Scottie Andrew here! I'm stepping in for AJ this week. Let's dive in, shall we?
This week I found myself face-to-beak with a barred owl. It was sitting in a sunbeam on a large branch that hung over a small creek. If it was trying to blend in, it had failed: There was no mistaking its bright, globular eyes and fuzzy mottled plumage among the longleaf pines and oaks. Its swiveling head seemed to click into place when it trained its gaze on me. We stared at each other for a few minutes until its attention was diverted by smaller birds or a rummaging rodent. It's one of the most awe-inspiring interactions I've had in nature, though I'm sure the owl couldn't have cared less about spotting me. Leave it to a majestic bird of prey to inspire and humble you at once.
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Our favorites this week
Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week
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A kitty sittin' pretty
Now I'm not usually a cat person, but this kitty is clearly a supermodel. Meet Cecily, a 5-year-old Siamese-mix, resident at Texas rescue The Cattery and overall perfect specimen. She's obviously stunning — those eyes! — but she's also a survivor: Cecily was born with Manx syndrome, which impacted her spinal development and resulted in her hind legs being amputated. Not that any of that has stopped her from serving! Her carers at the Cattery originally started dressing her up in the latest feline fashions to obscure her diapers, but her beauty and spunk have won her thousands of fans who look forward to the cat's weekly "Fashionista Friday" posts on Instagram. “I think it’s kind of inspirational for people to realize (Cecily) just keeps going,” said Katie Hatfield, who works at the Cattery and posts from Cecily's social media accounts. “We’re always posting positive things and trying to lift people up." I just saw a photo of Cecily wearing a patriotic top hat, so I can attest to the boosted mood she brings.
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A wedding dress dream realized
This recommendation comes from our dear AJ, who also celebrated her birthday this week!
Hi there! It’s AJ, checking in from vacation because I just had to share this story with you. Karen Tierney is a member of our Good Stuff family and recently emailed me about the STUNNING work she does restoring and designing historical wedding dresses from her home studio in Alameda, California! When we connected, she told me all the details about a recent fashion show fundraiser that featured her work, encompassing more than 150 years of lace, crochet, silk, and complex engineered undergarments. (How else do you think these gorgeous gowns stay up?) In case you need more inspiration: Karen started Studio Trousseau when she was in her 50s, after a whole career as a graphic designer. So yes, your passion is still waiting for you.
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A rookie model ... in his 90s
Andrés García-Carro proves that glamor truly has no age. This supremely fierce nonagenarian has booked campaigns for Zara and Adidas — but he didn't get into the modeling game until his granddaughter started posting photos of him on Instagram during the pandemic. Now 91, García-Carro, also known as "The Spanish King," still sports an impressive head of hair, a perma-tan that only comes from a lifetime on the Mediterranean coast and a natural ease in front of the camera, all of which make him a sought-after model. The King said his second act has reinvigorated him: "I look even younger than before!" he said. “I don’t want to be sitting in my living room watching life go by.” Guess he'll have to settle for jet-setting and wearing fabulous clothes.
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A round of golf claps for ... |
... Amy Olson, a professional golfer who's competing in the US Women's Open this weekend while seven months pregnant. She wasn't about to miss her 35th major start (and the first time the US Women's Open has been held at the prestigious Pebble Beach course in California) and now, she gets to celebrate two of her lifelong dreams — a career in professional golf and motherhood — over one weekend. She's had to readjust her swing to better suit her changing body, but she doesn't view her pregnancy as an impediment to her success. "Women do this all the time,” Olson said. “I want other women who have gone through this that don’t get the cameras on them as they go about their job ... I just want pregnancy and life to be celebrated."
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Let's decide, as a society, to bring back outlandish, "Scooby Doo"-esque disguises! This devoted Taylor Swift fan in Ohio called out sick from work to spend her morning (like, super early morning — she got there at 2:45 a.m.!) waiting in line for a prime spot at Swift's Cincinnati tour stop. When reporters from local news station WKRC showed up to document the scene, the anonymous Swiftie assumed this impenetrable camouflage in case any of her colleagues were watching and planned to tattle. Apparently, the blanket-and-glasses combo also appears in a Swift music video, but it's still a pretty ingenious way to appear on TV without getting in trouble for feigning illness.
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Behold, an alien! Well, not an alien, but a little-known creature that provides a pop of color in the icy Arctic Ocean called a benthic hydromedusa. The image of this "tiny umbrella" was one of the honorees of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Environmental Photography Award, which celebrates images that emphasize the importance of conservation. Because the jellyfish relative lives in the benthic zone, near the sea floor, it remains mostly mysterious -- but if we don't protect its sea home, we won't have the chance to learn more about it. May this image be a call to action for future research on — and preservation of — this beautiful and bizarre being.
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On Coney Island, the seagulls are brave, the boardwalk is rickety and the sun is blasting — and, all together, it makes for a quintessentially New York experience. There are mermaid parades and hot dog eating contests at the carnival playground at the edge of Brooklyn, and photographer Aristide Economopoulos captured some moments from both — plus those sticky summer days for which Coney Island is known — in a visual ode to the New York neighborhood unlike any other. Maybe the state is better known for its pristine beaches in the Hamptons, but the Hamptons don't host Joey Chestnut on the Fourth of July.
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I'm a staunch reptile defender — cuteness is not synonymous with fluff! — so this story really spoke to me! The slithery creatures may rely on each other to calm down in times of stress: In a new study, Southern Pacific rattlesnakes (which are frightening, I admit it, but hear me out!) that underwent stressful situations exhibited lower heart rates when they were with a snake friend than snakes who endured stress alone. These findings seem to suggest that reptiles may also regulate their stress through social buffering, a phenomenon recorded in humans, rodents and birds in which biological responses to stress are reduced in the presence of a companion. Researcher William Hayes told CNN he hopes the findings start to chip away at snakes' reputation as fearsome nuisances: "They’re only trying to protect themselves,” he said. “They’re frightened of us ... so we would really appreciate a more positive emphasis" on the reptiles. Snakes need friends, too — and doesn't that endear them to you ever so slightly?
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It's too hot to wear much more than a bathing suit these days, but, for many of us, summer brings with it the stress of potentially exposing more of our body than we're used to. Summer doesn't have to be a slog for those of us with body image issues, though. CNN's Madeline Holcombe spoke to Ally Duvall, a senior program development lead at Equip, an online center for eating disorder treatment, about how to combat those negative thoughts about our body and ultimately enjoy the season and the skin we're in. It all starts with us, Duvall said, and the hard but essential work of teaching ourselves to respect our bodies and challenging societal expectations of how our bodies should look. "It does take time and repetition, but you are not stuck with having to think about your body in a certain way because of the society we live in," she said. Every body is a summer body, Duvall said, and learning to nurture yourself and block out harmful noise can grant you some deserved peace at the pool this summer.
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Rec of the week
Brought to you by CNN Underscored
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'Queer Eye' star Jonathan Van Ness shares their beauty and style essentials
As the resident hairstylist and grooming guru on Netflix’s hit show “Queer Eye,” Jonathan Van Ness certainly knows a thing or two when it comes to hair. CNN Underscored had the absolute pleasure of speaking with the hair icon and New York Times bestselling author to learn about their hair, beauty and fashion essentials.
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Shameless animal video
There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.
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