Stories your granny never told is a tiny indie podcast that I do on the weekends, so to cover costs, I'm going to put in some ads here. But if you're interested in being a sponsor, emailed me, this ad is for anchor. If you haven't heard about them, it's like the easiest way to make a podcast there. How I started out, they're free and they give you a bunch of creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or from your computer.

And if you record a different way, you can just upload your recording to anger and they'll distribute your podcasts for you so it can be heard on Spotify, Apple podcast and all over where you get your podcasts. And you can also make money from your podcasts like I'm doing now. There's no minimum listenership, which a lot of other places have. It's really everything you need to make a podcast and it's all in one place. So download the free anchor app or go to anchor DOT FM to get started in that recording.

Now one must not get one's knickers in a twist and turn. These are the stories your granny never told the people loved by everybody. I was raising the CO and have kids and I slipped up on some stoop on the road and. It's 20, 21, and things are still not great. Hey, guys, it's Nikki, I'm your host for the stories your granny never told podcast. It is a monthly podcast where I interview older folk about their unexpected life stories this month.

The episode is so great.

I love this person that I interviewed. I've been like following her on social media and building up the courage to try and interview her.

And I can't wait some top of the day announcements. I got selected to be a candidate on the game show podcast, America's Next Top podcast. I'm super duper excited and I have no idea what is going to air. It's probably a while from now, but I thought you guys should be the first to know. And it's possible that I put this package on pause for a little bit while I'm doing that, because it's a lot of work. But you'll see updates all over social media.

We are at stories your granny never told on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I actually just created a new group on Facebook for the G.A. listeners. First of all, hangout chat about upcoming episodes, ask questions that you have for the future interviewees, etc.. I think that would be really cool. Otherwise, everything you could ever need show notes, pictures of the guests is all that stories your granny never told Dotcom. You can also email us there and there's a link there for Mirch and transcripts.

So really everything you could ever need. So the guest this month, if you haven't seen, is Tina Penya, she's known as the mother of pigeons. Yeah, not the mother of dragons, the mother of pigeons.

And she's so cool. She is a visual artist. She makes all her own clothes. She feeds pigeons. She makes these little felt pigeons that she sells on Union Square.

If you've ever seen her there in New York City, and I want to be her when I grew up, basically the one part about this interview that really sucks is that there is about 15 to 20 minutes. And the beginning when I got there, because this was like an in-person interview for the first time in a while and we were safe. We had masks, social, social distance. But Tina brought me up on the roof to show me her flock of wild pigeons and to feed them with very nice food, not bread.

And the whole time my recorder wasn't recording it. So I had and it was such an epic moment, there were like 300 pigeons. They made an amazing noise. And then this Phalcon, I think it was a peregrine falcon showed up and Tina got really mad because she didn't want it to eat her pigeons and she was yelling at chasing it away. And this whole time I was thinking like, this is such good audio. Everyone's going to love this.

And it wasn't recording. And when I got home and I noticed I was so disappointed. But that's what happens when you're an indie podcasters.

So I hope my retelling of the story is enough and plus the rest of the interview is amazing. We got to listen to a puppet show, Music by Tina and her husband and all about her life as an artist and a pigeon whisperer.

I can't wait for you to hear it. So without any further ado, I present to you Mother Pigeon. OK, so please introduce yourself and you can hold the mic, like, really right up, OK? Hi, I'm Mother Pigeon. All right. And do you want to tell me your age or we can keep it secret? Sure, sure.

I am proud to be 56.

All right. That's actually closer than to my age group than than I thought. You look younger in your pictures.

Are you a little younger than I thought you were? Zoraida, that almost sounded like an insult.

But I know that as a so. Yeah, I actually decided to interview you because I think I found you either on Pinterest or on Instagram. And I instantly was like, this lady seems so cool. I actually love pigeons, like, without knowing your work. And then I looked into it. And so you make these, like, felted sculptures and you do, I guess, performance art. I do, yeah.

I make pigeons out of felt and wire and then I set them up in public parks, public places. And yeah, I get to just hang out with them and sell them and talk about them. It's really fun.

And so have you been in New York your whole life?

No, I moved here in the late 80s and then moved away for about 10 years, but then have been back here for about 20 years. Were you were you homesick? Yeah, yeah. I mean, we were living in Seattle, which was great. But, you know, there's nothing like New York.

