The Pandas Are Coming!

Hello again!

I hope you’re having a great month of October so far!

As I write this, cooler weather has finally, finally come to us here in Middle Tennessee and it is feeling like autumn!

Middle Tennessee was fortunate enough to be spared from the most devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, but so many of our neighbors to the east and south were not, and I pray for the speedy and whole recovery of those affected by both Helene and Milton.

If you are wanting to support those who are helping disaster victims from these storms, you may want to check out this list:

Thank you again for being a member of the Positive Vibes community!

Cheers,

Yasmine

For New Subscribers

Here are some links to prior issues you may have missed—some of the best ones 😉 :

Why Positive Vibes? (How this newsletter got its start)

A Very Good Year (Contains many of the highlights of the journey for Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America in the year of its release, 2023)

May the Road Rise Up to Meet You (St. Patrick’s Day 2024, with an excerpt from my upcoming novel, The View from the Cliffs)

You can find all the archived issues of Positive Vibes here. (Scroll down on that page after clicking on the link.)

What I’m Feeling Good About

I’m always reading, as you know, and right now, one of the books I’m reading is The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer: Lessons from the Healthiest Places on Earth, by Dan Buettner:

Those of you who’ve been following my newsletters for a while know that I enjoy reading and learning about the Blue Zones; I like the holistic approach that Buettner has taken to describing what contributes to the healthiest lifestyles and healthiest, happiest communities around the world. This book is a beautiful hardcover, too, filled with pictures from National Geographic.

And, last weekend, I even made the “Melis Family Minestrone” recipe that is included in the book—it is eaten for lunch every day by the world’s longest-lived family, the Melises, in Sardinia—and it was delicious! I’ll definitely be adding that one to my weekly rotation, especially since we are now officially into soup-and-stew season! 😉 

Given how well sourdough bread goes with that recipe (and many others), not to mention its health benefits (it’s also eaten by the world’s longest-lived people, but it’s the homemade, no-yeast kind, not the supermarket kind), I’ve been inspired to finally try my hand at sourdough baking. Began my sourdough starter this past Monday night—fingers crossed for good results, and so far, so good! If you’re interested, I’m finding this book extremely helpful:

How about you? What are you reading now? If you like cooking, are you trying out any new recipes this fall?

And thank you to all who have signed up to be notified of my Kickstarter campaign! I’m so pleased to be able to say that the production of my novel is moving again—there is still a lot to do, but at least real progress is once again being made! I like the forward direction much more than the stagnant or backward one!

If you haven’t already signed up for the Kickstarter notification—where I’ll also be offering webinar tickets for “Irish Legends & Lore” and “Around the World with the View from the Cliffs,” as well as tickets for at least one Storytelling Masterclass with me—you can do so here, on the pre-launch page (you have to register for Kickstarter, but that takes about two minutes): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yasmineali/the-view-from-the-cliffs-a-novel/

What You’re Feeling Good About

Happy birthday to all who are celebrating in October!

Here are some fun facts about October birthdays:

And check out #9 in this list (remember that this year, 2024, is a leap year—I went back through my calendar to fact-check #9, and it’s correct—and fascinating!) :

(This section is where I’ll be featuring good news, tips, and bits of wisdom from readers—so please reply to this email and share some with me! It can be anything, big or small. Whatever you’re feeling good about.)

More Good News

In case you missed it, Giant Pandas have returned to the National Zoo!

And there are lots of astronomical events this month! You may have seen the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) again in the past week:

Tonight, there will also be a full supermoon—known as the hunter’s moon—and it will be the biggest and brightest of the supermoons this year:

And, there’s a chance to see a once-in-a-lifetime comet through the end of the month! For the first one, look west toward the horizon within 45 minutes of sunset this week. You can see it with the naked eye, but if you have binoculars, it’ll be even better.

And, interestingly, the NBA is inducting some of its “superfans” into its hall of fame:

Pawsitive Vibes

Remember Zach Clayton from last issue (and from my book, Walk through Fire?) Well, Zach was kind enough to send this photo for me to share with you. He and his family recently adopted another Golden Retriever (a gorgeous 7-year-old) from Adopt a Golden:

Got a pet pic you’d like to share? Please feel free to reply to this email!

Riddle Me This

There is a word, six letters it contains. Remove one letter and twelve remains. What is it?

Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.

For Your Playlist

I know I included this beautiful song in an issue of Positive Vibes earlier this year, but I felt it was appropriate again, given the news of the once-in-a-lifetime comet:

Here’s the link if you’re on Spotify.

Last Word

Tell a Friend!

Know anyone who could use more positivity in their lives and would enjoy this newsletter? Send them the link to subscribe for free: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Fan Mail Address

How to get a signed bookplate sticker: see the intro to this post.

Answer to the riddle: dozens.