The Flight Feathers for My Nest Weekly Link Round-Up

More doctor's appointments, including a new one. For some reason, any time I am referred to another doctor, that doctor has to practice somewhere in the valley that's the farthest from our house. Murphy's Law, eh? (To prove to you how living with an Englishman can change your vocabulary, I don't say "Murphy's Law" anymore. No, here at Casa Kittling, we say "Sod's Law.") Don't tell anyone, but we did manage to sneak in a visit to Butterfly Wonderland, so if you're in the mood for butterflies and flowers, that post will show up in a couple of weeks.

 

In the mean time, I'll show you a couple more photos of my refurbished "nest" here in the living room. I read and blog here now while keeping an eye on all the birds I can see out the window. I'm particularly fond of the new piece of art hanging above the fireplace. It's by one of my favorite artists, Mikki Senkarik, and it's called "He Stole Our Seat." I love the cardinals glaring at the cat napping on the chair, and those birds and all the flowers and colors remind me so much of my grandmother. In fact, there's a butterfly-- a symbol of the souls of departed loved ones-- in the painting, so you know whom I think it represents. 

 

I really should have kept a photographic record of how the interior of this house has changed over the years. I'm rather pleased with the fact that I'm tending toward bright colors and more light now. I hope it has something positive to say about my outlook on life. 

 

The stand doubles as a book holder and laptop stand. I'm so posh, I don't even have to hold my books when I read anymore!

 

Mikki Senkarik's "He Stole Our Seat"

I was going to smooth out the wrinkles on the daybed cover, but they are proof that I'm enjoying my new space.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• For those of you who read the series, Britbox will begin filming Murder in Provence in July 2021. I look forward to watching it.
• Why pirates might be the reason why the United States doesn't use the metric system. Argh!
• Artificial intelligence places modern products in older movies. It's all in pursuit of the almighty dollar. *sigh*
• Six authors discuss psychological thrillers and domestic suspense in the pandemic era.
• On the dognapping gangs that terrorized Victorian London and the poet who fought back.
• Why we need more stories about older women.
• It's about time! A new chemical process turns single-use plastics into fuel.
• A secret feminist history of the Oxford English Dictionary.

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• The world's only known pregnant Egyptian mummy has been revealed.
• Details of stunning Maya acropolises and sophisticated civilization are being revealed with laser scans.
• Inside Rome's secure vault for stolen art.
• Why proposed renovations to Greece's Acropolis are so controversial.
• In an unprecedented find, stolen medieval artifacts have been recovered from a Sicilian collector's home. (I wish Andrea Camilleri were still alive so he could have Montalbano work on this case.)
• The "Plain of Jars", one of the most mysterious archaeological sites, is revealing its true age.
• Archaeologists have discovered 110 ancient Egyptian tombs along the Nile Delta.
• A 400-year-old ring dating from the English Civil War has been unearthed.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• Meet the collared redstart, a tiny chubby bird with an attitude and brightly colored plumage to match.
• Watch this astute Australian shepherd play competitive Connect Four and Jenga games with his humans.
• Deciphering the mysteries of migratory birds.
• Watch a massive Yellowstone bison herd navigate a busy road in the best traffic jam ever.
• Biologists have discovered a new species of glowing pumpkin toadlet.
• Watch Australian pelicans go for walks with their keepers at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
• An abandoned baby fox builds a special bond with two orphaned badger cubs at a sanctuary.
• Scientists have turned spider webs into spider music.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Jessie Sutanto talks about how her wacky Indonesian family inspired her to write a murder mystery.
• How historical mystery novelist Victoria Thompson was inspired by the darker side of the fight for women's suffrage.
• Tiberius, Imperial detective.
• The curious saga of the outlaw Burt Alvord.
• Chloé Zhao becomes only the second woman to win the Oscar for Best Director in 93 years.
• Eleanor Roosevelt's son, Elliott, wrote twenty mysteries in which his mother solves murders.

 

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Using crime fiction to reveal the dark history of Minneapolis.
• On the Death in Paradise location trail in Guadeloupe.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Five things you need to know about your COVID-19 vaccination card.
• Ten things the fully vaccinated need to know.
• Ten novels that illuminate lesser-known events.
• Seventy Scottish TV shows and where to watch them.
• Thriller writer Catherine McKenzie shares her all-time favorite twisty reads.
• Eleven books written by Asian authors, recommended by Frances Cha.
• The ten greatest movies adapted from crime novels.
• Six historical figures who kept secret coded diaries.

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!