Yeah, I can agree with that, yeah, um, so what was your first pigeon, how did it all start? So, uh, well I mean it all started because I just because I love pigeons and I love animals of all kinds and I'm not like a bird lover. I've never been like, you know, a bird lover at all. It's always just been all kinds of animals in New York. That's all we really have. You know, we have the pigeon.

We have.

Rats, which I also love and also, I think to the fact that people just hate them so much and that they get such a bad and they have such a bad reputation, made me love them even more.

Yeah, you wanted to, like, look out for the for the underdog kind of thing. Exactly. So when did you start feeding them just like you've done it forever or you started feeding them.

Yeah, you know, I I'm the kind of person that likes to feed everybody and anything and everyone, so it's probably some sort of weird thing.

It might, you know, who knows? It might be some sort of I don't know.

But anyway, I equate food as love. And so feeding a lot of people do that. Yeah. I don't know if that's a healthy thing, but that's what I do.

And so I can't really hold a pigeon or hug the pigeon. I can love them by looking at them from afar, but I can also feed them was like, oh, I'm going to do that. So that's how I just started feeding them and feeding off feed. I mean, I feed the rats too, so.

So you mentioned when we were up on the roof that you started like, what, seven years ago?

Well, I started feeding pigeons in the park first, like Washington Square Park and wherever I would go. And then of course there's pigeons around here. So I started feeding them on my roof and there was about a flock of seven pigeons. And and over the years, they pretty much just come from all over the neighborhood. So they see a big flock and then they go, well, you know, there must be some food over there. So that's how my flock has gotten to be.

How many pigeons, if you if you would make out that I'm bad, I'm going to say between three and five hundred. Yeah, it was a lot. I don't I don't think it's that many.

I mean, if I look at them while they're moving around on the roof and I, I go ten, twenty three. OK, so if there's 50 in that group. Yeah. Maybe it's just like I think it's about two hundred. OK. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Five thousand feet. I know it looks like so much with the noise they're lying. Yeah.

They look alike a lot but when they're on the ground and I can kind of look at them I think. Two hundred.

OK, so in general you're, you're an artist and it's is it all focused around pigeons. You do other things.

Well. Hmm.

I actually have always loved art and making things and, you know, just making whatever everything. My clothes, my curtains. Yeah. Everything.

I just realized, like, there's a lot of homemade stuff in here and it looks awesome.

I cannot stand things that are mass produced. It just it goes against this right here who you are. Yeah.

I really have such a feeling whenever, you know it's a mass produced thing. I can't I it doesn't feel right a lot of times, like if I want something I'm like, oh well I need a new person. I need, you know, I want to have this or that. It's like, well, I'm going to make it.

Well, yeah. You're sewing machine is right behind you, actually. Yeah. Yeah. I just make everything and and I just like the feel of it and the look of it and you know, I mean, I don't know how long we're all going to be on this earth.

And and I like things to.

I like the I just like the feel of and look of something that that I made.

I don't really even understand what that means.

I get it, though, because, like, even though maybe it's a little wonky or whatever, like I knit it and I saw a little bit, but I don't have a machine anymore. You made it and you made it in the colors that you like and the texture that you like. And you can see the details of where you may be messed up or whatever, but you're not going to find it anywhere in a store. So you can you just look maybe how you feel on the inside rather than how the two choices that you have of mass produce stuff.

So I definitely get that. Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

And how is it like being an artist in New York specifically? Do you have like a big group of other artists or do they not like you because of the pigeon stuff?

I don't know. It's a good question. So. I do have a good amount of friends that are artists and that make dolls or they make different things and or performance artists, I have group a good group of performance artist friends.

And it's very, very important part of my you know, just you need that support group of other need that support group you need, like someone to say that's not that great or really great or whatever and friendly critics.

Yeah. Yeah.

You want your career and you want them to be your friends because they're the ones that are going to tell you, you know, is a good idea or not a good idea. And, you know, even like obviously with my husband, who's also a performer and artist. And so if I have an idea, I run it by him and then some other friends. And and then if I get like the OK from, you know, let's say four of my my highest held ones, it's like we're like, OK, this is a good idea.

