Wednesday, July 25, 2018

The Chain of Being



'The great chain of being' - this is what they call the hierarchical life structure  of humans, animals, plants. Humans on top, plants at the bottom, animals in the middle. Humans (except those with disabilities) can take care of themselves; not so animals, and certainly not plants.

I often think about that on my way to shopping at one of our local grocery stores, located on the edge of the town. To get there, I have to pass by a small park, a tiny garden for dogs, and a  bed of various flowers.

The park is for humans of all ages ; it has metal benches to sit on,  two  wooden tables and benches for picnics, gym devices, a water facility, tree shade (  across the street there's a children's playground too).

the park with the things enumerated above

gym devices

people with disabilities on wheelchairs and their caregivers in the park

two girls and a doggy

guy with dog on his way to the dog garden

Further on, a tiny dog garden. It is for dogs and their owners only. There's sand, playing devices for the dogs, a bench for the owners,  a water facility, a box with poop bags, fence . It is the owner who cares for his dog's various needs: gives it water, washes it, plays with it.. He's supposed to collect the poop, but not all of the dog owners do that. There was brown feces in several spots of the sand.

the little dog garden


dog between the fence and the water facility

box with poop bags

Nearby, there's a  beautiful  bed of flowers.
That's how I love the flowers, in their bed, not in our vases. The sight is, sometimes, pitiful. The spot , at the corner of the street, does have a water system, but I don't know how often it's operated by the gardener of the municipality. We won't have rain until winter, and the flowers need water. I hope they won't be  the little orphans in the great chain of being.


flower bed at the corner of the street


Sunday, July 15, 2018

The Port



Last week, I happened to be near the Port of Tel Aviv. The heat was unbearable, so I decided to enter the area,  go to the promenade and get some cool, fresh sea air.   Alas, at 6 pm, almost no breeze; only an hour later it became a bit cool and a light breeze was felt.


almost no breeze

The port (Ha-namal, in hebrew) is no longer active;  you won't see any ship, perhaps, only some boat in the distance.Over the years, the big hangars that used to store  goods for shipping (oranges, for instance) have been converted into structures for commerce, entertainment, culture. Only their numbering reminds us of the past.

'Hangar' 9


'hangar' 11

There are lots of shops, restaurants, pubs, night clubs - both inside the hangars, and outside lining the promenade. The place has become one of the biggest  day and night attractions of the city - for families during the day, and for party revelers at night. And of course, tourists are always part of the happenings.

Upon entering the port people like to take photos near a stone structure with the letters TE IV and a heart in the middle, expressing love for Tel Aviv.




LOVE  Tel Aviv

The promenade is one  huge wooden deck. Why wood? I don't know, I only know I don't like that. I don't think it integrates well with the sea , the beach and the.whole environment.
At the northern end of the promenade one can see Reading, the power station and lighthouse; it stands out.


wooden deck;   Reading power station

Lots of people, adults and youngsters, are engaged in  various activities near and along the promenade: strolling, jogging, running, biking, taking photos. The noise is deafening. Only the sea is a big, silent witness to all that.


jogger

children driving toy vehicles

bikers

on rollerblades

Small kids are the big winners of the place.There's a huge sandpit and a carousel for them, ice-cream shops, and of course, McDonalds'.


sandpit


naked kid to the bucket of water- struggles with Mom

carousel




(On Fridays and Saturdays it's particulary crowded as there are special activities going on,  like yoga , and displays of a variety of market goods).

Well, crowded places are not my 'cup of tea' whether it's weekday or weekend. So, after having a bite, I took a couple of selfies and left the restless spot to go home.









Friday, July 6, 2018

The Lady and the Insect Bites



There used to be a nice little garden here. Not any more. The elderly lady that owns the property, lives alone, and she probably finds it difficult to cope with keeping a garden.  Even if she can afford a gardener (and I think she can), still, hiring and employing someone is not for everybody. It could be a bit of a headache. So, it seems she has given it up.

The place is, however,  kept very clean; no leaves or garbage on the ground. No grass ,shrubs or pots either - only some tall trees lining the fence segments separating it from the street and from the neighbors.


'shaved'  spot

clean garden

There's a bus stop near the gate where I sometimes happen to wait for a specific bus. I should avoid this particular stop; the reason - I get bitten by insects that are attracted to the trees lining the fence. Strange, but it doesn't happen to me at any other place with trees in town.


gate and entrance to the house

street bus-stop

inside the bus stop

I wish I could talk to the owner about it, but she's rarely outside when I'm there.

I could report the problem to the municipality. It's  private property, but which affects  public property (bus stop area), and they might agree to spray the trees without even charging her. 
There are ecological sprays in use nowadays, so no fear of health hazards. 

However, I 'm reluctant to do that. I prefer to have a talk with the lady first, see what she has to say about it. It's not vital or urgent for me as I could just go to another bus stop, if needed. I'm just curious as to why these particular trees have such an attraction for bugs, and whether she gets bitten within her house too. 

  • UPDATE

I finally met the lady (28 aug.2018) and had a chat with her. She seemed pleased with my suggestions and promised to do something about the bugs.