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These 18 stunning photos prove natural light is the best thing on Earth.

Take a trip to the foggy Netherlands with these incredible Instagrams.

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We don't think about it very often, but natural sunlight is all kinds of awesome.

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

Famous Dutch nature Instagrammer Vincent Croce knows a thing or two about the amazing benefits of natural light.

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

The dad of two spends a lot of time in the great outdoors with his camera, but he says his best photography tool isn't hardware; it's the natural light that shines almost constantly in the Netherlands. In fact, he prefers to photograph landscapes when most people are still sleeping.

"I love the quietness and peace the forest brings to me," Croce says. "In my opinion, photos are like souvenirs representing precious moments."

Croce's stunning photos remind us of just how lucky we are to live on such a beautiful planet.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. A web so beautiful, even Charlotte would be proud

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

This is what the September sun looks like in the Netherlands, according to Croce.

"I'm always looking for an interesting foreground when taking shots with my wide-angle lens," he says. "These spiderwebs in the middle of the meadow were just about perfect."

2. This complacently mysterious cow

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

"I was at the right place, at the right time," he says. "Foggy weather has the ability to make even a random cow look interesting."

3. An alluring forest scene

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

Croce took this shot of the Haagse Bos Forest during what he calls "the magic hour."

"I love the morning glow that sometimes occurs the morning after rainy weather," he says. "It really adds mood to the forest."

4. A glowing pathway

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

"This is a road that is perfectly aligned for potential sun beams," Croce says. "I occasionally check it out on my commute to my work."

5. This sprawling and frozen ocean scene

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

Utakleiv Beach has been called the most romantic beach in Europe. In the bottom lefthand corner of this photo, Croce says to look for the famous "eye of Utakleiv."

6. A gorgeous fall foliage shot

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

"This is Twickel canal in all its autumn glory," Croce says. "Twickel estate is full of woodland, heather, swamps, and gardens in the eastern part of the Netherlands."

7. An incredible, foggy sun

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

8. This cottage in the woods

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

Croce shot this picture of a historical farm in the Twente, an area located in the eastern part of The Netherlands.

9. An endless mist

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

"This is a typical Dutch scene," Croce says. "You can find lots of perfectly symmetric tree alleys spread across the rural areas of The Netherlands. In my opinion, the bicycle finished it off."

10. This photo is just pure magic

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

This old watermill, in Twickel, looks even more beautiful with fog obscuring the natural light.

11. Again with the incredible foliage

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

"Always consider the leading lines when doing landscape photography," Croce recommends.

This is a classic scene for him: the disappearing road. Again, Croce says the fog is "adding the juice" to the photo.

12. A stunning sunset

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission, taken near the German border.

13. A make-you-wanna-hike moment, captured

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

"Like many landscape photographers, I consider autumn to be my favorite season," Croce says. "This was shot in Lochem, hometown of one of my favorite photographers, Lars van de Goor."

14. Long, muddy, misty paths

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

15. Frozen landscapes

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

These are traditional red cabins, seen in the fishing village of Hamnøy and captured during Croce's recent trip to Lofoten, Norway.

16. A moment without light

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

Croce says this moment, on a glow-y forest road, was inspired by horror movies such as "The Ring."

17. A moment of loneliness

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

Croce captures a Scottish Highland cattle in this photo. These cattle are semi-wild, released to graze the nature reservations in the Netherlands.

18. And finally, a moment of epic sunlight

Image by Vincent Croce, used with permission.

This Earth of ours is pretty awesome. So what are you waiting for?

The best part of Croce's Instagrams is that they're mostly about taking advantage of the tools that are already available right outside your door: natural light and crazy cool landscapes — no special photography equipment required.

Get out there and enjoy the nature around you!

Subaru

Joy

5 things that made us smile this week

The animal edition!

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Been stressed this week? Who hasn’t. That’s why we’re bringing you the latest in good news—five animal-themed stories we guarantee will put a smile on your face.

