This week I needed an attitude adjustment after hiding under the covers last week.
I really had no choice, so I got after what I unexpectedly had to do.
When I headed out to do some of those things, I had a lovely surprise.
Lounging under the blue spruce across the street were two beautiful mule deer.
I adore the muleys' ears! They remind me that big ears can be cute!
I took that as a sign that I was doing what I should: adjusting my attitude.
Beautiful Mule Deer
Aurora, Colorado, USA
September 16, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
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Two weeks ago I had a routinely-scheduled mammogram.
That number that kept calling my iPhone afterwards,
the one I didn't pick up for days because I didn't recognize it,
it was the breast care center.
I had to come back for more tests asap: One reason for the covers over my head.
No matter how friendly the people are and how cheery the facility is,
it's hard to wait in a robe for a radiologist to examine your latest scans,
especially when cancer is rampant in your family tree.
HealthONE Breast Care Center at Centennial Hospital
Aurora, Colorado, USA
September 14, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
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Fortunately, the news was great, and I didn't have to have a scheduled ultrasound
after the additional mammograms. Terry and I were beyond relieved!
My other aggravation is taking way more time than one anxious afternoon,
but I should have it resolved within the next week.
Meanwhile I'm cramming as many happy thoughts as I can into my brain.
Coming Up Roses
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
September 12, 2017
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
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I came across a touching tribute to a feral cat named Rusty.
I started donating to the National Wildlife Federation in his honor.
Its magazine National Wildlife is beautiful and hopeful.
Rusty the Cat
Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
January 18, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
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This week in the magazine I read a heartwarming story about Bobbi Wilson,
a proactive 10-year-old who is making a difference in her New Jersey community.
If you ever were a young geeky naturalist following your outdoor passions,
you will love this story. You'll love it regardless!
"Fourth Grader vs. Spotted Lanternfly" by Shantal Riley, Summer 23, National Wildlife.
Bobbi became concerned about an Asian invasive species,
the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula),
and she joined New Jersey's eradication campaign in 2022.
The pest arrived in Pennsylvania in 1914 and has now spread throughout the Northeast.
It eats everything, causing wilting, defoliation, low-yielding crops, and plant death.
The pest can look like a beautiful butterfly, but it is a planthopper,
one of thousands of insect species that get their name
from their remarkable resemblance to vegetation in their environment
and their ability to hop around like a grasshopper.
Bobbi began eliminating the spotted lanternflies
in her neighborhood with her own bug spray recipe.
Like all good scientists, she recorded her observations
and experimented to improve her spray.
Sadly, last year, the then 9-year-old, was reported to the police
by a former New Jersey Councilman who lived across the street from her.
He was scared by a tiny, hooded Black woman spraying the sidewalks,
and a police officer quickly arrived to investigate.
Fortunately, the story has an inspiring non-racist ending.
Shortly after the neighbor's 911 call,
Bobbi's 13-year old sister and father spoke at a borough council meeting,
and Bobbi's story was picked up by the local press.
A female Black professor of Public Health at Yale University
invited the family to visit the campus.
During their visit a Yale Peabody Museum manager said
that the museum didn't have any spotted lanternflies in its collection.
He explained how to freeze and ship specimens to the museum,
and Bobbi was soon collecting and shipping the planthoppers there.
Her donations were accepted, and the museum named its new collection after Bobbi.
Bobbi also visited Princeton University's Plasma Laboratory
and received an award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
She was honored during Black History Month
at the governor's mansion for her contributions to the state.
Bobbi and her sister Hayden received full scholarships to attend
the New Jersey Institute of Technology's 2023 STEM summer camp.
This remarkable young girl wants to be a chemist,
so she can try to make things that people need.
Bobbi's story raised my spirits like nothing else could!
I was that young geeky girl once (still am inside),
although my story, which the press spread across Canada
over sixty years ago, did not have as inspiring an ending.
Young children are amazing!
They have the power to change their world!
I wasn't sure what to link to Nicole's Friday Face Off, and then fortune smiled on me!
Recently I shared two Teddy Swims music videos in a post.
I've been gorging on his singing, and yesterday YouTube sent me to a new video of his.
"Til I Change Your Mind" features one of Teddy's talented band members,
Addy Maxwell, creating a surprising work of art.
I was going to send a link to Debra, She Who Seeks,
because it reminded me of the detailed art techniques she uses.
But then I thought I'd share it with everyone in today's post.
Some people like Addy are unbelievably talented in multiple areas.
Teddy Swims and Addy Maxwell
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope fortune is smiling on you!
Have a great weekend!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
My next post will be soon! 🤞
On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
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