Do you need a little lift today?
Well, what if I were to tell you that I could lend you a pair of wings
(yes—wings!)
that would carry you right up over the breathtaking landscape of the French Alps?
Too good to be true?
Just watch:
Go ahead.
Watch it again
(and again).
Ahhhhh …
Is it “real”?
I can’t say for sure, but it convinces me that flying on the back of an eagle feels fabulous.
The footage, uploaded by YouTube user Srachi, was recorded using an action camera attached to the eagle’s back (presumably placed there by a fellow versed in falconry). According to the video’s description, the flight took place near Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in southeastern France.
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Kristina Nelson!!!
Kristina Nelson (FieldsofThyme, #800) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Intermediate Level Get ‘er Done Merit Badge!
“I helped my 16 year-old daughter (farmgirl) put in new goat fencing.
This project took many hours of work. First, we had to build new goat stalls in a different barn, put up temporary fencing, then build the final fencing. It took over 2 years. We put in 330 feet of fence for the goats, and today they are enjoying fresh grass and lots of room to roam.”
There is nothing more glorious than a good cause,
except …
(stay with me here)
a good cause that is launched by a child like Neha Gupta.
Neha was only 9 years old in 2005 when she created Empower Orphans, a grassroots campaign devoted to helping orphaned children cultivate self-sufficiency around the globe.
Photo courtesy of Empower Orphans
Among Neha’s family, it has been a tradition to celebrate birthdays by taking food and gifts to orphaned children in their hometown in India. Although Neha has grown up in the United States, she has had the opportunity to travel to India and participate in this tradition.
Photo courtesy of Empower Orphans
The experience of meeting kids who had no families was life-changing for young Neha.
“I remember the moment that I was talking to a girl of the same age; she wore tattered clothes and her face was covered in a thin black layer of dirt,” Neha, now 17, recalls in an article she wrote for the Huffington Post. “As she showed me around the orphanage, we first went to her room. It wasn’t exactly her room though … she shared it with 10 other girls. As I walked in, all I saw was an empty room with a single sheet on the ground. I asked in a confused manner, ‘This is where you sleep? Where is your bed?’ She looked down as she spoke and said, ‘This is our bed … We sleep on the ground. It does get very cold in the winter, but we manage.’ I was absolutely shocked.”
Sympathy wasn’t enough for Neha, though.
She needed to act.
Her passion to help blossomed into Empower Orphans, which aims to provide orphans with better healthcare, food, clothing, educational opportunities, and useful items so they can find a path from helplessness toward becoming fully capable human beings.
Neha has raised more than $1,000,000 so far for the creation of libraries and computer labs as well as the donation of water-purification systems, sewing machines, bicycles, and more to hundreds of kids.
Her current efforts that need funding include:
“I love helping these children so much! It is an amazing feeling to see the change that you can make in their lives as they grow,” Neha says. “I am definitely very happy with how much my efforts have grown; of course I am hoping that we keep growing and that more people see how important it is to help these children.”
If you would like to help Neha accomplish her gloriously good cause, you can make a direct donation (as little as $25 can educate a child for an entire year), purchase specific items for orphans, or you can buy handmade gifts from the Empower Orphans online store. One hundred percent of the profits are donated directly to the children that need them.
What do butterflies and turtle tears have in common?
Funny question, I know, but it’s more than mere nonsense.
It turns out that butterflies sip turtle tears to satisfy their need for salt.
Photo courtesy of Lufonz via Flickr, CC BY-ND 3.0
Who even knew that turtles cry, right?
Apparently, it’s not out of sorrow, though—simply an eye-moistening matter.
Even so, there’s something rather fairytale-esque about seeing a butterfly drying a turtle’s tears.
But bees?
Are you a museum lover?
Art, history, science … there’s so much fun stuff to explore within the hallowed halls of our nation’s museums.
Photo by Ingfbruno, CC-BY-SA-3.0, vvia Wikimedia Commons
And, it just so happens that September 28 is National Museum Day. This tidbit of trivia also comes with a sweet deal: free admission.
Photo by Paul Duke , CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commonsvia Wikimedia Commons
It’s true!
The Smithsonian Institution is sponsoring Museum Day Live, in which participating museums across the country invite visitors to download tickets (one is good for two people) and explore their exhibits for free.
Tickets and a full list of participating museums are available on the Museum Day Live website.
Will you be including a museum in your plans this coming weekend?
In memory of Mrs. Imperial who died recently at the ripe old age of 11 years+. May you rest in peace.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