This week, we’re celebrating:

The most entertaining animal photos you've ever seen

Jason Moore/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023 and © Tzahi Finkelstein /Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023

Need a laugh? How about a dozen laughs? Look no further than the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, a competition started in 2015 that focuses on the lighter side of wildlife photography. More than 1,800 photographers from around the world submitted photos, and the finalists—from a kangaroo playing air guitar to an arguing set of greenfinches—will absolutely make your day.

Healthier, happier, rescued pets

Hundreds of thousands of pets are relinquished to shelters each year, and many vulnerable pet populations—such as disabled and elderly dogs—can be hard to place in loving homes. Fortunately, Subaru has sponsored the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of more than 134,000 of these pets through the Subaru Share the Love® Event. As the largest corporate donor to the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), Subaru and its retailers are donating a minimum of $300 to charities like the ASPCA for every new Subaru purchase or lease during the 2024 Subaru Share the Love Event, happening now through January 2, 2025.

This animal-centric (and adorable) creative writing assignment

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Amy • 3rd Grade Teacher (@theuniqueclassroom)

Amy McKinney, a third-grade teacher in Pennsylvania, recently had a genius idea for teaching her class persuasive writing: Rather than have them formulate an argument for an imagined audience (boring!), McKinney partnered with a local animal shelter and had her class write persuasive descriptions of each animal to help them get adopted. Each student chose a pet to write about and sent their essays to the shelter to display and post to the shelter’s social media channels. Student engagement was “tremendous,” said McKinney, and there’s no doubt these persuasive paragraphs made a huge difference in these shelter pet’s lives. Adorable.

The dog who saved his owner with CPR (yes, really)

Dogs have made the news for saving humans before, but have you ever heard of a dog performing CPR? That’s exactly what Bear, a Siberian Husky-Golden Retriever mix, did in 2022 when he found his owner unconscious on the floor after suffering a major heart attack. Not only was Bear able to quickly call for help, he even jumped on his owner’s chest repeatedly while someone else called the paramedics. Thanks to Bear, the owner survived what should have been a fatal heart attack. Now that deserves some head scritches.

Bee populations have reached a record high

macro shot photography of beePhoto by Jenna Lee on Unsplash

Honeybees are essential to the planet, as they pollinate over 130 types of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. For years, honeybee numbers have been in decline—but happily, that’s starting to change. The US has added almost a million bee colonies in the past five years, with more than 3.8 million honeybees in total.

For more ways to smile, check out how Subaru is sharing the love this holiday season.

From Your Site Articles

uplifting

Family

Woman who was pressured to quit her job to raise stepdaughter's baby makes a bold decision

This sparked an important conversation about family responsibility.

via Pixabay

When parents can't step up, should grandparents step in?

A story that recently went viral on Reddit’s AITA forum asks an important question: What is a parent’s role in taking care of their grandchildren? The story is even further complicated because the woman at the center of the controversy is a stepparent.

At the time of writing her post, the woman, 38, met her husband Sam, 47, ten years ago, when his daughter, Leah, 25, was 15. The couple married five years ago after Leah had moved out to go to college.

Leah’s mom passed away when she was 10.

When Leah became pregnant she wanted to keep the baby, but her boyfriend didn’t. After the disagreement, the boyfriend broke up with her. This forced Leah to move back home because she couldn’t afford to be a single parent and live alone on a teacher’s salary.

Leah’s story is familiar to many young mothers facing similar difficulties.

The father isn’t involved in the baby’s life as a caretaker or financially. Sadly, research shows that 33% of all children in the U.S. are born without their biological fathers living in the home.

Single motherhood comes with unique hardships.

via Alexander Grey/Unsplash

The new mother is a teacher and can’t afford to live on her own with a child. In 2019, a study found that out the top 50 U.S. cities, Pittsburgh is the only one where a new teacher could afford rent.

