J & West Farms: BRONX

6.1.12 These are the uncommon finds from the last serviced tree...

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:35:02 -0400

6.1.12

These are the uncommon finds from the last serviced tree on this date. I would afterward go to lunch. The finds were odd- perhaps the foremost being the braided bit if human hair. I sincerely hoped that it was some kind of dollar store accessory. That I hadn’t actually found someone’s cut or torn or braid. What would it take to make someone cut off their braid and throw it away onto the sidewalk? What would someone be thinking if they decided to cut off and discard someone else’s braid?

What is this story?

6.1.12 As the work of the day progressed the clouds took over...

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:24:58 -0400

6.1.12

As the work of the day progressed the clouds took over the sky. The air temperature was still hot, but the overcast skies transformed the humidity of the day into a kind of fever chill.

This was the last tree of the day. I was tired when I started to work and thankful for the cloud cover. Very early in the work of this tree, I noticed a man passing by . He was pushing a laundry cart and gave pause when he saw me weeding. I looked up at him and he seemed to smile, revealing that he had many missing teeth. As I went back to work, I could hear the squeeking wheels of his cart being pushed onward.

After a while- near the end of my work on the tree- the man came back. His once empty cart now containing a cardboard case of Budwiser Beer. He stopped again this time nodding at me and my work. I thought I’d engage him in conversation this time around. When I asked what he was up to, he sort of looked at and motioned to the case of beer in his laundry cart. I saw that he was wearing a Mets shirt and took a guess about how he might spend his afternoon.

Baseball Game. Beer. I had the imagination that he would be listening to the game over the radio…

I may have guessed right. The man squeeked away smiling.

6.1.12 I was happy to finish working at this site. The traffic...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 07:27:10 -0400

6.1.12

I was happy to finish working at this site. The traffic stress was a little too much and I found myself unable to restrain my urge to urinate. Luckily, there was a filling station right at the corner with a nice port-a-sain resting outside of it. I arrived to the portable plastic toilet just in time, and soon afterward continued along on my way refreshed and relieved.

6.1.12 Longfellow Ave at Rodman Place and the Cross Bronx...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:11:51 -0400

6.1.12

Longfellow Ave at Rodman Place and the Cross Bronx Expressway

Conditions: Beautiful. Sunny and warm.

I made a point of clearing trees that would take me on a southern path around the Cross Bronx Expressway. I had a lot of adventures along the way.

This tree, right at an entrance to the expressway, needed a little help. As I was working, I became afraid for my life! The traffic flew past relentlessly and without regard to me. I could feel the wind from the speeding autos. And I breathed in the smoke of their exhaust pipes. I saw the narrow misses of no less that 10 accidents and heard an orchestra of horn blowing.

Through the din, an elderly woman stopped and looked down at me all smiles. I could barely hear her encouraging words. I smiled and then she slipped away.

6.22.12 The second man to engage me was much shorter than the...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:33:00 -0400

6.22.12

The second man to engage me was much shorter than the first. He too was wearing a uniform- although it was a little different. Later I saw him interact with the first man and a couple others in uniforms as they came out of the deli. It became clear that this second man was their supervisor. He called the shots- pointing his finger and talking.

After giving orders and sending his men on their way, he walked over to me and gave pause. I had been nearly finished my round about the tree. He was very approving and friendly. He had a stately way of speaking, as if he believe he was giving a public speech.

6.22.12 I had many interactions with the passers-by at this...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:20:04 -0400

6.22.12

I had many interactions with the passers-by at this site. Most of them were passing affirmations. There were two that really stood out almost as a complete narrative. The first is here depicted:

I was just beginning the work on the tree at Bronx Park South at Vyse when I felt the presence of a large looming figure. It was a man in a uniform. I guessed that he was part of the maintenance crew for the apartments I was working in front of.

He asked me in Spanish what I was doing, and I did my best in English and using cartoon hand gestures to explain my actions. I could not be sure he understood anything I said or mimed. He was stone silent when I finished… it was an eternal pause, and his expression was without emotion or judgement. It was after this awkward long pause that I looked up at him from where I was on my knees working, and I simply shrugged my shoulders. This, I am sure he understood.

He said, “OK” and walked into the deli.

6.22.12 Conditions: Hot and Humid. The Weather Service issued a...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 07:55:36 -0400

6.22.12

Conditions: Hot and Humid. The Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory, and cautioned against doing any labor outside… but I went BRONX Bound anyhow. The sun was replaced by clouds by early afternoon- not grey storm clouds exactly, it was more like the sky filled with pale smoke. Much of the brightness of the sun burned through the cloud layer. By the time I took my break for lunch, the clouds matured and burst, dumping buckets of rain for a very brief moment.

