to subsequent Neurofibromatosis-related set backs. 

Today I'm adding this episode to the series.

It is inspired by a determined American robin who visited my rooftop garden this afternoon.

The creature became an inspiration for me to persevere, for as I was looking out my back door to my garden, and didn't see "a giant doin' cartwheels" [or a statue wearin' high heels]," I DID see a robin whose eyes were bigger than his beak, as evidenced by the photos atop this entry which feature this creature grappling with Concord grapes that had been on a plate atop a table in may garden.

I was determined to take photos of my avian visitor even though it was a bit hard to hold my DSLR and maintain my balance since I'm still wearing a soft-shoe cast and need a cane to get around, but I did what I could (albeit with a blurry result) knowing this bird was accomplishing what he/she could in an attempt to grab a grape.

Moreover, this "entertainment" was a great distraction from the rhetoric occurring on this Election Day and it was a nice "respite" from my ongoing battle with the recuperation from my August 14th 2024 foot surgery.

FYI, American robins (as do many other birds) always add delight to the atmosphere in my garden.

As you might recall, my garden is the setting for most of my bird-themed books and American robins are just one of many bird types included within my stories. 

October might be ending, breast cancer awareness should not....

On this last day of October, I received a newsletter in my Inbox. As you will see the narrative points out that those who have NF-1 (Neurofibromatosis Type One) have an increased risk of breast cancer.

I have NF-1 and this is something I had already learned the hard way for my 2024 breast cancer diagnosis indicated an IMMEDIATE  need for a mastectomy before the cancer spread. 

That surgery took place this past April and I've been having follow-up appointments with my oncologist as we'll as a very invasive foot surgery that occurred this past August.

It's been quite a year.  

In any event these health issues have put yet another pause on my longstanding book project, Imperfect Strangers, but I will get back to it as soon as I am able. 

Stay tuned.