United States of America eSeries: There's something in the air ...

July 24, 2021

It's that time again, when you visit a craft store or some similar place and get immediately transported to another plane of existence. Full aisles of Christmas decorations? In July?! I'm not kidding. The other weekend I walked in to discover an air-conditioned, pumpkin-spiced winter wonderland, and walked back out to the 95-degree, sweltering swamp that is summer in Georgia. Granted, it was a nice little vacation from reality, but I'm not ready to let go of summer just yet.

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Our favorites this week

Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week

Sisters before misters
No, this isn't the plot of a feel-good summer movie (or the beginning of a great country song). But maybe it should be! Three young women were shocked to discover they were all being cheated on by the same man. But for Bekah King, Abi Roberts and Morgan Tabor, their heartbreak has also led to the best summer ever. The three women did the most important thing first (dumped the dude) and then saved up money, purchased an old school bus, and spent two months renovating it in preparation for a dream road trip. Once their rad ride was ready, the group started in Idaho and made their way east, spending time soaking in hot springs, taking dips in lakes and visiting Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. They also stopped by Yellowstone National Park on their way to Montana. Along the way, they've experienced the wonders of nature and the kindness of strangers -- and grown stronger together. "We have moved on to the next chapter of our lives," Tabor says. "It's all about our adventure, our growth, and where we go next."

Credit: BlondeBoxShell on Etsy

Smart stitches
I belong to a fiber arts group on Facebook, and this week a fellow crafter posted her collection of ... wait for it ... cross-stitched bedrock geology maps! They are one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Kara Prior owns an Etsy shop and does all kinds of unusual, nerdy stitch work. She has an environmental science Master's degree, so creating things like landform regions maps, bedrock geology maps, state watershed maps and native plant portraits comes, well, naturally. She's done about 20 of these geology ones, and works from official maps and surveys to create the patterns. She hopes to one day complete all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Guam. (Just don't ask her how long each one takes. All cross-stitchers know you can't put a time stamp on perfection!) See more of Prior's work here.

Spice in space
If you think about it, there's probably a new human first in space every day. The first time someone's said "Bless your heart." The first time someone's clipped their fingernails. Or, the first time someone's grown spicy, fresh peppers. Indeed, astronauts aboard the International Space Station are now cultivating red and green chile peppers in space for what will be "one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments attempted aboard the orbital lab." It will be a complex process because of the long germination and growing times, but if all goes well, the peppers will be ready for eating in a little over three months. ISS astronauts have successfully grown other neat flora before, like lettuce, radishes and zinnias.

Raise a glass to...

Florence "SeeSee" Rigney, who's said to be America's oldest working nurse. After more than 70 years caring for patients, 96-year-old Rigney is officially hanging up her scrubs for a well-earned retirement. Rigney's career in nursing started when penicillin had just been introduced to the medical field, and she ended it as a beloved operation room nurse in Washington state. "It's humbling to stop and think about the thousands and thousands of lives she's cared for," said Laureen Driscoll, president of MultiCare Tacoma General and Allenmore Hospitals. Rigney may get to put her feet up now, but her legacy is far from over. The hospital system has established the SeeSee Rigney Nursing Endowed Scholarship Fund to inspire future generations of nurses.

You gotta see this

Heaven grant us the patience of a cat wearing glasses. Then again, Truffles isn't just any cat. The dashing black-and-white feline works alongside her human, an optometrist, to help kids with eye problems feel more confident about wearing glasses. Many children who visit Danielle Crull at her practice in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania have either had or need multiple procedures, and are understandably scared of anything coming near their eyes. But when Truffles appears and sits patiently as Crull slips on a pair of stylish specs, suddenly the process doesn't seem so scary anymore. "She is literally magical with little kids," Crull says. Truffles also helps raise awareness for rare eye diseases, and has her own fundraiser with Children's Miracle Network.

Heroes among us

Over the last five years, Rodney Smith Jr. has inspired thousands of young people to mow dozens of yards in their communities for free. Smith, 33, is the founder of Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2017, he took his lawn care service on the road, traveling to all 50 states to help out veterans, cancer survivors, senior citizens, and people just trying to get by. He's also started a program called the 50 Yard Challenge, which challenges young people to mow 50 yards in their communities. More than 2,000 people have signed up, and they get t-shirts and other perks along the way -- including new lawn care tools if they finish. Why mow so much? Smith says it builds character, and helps people feel connected to their communities. "My mission in life is to give back," he says. "Especially to those who need it the most."

Wanna get away?

Oh, so you really really wanna get away? You can't get much more remote than Antarctica. It's the world's least visited, least populated continent. There's no indigenous human population. Even on the best of days, it's hard to access. And, honestly, no one's really in charge of it. In 1959, 12 countries including Japan, South Africa, France, the United Kingdom, Argentina and the former USSR signed the Antarctic Treaty pledging the vast southern wilderness would be used solely for peaceful scientific and (very limited) military support purposes. But it still has no capital city, and no flag. At least, not yet. A schoolteacher in Boston named Evan Townsend has created a pretty neat flag for the continent. He calls the dark blue and white design "True South."

Hear, hear!

I believe that living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self to the rink and improve my chances of fulfilling my dreams.

- NHL prospect Luke Prokop, who made history this week when he came out as gay. He says he hopes his story will show gay people they are welcome in the hockey community.

To your health

Roasted, sugared, baked, pickled, frozen, or straight off a tree outside of a rest stop in Vienna, Georgia: There's truly no wrong way to eat a peach! According to Rachael Hartley, dietitian and author of "Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating," peaches are high in vitamins A and C and great for digestion, containing prebiotic fibers that feed beneficial gut bacteria. They also contain potassium and antioxidants. (And don't peel 'em! The skin is full of good stuff.) From overnight oats to happy-hour salsa, CNN Health has some great ideas about how to incorporate the juiciest of Southern staples into every meal of the day.

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

Upgrade your backyard with this Solo Stove fire pit

No barbecue or camping trip is complete without a bonfire to cap off the night. We tested the Solo's smokeless fire pit to see if it's worth it.

Shameless animal video

There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.

I was recently reminded that albino raccoons exist, and my goodness, they look like they've scuttled right out of a fairy tale book. Well, usually they do. Other times they wear little bibs and shovel grapes into their mouths. (Click here to view)