Denis's back continues to improve s-l-o-w-l-y. I know that, to Denis, it must feel as though snails and glaciers move faster than the improvement with his back. I can't help but feel that part of the problem may lie in the fact that he's fighting taking pain killers any longer than he absolutely has to. I understand because I have "a thing" about pain killers myself, but I did begin to learn how much they can help the last time I was hospitalized. He does begin physical therapy this coming Wednesday, so please keep a good thought or two for him.
In the mean time, I've been on a quest for better storage for my Christmas ornaments, and I think I found it. (Hey, all the intros for these round-ups can't be exciting, you know!)
I originally had three very large plastic tubs with cardboard dividers for all my ornaments. After doing quite a bit of downsizing, I reduced those three tubs to one, but there was a problem: those cardboard dividers. Over the years, those cardboard dividers had been handled so much that they'd acquired the strength of limp noodles. Another aggravation was that I always seemed to want only the ornaments at the bottom of the tub. So I went on a hunt for better storage, and I think I found it.
On the left is an example of the old storage tub. (Mine had four layers.) On the right, you see the new storage. Much sturdier, and the drawers are telescoping. I've labeled each drawer: "Snowmen," "Critters," "Teapots," etc. and when I've used the telescoping feature, I can get to the drawer I want without risk of damaging any of the ornaments-- no matter if they're on the top or the bottom. The new storage was a bit pricey, but I'd saved up for it, and it will undoubtedly be the last one I'll ever need.
Now... you may be wondering what I did with the old plastic tubs. I'll bet some of you have guessed: yarn storage!
Enjoy the links!
►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
- The art of ghostwriting is as human as it gets.
- Books and reading are two different hobbies.
- How the invention of Scotch tape led to a revolution in how companies managed employees.
- Maryland defends its library eBook law and seeks dismissal of the AAP lawsuit.
- A history of the thesaurus.
- The enduring appeal of Sherlock Holmes.
- Are you really a reader if you have to motivate yourself to read books?
- Books overboard! Supply chain headaches leave publishing all at sea.
- Soil from a Northern Ireland graveyard may lead scientists to a powerful new antibiotic.
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginberg's personal library sold for $3.4 million at auction. One book alone sold for over $100,000.
►Book Banning◄
- A Texas book ban has prompted school librarians to launch #FReadomFighters.
- The Texas GOP has declared war on books. Lupe Mendez has seen it before.
- Book bans are targeting the history of oppression.
- Why Toni Morrison's books are so often the target of book bans.
- What book censorship looks like outside the U.S.
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
- Artwork discovered in the St. Stephen's Cathedral gift shop in Vienna may be the work of German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer.
- An amateur metal detectorist found one of England's earliest gold coins in a field. It will sell for a pretty penny.
- A vast 4,500-year-old network of "funerary avenues" has been discovered in Saudi Arabia.
- An immersive celebration of Ramses II transports visitors to ancient Egypt.
- Two sphinxes depicting King Tut's grandfather have been discovered in Egypt.
- Mementos mori. What else is lost when an object disappears?
- A 2,000-year-old Roman bowl has been discovered intact in the Netherlands.
- A 500-year-old Botticelli painting of Jesus sold for $45.4 million.
►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
- Dogs' brains naturally process numbers, just like ours.
- Officials use contraceptives to control Pablo Escobar's "cocaine" hippos.
- Zoo's historic tamarin twins cling to their mother, doing what healthy babies do.
- How did a shark in a Sydney aquarium end up with a human arm?
- Hilarious photos of naughty pets.
- Watch a trio of dachshunds race each other around a track in the snow made by their human.
- Cat brains are shrinking, and it's all humans' fault.
- An obese tree frog found a permanent home in a North Carolina reptile rescue where he is losing weight.
►Fascinating Folk◄
- How Iceland's Herring Girls helped bring equality to the island nation.
- Why Freya Parr paid over $500 to run a bookshop for a week.
- A new exhibition of clothing shows Charlotte Brontë's sensual side.
- Seven facts about Zora Neale Hurston you didn't know.
- Meet Mike Forcia, the Indigenous activist who toppled Minnesota's Christopher Columbus statue.
