Marie Javins's Blog, page 19

Neighborhood Moments

After dinner with Denise, I biked from Hamilton Park to Lafayette on a Citibike. When I got home, all the bike stalls were taken, so I had to ride over to the Liberty State Park rack to drop off my bike.

I walked back to Lafayette Street, and this turned out to be a good thing, because I arrived just in time to hear the neighbor talk on his phone while sitting on his stoop.

"Reparations, now that's a different story," he said. There was a pause as the person he was talking to responded. Then he laughed.

"40 acres and a mule. Imagine that in Jersey City. 40 acres would be a nice chunk of money!"

Another pause as I dug around for my key, as slowly as possible so I could eavesdrop.

"40 acres in Jersey City..."

His voice trailed off as I went inside.

Bart of Two Worlds

I thought I saw Bart over by the neighborhood pool. It might have been Bart's brother--I couldn't get a clear look at his ear to see if it was tipped. I tried to get closer but he avoided me and hid in the bushes, because he was embarrassed at being drunk.

Scaredy Cat

This went poorly.

Social Statements

My mom, sister, and I met in Shepherdstown, WV on Saturday. It's a good stopping poing between where they live and where I live. 

After an outdoor lunch, we wandered into an art gallery to find political statement quilts by artist Carol Williams.

The artist had also written opinion columns for a West Virginia paper for some years, until she gave up in despair about a year ago. 

 "I asked myself what I had achieved. And the answer was nothing. I hadn't bridged any gaps or convinced anyone of anything." 

 Having just driven past a bunch of "Your president is an idiot, Tr*** 2024" signs on my way to town, I was inclined to agree. Still, her quilts are amazing.

Standoff

A cautious encounter.

"Are we friends? Are we adversaries? Whose patio is this anyway?"

Megafauna

Climate change is bringing back marsupial megafauna, this time in Jersey City.

Invasive Species

Here's this guy again. 

Pesky Kitty

Someone knocked the game camera off its stand and it ended up pointed at the wall. 

Wasn't me.

Treat!

Progress is slow.

Haunted

 "Hey, demon! That's MY supper!"