Most of the stories or information on this site are about nature, pets, family, travel, and wellness. But sometimes I need to deviate for certain reasons.
And one of those reasons is for the amazing. I found this article about the best optical illusions of 2019, and wow, they made be get beyond smile and into the ‘that’s incredible!’ realm!
Check these out, they are truly amazing and will certainly make you get beyond smile!
The Best Illusions of the Year (Gizmodo.com).
Enjoy.
We were fortunate recently to have taken a family vacation in beautiful Maui. The smell of the ocean, the beaches, and the sun are most amazing!
One day we were down on a beach watching the surf and surfers, and noticed a few dozen green sea turtles resting on the beach. One of the local marine experts mentioned to us that they often come ashore and rest for a while in the sun, away from the dangers of the ocean.
We sat there for a while watching them, but not only was it about watching the ones resting, there was a constant flow of turtles coming in and out of the water, starting or finishing their afternoon nap. It was quite incredible looking out into the shallow ocean and seeing turtle after turtle landing on shore for their afternoon siesta! We would also see them poking their heads out of the water looking into shore, making sure they got the right landing spot!
After about 10 minutes of this, we saw one bigger turtle land on shore and slowly push itself up the beach, in a fight between its weight and the drag of the sand. It seemed to be determined to get to a certain spot, and nothing was going to get in its way, because it came across a smaller turtle resting in the sand, and rather than go around, it went right over top! It was a hilarious sight as the bigger turtle squished the smaller one, body, face, and all into the sand!
As we were all laughing watching this, I leaned over to my two sons and said, “Hey, that must have been the smaller turtle’s older brother, because he did it on purpose!”
Well, I must say that some things in life are truly precious, and they are moments that you want to put in a box to relive at any time. One of those is the intense, full on laughter of young kids! After making my comment, my two boys burst out into a red-faced full on breathless giggle, that will live on in my memory forever! (And, not to mention watching big brother turtle climbing over his younger brother!).
Laugh on everyone, life is awesome.
Are there any beardie lovers out there? Aren’t they incredible pets? We had one for a number of years (RIP Sandy) that brought lots of joy to our lives. Watching her as a tiny reptile running around her habitat chasing little crickets, to a full grown beardie sunning herself on her hammock, it was all great fun together.
What got me most about the beardies is their incredible ability to sleep at any moment. Literally, one minute she would look like this…
Doesn’t she look like she’s aware and awake, ready to pounce on any nearby prey? Turn your head for a second, and when you turn it back around, you’ll see this…!
They have an incredible ability to fall asleep instantly, magically locking into whatever position they were last while awake! I came to her habitat one morning, the lights were still off, and I found a cricket sleeping on her head and she was fully asleep!!
Awesome.
Pets occupy truly special places in our lives. Different than family in many ways, but also so alike. With such little effort, they can bring incredible joy to our lives.
I found this story at SouthernLiving.com that brought a big smile to my face. Dogs have many cues, but this one cue touches us all, and the meaning behind it makes it wonderfully magical.
It’s a short article, with a short video, but I know it will make you smile! Dog owner or not! Enjoy!
This one is for the bird lovers. I know, I know, there are a lot of birds in this world. I’ve seen many, I’ve watched many, but my favourite continues to be the black-capped chickadee.
How can you not smile watching them “hop” through the air from tree to tree to branch to feeder and back to branch?
Selflessly they’ll pick one seed from a feeder and head on back to the safety of the trees to hammer it open. For years I’ve wanted to walk outside while one is at the feeder and say, “You know, I won’t be offended if you take two seeds from the feeder at one time. You don’t have to take just one!”
And then, after some research, I discovered that they actually hide their seeds amongst the trees, and they can remember hundreds or even thousands of places they’ve put them for future use! Now it makes sense!
They are also one of the few birds that will actually eat out of your hand. If you’ve ever had this experience it’s amazing. When they land on the tips of your fingers, the only reason you know they are there is the feel of their tiny claws gripping your skin. They are so light you can’t even feel their weight! After landing, they’ll take a quick look at you as if to say, “Hey, thanks for the food!” Then they’ll pick up a seed, and flutter off. Priceless.
Whenever I’m out and about, I can’t help but smile when I hear their song*, knowing they are out there somewhere, peacefully enjoying another wonderful day.
*Song courtesy of audubon.org (here).
