I received a happy text and some photos from good friend Shuey in Niceville Florida. Shuey guest blogged the most viewed post of the year 2012 the stunning Barred Owl
Look what’s going on at their library.
Shuey writes,
“Crochet Yarn Bombing. First time at our local Niceville Library. Some really beautiful pieces for sure.”
There’s gong to be some upcoming yarn bombing in Millville PA Community supporting the Millvale Library, sponsored by Abeillevoyante Tea Compamy and McWalker Yarns click links for more info and details to participate as due date is August 24th.
From my friend and blog follower in Gainesville. Florida, Kristin F.
On Thursday a Mother owl by pool enclosure clearly distressed Friday morning -Baby owl crying, huddled by tree Called Wildlife Rescue We have an owl (or two) who live in the trees around our house. We hear them all the time. We have an obnoxious crow that has been stalking this owl now for over a week. Is the crow after the baby? That’s sad.Follow up….Wildlife Rescue came out. Used a wicker basket, put the baby back up in a tree. Mama watched the whole process. Stay tuned.Wildlife Rescue guy took this photo
Guest blog post from my friend Joanne’s friend, Mary Ann Miller:
I just visited my sixth Bitty and Beau’s! Joanne and I were coming back from a fabulous week at a watercolor workshop in the North Carolina mountains, and I had to stop in Columbia for this.
Bitty and Beau’s is in their words “a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop.” It was the brainchild of Amy and Ben Wright of Wilmington, NC, who have two children who were born with Down syndrome, Bitty and Beau. They decided to create a place where people with disabilities are valued & given opportunity for meaningful work and opened the first Bitty and Beau’s coffee shop in 2016 in Wilmington. It employed 19 individuals with disabilities. Now, March of 2025 it has grown to 18 shops across 11 states with 400+ employees.
When B&B first opened in Jacksonville, Florida in 2022, I was drawn to it because I had had a precious daughter with Down syndrome. She worked at McDonald’s for many years, and she would have loved working in this wonderful coffee shop. A small journal was on the counter among other B&B merchandise for sale, and as I am an artist and a bookbinder, I bought one with the goal of sketching each Bitty and Beau’s across the country. I replaced the lined paper with plain paper, bought a sticker for the first page and began. I Have sketched all the shops on the southeast coast – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina- and hope to get to Alabama and Tennessee before long.
If you are anywhere near a Bitty and Beau’s do visit, have a cuppa and enjoy the place. If not, look for them on the internet or while traveling, and maybe one will open in your town soon. It’s a worthy endeavor.
Photos from my sketchbook enclosed.
–Mary Ann Miller
Mary Ann and her daughter Kelley
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Added to Mary Ann Miller’s guest blog by Ruth in Pittsburgh from my visit to the Pittsburgh location March 28, 2025
Joanne and Mary Ann were in their location in North Carolina while I was in the Pittsburgh location at the same time of the very same day.
Cats love nothing more than unravelling carefully wound balls of wool. Hard to know why really, but it does look kind of fun while they’re at it. We can say with certainty that, with the LEGO Ideas Tuxedo Cat, your grandmother’s knitting bag is safe.”