I'm going for it. Yeah. And then there's the ones that are like in the park that sell art in Union Square. Now a lot of you're usually in unions. Yeah. A lot of them do not like me. Oh there is a group of people but there are a lot of people that do like what I do. Right.

That definitely that don't care, that are not, you know, angry at me for having the pigeons around or are being the one, you know, makes sales that day or whatever it is, competition as well.

I didn't think of that. It's a little very competitive.

It's New York. Yeah, of course. Not to mention the space I take up space that they could have.

I also I also get away with a lot more because I put my art on the ground and I sit on the ground and they have to have a table.

They have to, you know, follow all these rules. And they're just like, oh, great, here she comes.

She's not a real artist, you know?

And so it's kind of so it's so funny. Like a couple of years they got on this whole thing like, oh, you're not fine art. You can't be over here. You know, you got to be over there. You're you're doing you're a novelty act. You're an act.

Go over there. It's crazy, the gatekeeping that happens with artists. And it's like, isn't art just art? And it's subjective anyways. Yeah. How do you decide? Yeah. And so I told some of my, you know, friends that I really love and, you know, see how they would react to that. And they were like, oh my God.

A lot of it is like copying popular art already. So you could also say that that's not really art to write. I wanted to go down that. Yeah. So they definitely had me like way on the end. They wouldn't let me in and if I tried to get in there, they would get really angry. So I found a good spot and they were all following the rules on the medallions vs. medallions that the artists have to be on. And they were doing all that and then asked as covid and everything started getting all crazy.

They are breaking all the rules now, of course. So they're doing what I do. They just set up wherever and and so excuse me. And so, like, I don't know. So it's it it's funny because now they're just all over the place and they're doing whatever they want to do.

So there's that, you know, there's there's them.

But also I do get people who really hate pigeons and and stuff like that.

So I guess they'll go out of their way to, like, talk to you about how much they hate pigeons, even though they'll walk by and they'll go, that's disgusting. Rude.

I mean, but again, it's New York. So I guess you just that's going to happen. Yeah, they'll walk by, they'll say it's disgusting. They'll kick, you know, it doesn't happen often. Well, the disgusting part happens often, but not the kicking or touching them. Yeah.

Because if they're discussing, don't you not want to touch them, like make up your mind. Yeah. Yeah. Or even yesterday I had such a like it was like this magical day. I, you know, had my witch's hat on, it was all dressed up and I'm like walking around Union Square and people were like I you know, and talking with people, feeding the pigeons and and and then I go into you to Whole Foods, do my shopping and, you know, whatever.

It's just like I'm in there doing my shopping. And this one of the workers walks by and she goes, oh, what she say she walks by really fast so that I couldn't even react to her.

She said something like, Oh, nasty bitch. And I was like, wow, wow.

OK, people just can't I don't know if you're an individual, if you're trying to be an individual.

And some people really I'm trying so hard, more and more to try to. To try to understand this kind of stuff that people the way people react, maybe it helps to know their psychology because they're definitely not trying to understand.

No, no. And and, you know, on the other hand, and walking down the street and just like working class guy and his working class clothes, you know, just like work, you know, and he walks by.

He is a beautiful which is that's amazing and just keeps on walking. I love New York for weird stuff like that. It's I mean, I was like, I would like to thank you.

Like, oh, you know, like, you know, so I get I get that kind of thing. I can tell you how many times I get that on the train. If I'm on the platform, people say, can I take your picture, Gourmet's?

You know, so it's like, OK, if I get the nasty every now and then, it's like there's a balance, is it.

Yeah. Yeah.

It's such a balance in life anyway.

So, yeah, it's interesting the the artist that, you know, my friends and then, you know, just having that is very important to me, to a lot of them have moved because of covid, which I really saw.

I mean, it's hard to be an artist right now, I'm sure.

Oh yeah. So that that was that's been a real bummer because my core has moved, but we're still in touch. And, you know, I think they are going to come back once, eventually.

And you didn't have any problems with the cops or anything being like public artists. They haven't bothered you? Oh, I've been bothered plenty by cops. You have some stories. Oh, yeah. OK, so I had one.

This is this was probably about three years ago when they were really cracking down on the artists in Union Square. And they needed you to be on the medallion. They needed you to be on the table.