Today, Portland, OR has joined the very short list of cities where an "average teacher can afford 91.3% of apartments within community distance of their school" according to a recent study.

The stressors of taking care of the baby made Leah realize she needed help.

“But once she had the baby around 4 months back, Leah seemed to realize having a baby is not the sunshine and rainbows she thought it was,” the woman wrote on Reddit. “She barely got any sleep during the last four months. All the while Sam was helping her with the baby while I did almost all chores myself.”

“Now her leave is ending. She did not want to leave the baby at daycare or with a nanny,” the woman continued. “Sam and I both work as well.”

Leah asked her stepmother if she would stay home with the baby. The stepmother said no because she never wanted to have a baby and she has a job. “I asked why Leah can't stay home with the baby herself,” the woman wrote. “She said how she was young and had to build a career. I said many people take breaks to raise kids, and she broke down crying about how she was so tired all the time being a mom and needed something else in her life too.”

The demands of new motherhood are usually all-encompassing.

via Pixabay

After the woman told her stepdaughter no, her husband pressured her to stay home with the baby. But she refused to give up her job to raise her stepdaughter’s child. “Leah said yesterday how she wished her mom was alive since she would have had her back. She said I didn't love her, and my husband is also mad at me,” the woman wrote. The woman asked the Reddit community if she was in the wrong for “refusing to help my stepdaughter with the baby,” and the community responded with rapturous support.

"[The woman] should tell her husband to knock it off and stop trying to pressure her into raising his daughter’s baby. If he wants a family member to look after her baby while she works, then he can do it," user Heavy_Sand5228 wrote.

"This is Leah's baby that she alone chose to have. That doesn't obligate you to change YOUR life to suit her desires. The whole business of saying you don't love her because you won't quit your job to watch her baby is manipulative and messed up, and I'm shocked your husband is siding with her," user SupremeCourtJust-a** added.

Leah and many women like her are in this situation because, in many places, teachers are underpaid, rent is high, and not all dads pay child support, even those required by law.

Another commenter noted that the baby is much more the father’s responsibility than the stepmother's. "To add, Leah should consider seeking child support from her ex. Her kid should be getting that money," Obiterdicta wrote.

While there are resources to help stepparents connect with their stepchildren and step-grandchildren, it's important to remember that the responsibility to raise a child ultimately rests with the parent(s).

This article originally appeared last year.

From Your Site Articles

family

Health

Hospice nurse reassures people worried by recent footage of Jimmy Carter at 100

Carter has been in hospice care for nearly 2 years.

via Hospice Nurse Julie and Commonwealth Club/Wikimedia Commons

Julie McFadden and former President Jimmy Carter.

Former President Jimmy Carter is known for being one of the most beloved former presidents in American history for his resolve to use his talents to help others, whether it was eradicating the Guinea worm or his work with Habitat for Humanity into his late 90s. Carter says that his faith is the big reason for his resilience. “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something,” he said. “My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”

The man who held the presidency from 1977 to 1981 went into hospice in February 2023 but has lived much longer than most expected. Carter has made 2 public appearances in that time, the first in November 2023 for the funeral of his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn and on October 1, 2024 for his 100th birthday. When Carter was wheeled into his wife’s funeral, some family members expressed shock and worry about Cartter’s appearance.

— (@)

Since beginning hospice care, Carter has appeared frail and gaunt without expression and mouth agape. It shouldn’t be shocking for a person who has reached the age of 100 to appear so fragile, but it’s right to be concerned that he may be uncomfortable in such a state. However, Julie McFadden, also known as Hospice Nurse Julie, settled a lot of people’s fears in a TikTok video where she explained Carter’s appearance and why he’s most likely comfortable during his transition.

McFadden has assisted over a hundred people in their final days and is the author of the bestseller, "Nothing to Fear."

@hospicenursejulie
#greenscreenvideo #greenscreen Jimmy Carters 100th birthday! #hospicenursejulie #hospicenurse #jimmycarter #education

What is Jimmy Carter's condition?

