Friday, April 05, 2019

The It Smells Good Around Here Weekly Link Round-Up




The desert is covered in wildflowers because of all the winter rain it received. It's one of the best ways to say thank you to Mother Nature that I can think of. What have we been doing? We went through I don't remember how many re-schedules for new shower doors in the main bathroom. When they were finally installed, we waited for the sealant to cure... and when the first shower was taken, Lake Kittling was born because the frame wasn't sealed completely. We've been so happy with this company in the past, but this experience makes us leery of ever dealing with them again. (Or perhaps we can say, "Don't send us [Name Withheld]"?)

The photo shows you a tiny part of what I get to see in my back garden at this time of year. The Tombstone roses cover two large sections of fence, and they are covered with small white roses as well as hundreds of buds waiting to open.

Behind the roses and the shed is the sweet acacia. You might be able to see small yellow pom-poms covering the branches. Oil from the sweet acacia is used in many perfumes, so between the Tombstone roses and the sweet acacia, it smells wonderful here at Casa Kittling in the spring. The sweet acacia is near and dear to my heart because I bought the seeds for it when I took my grandmother to visit the Desert Botanical Garden many, many years ago. Yes, I grew that from seeds, and each spring I think of my grandmother and I sticking our heads in a blooming tree at the Garden and inhaling deeply. We wanted to make sure we wouldn't plant something either of us was allergic to! (As you can see, neither of us swelled up, turned red, or sneezed our heads off.)

By the time you read this, Denis and I hope to have made a trip to the Phoenix Zoo to see what's new there. There's been a lot of construction on new exhibits. We'll also donate money to the new meerkat exhibit because we both love those critters.

Speaking of critters, it's time to head on out to the corral. Head 'em up! Mooooove 'em out!


►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
  • Why does it matter who wrote Nancy Drew, anyway?
  • How the New York Public Library fills its shelves (and why some books don't make the cut).
  • For twenty years, Betty Webb and Lena Jones solved mysteries together. But was it time to let her go?
  • The true identities of the kings in your pack of playing cards.
  • The reason why dollars are referred to as "bucks" is surprisingly literal. 
  • Why older women will rule the world: The future is female says an MIT expert. ("Will" rule the world? We'd best get to work then!)
  • What water means to the desert: An amazing timelapse of a completely dehydrated desert plant being resurrected with water.
  • Early trains were thought to make women's uteruses fly out. 
  • Handcrafting books: Labors of love.


►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄


►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
  • Humans are destroying chimpanzee culture.
  • A new orca species may have been spotted off the coast of Chile. 
  • Caught on video: a dog and a coyote playing in a suburb of Phoenix.
  • Woman attacked by a jaguar at the Wildlife World Zoo here in the Phoenix metro area. (Don't cross a signed barrier when trying to take a selfie...) Smithsonian Magazine also has an article about this.
  • A month-long oil spill in the Solomon Islands threatens the world's largest coral reef atoll.
  • A monastery has adopted an adorable stray dog who now lives like a friar.
  • A napping moose keeps a Colorado library closed.
  • Hungry otters are creating a unique archaeological record.


►Fascinating Folk◄


►I ♥ Lists◄


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!


 

4 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear about your shower problems, Cathy! How frustrating! And what a nightmare. Thanks for sharing the 'photo - it's such a beautiful time of year in the desert, isn't it? People don't always know what a gorgeous place the desert can be, and how much life there is there. Now, I think I've got a monastery to visit...

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  2. The roses are so pretty! Have a few weeks before the lovely lilac scent filters through the yard!

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    1. That's the one thing I miss about the Midwest. We had the most gorgeous lilacs-- sometimes we had to run out and chase off people who were trying to strip the bushes!

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