A tree falls in New Hyde Park

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound? a famous philosophical riddle.
A mighty oak crashed on our block on the last day of June, 2009.
We live in the area of New Hyde Park known as "The Oaks." This oak was so tall that it made it across the street to the opposite neighbor's door I did not hear it fall. I was outside with Liam relaxing , reading, feeling good. I had just returned from the gym and felt that I deserved this respite. Liam heard it and felt it. He looked around ran to the side of the house stood in the middle of the backyard. I thought he was playing. I heard the fire trucks, the police cars screaming by. Only then did I get up, walk to the side and meet my dear neighbor. What is happening? Seems a tree, four houses down, was eaten by termites to the point where it toppled, sending the tree to its death. No one was underneath, No car was hit. A miracle.
All who were present on the block described it as a huge explosive thud, earthquakish in its vibration.

I did not hear a sound.

If tree falls in New Hyde Park, and one of the residents does not hear it, it still makes a sound.

The time of the tree crashing was about 3PM. At that point all electricity was lost, no phone, cable/no TV, Internet.

Positives:
I have a blackberry It was fully charged.
Only our block was affected; so we could go somewhere.
It was summer , we would not freeze inside homes.
Most TV shows were repeats; we were not missing a new episode of House, Lost, Survivor.
There was daylight until 8:45 or so

Negatives:
There was no TV and there are shows to watch (some are both positive and negative)
No Internet
No microwave
No stove
No lights
No AC
No Fan

Timeline of Events

last six months- termites eating through tree at 39 Baxter, yummy, invisible to residents on the block.

2:58 PM, June 30, 2009 Termites finish their work, tree starts to crack towards the street.

3:PM Tree smashes into street causing huge explosive noise plus tremendous vibrations (so I am told)

3:20 PM start hanging with the neighbors

3:45 PM police evacuate 5 families; there are live wires

4:00 PM -Stump, the Firefighter marches to the scene ( his form evokes the stumps that will later be left of the oaks)

5:00-6:00PM - I meet neighbors I have never met- a lovely Irish family, Gizmo's Mom, (that is Liam's dog friend in back) A nice cop. I now have a fix on where folks live. Only 20 years since I moved in. About time.I find out there is a 92 year old woman on our block where, what house?

6:PM Paul comes home. Those arriving after crash must park on Leonard Blvd, the street bordering ours- as Baxter Avenue is barricaded by police on both ends. We are free to leave only on foot. We can call people to pick us up but must walk to a location away from our street. Much alarm about live wires, fire potential, crime, burglary, acts of mayhem.

7:PM Paul suggests we go out to eat. This is what others are doing. I know though, that it will be like an afternoon wedding reception for me. A few hours of fun , then nothing.
Paul then suggests we pretend we are on the reality show Survivor and forage in the house, make fire, all that Survivor stuff. He suggests cereal and turkey cold cuts and saltines. I glumly tell him I have had all during the day and that Survivor contestants have the prize of a possible one million dollars.

7:30 PM We mercifully have some wine we can guzzle and I am permitted to light some candles. Paul is terrified of live candles -I have some flame less ones and flashlights.

Paul is fine with all this lack of connection to the world. He should have lived in the Flintstone Era He likes listening to the radio ( we have batteries) never goes online, hates the phone, can eat cold cuts and cereal with wine happily. His cheerfulness really annoys me. I prefer his usual Germanic stoicism and passive aggressive behavior towards my communication devices- my Blackberry, Cable shows, Internet etc.
Who is this sudden boy scout?
My only revenge is to light more candles, but that gives me little joy. We have a "dead" house- no communication.

7:55 PM massive thunderstorm last day to break June record for most rainfall

8:00-10:00PM. we sit at the kitchen counter with two candles, cereal, turkey, saltines, peanut butter, candle, wine and chattering away like we are on a camping trip. I am on my BB watching the power ebb . I will have to go to Walgreen's (open all night) to recharge.

11:30PM - We finish the wine, Paul announces time for bed. Well I cannot sleep, ever, so I bid him farewell and look at the still dark street with flares.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 We leave the "hood" and visit the High Line in the NYC west side meatpacking district. I cannot stay in a dead zone.-and that is what our house is.
Cable is back when we return late Wednesday. so now we have, TV Internet. No land line. Verizon works for four days-still no service by Saturday, July 4th

Monday, July 6, , two neighbors hire tree cutters to cut down their oaks fearful that termites will attack and cause crashes. We now have three oaks gone, in a neighborhood called "The Oaks"

I am upstairs and hear my neighbor 2 houses away scold the tree cutters "you are late, it is 8:20, you were scheduled for 8." I marvel at her chutzpa as these men have sophisticated axes and saws attached to trucks with giant churning machines. She could be mincemeat in no timeI heard her say this, but did not hear a tree fall that sounded like a volcanic eruption.
I have been out in the street a lot during this tree falling event. Prior to my retirement things occurred and I never knew. Now I pop out immediately. Paul has dubbed me the Desperate Housewife of New Hyde Park.