Discoveries:

This tree on Bronx Park South and Vyse needed some help. I didn’t even know there were bricks in the tree bed until I got to work. The basis for my decision to select this site for service had as much to do with the objects in the tree branches as the overgrown condition of the tree bed. Above resembled a stuffed animal urban jungle home!

6.1.12 Conditions: sunny and hot. This was my first use of the...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 23:19:00 -0400

6.1.12

Conditions: sunny and hot.

This was my first use of the new uniform. It proved to be light enough for me not to sweat overmuch, but it was problematic when it came down to accomplishing the work at hand. Rather than store my needle and threads within my wool vest, I kept them all in a pouch. At the first go in the field, this adaptation caused me trouble.

I lost my needle and thread for marking the trees. This occurred right after my first tree, but I didn’t notice until it came time to sew a band onto the second serviced tree. What to do? Was this some kind of sign? I couldn’t continue my work without installing the orange marker band…

As a last resort, I made my way to Proyecto Deli & Grocery. My hope was they had, among all their wears, a set of needles so that I might continue my work.
They had them! I was shocked.

This place had everything. If you’re in a jam in NYC, go first to a deli

And so with my King Sharps, I got straight down to work. King… That’s royal. That’s the county I am living in. Why is the BRONX outside of that royalty structure? Could the BRONX be the borough of the Prince? Or the Jester?

6.16.12 Conditions: Sunny and Hot Well it was a Saturday. Over...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:20:48 -0400

6.16.12

Conditions: Sunny and Hot

Well it was a Saturday. Over the course of the whole field work component of J & West Farms, I worked a hand full of Saturdays. These typically were more mellow days. People came and went at an easy pace. Some people seemed to be just waking up around noon…

I took note this Saturday, of a lot of people going to the Laundromat, and going to the grocery super markets. Moms were out, being trailed by children, pushing carts full of clothes and food. Old ladies and old men alone were doing the same thing… maintaining a life. Everyone was moving along going about their way. This made the sidewalk more crowded that I was used to.

I passed by the entrance of a large Super Market on E. Tremont. There was a barrier made of red painted steel pipe. Between the fence and the storefront was where the empty shopping carts were lined up. There were a couple of kids climbing on the fence- just playing around while the adults were inside doing the weeks purchasing. As a walked by they paused in their play and made very excited note of my passing. “A Cowboy!” said the little girl.

I thought of the day some weeks before where I was called the same thing by the Fireman. He seemed to be mocking me. These kids on the other hand sounded almost amazed to see me… a real cowboy!

It made no difference that I was not actually a cowboy. The imagination is a raw irrepressible force, particularly alive in children. It is a force that has been guiding me throughout this project.

5.18.2012 Conditions: Sunny skies, becoming hot, a clam clear...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:47:35 -0400

5.18.2012

Conditions: Sunny skies, becoming hot, a clam clear day.

Location: E. Tremont and Vyse Av

Several passers by took note of my service work. The man in this drawing slowly walked passed supported by his wheeled walker. He did not smile, but nevertheless had a friendly energy. I think he was a little surprised to see me weeding the tree. His walking movement was very jerky and laborious, and his face betrayed how great a struggle it was for him to be doing- yet there he was, outside on a sunny day, doing it.

In greeting me I sensed there was no romance about his reality. He seemed to fully understand that he was enduring his physical hardship. “Just getting by…” he said, but he was still out walking. He had not given up.

I will drift from time to time into my imagination, and as this man disappeared out of sight, as I continued to weed away the tree bed, I felt myself drift away. “What if that man just now, wasn’t really there? What if that was the spirit of this tree? Or what if that was the spirit of the BRONX?”

Just getting by, but still moving… an uncrushable spirit.

Last day of June: 06.30.12 Last day of the Field Work: J &...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:50:00 -0400

Last day of June: 06.30.12

Last day of the Field Work: J & West Farms

Last Tree of the last day: East 180 St. at Monterey Av.

Last trace: a sole- a shape of the inside of a shoe; a padded shape to cushion the foot from the heavy pull of gravity.

Just a lost or forgotten or discarded sole.

6.29.12 This is the morning of the last day of field work in the...

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:20:53 -0400

6.29.12

This is the morning of the last day of field work in the West Farms. I woke up to the lightning flashes and thunder rumblings of a summer storm, and reports of dangerously high temperatures. So this should prove to be a dynamic final day.

The very first day of field work carried the threat of rain too. All day it misted. It was cool and damp with a bone penetrating chill.

It seems fitting to end under the threat of rain since those were the conditions of this project’s beginning. What have I learned? What did I find? How has this served the BRONX, the trees, me…?

The answer is in the tale, and the tale in the telling.

