The Being Chased by Monsoons Weekly Link Round-Up

When I first moved to Phoenix in 1976 and heard the term "monsoon," I wondered why on earth people were talking about these rainstorms like they actually happened here. You see, I just knew monsoons from my reading and Hollywood movies. I thought they only occurred in places like India.

From the Museum of International Folk Art

 Moving to Arizona expanded my knowledge. You see, the term monsoon refers to any seasonal rain, and that's exactly what we get here in the Sonoran Desert, usually beginning sometime around the Fourth of July. We have cool air masses moving down from the high mountains to the northeast slamming up against warm air masses moving up from the south, often in the late afternoon. They are often preceded by a haboob-- what we used to call a dust storm, but haboob sounds so much more intriguing, doesn't it?

Since Phoenix has gotten so huge, we've changed monsoon season. Now microbursts are happening with greater regularity, and I hate them because they fill my pool with mud and debris and sometimes even flood the house. If you want to see an amazing photo of one, this is the microburst that flooded my pool last July. It's basically a tremendous wall of water coming down from the sky.

We've had some monsoon activity this week, and so far I've been chased out of the pool two days in a row. Once by a haboob (which had me spitting dust for a while) and the second time by the grumble of nearby thunder. You're not going to find me sitting in a pool when there's a chance of lightning!

Speaking of monsoons, I'd better head on out to the corral and take care of those links. The sky is grumbling again, so... head 'em up! Moooooooooove 'em out! 

 

►Books, Movies & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• How jigsaw puzzles became the latest warriors in the battle against the digital revolution. 
• This is why Bookstr thinks Stephen King is the King of Twitter. 
• The lurid covers of twentieth-century pulp fiction. 
• Watch the causes of death change across America.
• The Boston Public Library has a "car wash" for books.
• A new Maurice Sendak picture book has been discovered.
• A Jane Austen sensation: the author's parody of a trashy novel is going to auction.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A tower of human skulls in Mexico is casting a new light on the Aztecs. 
• Historians have uncovered the slave quarters of Sally Hemings at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
• Archaeologists in Mexico have found a dwelling for Aztec survivors of the Spanish conquest. 
• Ancient Roman skulls are revealing local groups' distinctive facial features. 
• The first discovery of bodies in Biblical Gezer, which was destroyed by fire 3,200 years ago.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• The 2017 Audubon Photography Awards winners. 
• Hilarious entries to the 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• This woman's name appears on the Declaration of Independence-- so why don't we know her story? 
• The Scots who built the White House. 
• Octavia Butler: writing herself into the story.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Tombstone is shaking! 
• The fifteen most beautiful Main Streets across America. 
• This ancient citadel looks like a giant sandcastle.
• Ten places that deserve more travelers.

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• The Twilight Zone: the five creepiest summer stories. 
• Twenty-two ambassadors recommend the one book to read before visiting their country. 
• Can you score 14/16 on this first edition book cover quiz?
• The ten best British detective shows ever. 
• The top ten mysteries set in the British countryside.
• Twenty desserts inspired by your favorite children's books.
• Seven tips for how to read faster and still understand what you read.

That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Have a great weekend, and read something fabulous!