Directions, Please Nobody coming to Riverdale would normally go out of their way to travel on Spaulding Lane. In fact, I doubt most residents even know where it is. So I will take you there. Go north on Palisade Avenue along Riverdale Park. The road does not end but makes a sharp right and goes […]
Enter the Rascals It’s hard to believe that an animal with a brain the size of a walnut could be a formidable opponent. But considering that the first signs of squirrels showed up about 36 million years ago (MYA), perhaps I should not have been so cavalier in my attitude. Squirrel – Courtesy S. Jeselsohn
The Squirrel Chronicles Read More »
In the Beginning Darwin developed the theory of evolution to explain the progression of life from simpler to more complex biological forms. In this geology course offered by The Great Courses – How the Earth Works – the professor, Michael Wysession, asked a different, but equally intriguing question, “Where do the component elements of our
Building Blocks of Our World Read More »
The Unnecessary War Continues These are terrible times. Israel is fending off enemies whose military might is noteworthy but whose public relations are breathtaking and frightening. Too many people have little understanding of the history of present day Israel or of ancient Israel and the subsequent Jewish Diaspora. In an effort to celebrate both ancient
Jerusalem, Center of the World – Part II Read More »
Another War Forced Upon Israel These are terrible times. Israel is fending off enemies whose military might is noteworthy but whose public relations are breathtaking and frightening. Too many people have little understanding of the history of present day Israel or of ancient Israel and the subsequent Jewish Diaspora. In an effort to celebrate both
Jerusalem – Center of the World – Part I Read More »
Remember When Cameras Had Film? Years ago I took a darkroom photography course at Lehman College in the Bronx. Every few days we would get an assignment to shoot an entire roll of black and white film within some artsy framework. Film then came in rolls of 12, 24 and 36 frames and for class
That’s One Big Bee! Read More »
Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary My good friend Stephanie Coggins had been telling me about the Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary at the corner of Isham Street and Seaman Avenue. The Church of the Good Shepherd in the Inwood section of Manhattan donated its vacant corner for this project. Here, Keith de Cesare has been planting a garden filled
Actually Inwood Surprise Read More »
Unexpected Benefits of Reading Ivrit Magazine I have previously mentioned my monthly subscription to Ivrit Magazine, published by the Jerusalem Post. The initial purpose for subscribing was to improve my spoken Hebrew by increasing my vocabulary necessary for day-to-day conversations. While I had an excellent education in Jewish Day Schools, I was more conversant with
Tree Planting Program in Israel Read More »
Beautiful Israeli Spring Flower One of Israel’s most iconic wildflowers is the cyclamen or rakefet in Hebrew. It fills the landscape from the Golan Heights, the Galilee, Judea and Samaria south all the way to the northern Negev. Its bloom time is January through March and it grows with a distinctive flower in white, violet
Plants have Relatives Also Read More »
Meeting our Main Character Scritch! Scrabble! Scratch! It was a beautiful summer day and I was quietly reading indoors in a room filled with golden sunshine. Blessed with good hearing and knowing that if I am hearing something odd, I may be in for a surprise. I looked around and walking across a window shade
green and Bug-eyed with Beautiful Variants Read More »