Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: 24 Hours Later

(Or: How Heather Beats The Heat)

Yesterday I noted that a number of interesting “additions” have been made to one of yours truly’s favorite urban artifacts: the Greenpoint Avenue teddy bear. I also received a missive from a reader. I will include part of this correspondence here as it is pertinent to this post (as you will see).

Hi, Miss Heather:

I notice that posting on NewYorkShitty has been a little minimal lately.  Is the heat keeping you down?  I’m just hoping you’re not having any health problems…

To answer, albeit in reverse order:

1.  No health problems here. I have simply been needing to take a break and focus my attention on things non-bloggy. To name a couple:  Chez Shitty 2.0 (“home improvement”) and art (or as I prefer to call it: “making things”). These have been neglected for some time and I felt it was time to dedicate more attention to them. This I have done because…
2. it is, in case you have not noticed, HOT AS HELL! Inasmuch as I thoroughly enjoy walking around points Green and beyond, the fact of the matter is triple digit heat indices are not to be trifled with. As trite as the adage may seem, heat stroke is no joke. Thus, I have been spending a considerable amount of time indoors (and in the comfort of air conditioning). I have not been idle. Quite to the contrary: I have been quite busy. Which brings me back to the teddy and the point of this post.

Yesterday he (?) was not looking so hot— perhaps the heat was to blame? Perhaps he got into a scrap? Teddy bears tell no tales. Despite the rather jaunty “suit” jacket and wreath generously donated by some anonymous hooligan, he had what appears to be a black eye. A “shiner”. His eye “proper” is white. I found this is rather disquieting. Knowing that a number of children like to talk to “teddy” coming and going from WNYC Transmitter Park (I myself have observed this) I felt this needed to be addressed— you know, for the kids— and address it I did!

First I acquired an eye patch from a local pharmacy. You can see the box in which this item was housed at left. I saw fit to feature it here because I find it compelling. As a resident of Greenpoint for thirteen years I have seen a great many individuals (men mostly— but not entirely) brandishing eye patches. Methinks I need not delve into why this is so. Such things “happen” here. Some of these eye patches are improvised. For example: just this week I saw a fellow who had repurposed a jar lid for just this purpose— very inventive if you ask me. Others are precisely like the one this chap is sporting.

Nonetheless none of my neighbors who have had the misfortune of needing such an item— not a single one— look like the fellow on this box. Not only is he too handsome*, but he is smiling. It has been my observation— and once again this is informed by living in the “Garden Spot”— that when someone has undergone an experience whose aftermath requires an eye patch, he is not happy. Quite to the contrary. In the interest of fair and balanced reporting I will note one exception. Those who live in north ‘Point will known about whom I am writing. He can generally be found on the northern end Manhattan Avenue sporting a sombrero and singing. In addition to actually being a pretty good singer (really), he is without argument one of the happiest people I have ever seen. His mirth/merry-making is contagious— but he is the exception to the rule. And I digress.

I felt simply appointing “Teddy” with a black eye patch was not enough. If someone cared enough to make him a jacket and wreath, I should follow suit. Thus I rummaged through all my fabrics, knick-knacks, etc. until I created something properly cheerful. It took a while but I succeeded!

(drum roll please…)

For those of you who are wondering— and I am certain more than a few of you, gentle readers are— my “creative process” (what led to the above-depicted item) was as follows:

1. I located a remnant of children’s fabric sporting frogs. Frogs make me happy. Frogs make pretty much anyone happy. So frogs it is.
2. I added a floral border around the patch. I like flowers. Yet, it was lacking still so…
3. I continued rummaging and found a cache of googly eyes. After some consideration I decided that if teddy had lost an eye— and he being a block mayor of sorts— I’d give him a few replacements (so he can continue being our eyes on the street). I decided the frogs needed eyes as well.

I brought my creation to the attention of my landlord. He has proven to be quite an excellent sounding board regarding things creative (and utterly ridiculous) in times past. This time was no exception. He posited that perhaps Teddy required a peg-leg, via a viz, a pirate. I replied that pirates, not unlike unicorns, are a mite bit over-referenced by the newer residents hereabouts (hell, one of the kickball teams flies a jolly roger for chrissakes). Pirates have become a cliche. Something more north Brooklyn/New York City-centric was in order. We talked further and then inspiration struck: crusties! The rest, well, speaks for itself…

Mission Accomplished!

*So much so I have told the Mister and I making this fellow the wallpaper on my “smart phone”. When people ask me who he is (and they will) I will say he is my husband. Believe it or not, my husband understood.

Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: 280 Days & Counting!

I for one am particularly fond of Teddy’s “new” jacket. Very nice! (Previously.)