There will be more stories coming… may there forever be more stories.

Trying again with difficulty but with resolution, I set out to...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:10:00 -0400

Trying again with difficulty but with resolution, I set out to find a walkway around the Cross Bronx Expressway on 6.1.12, I found myself on strange patches of freshly mowed grass. The grass must have been tall, and was not raked or swept, so that when you walked on it, you kicked up piles of dried grass needles.

There mixed in with the piles of dead cut grass was a solitary shoe. It was the shoe a child would wear.

So the shoe tells a story. Is there a kid out there in the world running wild wearing only one shoe?

It tells me that I was not the only one trying to find a way around these cement rivers of automobile traffic.

It speaks of people in a hurry. There is an element of despair in this shoe.

“Let’s just keep going. Don’t look back. What’s gone is gone.”

But I see it- this shoe- and give pause.

What is the story of this shoe in a patch of fresh cut grass? How many stories could there be about it? Where is this half-shoeless child?

5.26.12 I went out to the BRONX on a Saturday Morning. Friday I...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:37:00 -0400

5.26.12

I went out to the BRONX on a Saturday Morning. Friday I found myself overwhelmingly busy with trying ti sign lease for a new apartment in Brooklyn.

So Saturday I trained out to the BRONX. It was a Holiday Weekend, and everything on this Saturday was slightly mored relaxed.

Traveling northbound on Southern Boulevard, I came across these four young Ladies risking a lot by venturing out into the street trying to lure their marks up the hill for a car wash.

I was reminded of my own youthful occasional desperate attempts to sell lemonade to the passers by on my block back in suburban Illinois.

It was beautiful to see and hear them pitching for the traffic that was flying passed them. It was heroic and it was futile, but it warmed my heart. As I continued onward, I reflected on this quartet of car wash hucksters, and I found myself smiling ear to ear.

5.18.12 Rhineland Ave and Whitestone Rd My goal today was to...

Wed, 30 May 2012 08:28:00 -0400

5.18.12

Rhineland Ave and Whitestone Rd

My goal today was to find a walkway from 174ST Station to 180ST Station around the BRONX Zoo and the Cross BRONX Expressway. I serviced trees along the way. It was a round about network of roads and bootleg dirt paths, but after a while I reconnected to Whitestone Rd.- to the point where I have been lost a few weeks before!

To celebrate, I decided to sit down in a place to eat a late lunch. This section of the BRONX had a lot of Arab stores and Halal Meat Stores. I stopped into this restaurant: Men were the only patrons during the time I spent eating there. Everyone who came in knew one another and were greeted in a very warm and friendly way with embraces and kisses. Arabic was the language spoken among the workers, the patrons and on the television.

The proprietor was friendly and explained what was available from the menu. I selected boiled lamb with rice. It was delicious! At the conclusion of my lunch as I was paying for the meal, I asked what the dish was called. He told me “It’s called boiled lamb.”

“I- I know, but what, what do you call it?”

“I call it boiled lamb.”

I knew at this moment that I wasn’t being clear with my question- that I wanted to learn the Arabic name for what I had just consumed. Rather than try to explain, I smiled and said, “It was great!” And I meant it- but I felt a little ashamed that I gave up on trying to communicate.

Outside, I pulled out my notebook to record the location and name of the restaurant. The street signs I could understand, but the restaurant name was written in Arabic (except for the words “Cafe and Hookah Bar”). I stood outside of the restaurant and recorded the shapes of the Arabic words. It took a little while… maybe three minutes.

In that time, all the patrons and the proprietor came to the window. They looked a me and then each other. They were talking and pointing to me. I focused on completing the drawing of the language, and was getting ready to leave because I was getting an uneasy feeling of being unwanted. Reflecting on how easily I gave up trying to learn the Arabic Name for boiled lamb, and how sad that made me feel, I gathered up my courage, and went back into the restaurant. As I approached, everyone went back to their tables and places.

I showed the proprietor my notebook with the name of his restaurant written on it. “What does this mean?”

“It is just the name.”

“But what is the name?”

Another man asked, “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know the name of this place. What it is called- how you say it in Arabic.”

“In Arabic?” he sat down at a table, I sat on my box next to him, and handed him my notebook and pen. He transliterated the name for me: Ared Al Gnateen.

“Thank you. What does it mean?”

“Oh… Um… it’s, ah… OK. Earth of Heaven exactly, but like um, like a really good, great place. I guess it’s hard to explain. In Arabic, it means many things. It means very good things.”

“Like the promised land?”

“Yeah, Yes. Like that. Very good things.”

“Thank You!”

“OK, OK. Bye”

5.11.12 173 st Between BOSTON RD and CROTONA PARK E COMMON...