And so I was like, how can I get how can I, you know, figure out a way to. Get around this so so they come up and they're, you know, white shirt, they come over and they say, you know, we told you before, you can't be here, you're not on a medallion, you can't be selling anything. And I said, I'm not selling anything. You know, I didn't have my sale thing out because I knew to keep that hidden.

And I and they said, yeah, but you're asking for tips. And and I so I can't even ask for donations. I mean, the Hari Krishnas ask for donations.

And they said, well, you know, you can't you can't have it seen. We can't see it, you know, we don't want it out.

And then I said, OK, well, telepathy then I guess.

And then I'm trying to figure out, you know, and I go and they go, well, you're just going to have to leave, like, well, will come around in half an hour and you need to move.

And I said, well, actually, you know what? This is my religion. And they go, Oh. Oh, really? And she's like on her, like, my thing.

And she goes, Oh, what's your religion? And I said, My religion is a religion that is, you know, for nature. And, you know, I'm here, I'm honoring nature. And I kind of like explained whatever I was doing. And she goes. Hold on, walks away, gets on her little microphone thing, she comes back and she goes. All right. OK, whatever, and then walked away. That was a good shortcut, I guess that was a good one.

So then they stop bothering me, really? They really it. Hold on.

Jason has a comment. Well, pigeon, religion pigeon, right? Yes, thank you, Jason. Very good tip. Yes. Yes, that's smart.

And then they left me alone and then. There were times where it got so weird out there where I would have a friend selling dolls on one side and another friend selling their John Art or whatever, and they would. Step over me to get to them, to tell them to leave because they were leaving me so alone, they're like, we don't want a court thing. Yeah. With this lady. Yeah. We don't want to go with this crazy one.

So so that that was that got pretty funny. Yeah. I saw that you did this sort of flash mob installation. Three hundred pigeons. Was it. What was that all about. I did well.

I wanted to make as many as I could and have an installation that, you know, outside that was three hundred.

And and I just I just because I've made thousands and sold them making selling, making selling. And I never get to have a whole bunch in one. Sure. Yeah. So I just kind of came up with this idea to have everyone purchase their pigeon but not get it until after the installation. OK, so then I could bring attention to pigeons and the netting that goes on in the city and I don't know what that is.

What is it like authorities trying to get rid of them? No, it's a group of people who net the pigeons all over the city and then they sell them to live pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania.

Oh, my God. Why would you do that? Yeah, that's isn't that technically animal abuse? Like, is that legal? It's legal in Pennsylvania.

Oh, jeeze. I had no idea. It's not legal for them to trap them here, but they do it.

They run around, you know, because I do know, like, I don't know how you feel about them, but the wild bird bird front does, like, rehabilitate injured pigeons, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, I work with them a lot. Yeah. I, you know, I was there, their starred and everything and they. Yeah of course we take care of lots of pigeons. We all tried to fight against this group that does this netting and selling. You often find injured ones. Oh yeah.

Yeah. We find them a lot and Jason finds them and my my friend Amena has a little rescue in her place and I've seen her.

Yeah. Yep. And so yeah it's definitely I read that like because of the way they walk, how they like shuffle, they just accumulate all these little strings and that's more reps around their toes.

Yeah. And then they get amputated. Yeah. Yeah. Not fun. No. No.

And so you have your flock here at home and you have different flocks in the city I guess mostly in Union Square. Do you have a I guess Union Square, your favorite spot, you have a favorite flock or some specific pigeons that you you can point out there.

Well, I mean, OK, so the the flock in Union Square flocks that are in the parks are much more tame.

OK, so they. Literally land on you, look at you. They know me from far away. They they spend a lot of time with me.

So I do have some favorites. I have a little squishy face and I have squishy faces right now. My favorite, he will or she I don't even know what I think. She says she stays with me all day and. Yeah, and then I've had other ones that I think getting added.

And then I mean, it is really is heartbreaking. You know, when that happens in the park and you get attached to them and then they know that it doesn't show up, you know that they got netted because one day they're healthy and the next day they're not there. Yeah, that is not natural.

Mhm. Yeah. I also saw you got a lot of press for your recent sort of pandemic expo that you did with the rats. What did it say on the sign again.

Oh yeah.

Well I put the rats out with little masks, masks on and it says you humans are carrying disease because that's obviously what the rats get all day long and they're just trying to survive.

