Some Christmas pandering

(Aka "Do something nice for a stranger. It is the holidays, ya know")

My friend Rachael restarted her "Hidden Wings and Bloodlust" podcast recently, after having had a two year break. 

It can be found directly on Podbean as well as other podcatchers (such as Spotify and Apple). She has a Facebook page that she updates as frequently as she can. 

She does such an amazing job at researching ladybirds (or for the Americans, ladybugs) and describes what she finds to such an extent, that you know you could probably name the specific insect if you saw it. Her guests are always nice and willing to talk about their experiences in whatever field they're in, no matter if it's ladybird exact or not. Some are enthusiasts, just like her. 

It's not an easy task because she takes time out of her busy lifestyle to do this. Doing this almost full time work for her, because she is constantly on the lookout for the Coccinellidae and takes pictures of them. Then she researches what she can and reports back on what she found. It's all unpaid too. All while she's doing other things with her life. 

If you can spend some time listening to her show and drop her a Ko-Fi, I'm sure she would greatly appreciate it. The Ko-Fi is also going towards the goal of buying ecology of the species books, as well as furthering her studies of the spotted beetle. 

On a similar note, she also has a book out. She's been writing a second novel in whatever spare time she has. The book isn't about ladybirds, but a bull named Pepelito. His story is about being a victim of a bullfight and escaping the madness of a horrible sport. It's based around actual events, although not one in particular. This novel is to raise awareness of how brutal it is for these poor animals, as it truly is a form of animal cruelty. There are people who love to watch humans engage and enrage the bull, ultimately leading to its death. Rachael insightfully delivers a fictional account of what can and can't happen at these events while "Proceeds from this book will go to CAS International to assist the fight against bullfighting and other cruel events". Please consider helping out with this cause. 

While you're at it, I've got a Ko-Fi as well. It's something I have as part of the promotion of my blog. I know people love my photos and like to see what I'm up to. If you could spare a dime to keep the lights on, it's helpful. 

Okay, enough selfless promotion. Go back to your friends, family and celebrations. If you feel like listening to something new, check out Rachael's podcast and learn a little more about nature. If you want to read something new, check out her book and learn how a "sport" can be terrifyingly bad. 

Until the next round of crazy, take care of yourself.

Cheers;