Have You Seen Petal?
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
‘Animals’
Someone’s Provided Bags on Cortelyou So People Will Scoop Their Dog’s Poop
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
It seems someone is taking dog matters into their own hands–figuratively, of course. Neighbor Spanky Tomato saw this sign, along with a bag full of plastic bags, taped up on a lightpole at the corner of East 18th and Cortelyou.
“It must be a kindered spirit,” she writes, “someone else in my nabe who is as disgusted as I am by the quantity of dog poop left on the sidewalk.”
And now that there are trash cans back in that area, people really have no excuse.
Bird of the Day
Friday, February 10th, 2012
I know I said yesterday would be the final bird of the day, but then I was walking down Rugby Road this morning and spotted this woodpecker. Not the best photo, but it’s always exciting to see one of these guys in the neighborhood.
Right after I saw it, I spotted a falcon flying over in the opposite direction, and later in the afternoon I saw a hawk circling over Fiske Terrace, and of course, heard the loud squawks of our resident parrots. If you don’t think there’s much wildlife in New York City, just look up every once in a while.
Bird of the Day
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Blue Jay, originally uploaded by carryboo.
And that about does it for bird week (as I’m out of bird photos)! Now that you’ve seen some of the birds that are common in our neighborhood, why not see the broader spectrum that live in Prospect Park? If you’re a bird lover, consider heading to the park this Saturday and Sunday for the Great Backyard Bird Count, where you can enjoy the outdoors (bundle up) and help Audubon Naturalists track North American bird populations.
Birds of the Day
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Geese landing at the Parade Ground, originally uploaded by carryboo.
Bird of the Day
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Mockingbird, originally uploaded by carryboo.
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Dog Found on Church and Rugby
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Neighbor Shannon found this “adorable, very sweet black lab mix this afternoon when she was almost hit by a truck while crossing Church Avenue at Rugby.” Based on the tags, she has a lead on the owner, but if you recognize this dog, please contact her at shannon.mcdowell [at] gmail [dot] com.
Video of Lost Puppy Reunion at Sean Casey
Saturday, January 28th, 2012
The other day, a kind neighbor found a dog on Argyle Road, kept the dog overnight, then went to Sean Casey Animal Rescue–which resulted in the dog, known as Amore, being reunited with his grateful owners. As it happens, an independent filmmaker named Charlie Spickler was (and is still) working on a project about SCAR, so he made this video of the happy reunion.
The film he’s making aims to raise awareness about the shelter, but he needs some help to get it done. There’s information here about how you can donate toward the film, and remember that you can always donate directly to SCAR to help them with their work.
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Adoptable Cats of the Day
Friday, January 27th, 2012
PAWSitive Veterinary currently has four cats who are looking for homes. There are two young littermates (about six months old) who are friendly, happy, and healthy who are looking for a home together. They also have two adult cats who are healthy but need some special attention (one has a balance disorder, and the other has an orthopedic condition).
If anyone is interested in adopting or fostering these cats, please let them know by emailing pawsitiveveterinary@gmail.com or calling 347-559-7729.
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Dog Found on Argyle
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
UPDATE 1pm: Corinne tells us that the dog has found his family, thanks to Sean Casey Animal Rescue! His name is Amore, he belongs to a family down off Ocean Parkway, and everyone was happy to be reunited today.
8:45am: Corinne found this very wet, cold, and afraid dog last night, but with food and warmth, he became more friendly:
Lost dog found on Argyle Rd, between Ditmas and Newkirk at about 8:30pm on Sunday, January 22. Small, gray, male, shaggy. I didn’t recognize him as any of the neighborhood pups I know, and neither did some other folks out walking their dogs. No name on the tags. I called the 800 number, and his ID number wasn’t a match for anything they have on record.
Free TNR Workshop in February
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
The group Neighborhood Cats is presenting a free trap neuter return (TNR) workshop at the Kensington Library on Saturday, February 11. Attendees will become TNR certified, which gives you access to low-cost spay and neuter services and free trap loans.
Advance registration required, and these workshops usually fill up fast. To register email tnr@neighborhoodcats.org with the subject line “Brooklyn TNR workshop” or call 212-662-5761.
Free TNR Workshop
Saturday, February 11, 11am – 3pm
Kensington Library, 410 Ditmas Ave
Dog Found on Stratford Reunited with Owner
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
Earlier today, PAWSitive Veterinary let us know that they’d found a small dog on Stratford Road. It seems that at the same time they were posting “found” signs around the neighborhood, the owner’s friend was posting “lost” signs, one of which I happened to walk by this afternoon (the photo above was staged so you could compare the pictures of the dog). I called the vet to give them the owner’s number, and they’ve been reunited!
Joel the dog had just been taken into a home in the neighborhood for fostering today when he got loose. Someone spotted him on Stratford and alerted the vet around the corner, and PAWSitive’s Sarah managed to corner the sweet pooch and take him into their office. And thank goodness–it seems Joel may have been hit by a car, suffering a broken leg, but it sounds like he’ll be okay.
Small Dog Found on Stratford
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
This black and white small male dog was found running around on Stratford Road by Church Avenue. Please call PAWSitive Veterinary at 347-559-7729 if you are the owner or know who he belongs to ASAP.
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Cat Found on East 19th
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
Is this your cat? Neighbor Kristin found it on East 19th and Dorchester last night. If you recognize the friendly cat, please email her at kscarola@gmail.com.