Yeah, that was that was really cool. I actually saw that, I think in the Post or something online. Yeah, I, I thought it was pretty funny and yeah. That was a good one.

Another question I have. I wonder about the controversy, if there is any with bird watchers. Have they ever come up to you and said anything? Because I know they're pretty, you know, lively bunch, at least in Central Park. Really? Yeah. So I birdwatch but I try not to associate with them because some of them can get really crazy. I just like watching from afar. You know, I think birds are cool. They I think they don't really like people feeding animals in the park however.

Your seat mix is like good, like, you know, feeding bread is not great, I think I guess you know that, but your seed mix is really nice, so maybe they don't mind as much. I don't know. But you haven't had problems with them. No, I know.

I'm not sure they hang out in Union Square. True. And if there is a bird person. You know, they're a little more snobby, they like you know, they like their they like they're pretty birds, you know, it is true people I think people just pass pigeons by too often.

Yeah. They're dirty, whatever.

It's like they're appeasing what is in your mix, actually, because I might I might steal your secret. Well, unless you don't want to say the secret makes.

I don't know. Oh yeah. I don't know. I mean there's all kinds of things in there. It has the list on the bag, I don't know. But it's like, you know, it's called pigeon food and it's got a lot of different name corn. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Milita corn flax. I miss Ghias got everything and the good stuff. Yeah. Lentils of different beans. Dried beans. Yeah. They're healthy. Yeah.

So you're saying they're nice and fat and that's why the Falcons want to come off. Exactly the juiciest pigeons and all the land.

Oh I have this random question because we're on the roof. If you get pooped on, do you consider that's lucky or.

Yeah, yeah. I like to say that people go I'm like, oh you got good luck for the rest of the day, OK? Sure. Yeah.

I saw in your necklace that you have Nikola Tesla. I was sort of actually thinking about him before this because I think he's cool and he's a huge pigeon. He was a huge pigeon guy. So, um.

So yeah, I love Nikola Tesla. I mean, you know, he's all about energy and quantum physics. I mean, super quantum physics guy. And I love that. And I love like imagining all of the light energy that the pigeons see that we don't see. You know, they have different spectrums in their eyes and they can see more than we do. Yeah. And and I I love to imagine that when they're flying around me and then I'm you know, that I am getting that energy too.

And and, you know, Nikola Tesla believe that, you know, this is just a condensed energy. You know, we are just condensed to energy and that, you know, there's so much around us that we could do, you know, tap into and tap into and that we're not doing that.

But, you know, I love to I love to have fun with that. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I love him. I love him. He took care of a lot of pigeons. And in New York, too. Yeah. Yeah. I've gone to the hotel that he. Yeah. I've been there as well. So there's like a plaque. Yeah. There's a whole little museum underneath. Oh really. I have to check that out.

I know there's like a secret bar where you have to like go through the coffee shop and it's like Tesla themed.

Obviously I haven't been there yet. Twenty twenty but yeah. Um yeah he's cool personality. Yeah he's amazing. Yeah.

In terms of being an artist since you have been doing this for so long, how have you found that things have changed. I mean you're like all over social media now. How did you get the word out before. I don't know.

You know, when I first started doing it, I was thinking, God, I don't want to be on social media. I don't want to you know, maybe I can tell people they can't take pictures because it's only a live experience and, you know, and and then, you know, that gets way out of it doesn't work in reality anymore. Yeah. I don't know. I, I. I have a love hate relationship with social media, I'm sure, like many a lot of us do.

Yeah, yeah. And. I have met some amazing people through it. I'd say you're definitely like a positive presence on my timeline. I always see the picture. I'm like, oh, that just looks nice. Like you see from the pictures, at least like a nice person who I think that's why I liked it so much. You seem like, first of all, you don't care about whatever other people think. And I, I aspire to that mentality.

Like, yeah, just be yourself and do your thing. Yeah. And especially in New York, we're like, everyone can do that. There's room for people to do that. Yeah. Yeah. Like that. That's cool.

Yeah. Yeah.

I mean if I'm in a bad mood and like I'm like oh I want to post like a fuck you kind of thing on my Instagram like then I have to just think about all the really sweet people I have looking at my feet and, and that they you know, I mean because overall I am a love, good energy person. And, and and so if I'm like in a political mode, if where I'm like, oh yeah.

