Author Archives: Alan Ilagan

From a distance, it was splendor and enchantment – a semi-circle of cream tinged with spots of Robin’s egg blue and hints of rust. Fluttering from the Korean lilac to the ostrich fern and back again, it charmed on this sunny summer day, demanding a closer inspection, demanding a second look. Butterflies often play this game.

When I approached, it didn’t flit away like they often will. Instead, it paused for me to see its tattered and torn wings, the way pieces of it were missing, the way it was incomplete. Undulating its wings gently, it seemed to rest there with a certain weariness, not able to garnish the energy to fly swiftly away. 

The world isn’t always kind to pretty things.  

How it came to be in such a state, we will never know. Maybe it was some terrible storm that knocked it about, flinging it into brush and debris and ripping apart some of its decoration. Maybe a hungry bird pecked away at it before giving up, the pattern working its magic of confusing the predator, allowing the butterfly to escape without damage to its vital organs. Maybe it wound itself into a thorny predicament where the only way out was to rip some of itself off to get out. I can empathize with all of those scenarios. 

The world isn’t always kind to many things. 

Andy and I have been having Sunday dinners with my parents for quite some time – a practice Mom suggested a couple of years ago, to keep us all together and intact. Covid wreaked its havoc with that, but for over a year we’ve been going over every Sunday night, and I’m grateful for Andy for doing the drive and offering whatever food we can bring. 

Last week I didn’t get back into town until later on Sunday, so we pushed our dinner back a night to Monday. On the way back home, I caught these pics of the moon and sky – before realizing we were about to have a full supermoon – the Buck Moon – on Wednesday. I should have known, as Dad was off the past few days, as was work, and both seem to coincide with the full moon. 

Hopefully things will calm the Buck down for the next few weeks. 

Living in a law enforcement household has given me a glimpse into how challenging, important, and rewarding such service can be. While Andy retired many years ago, he’s maintained contact and friendships with those he once worked with, and I’ve seen the loyalty, care, and value of those relationships – and it’s something that results from being passionate about your job, and sharing that commitment with others. 

The agency where I currently work – the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – is seeking out applicants for our Forest Ranger and Environmental Conservation Police Officer positions. They recently revised the qualifications, so if you’ve shied away from this exam in the past give it a fresh look and see if you or anyone you know would qualify and be interested in pursuing these vital positions. This is the link to the exam announcement. 

In order to truly represent the interests and concerns of all New Yorkers, we are seeking a broad and diverse candidate field. Our Governor has also initiated a ’30 by 30′ goal, which aims to expand the number of women in law enforcement to 30% of the total by the year 2030. If you or someone you know has what it takes to rise to the challenge, and if they want to make a difference while supporting our mission of Environmental Conservation, I encourage you to apply. Please note that the deadline to apply is quickly approaching – August 3, 2022.

(Feel free to reach out to me with any questions as well – it just so happens that I administer the HR side of Law Enforcement and Forest Protection at our agency, but don’t let that stop you!)

A little post.

A little plant.

A little summer. 

Little joys that, taken together, amount to so much more. 

Appreciate all the little in the world. 

My ancient, old friend Chris graced us with a visit last week, just a few days prior to his birthday, so this is my small way of thanking him for stopping in, as well as wishing him a prosperous and healthy year ahead. We go way, way, way, way back, so far that I barely recognize the dark-haired gents we were in those early twenty-something years. Such a rich and layered history of friendship affords us a security and safety in one another’s company, more akin to brotherhood than the casual way friendship is tossed around these days. And while it took us over a quarter of a century to figure out the formula, it appears our perfect time together is roughly a day and a half. (According to Suzie, that’s cumulative time, so if we spread it out over a few days, any visit can be quite enjoyable.) Happy birthday, buddy – here’s to many more years of fun and adventure! 

PS – You left the book I gave you in the attic, so you’ll have to come back again soon. Unless you did it on purpose, in which case you don’t deserve it. In peace & divinity! #blessed 

Having just returned from an enchanting couple of days in Boston and Provincetown – including a stay at one of the famed dune shacks, I am in no mood to return to a week of work, so I will extend this calm and tranquil vacation feeling for as long as possible, retaining the balmy relaxed air of sunshine and sea in everything I do during the week. Mind over matter… and on with the recap. 

Express yourself, don’t repress yourself.

A summer day with Dad.

A pretty imposter.

Get a gander at this weed.

A pair of pinks going to battle. 

A baby bunny grows up.

My husband the cop.

Summer night tranquility.

California.

Our lone Dazzler of the Day was more than worthy of standing alone ~ Cynthia Erivo. 

I need to persuade people to visit one of the more touristed places on earth.

You write this one, I’ll edit yours. 

{Laughter.}

I’m about to…

Dude, I’m so relaxed.

Power of the pool and then meditation and you want me to write a fucking blog post? I’m done with work. 

I’m done. 

What did you write so far.

I hear typing.

Hmmm.

Let’s just free-associate.

Let’s just talk first. 

Do you want to know about the landscape, the people, the vibe?

Why are you typing?

This isn’t genius, this is stupid.

Are you going to write that down too?

Macaroni salad.

Wrinkly fingers.

Saved 25 June bugs from uncertain demise. 

Revealed the stories of how you almost died in the Audi. 

It was a lovely meal – you could describe the meal. The Calamansi cooler. A visit from Suzie. Perfect weather. 

In no particular order.

Great chicken.

Quinoa salad.

Meditated.

People will be mesmerized by this. 

Like really good macaroni salad. 

(This post was written by a guest of honor who shall remain nameless.)