Questions:

What kind of hearing do I have? I did not hear a tree crash that neighbors attest felt like an earthquake and sounded like an explosion.
A few days later, I did hear my female neighbor's voice asking a question on the opposite side of the block in a conversational tone.
Is this dog hearing?

Where are all those neighbors who were in the street that afternoon and evening. never saw most again. The easy camaraderie of that night has receded until the next event.

How many oaks must be on the block for us to still be the Oaks ?

Miracles
On Sunday night June 28, 2009, an 18 -wheeler pulled up and deposited a car in front of my house, it had Texas plates. This car had travelled from Texas Its owner picked it up Monday, June 29.
How terrible would it have been to have been squished by an oak? Spared by one day. see same spot next day-only emergency vehicles

Not one car was parked on either side under the tree.

No one was walking by when the tree fell.

no kids, no dogs were smashed.
a rainbow and peace.
Liam is on guard for the next crash

He has to be I will not hear.

Woof, woof

No longer a puppy

Liam will soon attain an important milestone. He will turn two on August 1, 2009. Yes, he is a Leo like me, and most likely a first born like me. He had a brother at North Shore who was adopted the same day as he was. The staff told us Liam had beaten up his brother the day before, so I am sure he is the first born because that is what we first borns do-beat up our younger sibs.
There seems to be a consensus that puppies are adults by age two. The smaller the dog the faster he/she matures. Liam is still mistaken for puppy on his walks and at Petco; he looks like a mini lab so he is treated like a puppy.

Liam asked to bark in the blog this week as a treat for attaining his adult milestone. Sure, why not? Following are some thoughts from Liam on a variety of topics.

Liam's thoughts on:

Naps- the best rest in the world anywhere, anytime, woof

Toys- my favorite is Mr. Pepper, then red Kong boney filled with treats

Walks- best with Daddy Paul, he lets me poop and pee anywhere, even on people's lawns. He allows me to lead. I can eat dirt and grass. I can scratch any tree and sniff all spots.
Mommy Carol watches too much Dog Whisperer- she will not allow any of that. This pack leader stuff is for the birds.

Birds- my favorites are doves, and cardinals-I love to chase them. If I come across a dead bird I will pick it up and try to scare my parents. They then call me "bird breath." I am not upset. "Dog breath" is a far worse insult.

Dogs- I bark at them all when I am inside. Outside I just look I do not like any dog that wears cutesy outfits Wussy dogs.

Squirrels- never tire of lunging and leaping for them. Hurt Mommy bad last year, but now I wear special harness and she stays upright most of the time. And we have a lovely framed eye as a result- very Van Goghish

Bedbugs- recent infestations have been identified in NYC. I can help. Beagles are the canine searchers and I am one quarter beagle.

The backyard- a place of infinite fun and relaxation woof woof woof

Obedience training- A big fat waste. I did not learn anything. I played with Murphy ( classmate) each week. The last session the instructor gave in and let all of us play for the entire session. I consider it my biggest victory over humans so far.

Hydrogen peroxide- Mommy Carol thinks this is the remedy for everything. Whenever I see the big brown bottle I run She loves to dab it on my cuts and bumps. She uses it on all of us.

Middle of the night eating. Mommy Carol does this when she cannot sleep. I can leap VERY high, I wait till she makes her sandwich then I leap. About 75% of the time I get some. One time I got the entire sandwich. I hate when she snacks on cereal. So boring. She should thank me for joining in-otherwise she would weigh 500 pounds. Daddy Paul often asks why the cold cuts disappear during the night. I get blamed. How does he think I open the fridge?

Water -hate it Grrrrrrrr That is how I know I am not any part lab.

Brushing my teeth. Another OCD thing from Mommy Carol. She is so proud of my white teeth, Whenever I see that tube of peanut butter flavored tooth paste I hide behind the couch.

Peanut butter-yummo, my favorite human food.

Jumping on people. I do it. I get squirted with a water pistol. But some people love it so I keep doing it.

Barking - I bark at passersby. I bark when I want to play. I bark when I lose a toy. It usually works. I have been told that I have a big voice for my size.

Getting older- I have some grey hairs around my chin, on my belly and on my legs
I still get mistaken for a puppy, because I am high energy, I lick faces, jump at folks-all puppy behavior. I am small like a puppy.

Petco- my favorite store. I sniff all the food, bark at the birds and cats. I always get a treat from the cashier. I am petted and called a cute puppy. I am an adult dog but I go along with the charade.

Chewing underwear- If it is reachable I am there. Most of Mommy's bras have one strap. I chew it so clean it looks like a scissor cut. Works with the one strap dresses quite well. Guess that toothpaste is helping.

Springsteen- he rocks, love the Boss

On being the subject of Liamlicks blog read by hundreds- I am a first born Leo. I welcome all attention and fame.
"Leos love to be in the spotlight. Their greatest strength is their playful and loving nature. The Lion-king of the jungle!"

