Popular Animal Pictures in Comics by That_DoodleGuy

Sometimes, Just Stop and...!

Source (and more!): https://www.boredpanda.com/comics-showing-wholesome-backstory-of-these-real-animal-pictures-that-doodle-guy/

Easy Margarita

Greetings all! 

In this heat, don’t you want to just sit by the pool in the shade and drink something refreshing while doing absolutely nothing?

Image and recipe from 

https://www.totalwine.com/cocktail-recipes/drapers-margarita

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. Tequila
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• Lime wedge to garnish

Instructions

• Pour Tequila, Triple Sec, and fresh lime juice into cocktail shaker with ice.
• Shake until chilled. Strain into cocktail coupe and garnish with lime wedge.

Bon Appetit! Stay cool and let me know how you like it!

Small Kindnesses

Greetings all!
 
Someone recently commented on my cute pink hat, and this unexpected compliment brightened my day and made me smile. A small thing but small things tend to have a snowball effect. I then went on with my day, with my next stop being a grocery store. While I had quite a few things in my cart, a person behind me only had a bottle of water and a banana. “You go ahead” – I said, and got a smile in return. Have you noticed that a smile usually creates a smile in return? It takes so little to be kind. 
 

Image from 

https://www.boredpanda.com/wholesome-blue-llama-comic-series-chris-yang

 

Small Kindnesses 

by Danusha Laméris

 “I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk

down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs

to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”

when someone sneezes, a leftover

from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.

And sometimes, when you spill lemons

from your grocery bag, someone else will help you

pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.

We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,

and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile

at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress

to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,

and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.

We have so little of each other, now. So far

from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.

What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these

fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,

have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”

 
~ Danusha Laméris
The New York Times (9/19/2019), Bonfire Opera http://www.danushalameris.com/poems.html
 

What was your favorite passage? Mine is this:
 
 “We have so little of each other, now…
Only these brief moments of exchange…
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy…”

What small kindness can you perform today? Drop me a line!

On Top of the Word

Warning: Do NOT open if afraid of heights!

Greetings all!

What do you think about advertisements? A necessary evil? A useful tool to discover new products and services? Ads seem to be everywhere, bombarding us with images of things we did not know we needed but now want.

But sometimes, an ad comes along that just makes you say “WOW!” – and you might never even use what is being advertised in your life. 

Well, Emirates Airline did create a couple of such ads, one of which boasts over 12.5 million (yes, million!) views. The first one, expectedly, starts with a flight attendant urging us to "fly Emirates". Then the camera zooms out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQHhYRuaEtM

There is a skyscraper - and a human on top!! The skyscraper is Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world with a total height of over 828 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and more than 160 stories. 

This brave person on top is Nicole Smith-Ludvik, a professional skydiver, among other things. Nicole believes that “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” I think she definitely lives this motto!

Image from https://www.nicolesmithludvik.com/

Then Emirates did it again and showed the behind-the-scenes moments! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAR1j6UfoG0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbL9QdWWJzo

I thought it was one of the best ads I have ever seen! Truly an amazing crew that made it happen!

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQHhYRuaEtM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAR1j6UfoG0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbL9QdWWJzo
• https://www.instagram.com/nicolesmithludvik/?hl=en
• https://www.nicolesmithludvik.com/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa
• https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/facts-figures/

What did you think? Drop me a line! 

Hippo Fiona is a Big Sister!

Greetings all! 

Do you remember Fiona, the world’s darling baby hippo that has captured our hearts? Read my post about her HERE. Fiona just became a big sister to a boy hippo, and the Cincinnati Zoo now has four hippos – Fiona, Bibi and Tucker, and the baby hippo! Isn’t he adorable? And his ear wiggle is so cute!

I stared at his pictures for a while, but it is not easy to name a hippo. The Zoo actually asked the public for help and received more than 90,000 suggestions in just a few days. The 2 top names were Fritz and Ferguson - which name do you like better? I held my post publication until baby hippo was named - scroll down for the name reveal! 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uHztG3izk-U

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ANCgjSzh-2Y

Here are Bibi and Tucker, the proud parents!

Bibi

Tucker

Fiona's father Henry sadly passed away in 2017 but he did have several months with Bibi and Fiona.

While we are waiting for the family reunion - I am so excited for Fiona to meet her baby brother! - and additional coverage of the baby hippo, you can watch more videos about Fiona here: https://cincinnatizoo.org/the-fiona-show/ 

Sources (all pictures above courtesy of the Cincinnati Zoo): 

• https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/its-a-boy/ 
• https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/baby-hippo-joins-bibi-tucker-and-fionas-bloat-at-the-cincinnati-zoo/ 
• https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/cincinnati-zoo-welcomes-new-male-hippo/ 
• https://cincinnatizoo.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits/hippo-cove/
• http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2016/07/06/hippo-keepers-blog-bibi-and-henry-come-to-cincinnati/
• https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/cincinnati-zoo-mourns-loss-henry-hippo/
• https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2022/08/15/baby-hippo-cincinnati-zoo-name-fritz/65403619007

THE BIG REVEAL: The votes are in (more than 200,000!) - and he is named Fritz!

image from https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2022/08/15/baby-hippo-cincinnati-zoo-name-fritz/65403619007

Drop me a line and let me know if baby hippo Fritz sparks joy!

