Bumblebee on New England Aster

It was a sunny morning, and so I went in search of butterflies. I hopped on my bike, and in minutes, I was at Autumn Meadow Park, hanging out by the patch of flowers they've planted there for the pollinators.

I did see one monarch, and got a few shots, but no really great ones. So here is a picture of a sweet, fuzzy bumblebee, enjoying some snacks on New England aster.

Now, this shade of aster just suits me to a T. Purple-pinks are among my favorite colors. Asters sing out to me that FALL IS COMING, FALL IS ALMOST HERE! They are important sources of food for late season pollinators.

The bees and pollinators of all kinds have been having some trouble of late, and it would be wonderful if we could all help them out. So I encourage you to plant, in your own yard, flowers that the pollinators enjoy. 

Here is a list of 30; if you do some google searches, you'll find many more such lists, often tailored to where you live in the world. I also heartily recommend Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia), as you've already seen on my blip-pictures how much the pollinators adore them!

I have a music selection for this image, and here's a story to go with it. Maybe you've seen the news reports in the past few days, including the story of how Jon Bon Jovi - who was on site to film a music video - helped talk a suicidal woman off the edge of a bridge and back to safety. This happened in Nashville, and was filmed by police cameras on the bridge.

This comment by eltanko178 was shared on the video: "I'm a social worker, and I worked 10 years in crisis response. He did it like a professional: he kept his distance until she was comfortable with him coming closer, he relaxed his body language and mannerisms. Whatever he said to her, it worked. Sounded like he didn't say much, but listened instead. My hat is off to him. Very well done. Like a professional."

If your life has been changed forever by the suicide of someone you love, perhaps this story will mean even more to you. My nephew Joseph (25 at the time) committed suicide three years ago, on September 14, 2021, and my family has never been the same. The ripples of pain and sorrow and anguish continue to go on, and on, and on. The anniversary of that action is coming up in the next few days. It is hard now; actually, it is hard all the time, to think of it.

There were those who tried to save Joseph, to no avail; he accomplished his goal, anyway. But here's a plea: If you see someone in pain, someone getting ready to throw it all away, please lend a kind word or a listening ear or a gentle hug. It just might help get them through.

Anyway, the line from Bon Jovi's song that I was thinking of was this one: "Take my hand. We'll make it, I swear." It is from the Bon Jovi song Living on a Prayer, which is my soundtrack song for this day. (And yes, as a sidebar, we saw Bon Jovi live at the BJC at Penn State, with Richie Sambora and the crew. They were FANTASTIC.)

Bonus link: What to say to someone who is suicidal.