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Month: April 2020
People Are Photoshopping Their Cats’ Faces Onto Bees
Article by Stephen Messenger
Sure, necessity is the mother of invention. But boredom will do in a pinch.
Case in point: People are spending their suddenly abundant free time on a wildly innovative new art form — Photoshopping their cats’ faces onto the bodies of bees.
Why? Why not.
The trend appears to have been started the other day by Jessy Hanczaryk.
For no particular reason, she decided to Photoshop a few cat/bee hybrid pics of her cat Millie. 
Hanczaryk was so amused by her creation that she shared them with her brother. He, in turn, posted them to Reddit.
The pics were a hit — and they soon began spreading across social media like a swarm.
“I saw someone posted them on Facebook and someone else posted them on Instagram!” Hanczaryk told The Dodo. “I honestly had no idea that people would like them so much.”
Having nothing better to do has never been so weirdly productive.
Got time on your hands ? See more at:
5 Ways to Make Your Own Mother’s Day Special
By Megan Boettcher for BH&G
I am happy to wake up early to a chorus of “Happy Mother’s Day,” and a homemade breakfast feast, complete with homemade cards, inexpensive flowers, and syrupy hands. We usually make Mother’s Day a family fun outing and go to the zoo or to an early spring baseball game. Whatever we do, it’s nice to spend the day together.
Tom Dunkley/Getty Images
Well, this year we’ve had plenty of days together as a family. In fact, our family of five has spent every day together since March 13. There’s nothing more I’d love to do on Mother’s Day weekend than get together with my mom and sister at a spa and then spend Sunday afternoon getting sunburnt at a baseball game. Ahh…to dream! Many of those things can’t happen right now because of social distancing measures, so this year I’m going to challenge myself and mothers everywhere: Treat yourself !
Take Time for Yourself
If you’re craving alone time, ask your partner to take the kids for a nice long walk, and leave you at home. Enjoy the silence. Take a nap. Read. Take a bath. Rock out to Bon Jovi. Do whatever makes you happy. If you’re dreaming of a family outing, like my typical afternoon baseball game, set up a backyard game, make an outdoor movie screen, have a lip-sync dance battle, or go for a drive through a local nature preserve.
Ask Only for What You Really Want
My husband is sweet but forgetful, and he’s famous for taking the kids to the store on the day before Mother’s Day to pick out a card, flowers, or a small gift. Since we aren’t taking the kids shopping with us right now and only shopping for essentials, this last-minute Mother’s Day gift run probably isn’t going to happen. But that’s OK because I’m making an “Acts of Service” wish list that he and the kids can do instead of gifts. Sure, it’s basically a list of my least favorite chores, but hey, not having to fold the laundry for a whole weekend is like gold to this mama.
Buy Yourself Something
Yes, I know your family could go online just as easily as you can (and maybe they will), but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy something nice for yourself. Is there a local store you’d like to support? Buy yourself a gift card or shop their online store. Does your athleisure wear collection need some updating? Now is the time! After all, they are also your work-from-home clothes now. Have your eye on some Etsy jewelry? Buy it! Your spouse isn’t going to find exactly the right thing unless you send the exact product link anyway. Just go for it.
Eat Well
If you’re lucky enough to have family members who cook or grill well, take advantage of that. Put in your menu request early and enjoy your favorite grub. If you are the cook, take the day off and support local restaurants that offer curbside pickup or delivery. Be sure to pick up your favorite treats and beverages on your next grocery run so you can enjoy the good snacks after the kids are in bed.
Control the Remote
Turn family movie night into a nostalgic walk down memory lane and introduce your kids to movies you loved as a child. My kids recently got a big kick out of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Or, put on Frozen 2 (again) for the kids, then take your laptop to another room and connect with your mom friends on a Netflix Party or video call. Once the kids are in bed make sure your partner knows it’s still the mom show, and enjoy unlimited chick flicks all night.
Create an At-Home Spa
It may not be the same as going to a real spa, but you can pamper yourself with a facial mask (such as this Brightening Face Mask Sheet, $9.99, Target) and some DIY bath bombs. Throw in a foot soak and a fresh coat of nail polish (like this Blame It On The Rainbow Nail Polish Duo, $15, Sephora) and you’ll feel like a new woman. If your little helpers are excited about spa day too, make it a mommy-and-me activity with facials for everyone. After all, when this year is a distant memory, you may want them to join you on Saturday for a pre-Mother’s Day outing. I know I’m already looking forward to the next time when I can sit with my mom and sister at the nail salon.
Mother’s Day Dialogs
Everyday Habits That Are Wrecking Your Hair and Nails
By Rachel Jacoby Zoldan for TheHealthy.com
Experts offer solutions to habits that actually can hurt the health of your hair and nails, from eating the wrong foods to sun exposure.
