For all you sky watchers out there, here are a couple of links about what to see in the night skies the last couple of days of July and the month of August.  It's not just stars, but planets and meteor showers, too (it's not too late to see the Perseids).  Enjoy!

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

and 

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower

According to the Jane Goodall Institute website, "In 1900, an estimated 1 million chimpanzees lived in the wild.  Today, there are as few as 340,000.  We're on a mission to save chimpanzees from extinction.  Together, we can turn these numbers around."  Check out their website to learn more about what they do.

Happy Birthday, Henry David Thoreau!  (July 12, 1817 - May 6, 1862)

“The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.”  (Thoreau)

According to Oceana, an organization dedicated to preserving and restoring oceans, "roughly 100,000 pounds of it ends up in our oceans EVERY 3 MINUTES."  That's in reference to all the plastic ever produced and is an astonishing figure.  We'll never get rid of all plastic, nor we will necessarily want to, given that it serves good purposes sometimes, but we can certainly reduce the amount of needless plastic that finds its way into our oceans, also rivers and lakes, and harms wildlife and their habitats, making it difficult for them to live their lives the way they have a right to do.  There's so much throwaway plastic that we use every day that we don't need and that we have better alternatives for, as well as being more mindful of recycling and reusing instead of tossing out after one use. On top of that, some of the soft plastics cause allergy problems for many humans.  So, will you #BreakFreeFrom Plastic, or at least reduce your use of it?  Share the  message #PlasticFreeJuly.