australian flood orphans

200 cows dead in wisconsin and thousands more in vietnam....5000 blackbirds dead in arkansas...several million fish killed in the chesapeake: 2011 seems to be the year of the animal (fail). unusually harsh weather has been fingered as the culprit in a number of these cases...including tsumami-style floods in australia which have killed both people and animals...these baby bats were rescued by the australian bat clinic. bats are adorable and important. 

are you a fan?

i am not really into facebook like a lot of people: i feel funny posting my eating habits to my friends-on line or i.r.l....i dont want anyone's opinion on my outfits...and i'm not really into television (that i care to speak out loud about)or movies. so, i'm there...on facebook...but, i only participate when forced, er, poked. today i unabashedly opened a business page, which used to be called a 'fan' page, i think. i figure i work a lot on a bunch of different projects all at the same time, and maybe somebody might be interested...or 'like' it, i mean. so i spent the last five days figuring out a design for my main page, and then how to load it in 'fbml' (really?), and that was a trick, mind you! then how to install my two etsy shops on separate clickable pages, which was also interesting! it's done now, so please go to

lynda andrews-barry designs...take a look...write on my wall...search herban elements or my enamel jewelry shop...and give it the thumbs up if you are so inclined!

octopus attacks paparazzi: steals camera

octopus appear to be too smart to eat.

spring has sprung...and i like it!

before the rain started, I spent a couple hours raking out my flower beds, doing a little weeding and prepping for mulch. the sedums are starting to froth and the crocus are up!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

blowing smoke

the power plants are working overtime during this miserable winter. all that smoke blows right into the chesapeake bay...wonder what happens then: its clean burning coal, right?

perseid meteor showers' grand finale is tonight!

i am revving up for the perseid meteor showers' grand finale tonight. The Perseids light up the night when Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings past the sun roughly every 130 years. Tuesday night through Wednesday dawn offered viewers the best chance to see the most Perseids without as much glare from the waning gibbous—or just past full—moon. it still has some punch tonight: skies appear to be clearing here in heathsville, virginia and i am optimistic i will get a super show early this morning.