May 2022 Newsletter Reprint – The Boabab Tree and Me
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Helloooooooooo.
A huge welcome back to my Untamed Unexpected Unforgettable safari.
At this time of year particularly, my bi-continental inclinations and my *baobab tree existence, become significantly confusing.
When May rolls in, my northern hemisphere world is budding and alive. In our home in Florida, there is an abundance of babies. Wee birds learning to fly, baby squirrels learning the rules of the road, and recently sparse trees have become gloriously abundant with the promise of more leaves on the way.
But May in the southern hemisphere is quite different. Everything is dying. Trees are dismally bare; animals are putting final touches on their plans for winter and hordes of birds have moved north in search of more permanent sun and less wicked winds.
Tis the very reason I’m cold and I’m hot and my body has no idea what temperature it’s programmed to be in May. Serves me right for spending half my life in South Africa and the other half in North America.
So, with alternating heat and cool air flowing through my camo jeep, let’s see what the animal world is up to.
UNTAMED!
Please put your feet up. You’ll need an hour to immerse yourself into this gripping documentary “Wildest Africa – The Secrets of Nature” from producer Greg Grainger. Not to worry, there’s popcorn under your seat :o)
UNEXPECTED!
My camo jeep is taking you on a quick northern trip to share my favorite, recently-found oddity…
Here’s a priceless comment from someone using this product – neigh – service…
hrabiam 3 days ago – User of horse emails while on holiday.
I got promoted after four days of horses writing my emails.
*This is an actual testimonial! I swear!
……AND MORE UNEXPECTED FOR YOUR PLEASURE….
I hate to brag, but I have awesome friends, and one of them is a marvelous, award-winning author of Scottish highlanders, medieval pirates and Regency spies.
Brenna Ash’s books are titillating and chock-a-block full of adventures, hunky men and strong woman who really, really like each other (eventually) and don’t hesitate to show it (blush, blush) and best of all, it only takes a few pages or a few minutes of her audio books, to fall in love with her rich characters.
WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN!!
And boy! Do I have EXCITING NEWS! Brenna has gifted me 2 Scottish highlander AUDIO BOOKs to give away to TWO of MY lucky readers!! WOOOT! WOOOT! Just email jillwallaceauthor@gmail.com with the Subject line – OCH AYE! GOTTA LOVE BRENNA ASH!
The 21st and 23RD reader to email me, will each win an audio book!
Choose either of Brenna’s wonderful audio’s: A Pirate’s Treasure, or A Pirate’s Wrath.
But hurry, get your emails in ASAP! jillwallaceauthor@gmail.com
NOTE: The Brenna Ash Audiobook giveaway has ended. Sign up for my Club Untamed Newsletter and never miss the goodies!
UNFORGETTABLE!
Let’s talk about tenacity.
As reported in USA TODAY: Every physician occasionally comes across a patient who challenges his skills. But when orthotist Ara Mirzaian encountered a baby giraffe in need of leg braces, it took the word “challenge” to a whole new level.
Watch the video to see a baby giraffe walking with the aid of braces.
Msituni, who was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, California, arrived with a problem in one of her front legs: The joint bent the wrong way. Veterinarians at the zoo feared for her survival because they worried that her lack of mobility would make it hard for her to nurse properly and move around her habitat.
They reached out to the Hanger Clinic, where Mirzaian has spent his career fitting braces and splints on countless people, including Paralympians. But he had never worked with animals.
After reading up on giraffes on the internet, Mirzaian designed a special set of braces for the 5-foot-10 animal that supported her legs and allowed for the natural growth and strengthening they hoped would correct the problem. He then set about fitting the braces at the animal hospital.
“So we came in here and I saw a giraffe,” Mirzaian says. “We met her first and I saw her on the table, and she was under anesthesia, and it was just amazing seeing such a big, beautiful creature just lying there in front of me, so I had to ask the staff if I could give her a hug and they said yeah. So, I gave her a hug. It was very rewarding.”
The procedure went smoothly, and Msituni responded well to her customized braces, which were designed with a giraffe pattern to make them look more natural.
After five weeks in the hospital, Msituni’s leg problem was resolved, and the baby giraffe was able to return to her herd.
What a divine story. Hope it warmed your heart as it did mine. Xx
I can’t imagine a world where tenacity would be anything but an admirable quality.
Tenacity got us to America. Tenacity earned us careers in a new country when the jobs we were promised in our new country fell through. Tenacity made me write and market a screenplay of a story I believed needed to be shared. Tenacity pushed through movie-making disappointment and helped me write two novels. Each book took me three years. “War Serenade” and “Zebra” were born of tenacity and a whole lot of encouragement from my tenacious husband and girlfriends.
But nothing screams TENACITY like the commitments made by TWO of my friends who, both 60ish, chose to push their minds and bodies way beyond mortal limits, to face seemingly impossible challenges. Watch this space to read about these terrific women’s journeys into the unknown in my next newsletter.
I’d be tickled pink if you invited your friends to sign up for my newsletter. www.jillwallace.com and then let me know you did so: jillwallaceauthor@gmail.com and I will send you a little surprise :o)
It is my privilege and my great pleasure, to introduce you to three books that JUST hit the market – all different, all brilliant, all UNFORGETTABLE!
Find Lila at https://www.lilaferrariwrites.com
Read about Kerry Evelyn at https://kerryevelyn.com
Known affectionately as Perilous Pauline, Pauline Baird Jones a USA TODAY bestselling author beloved by hundreds of thousands of readers, over multiple genres.
Check out Pauline Baird Jones at https://paulinebjones.com
Until Next We Meet…
So, friends, we’ve taken a few detours on my safari today, but I hope you leave my camo jeep with these thoughts:
**A baobab tree has roots that look just like branches. Also called ‘The Upside Down Tree’ it doesn’t know its up from its down, kind of like me, much of the time.
**Animals are beyond awesome. Wild animals are fascinating. If you haven’t yet read “Zebra” dive in for some cool animal antics.
** You potentially stand the chance of a promotion if you allow cute Icelandic horses to write your emails while you’re on vacay.
**We love people who help animals! Thank you Hangar Clinic and Dr. Mirzaian!
**I’m sublimely grateful for my most divine friends and my faithful readers.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Until next time, I wish you gentle hearts and thrilling possibilities.
Cheers! Cheers! XX
Jill