Central Park East - 8:07am
Good morning! I noticed this plaque while we were out at The Park today. I think it's a great quote so I thought I'd share it with you. Emerson was just one of those people who was born to be quoted - he has such an elegant way of putting things.
A few minutes after I took this photo, Sofie met a very cute cream-colored 6 month old Cocker Spaniel puppy named Sweetie (I know...that's a lame name). This is a funny story, by the way. So Sweetie's "Dad" is a large, burly, man with a camouflage hunting jacket and fluorescent orange hunting cap on. There couldn't have been a more comedic pair. It gets better, though. So Sofie and Sweetie are playing like crazy - running in and out of bushes, jumping into puppy play stance, chasing one another under the park benches, and both were barking incessantly. So we get to the Conservatory boat Pond - you know - the little stone pond where people play with sail boats in the summer and fall. Anyway, we get to the pond, and Sofie likes to run along the edge of the water on the ledge of the stone. She usually likes to stare in at the ducks (when there are actually ducks there - they're not there now because it's too cold). She's never fallen in or tried to jump in before, even though she goes very close.
So, as Sofie is running along the edge of the Pond, Sweetie comes charging at her. Sofie sidestepped and Sweetie went flying straight into the water - which is frozen in some spots so it's very cold. Well, you should have SEEN Sweetie's "Dad." He says "Oh my God, She'll freeze!" and he goes running over to the edge to try and pull her out. There's no real area for them to climb out because it's just sheer - so he would have eventually had to jump in himself to get her out if he couldn't pull her out. One thing has made this process a little more difficult than usual. Because it's winter, the Central Park Conservatory has drained the pond and it's quite low and, hence, difficult to reach down far enough to get her. Sweetie is paddling along looking up at Daddy with a panicked look on her face and I'm trying not to laugh - mainly because of the pairing of the two! Remember, this panicked guy is burly with hunting gear on...in NYC's Central Park no less. So I seize my opportunity to be the heroine and run over in the direction Sweetie is swimming get down on my belly (Sofie's next to me, peering in and wagging her tail fiercely), and lo and behold my freakishly long arms are good for something besides getting things on high shelves and blocking shots! I grab Sweetie by the harness and yank her out.
Daddy immediately goes to comfort her and tries to pick her up, but Sweetie looks like one of those drunk people who just did the Polar Bear Plunge at the beach in the winter. She's CRAZED. She's snorting, rolling, running here and there, rolling in the leaves & grass. Daddy runs over to fetch her and as he's passing me says "Thank you so much, I don't know what I would have done!"
There's your NY story for the day. I couldn't make these up if I tried.
