Gypsy Cob Owners Group

With their two-tone coat color and distinctive shaggy mane and tail, the Gypsy cob, also known as the Gypsy Vanner is one of the equine world's best loved breeds. These charming and showy horses are popular for pleasure riding or just as pets. Which is why it is not at all surprising that there's a Gypsy Cob Owner's Group to share the awesomeness of cob horses around the world. Share photos of your beloved equine darlings. Ask questions about care and, of course, tips on how to fluff up those gorgeously feathered hooves. Post zany two-of-a-kind cob-and-owner snapshot. Above all share the love.

Members: 41,7k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Prince Albert, Queen Victoria & Their Family (1800-1918)

It is difficult to imagine the 19th century without calling it the Victorian era. Queen Victoria, her clever, industrious husband and their nine children are central to everything that era stood for and their offspring spread out across the royal houses of Europe. This facebook group shares historical photographs of the direct and extended family members and descendants of Victoria and Albert, but there are also swoonworthy royal dresses, as well as historical factoids. You will probably see many princes, princessses, dukes, duchesses, counts, countesses and more that you've never heard of, and don't forget to read the comments to some of the posts, which are interesting in and of their own. If you are into royalty, and/or history, you'll probably enjoy this community.

Members: 60.4k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: Royalty

Go here to visit or join.  

People Incorrectly Correcting Other People

Although they mean well, grammar nazis can be annoying. The same goes for social justice warriors. Or anyone who tries to win an argument on compromised logic But if you look at some of the posts in this group long enough, it may hurt a little.So Especially with the mathematical ones. The good thing is that inevitably, you will learn a lot, bash a few misconceptions on their heads and grow more informed. The down side is that you might be unmasking your own stupidity in the process. Your ego may take a knock here or there. Some posts will make you laugh and/or feel superior. And the schadefreude can be strangely satisfying.

Members: 2.8 million, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: Some of this may hurt your ego.

Go here to visit or join.

Ancientology

 If you consider the age of the planet, then written human history is spectacularly short and woe-fully inadequate. There are even large segments of written history that remains mysterious and obscure, when viewed from the lens of the 21st century. In this group, you will find hints and clues of our ancient forebears and their contemporaries, but also of fossils and creatures that walked the earth long before humans were even around. There were posts of enigmatic stone stairs and megalithic structures in Sicily, rock paintings in British Columbia, Chilean mummies, ancient Romanian weaponry, Polish treasure hoards, rock-cut temples in India and Roman mosaics when I paid my visit. 

Members 72.9k, at the time of writing. 

Trigger warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

If you know of a Facebook group that you feel deserves a mention, let me know in the comments. 

Celebrating the Wright Brothers

It's impossible to imagine a world without aviation. In a world where it is possible to cross continents in a hours rather than weeks or even months, few people ever pause to reflect on the early pilots that made this possible. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur rightly deserve their place in history as aviation pioneers. The Facebook group dedicated to their legacy also features both current and past pilots of note, as well as a little bit of humor and even a model plane here or there.  Although this group is small, by comparison to most of the groups I've been featuring, they deserve some love, as an awesome community. 

Members: 1.8k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons.

Birds in the World

There are many, many regional groups dedicated to bird watchers in a particular country, province, state, region or even town, but this one celebrates the global reach of avian species. The photography is really exceptional. Photographs often include the name of the species as well as the location where it was taken. Occasionally the camera used also gets a mention. Come here to see a northern Goshawk in Spain, an eclectus parrot from the Solomon Islands, Peafowl from India, storks nesting in Romania, a silver-breasted broadbill in Thailand, a woodpecker in Brazil, a Baya weaver in Bangladesh and many, many more.

Members: 147.6k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

The Art Portal

 There is a lot of whimsy and wonder at The Art Portal facebook group and it is obvious that inspiration comes from a wide range of sources - from the naive Georgian folk style of Zurab Martiashvili to the stylized landscapes of G. C. Myers, the unusually soulful cat characters of Anatoly Yaryshkin and the exotic fairy tale worlds of Warwick Goble and Josephine Wall. Artists featured include a famous name here and there such as Van Gogh or Goya, or pre-Raphaelite master John William Waterhouse, but also works in spectacular works in progress from contemporary artists. Although paintings pre-dominate, there are interesting works in other media - for example the walnut face sculptures of Kirk Roda. My brief exploration here made truly realize that art is the gift that opens the window onto a thousand worlds or more. 