Eating the wrong foods
“Your diet provides the building blocks for the proper functioning of your body and when you don’t give it the proper nutrients, it means that your hair and nails won’t grow or be able to protect themselves the way that they should,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research and assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai in New York City. For example, iron deficiency can lead to hair thinning, he says. Add these foods to your diet for healthy and gorgeous hair and nails.
Regularly wearing updos and ponytails
“Consistently putting your hair in an updo or ponytail can cause breakage,” says Zingarino. If you must sport a ponytail when you exercise, try a scrunchy made of a softer material, which will minimize breakage,” says Zingarino. Silk scrunchies, such as the ones from Slip, will help prevent dents and breakage as well.
Brushing wet hair
Step away from the hairbrush when you step out of the shower. The tight pull of a brush, regardless of bristle type, can overstretch the already weak and elastic hair strands and cause breakage. To minimize damage, brush your hair when it’s dry, before you even step foot in the shower, then give it a quick comb through after washing with a Wet Brush, which is specifically designed to minimize breakage to soaked strands.
Cleaning the house
Whenever you’re tidying up any room in your home, make sure to protect your hands and nails. “Household cleaners dry out your nails and cause them to become brittle and break easily,” says Shelly Hill, a manicurist based in both Los Angeles and Denver. “Prevent any nail damage by wearing gloves, your number one line of defense—if you’re wearing polish, they will help keep it from chipping.” Here are some simple ways to strengthen your nails.
There are more tips from Rachel at:
https://www.thehealthy.com/beauty/hair/everday-habits-that-are-wrecking-your-hair-and-nails/
Hummingbird Facts
Here are some amazing facts about my favorite bird, the hummingbird. Due to arrive in my backyard in mid to late May.
1. If you think the same hummingbirds come to your feeders and flowers every year, you might be right! Banding research shows they are likely to return to the area where they hatched.
3. Rufous hummingbirds migrate farther than any other North American species. They travel 4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska every spring.
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4. The average nest is about the size of a half-dollar coin. The eggs inside the tiny structure look like mini white jelly beans.
Photos by B & B readers
The story and more photo’s continue at:
May Day Word Search
©nationaldaycalendar.com
May Day is a May 1 celebration with a long and varied history, dating back millennia. Throughout the years, there have been many different events and festivities worldwide, most with the express purpose of welcoming in a change of season (spring in the Northern Hemisphere). In the 19th century, May Day took on a new meaning, as an International Workers’ Day grew out of the 19th-century labor movement for worker’s rights and an eight-hour workday in the United States. May Day 2020 is celebrated on May 1, 2020.
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-may-day
Daily Language Practice
It’s Monday and time for DLP. Have at it. Do your best. Answers are on sheet 2.
S or ES –What’s it going to be ?
Five August gap-fillers
Article by Sally Sharrett
Mind the gap! Amateur Gardening reveals five reliable pick-me-ups to bridge the gaps in your August garden, taking you from high summer into autumn…
Fill that flowerless hole in the border with something that’s going to keep the colour coming right through to autumn. You should be able to pick these plants up from garden centres, or see individual suppliers listed.
1. CAPE DAISIES
Sunlight is vital to the performance of osteospermum. They’ll survive most winters as long as you can ensure they’re grown in gritty, free-draining soil. These low-growers are best at the front of borders.
Recommended varieties: ‘Buttermilk’, ‘Hopleys’, ‘Falling Stars’.
2.RUDBECKIA
Black-eyed Susan doesn’t do much until late summer, so either add individual plants to borders or plant in containers that can be moved into key positions at the right time. Plants tolerate some shade and hate drying out. Divide perennials in late autumn or spring.
Recommended varieties: ‘Indian Summer’ (annual), ‘Herbstonne’ (perennial) ‘Goldsturm’ (perennial)
3.DAHLIAS
Leave in their pots and plunge into the border, planting singly or in threes. Tall plants may need support from carefully placed bamboo canes. Dead-head regularly. Lift plants before the frosts strike, storing the tubers somewhere dark and dry for the winter.
Recommended varieties: ‘Blackberry Ripple’, ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, ‘Jescot Julie’, ‘Marston Velvet’
4.NANDINA
The heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) is really quite special. The species has the most attractive leaves, but bear in mind that it’ll reach 5ft (1.5m) after 10 years. Nandina prefers a sheltered spot in full sun and may need some protection in hard winters.
5.CANNAS
Like dahlias, cannas need to be lifted before the first frosts, or the fleshy stems stand no chance of surviving. However, cannas are best treated as annuals as their performance wanes after the first year. They need rich, moist soil – water well during dry spells.
Recommended: ‘Alaska’ (white), ‘Brilliant’ (red), ‘Lenape’ red spots on yellow, ‘Lucifer’ (yellow-edged red)
https://www.amateurgardening.com/top-tips/5-august-gap-fillers-4965