Friday, May 28, 2021

A Just Between You and Me Weekly Link Round-Up

 


Ssshhhh... I don't want this to spread around, but this leg of mine has actually shown a lot of improvement lately (and I want it to stay that way). I think it decided to straighten up and fly right due to the appointment I have with a new doctor today. We'll see how it goes. Fingers crossed!

I've been minding my P's and Q's even though it's been annoying. I've spent a lot of time in my spruced-up reading and blogging space, and I've watched the young verdin (very small flycatchers) leave the nest in the top of the cactus outside this big picture window. I've watched a lizard climb up and down the cactus, too.

Speaking of the cactus, it was covered in blooms this year, something that's never happened before. (The senita is a night-blooming cactus, by the way, and I got a kick out of Denis going out almost nightly with his camera to keep an eye on it.) What we've been learning is that the huge Aleppo pine tree that died and was removed is a well-known water hog, so its demise has meant that the other plants on the property are getting more water than they ever have before. 

In the midst of my making plans for Albuquerque day trips next year before Left Coast Crime, I've also gotten a box of yarn for future afghans, and my seat at the picture window has gotten me acquainted with the comings and goings of my neighbors, which is a good thing. At least I can see and not be seen so I won't become known as the neighborhood curtain twitcher! And one last observation before I turn all these links loose: at around 4 PM every day, a hummingbird comes and hovers just above the ground between the fairy duster shrub and the cactus. I've learned that there tends to be a small colony of gnats that frequent that spot, so the hummingbirds are taking advantage of the extra protein. (Yes, the little jewels eat bugs, too.)

Enjoy the links!



►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
 
►The Happy Wanderer◄
 
►Fascinating Folk◄
  • Runner Anna Rutherford says stock cubes helped her smash the record on a 212-mile run in Scotland.
  • Eugenie Clark, the marine biologist who fought sharks' bad reputations as "gangsters of the deep."
  • Female public defenders are unsung heroes. It's past time to change that.
  • Eight proper facts about Jane Austen.
  • Before he wrote a thesaurus, Roget had to escape Napoleon's dragnet.
 
►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.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. And don't forget to curl up with a good book!

18 comments:

  1. So glad to hear your leg is making progress, Cathy, and don't worry: I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret. I wish you well with that appointment today. It's good to hear that you've been enjoying the time you spend in your special space, too. If you have to be restricted in movement, at least you have a good space for it. Now, I'm off to that Roman shipwreck. Oh, and before I forget, I love the bright, alive shades of that yarn!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That pink just comes right out and grabs you, doesn't it? :-)

      Delete
  2. I'm happy to hear that your leg is improving too, Cathy. Hope today's appointment goes well. I'm seriously thinking about signing up for Left Coast Crime in NM next year too. We'll see if I can work it out. Would love to see you again there. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you can work it out. It's been too long since we've seen each other. :-)

      Delete
  3. Congratulations on the improvement on your leg! And on your new yarn haul. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A box of yarn is the only thing that comes close to a box of books on my doorstep!

      Delete
  4. As frustrating and tedious as that leg has been, what a blessing that you have had an opportunity to watch the amazing nature orchestra going on right outside your window. Glad that leg is improving. Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nature has always been teacher, friend, inspiration, and balm to me.

      I hope your weekend is wonderful!

      Delete
  5. I hope you really enjoy making your afghans. Really, hearing about your plants or garden is fascinating. What does a fairy duster plant look like? It's a pretty name. The night blooming cactus seems exciting. It's like a special event every night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's a link with photos and information about the Baja fairy duster:

      https://www.horticultureunlimited.com/plant-guide/baja-fairy-duster/

      Delete
  6. Happy to see that you are feeling a bit better, Cathy, and I hope that the appointment you mentioned went well. Do be careful that you don't turn into that Jimmy Stewart character from Rear Window, though. :-)

    I'm really curious about the Left Coast Crime thing that's coming your way because I'm hopeful that life will be even closer to normal than it is now. I'd love to attend one of those without having to go all the way to the Left Coast to do it.

    Life here is closer to normal than it's been since the beginning of 2020. We've celebrated the high school graduations of my two grandsons this weekend with a dinner inside a favorite Mexican restaurant and a family gathering the next night. All that socializing tired us out...not used to that anymore. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rear Window? Nah... no binoculars for me! I mainly see vehicles driving past or people walking past because of how the houses are situated. I'm more interested in the critters I can see.

      If you can figure out a way to do Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque, I can't recommend it highly enough after attending the one here in Phoenix a few years ago.

      Delete
  7. Glad to see your leg is improving, although we won't say it too loudly, don't want to jinx it.

    Love the colors for the afghans.

    On to more good books and TV mysteries -- and to good health!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hope the leg continues to fly right.

    I love your observations and that you can now do so without being a curtain twitcher. I am a wooden blind twitcher and have become quite the Mrs. Kravvitz especially with the poorly mannered lady and her dog who leaves presents on our lawn and never cleans up.

    I was out of town over the weekend. Had a lovely time in the desert but now my days are a jumble and tonight's graduation came up fast. This week will be spent catching up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can never use the phrase "curtain twitcher" without thinking of a small village in Bedfordshire called Risely. I fell in love with so many of its cottages that Denis and I stopped one day, and while Denis sat in the car and read a book, I wandered up and down the streets photographing one cottage after another. You wouldn't believe how many curtains were twitching as I walked past! I even received an email from the owner of my favorite house after he'd seen my post about Risely on my blog. He filled me in on some of the history of the house. I was thrilled.

      Delete
  9. That's really nice about the homeowner in Risely. I'll have to look up this village.

    I love those village streets and cottages.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!