Members: 374.1k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: Occasional nudity (come on, this is art!)

Go here to visit or join. 

Rock Mandalas

There is something very soothing about looking at a rock mandala. Or any kind of mandala. I totally get why there are whole coloring books dedicated to mandalas (I have one - a gift). And having tried my hand at painting a rock mandala once Friday afternoon, I have absolute respect to everyone posting their work in this group, because mine didn't come out nearly as neat and beautiful as any of these. They are so beautiful. Aside from a wealth of rock mandala ideas from all the photos posted, there are video tutorials, as well as examples of how to incorporate Mandalas on functional items.

Members: 72.4k, at the time of writing

Trigger warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Workaway Europe

The gap year abroad is for a rite of passage, that spells adventure and for many, Europe is a favorite destination, by virtue of its rich and varied cultural experiences and landscape. If you are looking for an opportunity to live in Europe, this Facebook group will be a goldmine of useful information. There are numerous posts from persons offering accommodation, usually in exchange for a few hours work per day or per week. The work itself can be across a spectrum of skills and abilities, ranging from pet sitting and childcare to and farm work, light maintenance work or even social media duties. While offers are centered around the European continent, volunteers can come from anywhere in the world. You can post to offer your services or browse for temporary openings. 

Members: 94.4k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join.

Bob Ross Style of Painting for Beginners

 With his TV show, The Joy of Painting, Bob Ross inspired a generation to find peace and relaxation in artistic expression. With his easy-to-follow style and gentle guidance, his programs remain popular to this day. Of course, there was so much more to this iconic personality and if you want to know more about how he worked, the unusual pets he kept and some of his other quirks, there's a great collection of fun facts over here. Fans might be interested to know that his very first TV painting was auctioned off for $10 million last year and that a recent exhibition tour shared some of his lesser known work.  While not all of the works featured in this Facebook group for beginner artists follow a technique directly related to the works of Bob Ross, it is nevertheless a great space for amateur artists to share their work and support others. 

Members: 71.1k, at the time of writing

Trigger warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

Photography Icons

 As you may have noticed from some of my other posts, I really, really like looking at pictures. And this facebook group has a wealth of them. Especially black and white photography documenting moments from the past or offering social or societal commentary.  Portraits of everyday folk from the Weimar Republic. Punk bands captured on their home turf. Supermodels, caught in the wild. The devestation of World War Two documented. Stills from a David Lynch movie. A 1950s snapshot of Elvis visiting a record store. A tatooed beauty from the 1930s. A behind the scenes look at a Bombay circus. Street photography in different cities, on different continents. There's even a lens reversal which shows a 1945 photographer with his gear. Posts include details about the photographer, date and any interesting details of the shot that are available. 

Members 54.3k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: The past is a different country.

Go here to visit or join. 

Peeling Paint Appreciation Society

Yeah, why not. Let's take a peek at a group about not doing anything. About leaving things as they are. Instead of consciously making art, let's look for accidental art, and leave it where it happens. I found myself pleasantly surprised by this gallery of the incidental, which seems very much to put the rust into rustic. Since many of the images are close-ups, the captions feature a description, and sometimes even a location - which makes it even more interesting. Feast your eyes. Then, with these photos still freshly formed in the back of your opsins, go out, armed with your camera or smartphone and find your own. Anyone can do this. Trust me. 

Members: 46.8k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

Dungeon Master Resources

Even the most resourceful Dungeon Master can occasionally be cursed to trudge through the swamplands where all inspirations go to expire. Don't let this happen to your campaign and leave your players hanging. This group offers advice on resources, alignments, tracking tools, ideas, strategies on story design, player engagement and - well, anything else you might need in your quest to become your best possible dungeon master. A really useful feature is the ability to post questions anonymously - so as to avoid tipping off the people you quest with. 

Members: 151.2k, at the time of writing

Trigger warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Slow Stitching with Sew Salvaged

 First, let's talk definitions. Along the same lines as slow fashion, slow stitching is a form of craft that creates art by cleverly employing embroidery stitching, often to revive recycled materials for a new function. It strings together the vintage and the whimsical, and often uses space in surprising ways. If you like stitching, this facebook group will fill you with ideas and inspirations. There are tips for how to get unique pieces of fabric, ideas on how to mix media. You will see examples of vintage feed sacks and ways to perk up your denim blues. There are also excellent quilting ideas. Prepare to be wowed by all the wonderful creativity on display.