►The Wanderer◄
- Marine life in the Galápagos Islands gets a new protected "ocean highway."
- Crime and the City: Tehran.
- Amazon has released the list of the most well-read cities in America.
- This giant chainmail box keeps an historic Scottish house from crumbling. (This reminded me of how the Casa Grande ruins here in Arizona are protected from the weather.)
- The real-world Diagon Alley.
- Scientists have discovered a lost range of "supermountains" three times longer than the Himalayas.
►I ♥ Lists◄
- The ubiquity of Little Women: eleven books inspired by the March family.
- Top ten novels about adultery.
- CrimeReads: 22 new releases by Black authors.
- The art of throwing truly memorable parties in suspense novels.
- Twelve heartfelt books about families coming together.
- Ten fantasy and science fiction standalone novels.
- Twelve non-fiction books that will change the way you think.
- The most popular in-demand books in U.S. libraries: October through December 2021.
- Fifteen of the best mysteries of all time.
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!
It's good to hear that Denis is improving, Cathy, even if it's incremental. I know just how both of you feel about pain killers, too. I don't take them unless there is no other option. Still, there are times... Your new storage plan looks great and convenient! I hope it works out for you.
ReplyDeleteNow, to the links... Thanks for including a 'Book Banning' category. It's frightening what's happening in this country with that whole movement, and I think we need to be vigilant. Off now to those funerary avenues and then that sphinx. But I'm still really upset about this whole book banning movement!
So am I. I am sick to death of these people whose attitudes seem to be My Way Or The Highway! That's a creed that has never worked and never will.
DeleteGlad to hear Denis is doing better, even if it is a slow process. I read the article about banning books that talk about oppression--it wasn't a surprise--given our unwillingness to admit the facts of history. Book banning is a scary thing, but it is a positive thing that teens are forming clubs to read and discuss books that are banned.
ReplyDeleteYes. I had to laugh when I read an article about LeVar Burton telling kids to read banned books because "that's the good stuff!" Whenever I've learned about a banned book, the first thought that runs through my mind is, "What don't they want me to know?"
DeleteI'll add my good thoughts for Denis and his back. Hope the therapy will make things work better. I also understand about resisting taking pain killers for too long. Both of us here are the same way. Love your new storage possibility. And the book banning thing - you can imagine my thoughts on that. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know that, here on the blog, I'm just one member of the choir when it comes to book banning-- and that's a good feeling.
DeleteI hope the physical therapy will help. I don't like to take pain killers either, so I can appreciate his resistance. Like you though, I've learned that sometimes they can make things more bearable. That is a great idea for ornament storage! I need something like that for mine. Thank you for sharing the links!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteYour storage looks very user friendly. As one who first became a serious reader because of my obsession with all things Sherlock, I definitely can appreciate his "enduring appeal."
ReplyDeleteThe Galapagos Islands are such a special place. It's good that more area around them will be protected.
Best wishes to Denis. Slow progress may be the most lasting progress.
I did a little mental Happy Dance when I learned about the extra protection for the Galápagos Islands.
DeleteI'll have to tell Denis "Slow progress may be the most lasting progress." Thanks for that, Dorothy.
I completely understand the pain killers situation - both avoiding them and avoiding them too much. I will keep Denis (and you) in my prayers as he starts physical therapy.
ReplyDeleteThat new storage system looks amazing! That would really make it so much easier to get what you are looking for.
Time to check out some links...
Hope you've been having a good weekend!
DeleteStorage unit looks very easily usable. But I remember seeing a veyr nice way you had wool skeins organized so the ends of all of them showed with their bright colors. So you're changing that. Seems like a good plan.
ReplyDeleteLots of good links. The book banning articles are maddening, and, of Toni Morrison's books, outrageous. Her books are hard to read because they tell the truth about the history of enslavement, Jim Crow and the severe impact on African American people. And the books are painful and thought-provoking and educational.
And the censors go after "Beloved," which won the Pulitzer Prize, and after that, she won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Who is a great U.S. writer? Toni Morrison is.
Now to worry about the tamarins not disappearing.
Those empty ornament bins are just to store yarn surplus, I haven't changed the basic way I store the skeins. I still like walking into the room and seeing all the colors.
Delete