Entertainment
11 Readers Share Their Beautiful Gardens
It’s my favorite time of the year — when we feature the gorgeous gardens of the Cup of Jo community. Sprawling native wildflowers! Towering sunflowers! Candy-colored ranunculus! Every photo submission is a delight. So, without further ado, here are 11 readers’ gardens…
Both photos above: “My partner and I turned our front lawn into a native wildflower meadow five years ago. It has over 40 flower species, and the meadow is more than 2,000 square feet (larger than our house!). Folks walking or driving by always stop to tell us how much they love it. Random strangers have even dropped seed packets and love notes to the meadow into our mailbox!” — Annalisa, New Haven, Connecticut
“This has been a tough season for my family, but every time I see these happy ranunculus by my front door, I can’t help but smile.” — Laura, Northern Ireland
“Veggie gardens feel magical with kids. We grow tons of cherry tomatoes (perfect for little ones to pick), fairytale eggplants, blackberries, and pink lemonade blueberries, which turn a rose color when ripe.” — Sarah, Ridgefield, Connecticut
“We added chickens to our garden last year. My two-year-old named them Cashew, Evie, and Pumpkin. She loves feeding them and collecting eggs. They are voracious eaters, however, so I’m always shooing them away from my crops!” — Naudia, Nyack, New York
“My pride and joy is my agave. It’s big, bold, five feet tall, and the heart of my front yard. They typically live for about 25 years and flower only once before they die!” — Lisa, San Jose, California
“We moved three years ago to a remote island off the coast of Vancouver Island and bought a little 100-year-old yellow house. My friend said it looked like Miss Honey’s cottage from Matilda, and that has been the garden blueprint ever since. It’s all a work-in-progress, but it’s my wish is to keep building and growing this garden until I’m 100 years old.” — Jess, Cortes Island, Canada
“People don’t always realize when they’re starting out that gardens take a LOT of time. You can’t have your dream garden overnight without spending a ton of money, and there’s no amount of money that can manufacture the feel of a mature, well-tended garden. So, I’ve been trying to take things slowly. I recently built a graveled fire-pit area and breakfast nook. I love the feeling of manual labor, and seeing it come together is so satisfying!” — Gabby, Nashville
“When my husband and I moved into our home, my parents brought over seeds from their garden — cosmos, zinnias, marigolds. We got married in our backyard that summer and used the flowers in our bouquets. My father, who had been an avid gardener my whole life, passed away last year, just two weeks after my daughter was born. I saved the seeds from that summer and will plant them with her this spring. We’ll use the watering can my parents gave her; and when the flowers bloom, we’ll think of him.” — Chelsea, Ottawa, Canada
“Four years ago, my lovely grown-up daughters got me a peony plant for Mother’s Day. Its giant, fluffy scented blooms are now the biggest joy of my (mostly vegetable) garden.” — Sasha, Belgrade, Montana
“After the long dark winter, it’s so fun to see what we can bring to life — sunflowers, cucumbers, watermelon, catnip for the cats, and tomatoes that the dogs eat straight off the vines. Some years are more successful than others, but our garden makes us happy every summer.” — Lauren, Columbus, Ohio
“We’re so lucky that our next-door neighbors’ cherry tree and azaleas have been growing under their care for almost 40 years. The colors are incredible! This weekend, we had some stormy weather, so it was raining pink petals. My toddler loves to throw them up in the air like confetti.” — Emma, Philadelphia
Thank you so much for sharing! How are everyone else’s gardens coming along? We’d love to know.
P.S. 14 more readers share their gorgeous gardens and Abbey Nova’s Connecticut home is full of plants and books.
(Photos of Gabby Llewellyn by Mary Caroline Russel.)
Entertainment
Groks voice mode comes to Apple CarPlay
Apple CarPlay users just got another AI assistant option for their cars: Grok.
On Friday, SpaceXAI (the SpaceX’s subdivision that focuses on artificial intelligence) announced that Grok’s voice mode is now available in Apple CarPlay.
Technically, Grok was already available in CarPlay, but it merely consisted of a placeholder app that displayed a “coming soon” message. Now, you can tap on the Grok icon, launch a new voice chat, and start chatting to the assistant.
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Grok follows ChatGPT, which was made available in CarPlay in April 2026. Apple originally added support for AI chatbots in CarPlay in February.
As is the case with other AI chatbots in CarPlay, you can’t just invoke Grok via a voice command; you have to start the app manually before you can start talking to it. Another caveat is that you can’t issue Grok commands to do stuff on your iPhone or in your car, but you can ask it about…stuff.
Some Tesla drivers, on the other hand, do get the luxury of invoking Grok with a “Hey Grok” voice command. The functionality was added in the company’s latest “spring update,” though availability varies by region.
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Artificial Intelligence
Entertainment
Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 — where to buy before the hike hits
Nintendo just announced that it’s raising the price of the Switch 2 due to “challenging business conditions” and the global economic outlook — crazy, considering last year’s demand for the Switch 2 put literally everyone into a buying panic, and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie has already grossed over $800 million.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. gamers will have to cough up an extra $50 for the console by September. (Japan’s price hike is happening later this month.) That’s basically the cost of a new game or a Pro Controller that you’re essentially handing back to Nintendo for nothing.
If you want to dodge the surcharge, you should probably grab your console sooner rather than later. Here’s where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at its original $449.99 price point:
Where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2
Amazon
The Nintendo Switch 2 is currently available at Amazon for $449 (a whole 99 cents cheaper than its usual MSRP). You can buy it as a standalone console or as a bundle with games like Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 and Mario Kart World. (Just be sure to look at the “seller” when shopping on Amazon; if it doesn’t say Amazon.com, it could be a sketch deal.)
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Best Buy
Best Buy also has the Switch 2 available as a console only or gaming bundle. You can get it today for $449.99. Plus, if you trade in a similar device, you could get a few bucks shaved off that price.
GameStop
If you’re a GameStop fan, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 there for $449.99. If you’re OK with buying pre-owned, you can save an extra $32.
Target
You can get the Nintendo Switch 2 for $449.99 at Target, plus save 30% on Super Mario Galaxy with your purchase. The discount will auto-apply once you add the console and the game to your cart, so there’s nothing extra you need to do to get the deal.
Walmart
Walmart’s also offering the Nintendo Switch 2 for $449 or you can get the Galaxy Bundle for $499, which includes Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2.
Nintendo
If you prefer to buy direct, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 console (and tons of accessories) right from the My Nintendo Store.
Topics
Nintendo
Nintendo Switch
Entertainment
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
After some incredibly tense Champions League action this week, the focus returns to domestic action over the weekend. There are a number of fascinating matchups in the Bundesliga over the next few days, starting with Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.
The hosts are looking to secure second spot in the standings. They’ll face a tough test against Eintracht Frankfurt, a team that is gunning for European qualification. It should be an exciting contest in front of a passionate support at the Signal Iduna Park.
If you want to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt?
Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on May 8. This fixture takes place at the Signal Iduna Park.
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How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free
Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
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Visit BBC iPlayer
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Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt without committing with your cash. This isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream select fixtures from the Bundesliga before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including the UK
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free with ExpressVPN.
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