You know, let me just step back because I don't need to do that to my sweet following, you know, really.

Well, that's that's very kind of you.

You know, they're actually you know, my following is when I meet them in person, I'm like, oh my God, you're fluck, so to speak.

Oh, sweet. Yeah.

They're so, like, smart and thoughtful and, you know, people who really think about things as opposed to like just whatever, you know, it's like.

I mean, sure. I mean, if you're going to like Mother Pidgin, you know, and what she does, you've got to be like a little bit more open minded and, you know, kind hearted, I think.

Yeah, well, I'll take that as a compliment. Yeah. Yeah. And so do you do other forms of animal activism or just you're like main thing. Um, I think right now it's my main thing.

My heart really cannot do too much. I get that very painful to see.

Like I saw a picture on my feet of a cow, you know, it was cold and I was like, oh yeah, there's too many sad things to go.

I you just do pigeons and not the other one. Yeah. I like can someone else do that one. Because I got my. That's it. I'm maxed on on. That's OK.

Yeah. There's not too many people doing pigeons so you can have that and people and other people can do other things. Yeah sure.

One thing I think about too as far is like what message or what I'm trying to say and you know, how I post and story and all that stuff is just.

Being present.

How important that is for me to be present and to just sit and craft, yeah, or create whatever it is that I decide to do that day, because I know, like, I'm prone like if I'm around a certain energy person and they're like a doo doo doo person, like run around the radio on checking their phone, I can get drawn into that.

It's like draining a little bit. Yeah. And it drains me.

Oh my God. I'll have a headache afterwards and everything.

And so for me like it's really important to just show a slower like those, those videos where they're sped up, you know, like yeah. Timelapse or whatever the time lapse. Here's a here's a painting that's timelapse. Here's a purse that someone made it.

So I don't want to see that.

I cannot watch that because people have like an attention span of three seconds to get it all into the three seconds. It's like one day I'm going to just do like a whole, like day of here. You're going to watch me slowly do my work, how I actually do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I think, too, I think people see work, you know, like even just like if we look at this little sunshine bird that I made, like if they see something like that, they're like, oh well that you know, how long could that take? Takes time. I mean, I see that you have like the little wire feed.

There's a bunch of details like there's are all over here.

And I'm sure all of this took hours and hours and hours, hours. You know, part of the thing like if you don't put time into it, then you don't have it. Exactly. Yeah, it's it's something that I really value in in just survival. Yeah.

Basically, I love the act of cut the fabric and I love opening up. My little tin has like my pin cushion in there, then taking the pins out and then threading the needle and then what color thread am I going to use.

Oh and then I've got these fun little scissors that I have cut it with that will maybe I'll sit in the sun in our front, in our bedroom, but maybe I'll sit back here or maybe I'll be on the roof while I do this. And it's just all this like it's like a recess. It's all a ritual. Thank you. It is something that. I think could help a lot of people to almost like meditative, like you have this repetitive thing that you do every day or whatever.

Yeah. And it forces you to slow down, not look at your screen. Yes. Just be in the moment. Yeah. Yeah, it's really. And so growing up, that's how I grew up. We didn't have Internet. So what kept me going as a kid was making things sitting at my sewing machine. So you learn how to sew already when you were a kid? Oh, yeah, for sure.

Was it out of necessity or just because it was? No, I think a lot of people my age did crafts and, you know, I to keep busy. Yeah, I think yeah. You just you did that.

Although I'm I'm thinking about all my friends that I hung out with and I'm still friends with when we were five, six years old. They're not they don't actually make anything, which is so funny. But I was the one that had all the puppet shows going at my you know, in my yard. I was the one that rallied everybody up to do all kinds of things in my life. I haven't really changed at all. That's nice. Yeah.

Yeah, I have totally, you know, just love doing these kinds of things. And speaking of puppet shows, I would it would be really fun to if you would, if you would like to hear one of our songs. Oh, I'd love to put a song on here. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, Frankie is the puppet that I made. Here comes Frankie.

Oh it's me. Yeah. Frankie is always trying to be the center of attention. I can't believe he stayed quiet in the song. So you guys are recording an album.