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:45:50 -0400

5.11.12

173 st Between BOSTON RD and CROTONA PARK E

COMMON DISCOVERIES: chewing gum, broken glass, cigarette butts, bottle tops, dog s#!t, a battery.

UNUSUAL: Here depicted are the objects recovered from the tree bed at the second tree serviced on this date. The discovery of these two objects and their narrative suggestion broke down what was left of the defenses I established around my wounded heart. I left this tree in a state of grief on a sunny beautiful day.

Without a doubt, the BRONX knows my story. As I record the story of the BRONX, it is telling me mine.

5.11.12 173 ST. Between BOSTON RD and CROTONA PARK EAST I was...

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:32:00 -0400

5.11.12

173 ST. Between BOSTON RD and CROTONA PARK EAST

I was drawn to this young tree because it already had a tie around it’s trunk. There appeared to be a history of damage- a barkless scar where there once was a limb- and the little plastic ribbon around the tree made me think of a futile bandage. It was a newly planted city tree growing from a good sized tree bed, and surrounded by mulch, and probably did not urgently need to be serviced.

I got to work anyhow. Who knows what I’ll find?

As I was working, an elderly gentleman passed by. He was dressed in very well kept sporty clothes from head to toe. He walked passed slowly, and turned around to have a second look at what I was doing. I could sense someone’s eyes on me, so I looked up and greeted the gentleman.

There was a long silent pause. He never once removed his gaze from my smiling countenance , and after what seemed like an eternity, without a reciprocating smile or a nod, he stoically turned his back to me and continued to walk up the hill.

I was uncertain how to interpret the interaction, and felt just a little melancholy as I returned to the work at hand. As I did so, the Icy Peddler I’d moments ago seen, rolled his pushcart in the street up the hill toward Crotona Park. A very curious loneliness was left in his wake.

5.11.12 I began my search for a second tree of the day....

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:12:53 -0400

5.11.12

I began my search for a second tree of the day. “What next?” I thought, “I wonder how my new trowel will work out.” On my way I saw another Icy Peddler. His cart was old school- that is to say, it had a block of ice that he would shave down, load into a paper cone, and drench in brightly colored sugar syrup.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many Icy Guys out and about? It’s a nice day and all, and it’s Friday, but I just don’t get it,” were my thoughts while I observed a man approach the Icy Peddler. He had a gigantic smile and marveled at the peddlers cart. With out stretched arms he exclaimed what is recorded in this drawing. He was in a state of reverie over youthful memories? of simpler times? of summer times? Whatever it was he was lost in it and excited and it was a good feeling.

The Icy Peddler was confused, however. It was just a job for him. He was unsure what the man wanted. Their exchanged seemed kind of lonely.

I continued to walk south on Boston Road searching for a tree.

5.11.12 Although the conditions were perfect for work outdoors,...

Wed, 30 May 2012 06:43:39 -0400

5.11.12

Although the conditions were perfect for work outdoors, I found myself struggling. A thistle- tough as nails- at the site of the first tree of the day, broke my shovel in two. Then to top it off, objects that I continued to unearth seemed to have a narrative that referenced some of the large changes in my personal life. It was as if the BRONX knew my story.

Stepping out of the hardware store I saw a pair of ice cream push cart peddlers having a conversation. They were engaged in a friendly conversation. I wondered how they felt about competing for customers… How did they work it out? It must have been some organic boundary sysytem of some kind. Perhaps that’s what they were talking about…

One of the vendors had an insulated cart with buckets of frozen icy inside, and the other had a block of ice covered in a towel (to slow down the melting) around which where glass bottles of liquid syrup flavoring. They concluded their conversation and parted ways on Boston Road and 174 St under the elevated tracks of the 5 and 2 Trains

5.26.12 Saturday CONDITIONS: Sunny, hot and humid. Still...

Tue, 29 May 2012 07:35:46 -0400

5.26.12 Saturday

CONDITIONS: Sunny, hot and humid. Still pleasantly cool in the shade.

DISCOVERIES: Four Trees were Serviced. Many of the usual objects were unearthed: broken glass, chewing gum, bottle caps, dog s#!t…

UNUSUAL DISCOVERIES: These oddities will be documented in later record entries.

For the record, it became an issue today- the temperature and the humidity combined and me wearing a wool vest and long sleeve shirt. For my next work session, I should reconsider my work uniform.

Going to work on a Saturday was a bit out of my routine. It was also the first official day of a long weekend (Memorial Day). The West Farms area had a very quiet and relaxed atmosphere, except that I noted about 50 percent more police squad cars cruising about. Things were calm. The police presence seemed unnecessary, but it could be that Saturday is their day to cruise, and that their abundance was normal.

I tried out the new equipment and took good notes.