The Pitter Patter of Little Feet Weekly Link Round-Up

Between the weather and the two of us not checking our plans and dates more carefully, it's a wonder that Denis and I ever get to go anywhere. Monday, we headed to the Desert Botanical Garden to check on all the blooms only to get there and find that that was the day Antiques Roadshow was filming. Duh. Since we were already out and about, we decided to head out to east Scottsdale to Butterfly Wonderland and OdySea Aquarium on the off chance that the heaving herds of humanity had lessened. They had. Whew!

Harry Houdini

I was quite popular with the winged beauties. They took up residence on my shirt, my arms, my legs, and-- most especially-- my hair. In fact, another visitor scurried over to me once to tell me that I had four butterflies in my hair. (Unfortunately, Denis wasn't around so no photo op.)

I didn't need to be told. I could feel the pitter patter of tiny feet on my head, arms, and neck. When Denis and I left, I had not one, not two, but three people checking me for stowaways. I was giving myself the once-over, too. A few minutes later, I was checking out the Reptiles of the Amazon exhibit when I happened to look down at my upper arm to see Harry Houdini, the escape artist. You can see him there in the photo. Somehow, he managed to avoid four sets of eyes to make it to the outside. If only he'd kept still a little while longer, he would've made it all the way to freedom. But, alas, he's back in with his buddies. Sorry, Harry, but you're not a desert butterfly, and I didn't want you to fry in the sun!

Now... on to the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The ability to pronounce "F" and "V" sounds might have evolved along with diet. 
• White Americans produce more air pollution than they consume.
• The internet is changing the way we preserve endangered languages.
• A dark sense of humor may mean you have a high IQ.
• True crime gripped the London Book Fair of 2019. 
• Would you join the Bella and Gigi Hadid Book Club? 
• Do It Yourself: The Jakarta libraries with book nooks on tuk-tuks.
• All Kindle eReaders will begin sorting eBooks by Read and Unread soon. (Mine's already started even though I didn't need the help.)

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• DNA from a 200-year-old pipe links an enslaved woman to Sierra Leone.
• The possessions of an Indian sultan are expected to bring millions at auction. 
• A hunter for the legendary Nazi gold train has found Renaissance wall portraits instead.
• This painting within a painting as solved a historic art puzzle.
• A school has stumbled upon chalkboards from 1917 during renovation, and their perfectly preserved lessons provide a rare look into the past.  
• Jack the Ripper's identity may finally be known, thanks to DNA.
• A rare 14th-century gold coin was discovered in a bureau's secret drawer.
• "Mummy Brown" paint pigment used to be made from real mummies.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• A baby monkey has been born using frozen testicular tissue, giving hope for infertile childhood cancer survivors.
• Thousands of invasive cane toads have overtaken a Florida community.
• The cat who single-handedly rendered a species extinct.
• How do scientists know what colors prehistoric animals were?
• A 50,000-pound whale tucked a scuba diver under its fin to protect her from a nearby shark.
• The Nicobar pigeon, the closest living relative to the dodo bird, dazzles with vibrant iridescent plumage. Trust me, this isn't your run-of-the-mill urban pigeon!
• "Super Mom" has been spotted on a Minnesota lake-- with 56 ducklings in tow.
• There's only one place in the United States where it's legal to swim with wild manatees.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Peter Benchley, the writer of Jaws, regretted his depiction of sharks and became an ocean activist.
• The bold accomplishments of women of color need to be a bigger part of suffrage history.
• John Sato, the 95-year-old World War II vet who took four buses to protest racism in New Zealand. 
• Roxie Laybourne, the feather detective who changed aviation.
• Eliza Leslie, the most influential cookbook writer of the 19th century.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Welcome to Noraville, the small Maryland town rebuilt by Nora Roberts.
• Tourists flock to this poison garden, but a trip there could prove to be fatal. (It wasn't for me. I've been there three times!) 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Eleven words that started out as spelling mistakes. 
• Seven modern classics of small-town mystery. 
• Merriam-Webster's seven words and phrases inspired by the theater. 
• The eleven most-challenged books of 2018. 
• The best historical fiction of 2019 (so far). 

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!