Well, Frankie is recording an album. So tell me about Frankie. Sure. So I'm Frankie. I'm a pigeon puppet, but I'm recording my own solo record.

So it's me waiting in the wings, which you came up with an hour ago on the hour by the hour for the hour or so.

At this point, I got to see an entire puppet show with Frankie the Pigeon, which I recorded. And you can see on my Instagram at stores your granny never told. We then came back and talked about the closing questions. And then I got to listen to a few of their music. That is Tina and her husband from their new album, which you can find on YouTube. So please listen and enjoy.

So, yeah, my my final questions are always what what is your advice for my generation, just in general, from your experience or. Yeah, whatever. OK, so. I guess my advice would be to. Again, just.

Try to stay off your phone, but unless you're listening to this podcast, then you should listen to this podcast and then turn off your phone for the rest of the day if you can, and then spend time in nature as much as you can, because I, I, I think that most of any question or anything that you have, you can you can get the answer by being with nature, whether it be a tree or the forest or a pigeon bird's little rats, any any type of nature I think is so important for everyone to just really listen to and enjoy and and also try to stay away from coffee or.

That's a big one. Jason, what? No drinking wants to pipe in.

Actually, this is Jason Martinez has been a good join at the last minute. I'm kind of chomping at the bit to get in another good name for saw her chomping at the bit. Right. The record with 20 titles. OK, if I was to give one piece of advice to your generation, which is what the 20 to 30 set approximately. OK, for God's sakes, you people cook your own meals, stop with this damn seamless stuff, you'll save so much money you won't be in debt by the healthiest groceries you can buy, which go to the forced food co-op where most your audiences but all over, all over the place to support your local food co-op volunteer, your local food co-op, your grocery bill in half, do your own cooking, your own vegetables.

And it can if you've got the skills grown and you'll be more in touch with yourself from them.

Shows a million things on cooking books to read. Close call.

There you go. Go to your library and get a cooking book. That's how people learn recipes, right? OK, I'm confessing to Tina and sorry for the public service disruption. That was a public service announcement. Yeah, that's pretty good.

Yeah, I guess that is excellent. And again, I think for me, just trying to stay grounded in this time right now is very difficult. And I know that there are certain things that are they pull you away from who you really are. So finally, if people are interested in seeing you buying your pigeons, buying your music, whatever, where can they find you? I am on Instagram, mostly at Mother Pigeon Brooklyn. I also have a Web site, mother pitching Brooklyn dot com.

And and then here's Frankie. It's me, Frank, if I ever want to go to my YouTube channel in those five minutes a day that you spend online is where allowing you a five minute or online go to my YouTube channel, which is mother pigeons, impeccable puppet show, mother pigeons, impeccable puppet show featuring Frankie. That's me. And come watch my latest song and my latest video, including our latest hit, which is called Everything is Right Where It Is.

Thank you, Frank.

Thank you. Barangay Mother pitchIN and mother pigeon featured me, Frankie and my mother two, one, two, three, four.

Everything is right where. That's because it's like where everything is, right? Everything is right, everything is right where. Floating like a cloud in the sky, floating like the birds, passing by, floating like the. Nothing like a fake, everything is right where it is to the bridge. Just common sense. Clouds are passing by, birds are flying high here and now. Everything is fine swimming upstream in the stream without struggle and everything. That's right.

Everything is right. Everything is right where it is to the fridge. On my little friend, Justin Goldstein. Clouds are passing by, birds flying right here right now and time. Everything's fine. First, everything is right where it is. That's because it's right where it is. Everything is right. Everything is right. Everything is right where he says everything is right. I mean, what more can I say, how much fun was that if you guys want to go see Mother Pigeon?

She's on Union Square sometimes, but you have to check on her Instagram when she's going to be there. And of course, that's only in New York City. I don't even know how to close this. It was awesome. I want to listen to that song over and over and over.

I had such a great time just idato. Feed a pigeon in 2021, that's what you got to do, but don't feed a bread. Hi, I'm Lee O'Hara and I'm the host of a How TOS and Life Hacks show called How Savvy NYC. And I'm also the host of the local neighborhood news show Upper West Side Corner Talk. Please stop by and join the local fun. Nikki and I are part of the NYC Podcasters Network, great shows from independent show runners and a group of podcasting friends, NYC podcasters, dotcom.