Nothing exciting going on here at Casa Kittling, but then I would imagine that that is the case in most of your homes. I had an appointment at the lymphedema clinic that I had to reschedule because I was feeling under the weather, and when I talked to the therapist on the phone, she used a phrase that made me a bit nostalgic for my central Illinois roots. She asked me, "Are you feeling puny?" I hadn't heard that phrase since I moved away in 1973, and I very quickly learned not to use it myself so the number of raised eyebrows, confusion, and slightly pitying looks would be reduced. Isn't it rather wild and wonderful that a simple phrase like that can evoke so many memories? How we use language is fascinating.
Denis and I have been doing some boring necessaries: scrubbing out water bottles, washing curtains and quilts, and dancing jigs because the dishwasher has finally been repaired. He's been laughing at me because I've been referring to my lymphedema pump as a boa constrictor, but I realized this afternoon that that's not quite accurate. I have two leg sleeves, so I really have two young boa constrictors in training, one wrapped around each leg from ankle to groin, learning how to do their best rhythmic squeezes. (I think they're now working on their Ph.D.s.)
Those two boas must've stimulated my brain because I had another "wave" after my shower when I was donning all my compression garments again. I refer to my foot, calf, and knee garments as my armor, and my postponed appointment at the clinic was to have two thigh pieces fitted. How on earth they expect people to wear this stuff in Phoenix, I'll never know, but I'm going to give it my best shot. (They are H.O.T.) Anyway, as I was doing my velcro management and wrapping each successive band up one leg then the other, it dawned on me that I felt as though I was a knight donning my armor before a joust. And you know, there was something missing. Like...
My squire!
I'm all hale and hearty again. I have my armor strapped and buckled, and it's time to mosey on out to the corral. I think I'll be on the lookout for my squire, too, the varmint.
Head 'em up! Moooove 'em out!
►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
- A study says children prefer storybooks that teach them how and why the world works.
- Six seasons in, Bosch may just be TV's best police procedural.
- Local bookstores offer "mystery bags" of quarantine reading.
- Author Tess Gerritsen took on a Hollywood studio for screenplay theft. It was just the start of a long, strange journey.
- The Oxford English Dictionary has been revised to record the linguistic impact of COVID-19.
- Where the magic happens: Inside writers' homes.
- The rise of the coronavirus nature genre.
- When "serious" writers write books for children.
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
- Traces of millennia-old milk help date pottery fragments to neolithic London.
- A treasure trove of artifacts illustrates life in a lost Viking mountain pass.
- Take a free virtual tour of five Egyptian Heritage sites.
- The "Navajo warrior" dinosaur was a real fighter with a scar to prove it.
- A possible half-human, half-praying mantis carving was found on ancient rocks.
- Why did restorers search a Civil War battleship's guns for the remains of a black cat?
- A rare George Harrison guitar was valued at £400,000 by the Antiques Roadshow.
- An eighteenth-century log cabin was discovered beneath a condemned Pennsylvania bar.
►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
- For male lemurs, love stinks, and scientists now know why.
- Why bats are one of evolution's greatest puzzles.
- Big news here in Arizona: Bald eagles have been found nesting in a saguaro cactus for the first time in decades. Here's what the local news station had to say about it.
- Flamingos in captivity pick favorite friends among the flock.
- A dog steals a set of false teeth and wears them perfectly, leaving his owner in stitches.
- A spectacular moment as a herd of fifty elephants ambles across a highway in Thailand.
- Wild dolphins seem to have a range of personalities. Also: Dolphin boy bands sing "pop" songs in synch-- and the ladies want it that way.
- More than thirty million years ago, monkeys rafted across the Atlantic to South America.
►Mother Nature Responds to COVID-19◄
- Hear the soundscapes of cities transformed.
- How COVID-19 interferes with weather forecasts and climate research.
- Why the new coronavirus affects some animals but not others.
- Watch penguins on the loose in South Africa's empty streets while lions nap on the road.
- In these locked-down cities, animals are taking over the vacant streets.
- A service dog in training brings comfort fo ER doctors on the frontlines.
- Watch a golden retriever deliver groceries to an at-risk elderly neighbor every day during quarantine.
- A meteorologist's cat bombed his at-home forecast. Now Betty is his co-host.
►Literary Interior Design◄
- Seventeen irresistibly rustic reading nooks.
- Eighteen magical reading nooks straight out of a fairy tale.
- Sixteen beach reading nooks to get you in the summer spirit.
- Twenty-three bookish bedrooms you need to see.
►The Happy Wanderer◄
- The crime novels of Bogotá.
- Seattle, primed and ready for crime fiction fame.
- Holland's famous Keukenhof Gardens are in full bloom and open for a virtual tour.
- England will debut the world's longest coastal path by the middle of next year.
- The Midsomer Murders tour of locations.
- Twelve Frank Lloyd Wright buildings are now hosting virtual tours.
►Fascinating Folk◄
- The women who edited crime fiction.
- Carter Brown and the Australian craze for faux American crime fiction.
- The charming story of George Harrison's vacation in small-town America.
►I ♥ Lists◄
- The top ten Western authors most beloved by Russians.
- From Stephen King to Anne Lamott: the ten most inspiring, enjoyable books about how to write.
- Ten must-read crime-fighting duos.
- Ten books about parents with secrets.
- Restoring women's voices to mainstream Arab literature.
- Those classic detective series you've always been meaning to read anyway.
- Thirteen intriguing books set in mysterious and stately British homes.
- Ten of the greatest con artist movies of all time.
That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Practice social distancing by curling up with a good book!
I love that analogy, Cathy - donning your armor! That's great! And I know what you mean about those expressions that make you nostalgic. I feel that way when I year words and expressions we used where I went to university. It brings back a good experience. Now, you let those boa constrictors do their work while I go check out those Viking artifacts...
ReplyDeleteI've got a blog post to write, then I shall set aside my armor and don my boas.
DeleteI have enjoyed these virtual tours of various places! Will have to check more out!
ReplyDeleteGood idea! I've been enjoying them, too.
DeleteLove the image of armor - Gearing up to do battle against the forces of bad health!
ReplyDeleteBut this post reminds me that the late (sigh!), great Shel Silverstein wrote -and illustrated!- a poem titled Boa Constrictor. Really. Even if you're not "into" poetry, it's short, and I think you'll appreciate it.
But I love poetry! Thanks for pointing me toward "Boa Constrictor."
DeleteI couldn't remember your feelings about poetry. Silverstein is a favorite.
DeleteIt's no wonder because I seldom, if ever, talk about poetry. I was quoting a poem here and there the other night, and Denis started looking at me like I'd grown a second head.
DeleteI don't know how you do all of that. I'm exhausted hearing about it. And I'd have to be running the a/c constantly.
ReplyDeleteI will say that it's not fun.
Delete