Friday, January 25, 2019

It's a Bloomin' Weekly Link Round-Up




Did you know that Phoenix, Arizona used to get a lot of referrals from doctors? They figured this dry, desert air would be ideal for folks with lung ailments-- like asthma, allergies, and tuberculosis. But there's one "figure" they didn't add to their equations, and that's the fact that something is always in bloom here. (Just ask my sinuses!)

One of the ways we celebrated my birthday and our wedding anniversary this week was by wandering through the Water Ranch, and as you can see to the right, the brittlebush is in bloom, and so is the globemallow, and the rabbitbrush, and the... You get the picture! I can't wait to see what things look like in the next few weeks when spring is officially here. (Yes, it does arrive here before many other places in the U.S.)

When doctors got wise to the pollen counts, they stopped referring their "lung patients" here but by then it didn't matter. The valley rocks and rolls at this time of year when all the winter visitors are here.

Denis and I saw quite a few critters on our wanderings, although we didn't manage to photograph them all. I'll be sharing a few photos in the near future. In the meantime, I need to head out to the link corral before I do any more celebratory strolls. Head 'em up! Moooooove 'em out!


►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄


►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
  • Kintsugi: the centuries-old art of repairing broken pottery with gold.
  • Alba amicorum: the original Facebook for Renaissance teens?
  • A preserved horse-- saddled, harnessed, and ready to flee-- was found in a villa outside Pompeii.
  • An Israeli woman stumbled upon Roman busts. (Wish I could do something like that. I only trip over my own feet!) 
  • A Christmas card addressed to the Bletchley codebreakers has been rediscovered.
  • Pablita Velarde's paintings of traditional Pueblo culture. (I've seen a few, and they're marvelous.)
  • London archaeologists have unearthed a subterranean Georgian-Era ice store
  • Could these fossils push back the history of flowers?


►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄


►Fascinating Folk◄


►The Happy Wanderer◄
  • Cecil Court, a charming 17th-century alley lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops in London.


►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄



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!



8 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you had the chance for an enjoyable birthday/anniversary trip, Cathy. And there's nothing like the desert blooming, is there? Now, I've got a house in Pompeii to explore...

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  2. I'll look forward to your pictures, Cathy. And, yes, pollen - what to say about it? Well, there's a reason why Austin has a lot more allergists than the normal city or even the abnormal one. Allergies are rampant here. Happily, mine are on the downside. Just as soon as the stupid cedar pollen stops 'bursting' and maybe the wind from West Texas could stop blowing all their cedar pollen down here. Then everyone who has spring allergies (oak, mold, wildflowers) can begin their 'fun' time. Have a good weekend!

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    1. You, too! My weekend includes a visit to The Poisoned Pen for Francine Mathews' THAT CHURCHILL WOMAN. Really looking forward to it!

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  3. Happy Birthday to you, and Happy Anniversary to you and Denis. I expect a long wait for spring in the Midwest, so I'll look forward to experiencing spring through your blog at some earlier point.

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    1. I was just reading something this morning about the polar vortex being particularly savage in the Midwest in the next few days. Hope you can stay inside and read!

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  4. Happy birthday, anniversary, trips to wonderful nature preserves and the Poisoned Pen.
    I do not envy the pollen, but I do wish I lived near the Desert Botanical Gardens and the other fantastic nature refuges and the PP.

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    1. If you did, I have a feeling we'd be carpooling a lot. :-)

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