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Found Cat
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Did you lose this cat?
Alan found her hanging out on Foster Ave near Marlborough, and says she seems like someone’s pet. She’s very friendly and seems like she’s in good shape. He’s holding onto her for now, but is hoping to reunite her with her family.
If you know her, email him at alanb4 [at] optonline [dot] net.
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Lost Dog
Friday, January 6th, 2012
Sign spotted on Dorchester and Rugby. If you find the dog, please call Hector at 347-220-2439.
Elvis Is Back in the Building
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
In case you missed it in the Ditmas Park Listings along the side of the page, Elvis the cat, reported missing a couple of weeks ago, has turned up:
Elvis mysteriously and miraculously came home on New Year’s Day after being gone for a month. He must have been trapped somewhere because he is very skinny, weighing only 8 lbs. But he is otherwise OK and I am soooo happy to have him back. Thank you for your help. And Happy New Year! I think it is going to be a good one.
Backyard Rescue Hens
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
Raising backyard chickens is a growing trend in Brooklyn. According to the Just Food City Chicken Meetup, 529 households in Brooklyn have backyard coops. While most of these people choose chickens to raise for eggs, neighbor Jean Davis rescues chickens.
Bluey, Casey, Jamaica, Gemi, and Coco are pet chickens fed and loved by Davis, her husband, and their three daughters.
Anyone can buy a chicken coop and order hatching eggs from websites like My Pet Chicken. But preparing for rescue chickens is almost like adopting a child. It requires strangers to assess your home, your coops, your intentions and your ability to properly raise chickens. The process is invasive, but, according to Davis, worth it.
But why rescue chickens when buying baby chicks is so easy…and cheap?
“Ordering chickens through the mail seems industrial,” said Davis.
Davis felt a knot in her stomach at the thought of shipping chickens through the mail. She felt as if it was an extension of the mass-produced chicken industry. Davis wanted her daughters to be raised with animals, with chickens. When they visited a rescue farm upstate, the light bulb went off. Of course not many animals are allowed to be raised in the city limits, but chickens they could do.
Hawk Circling Ditmas Park
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
While walking down Coney Island Avenue this afternoon, I caught this large bird of prey circling the neighborhood. I’m not sure what is was exactly, but it was big and impressive, and may have been the same bird I’ve seen hanging out recently behind my apartment. Anyone else seen a hawk of some kind swooping around lately?
ArtSpace #24: Avi Glickstein
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Task for the week: Use a past ArtSpace post as inspiration for a new one
Artist: Avi Glickstein
Inspiration: Nu Ryu’s porch cats from August 26th
“The Porch Cat’s Meow”
If they only knew…
If they only knew the fire I’ve salted away these long years.
How many years? Hard to tell.
They wasted theirs long ago, those two.
I can’t see for sure
— a ridiculous notion —
But they have an emptiness about them, a vacuity, a coldness about them.
So that when you are near them, you sense their desperation to hold onto whatever meager kindling they still possess after lifetimes of undisciplined excess.
Whereas I…
I’m ready to burst.
If they only knew what I hold inside me…
They wouldn’t be so flip all the time
Demanding my deference to their “unparalleled field experience.”
I have been careful
Frugal
Sensible
Watchful
A slow-burn sensation, allowing friction to build
For a proper and clean combustion.
But is now the moment, proper and clean, for a proper and clean combustion?
Might there not be a better moment…tomorrow?
Might there not be a better moment…down the road?
I’ve waited this long,
Held tight to my heat in the face of far greater opportunities,
In moments of coarsest and most volatile friction, I did not sway but held true.
I did not squander my gifts.
And I will not do so now.
No.
I will not.
I will not!
I WILL NOT!
I will not be held captive to an imperfect moment like this,
When a better one awaits.
I can hold…
I can contain…
I only…
I only wish…
I only wish I knew…
How does living in Ditmas Park feed/inspire/affect your work?
Yes, it’s bucolic. Yes, it’s unusual for NYC. Yes, I take a long, pleasant, exhale of relief when I get off the train from Manhattan. But more than anything, those big, glorious houses taunt me. They seem to whisper things like, “If you just work a little harder, maybe there’s the slightest chance you could live here. But now…that’s just a really big IF.” Stupid houses.
Tell us about the past ArtSpace piece you chose for inspiration – which one, why you chose it, etc. – and how it influenced today’s work.
When I was looking at Nu’s little matchbook cats again, I noticed–in the photo of them from the back–a distinct difference between the cat on the far left and the other two. Then, looking at him from the front, a little voice just came out, all secretive and ambitious. I’m not really sure what he’s up to, but, as everyone knows, all cats have something to hide.
About Avi
When I’m not writing for your friendly neighborhood blog, I’m a playwright and actor who frequently collaborates with Object Collection (an experimental theater and music performance group) and is an Associate Company Member of Polybe + Seats. Plays I’ve written can be found in this book and, soon, on this website.
If you’d like to contact Avi:
More info on ArtSpace:
ArtSpace #25: (?) tomorrow
*Due to a little miscommunication, we have a last-minute, empty ArtSpace slot tomorrow. If you’re feeling inspired by the task this week and have a little extra time on your hands before tomorrow, email me asap at dpblogavi@gmail.com to claim it.