Members: 99.2k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Acoustic Guitar Players on Facebook

The history of stringed instruments go back as far as 3000 years (if one considers the oldest lyres found in archaeological sites) or perhaps even 5000 years (if one considers depictions of lutes on other artefacts). Today the acoustic guitar can be found in many varieties, brands and styles. As an instrument, it has played a profound role in the development of popular music and, it remains a first choice for many people wanting to learn to play music. Regardless of your skill level, Acoustic Guitar Players on Facebook is a great community for sharing your love of guitars, your recent (guitar-related) purchases, tips on how to increase proficiency, and even your playing - if you feel confident enough. Get inspired. Keep playing.

Members: 112.9k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: Envy?

Go here to visit or join.

Image Credit: Stew22 on Pixabay

The Cloud Appreciation Society

Some clouds are painted with the golden hues of the setting sun. Others herald approaching storms. Clouds can arrange themselves in whatever shape pleases them. Some clouds wear silver linings or spread themselves across far horizons. Clouds bring snow, rain, or merely beauty and wonder. If you consider yourself somewhat of a cloud fancier, if you want to see what the clouds around the world are doing: today; tomorrow; any day, then the Cloud Appreciation Society is the Facebook Group for you.

Members: 461.5k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

Photo Credit: Myriams Fotos at Pixabay. 

hippie trail

I must admit to having a fascination with the whole hippie movement of the sixties (and early seventies). The long hair. The colorful improvisation. The music, oh the music. And maybe the ideals, that were at that stage still far from being realized. I don't know if we got any closer to them. To me, it seems we're angrier. An important element of the hippie state of being was going to the near east - usually India to find yourself, an obsession that might be classed as Orientalist now. But this group celebrates stories of those travels, the adventures and the experiences, and shares snapshots and memorabilia. Meet the gurus. Enter the drumming circle. This group evokes such a multi-faceted impression, you can almost smell the incense. And the freedom. 

Members: 85.7k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None

Go here to visit or join.

Dreams Cottages and Gardens

With spring in the Northern hemisphere officially starting in a few days with the equinox, it's probably a good time to start thinking of gardens and flowers. And, oh yes, this Facebook group does have plenty of flowery images to share - mostly homegrown in this space. There are also veggie gardens, formal gardens, large gardens, cozy gardens and far more than gardens to behold. Waterwheels, for instance. Because, what is more magical that an eternal-motion water feature. Also expect pewter, old fashioned kitchens and freshly baked bread - no, you can't smell it, but it that scent does seem to almost waft off the page. If you are in the market for quaint structures, rural bliss and anything cottagecore, visit soon and visit often. Contains cats (of course). 

Members: 948.3k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Equine Art

Horses play a huge role in human history. One could almost say that they enabled it - as they shared their speed and mobility with humankind. Numerous works of art throughout various eras portray and include horses and what makes this group so interesting is the posts where equine art is used to illustrate little vignettes of social history. A peasant family moving house. A Dutch woman in costume. Mustangs repopulating the Americas with equines. Of course, not all of the art shared is of a strictly historical nature. There are also little ornaments, watercolors, charcoal studies, digital art, modern interpretations and permutations. If you love horses, take a moment to walk through this online gallery.

Members: 7.1k members.

Trigger warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join.

CATTITUDE

 

Cat vs Vet

Cat vs A Packet of Lays

Cat vs Shrimp

Cat vs Spouse

Cat vs Gravity

Cat vs Christmas Tree

Cat vs Satellite Dish

Cat vs Rice Dish

Cat vs The Tiniest Gap Imaginable

Cat vs Whatever You Are Reading Right Now

Cat vs The front door, the back door, the kitchen door, the fridge door, the bathroom door, any friggin' door.

Cat vs A box of any size

Cat vs A random planter (empty or otherwise)

Cat vs The Litter Tray

Cat vs Mondays

Cat vs Bad memes

Cat vs Hooman who wants to get off the couch

Cat vs That thing on the edge

And there's lots more where that came from. It's a new year again and I hope that for you 2024 will be filled with gentle mischief and the cleverest cattitude. Need ideas? Be sure to follow the Facebook group called CATTITUDE for cats at rest and play, the cutest kittens, the bravest rescues and the most honorable of seniors.

Members: 27.1k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

Photo credit: Nalinkk (a.k.a Nalin Kounkroo) at Pixabay.