Beautiful Forests Around the World

Greetings all!

I recently came across this wonderful quote: “There is no Wi-fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” 

http://www.picturequotes.com/forest-quote-1-picture-quote-684606

Of course, without Wi-fi connection, we cannot see the beauty around the world unless we travel. Hmm, quite a conundrum - but that's a topic for another day! 

But today - just look at these gorgeous forests! Majestic, lush, inspiring, forbidding, whimsy… And mythical! Apparently a tree in Waipoua Forest, New Zealand, is so beautiful that it makes visitors cry. It is the world’s largest surviving kauri tree. Nicknamed Tāne Mahuta (for the Maori forest god), it is also known as the "Lord of the Forest." According to the myth, this tree “is the fruit of the primordial parents: his growth having broken apart the embrace of Ranginui, the “sky father” and Papatūānuku, the “Earth mother,” allowing the space and light for life to flourish.” How about that?! 

Waipoua Forest, New Zealand 

[WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES]

Tāne Mahuta in Waipoua Forest, New Zealand 

[image by Alamy] 

Dragon's Blood Forest, Yemen 

[ZNM/GETTY IMAGES]

Black Forest, Germany 

[STEFFEN EGLY/GETTY IMAGES]

Wistman's Wood, England 

[DAVID CLAPP/GETTY IMAGES]

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda 

[WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES]

Dancing Forest, Russia 

[SIETE_VIDAS/GETTY IMAGES]

Amazon Rainforest, South America
[FG TRADE/GETTY IMAGES]

Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
[FRANS SELLIES/GETTY IMAGES]

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China 

[FENG WEI PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES]

Redwood National and State Parks, United States 

[ED FREEMAN/GETTY IMAGES]

Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica 

[F.J. JIMENEZ/GETTY IMAGES]

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Japan
[RAZVAN CIUCA/GETTY IMAGES]

Which one is your favorite? I think the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Japan looks very peaceful and a bit magical.

And of course let’s not forget that being in nature – even if it is just next to one tree! – boosts your well-being. Read my forest-bathing post HERE.

Sources:

• https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/nature-travel/most-beautiful-forests-in-the-world
• https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/dec/06/tane-mahuta-sacred-kauri-tree-waipoua-dargaville-new-zealand
• http://www.picturequotes.com/forest-quote-1-picture-quote-684606

Be well and stay healthy!

Happy Watermelon Day!

Greetings all!

This Wednesday, August 3, pause your week to celebrate watermelon! Refreshing, delicious, and fun – just the thing for a hot summer day! And so many ways to enjoy it! You can add it to cocktails and salads, make a frozen treat, or carve as a pumpkin. You can even stir-fry or pickle the rinds.

Here is a handy chart on how to pick a perfect watermelon:

Image from https://www.eagleeyeproduce.com/perfectwatermelon/

Did you know:

• Watermelon is 92% water.
• Watermelon originated in Southern Africa 5000 years ago, where it was prized as a source of water.
• Seeds and paintings of watermelon were discovered in Egyptian tombs.
• Botanically, watermelon is cousin to cucumbers.
• Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown in almost 100 countries worldwide. I recently tried a yellow watermelon, and it was delicious.
• China is the #1 producer of watermelons.
• The world’s heaviest watermelon weighed 350.5 lb (159 kg) and was grown in 2013 by Chris Kent in Tennessee, USA.
• There are watermelon monuments, festivals, and auctions around the world.
• Apparently, there is still a debate on whether watermelon is a fruit or vegetable. You can read more https://www.watermelon.org/watermelon-101/facts-faqs/. We definitely live in the times of fluid identities.
• You can grow a square or a heart-shaped watermelon – all you need is a baby watermelon and a box or mold of the shape you want. The non-round shapes are cute and original but it brought to my mind the foot-binding custom and I felt sad for the poor baby watermelons. Plus, these shape-shifters are more decorative than edible as they are harvested before they are ripe. Still, they are popular as presents in Japan, and apparently in Russia several years ago, square-shaped watermelons cost $860.

Image from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/square-watermelons-how-theyre-made_n_5784ddf1e4b07c356cfe6341 (Toru Yamanaka via Getty Images)

Vodka Watermelon and Basil Granita

 https://nationaldaycalendar.com/vodka-watermelon-and-basil-granita/

 

Watermelon Feta Salad: 

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a5739/watermelon-salad-feta-mint-recipe/ (Parker Feierbach)

I think watermelon definitely deserves its own day! I am going to start celebrating today!

Sources:

• https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-watermelon-day-august-3/
• https://www.watermelon.org/watermelon-101/facts-faqs/
• https://www.eagleeyeproduce.com/perfectwatermelon/
• https://nationaldaycalendar.com/vodka-watermelon-and-basil-granita/
• https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a5739/watermelon-salad-feta-mint-recipe/
• https://www.instructables.com/grow-a-heart-shape-watermelon/
• https://www.paeats.org/feature/ten-facts-you-never-knew-about-watermelon/
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/17/russia-japan-square-watermelons/2530213/

What did you think? Drop me a line!