Thanks everyone for reading looking and following forwarding commenting

Woof, woof, arooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo got to turn back to my bird watching. Love and Licks, Liam

My first Yoga class

I bought my first house at age 39. I got my first dog at age 57. I took my first Yoga class at age 58. Ruthless classifies me as a late bloomer. I never liked to say that about anyone as it rather implies doing things in reverse or being out of step with the rest of the world. Why would anyone want to be termed a late bloomer?
Definition of late bloomer: "Term used metaphorically to describe a child or adolescent who develops more slowly than others in their age group, (certainly not me), but eventually catches up and in some cases overtakes their peers, (okay, sounding better), or an adult whose talent or genius in a particular field only appears later in life ( now we are talking) than is normal-in some cases only in old age.- (turned bad at the end) ----from wikipedia.
My father learned to drive at 53 and my parents bought their first house in their 60's. Maybe it is hereditary.
Anyway it is done-my first Yoga class.
My class is at the Hillside Library who is my friend on Facebook, Yes, I am friends with a Library. My course is entitled "chair yoga." The session is from 10:15-11:30 AM Thursdays and that suits me as I do not want to be with working people. They need the night classes.
The required materials were a mat, towel, blanket and pillow (optional) I could find the last three around the house but had to purchase a mat. Seemed the most common color was royal blue. No, mine must be green. I found it online. The thickness seemed to matter so I got the medium thickness. I gathered the other items, worrying that everyone might have an official yoga blanket, yoga towel, yoga pillow. I would not. I did not unfurl my mat at home as I wanted to do that in the class, so it would be perfectly rolled until its debut.
I was up early this morning, very apprehensive but determined to go. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a woman with a bag, mat sticking out and a pillow. The other cars were pulling in. Mostly older women, a few young women, two mature men.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor. The instructor greeted all of us personally and seemed like the ideal Yoga person- calm, loving, lithe. Many people knew each other and were chatting; others seemed to want to be by themselves. All the chairs were against the walls and people were unrolling their mats. I let mine loose and it was VERY long Sort of like the green mat on the Fidelity "turn here" commercials. New girl, with big mat. Yikes. I sat on my chair wondering if I should put in my hearing aids I would not have the visual aid of reading lips as the instructor wanted us to trust and keep our eyes closed. I put the left hearing aid in. A compromise. Just as I did two women to my right introduced themselves as Angela and Georgia, Was sure about Angela, but Georgia? I figured I would know eventually. Picked the wrong ear to load up with my hearing aid. Georgia whispered that the woman to my left falls asleep at the end-the last 15 minutes being just breathing and lying on one's back. Could this be my sleep remedy?

Our instructor told us she would lead us, just listen; keep our eyes closed. She asked that we think of one word -this would be a word we would repeat in our heads as a mantra; she offered some examples: dream, hope, peace, clouds She added that we should try to see ourselves smiling, happy and carefree. The only word I could think of was "Liam" and instead of me happy and carefree, I had a visual of Liam happy and carefree not me Oh well. My secret. There were flameless candles encircling the instructor. Our room became dark.
We began. The emphasis was on breathing accompanied with arm motions. I can twist myself into almost any position, but the twisting skill would not be needed in this class. What was needed was a mind that followed directions with no visuals as our eyes were to remain closed. I remembered why I could not be cheerleader in HS. If the instruction is "lean left, I lean right. Same reason I could not do the canine behavior commands. I had to peek to see where everyone was; try not to get caught with my one eye open. At one point I saw the entire class leaning to the left and I was to the right. But if they were following the teacher's instructions they would not know I was off since they should have had their eyes closed. I was outstanding in the Lion grunt, better than the Williams sisters but not as loud as Monica Seles.
We arrived at the last 15 minutes and were asked to lie down and cover ourselves with our blankets. The music was peaceful. The instructor's tone soothing. Then I heard it. Faint at first. Nevertheless, unmistakable. Snoring. It got louder. Of course, the snorer was on my left (as predicted by Georgia). My left hearing aid enhanced her sounds. They were deep, REM like sleep noises. So much for peace and quiet.

The end of the class was signaled by ringing of chimes. Sweet.
Snorer had to be shaken awake. How wonderful to be able to sleep so deeply, so quickly!

My first Yoga class was over. I liked it. The emphasis was where I needed it, breathing and spirituality. Better than a glass of shiraz.
Liam waited for a report. He told me of Doga. We could go together maybe, he implored with his brown eyes Liam watches CNN while I am out, so he is up on all the latest trends. Yes, You guessed it Doga is when you bring your dog to Yoga and you and dog do Yoga; hence doga see Liam dreaming himself in Doga class lower right on green mat from photo from Seattle Humane society
Questions:
Is Georgia really Georgia? or did I hear that because that is the state where my best friend resides? Will I be able to sleep in the class? Will I ever be able to sleep anywhere? Will I figure out what to do with the towel? Will I be able to close my eyes and not fear I am doing the opposite position of the the rest of the class? How often did I misuse the verb - lay, lie, lying ? Never used lain.
Am I really a late bloomer or just the product of 16 years of Catholic schooling?

Namaste The light within me honors the light within you

woof woof