“I have been tagged in this Jimmy Carter turns 100 years old today video,” she begins her viral TikTok with over 600,00 views. “So many times people asking me, why does he look like this? Is he okay? Does this mean anything? As a hospice nurse, this video was not alarming to me. Jimmy Carter, to me, looks just like someone who was 100 years old on hospice and getting towards the end of their life.”

She then speculated on what his life is like at age 100. “Jimmy Carter is likely sleeping 20 to 22 hours a day. He is likely not really eating and drinking, which is all normal and to be expected at the end of life. So that's why he looks so thin. He looks cachectic. His body is slowly shutting down and the more we just let his body be the guide, the better he will be.”

A lot of people are concerned about the way that Carter’s mouth seems to be permanently open. McFadden says that is due to muscle wasting. “His mouth is hanging open because it takes muscles to keep your mouth shut. And at the end of life, those muscles relax. So he is likely so relaxed that when he's sleeping, which is most of the time, even when he's in a wheelchair, he's asleep, and his muscles relax, so his mouth hangs open.”

McFadden also addressed many people's concerns: Should Carter have been brought outside to celebrate his birthday with his family in such an advanced state? Should he have been in front of the cameras?

“In my opinion, it's up to the family. The family knows that person best,” McFadden said. “From what we know of Jimmy Carter, he was a family man who loved being around his family. So why not be around him and celebrate his one hundred? One-hundredth birthday and bring family around, bring him outside. They know his personality. They must think he would love this. So let's do it. We don't have to keep dying people hidden away.”

McFadden is such an incredible gift because we tend to lock away the dying and talking about death and hospice is a very uncomfortable topic for most. This lack of information leads us to believe that someone in Carter’s position suffers. But, according to McFadden, he’s probably comfortable and relaxed. McFadden knows that when people better understand Carter’s condition, they will probably feel better about their final days as well.

From Your Site Articles

These 18 stunning photos prove natural light is the best thing on Earth.

Take a trip to the foggy Netherlands with these incredible Instagrams.

We don't think about it very often, but natural sunlight is all kinds of awesome.

Famous Dutch nature Instagrammer Vincent Croce knows a thing or two about the amazing benefits of natural light.

Croce's stunning photos remind us of just how lucky we are to live on such a beautiful planet.

1. A web so beautiful, even Charlotte would be proud

2. This complacently mysterious cow

3. An alluring forest scene

4. A glowing pathway

5. This sprawling and frozen ocean scene

6. A gorgeous fall foliage shot

7. An incredible, foggy sun

8. This cottage in the woods

9. An endless mist

10. This photo is just pure magic

11. Again with the incredible foliage

12. A stunning sunset

13. A make-you-wanna-hike moment, captured

14. Long, muddy, misty paths

15. Frozen landscapes

16. A moment without light

17. A moment of loneliness

18. And finally, a moment of epic sunlight

This Earth of ours is pretty awesome. So what are you waiting for?

The animal edition!

The most entertaining animal photos you've ever seen

Healthier, happier, rescued pets

This animal-centric (and adorable) creative writing assignment

The dog who saved his owner with CPR (yes, really)

Bee populations have reached a record high

This sparked an important conversation about family responsibility.

Leah’s story is familiar to many young mothers facing similar difficulties.

Carter has been in hospice care for nearly 2 years.

What is Jimmy Carter's condition?

They're funny because they're true.

Gordon shared 15 of his oh-so-real comics with us. They're all funny 'cause they're true.

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I love Gordon's comics so much because they're just about the reality of parenting — and they capture it perfectly.

"I just hope this is a reminder to everyone that the simplest act of kindness from you can completely brighten a stranger’s day."

Passengers were annoyed, but commenters had some empathetic theories.

Commenters on the video — unlike some passengers on the flight — had a lot of empathy for the mysterious standing woman.