The Florence Doesn't Live Here Weekly Link Round-Up

 

If I've learned anything during Denis's health scare (he does continue to improve slowly by the way), it's that I'm no Florence Nightingale. But then, I never thought I was. I learned in the third grade that I wasn't cut out for the medical profession when another child cut his head on a snapped-off tree branch. The wound bled like crazy, and while another child had the presence of mind to comfort him and lead him to the grownups who'd take care of him, I stood there like a statue, my brain freezing my entire body into immobility. It wasn't that I was sickened by the sight of blood; it was that I wanted so badly to Do Something... and I didn't have a clue. At least now I know from experience that, if someone with a clue is nearby, I can follow directions and get things done.

Fortunately, I'm not required to do any rapid-fire thinking on my feet while taking care of Denis, but what has shocked me is how draining it is when you are required to do something day in and day out (and indefinitely) that you have absolutely no talent for doing. And it's draining for many reasons. One, I'm in constant fear of doing something wrong and making Denis's situation worse. Two, even though I know it's stupid, I feel less "womanly" because I don't have the Nursing Gene. Three, I'm a perfectionist, so when a shipment of antibiotics doesn't arrive and Denis has to do without for four hours, or when I can't get some household chore done the way I think it should be done, my stress levels go so far off my chart that they've probably left tracks on someone else's.

Now, I still feel the stress buzzing away in my veins, but it's manageable now because I admitted that we need help. I admitted this early on, and we contacted the insurance company to get the help we need. But there was a problem. The companies that the insurance company deals with would only put us on a month-long waiting list, and we needed help NOW. So... I said a few rude words about long waiting lists and bit the bullet. I contacted a company and hired the help we need, and that has made all the difference. With Denis finally on the proper dosage of pain medication and with help at hand, there's more joking and laughter here at Casa Kittling, and I know that makes us both feel better.

For most of my life, I felt as though asking for help was an admission of weakness, of defeat. But-- particularly now-- I know how wrong that way of thinking is. I'm just incredibly fortunate to be able to pay for the help we need right now.

And on that note, I'll shut up and let you enjoy the links. Have a great weekend!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The effect of Book of the Month Club on book sales.
• Laura Sackton didn't read for a week. Here's what happened.
• The drama of Point d'Alençon needle lace.
• There's no excuse for bad book covers anymore.
• On Jane Austen's use of food as character.
• Why are Regency-Era shows like Bridgerton so popular?
• Author David Peace believes publishers should be less risk-averse.
• Book pockets and date guides: the intricacies of a paper-based library system.

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• School librarians speak out against book bannings and censorship.
• Meet the 1,300 librarians racing to back up Ukraine's digital archives.
• The Texas Education Agency's new school library standards push for more scrutiny and parental input.
• Forty-five books you read in school that are banned now.
• "We must ban books that omit the truth": Debrief on the House hearing on book bans and censorship.
• The Brooklyn Public Library system has announced a program to challenge the tide of book bannings.
• High school students share how book bans affect their lives.
• What do school boards do?
• The New York Public Library makes banned books available for free.
• A new Kentucky law hands control of libraries to local politicians.

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Trapped in museums for centuries, Maori ancestors are coming home.
• A rare first edition of The Great Gatsby lists at $360,000.
• Is this New England's oldest known English shipwreck?
• This medieval coin hoard offers evidence of early tax evasion. (The more things change...)
• A long-lost medal honoring Revolutionary War hero General Daniel Morgan sells for a record-breaking $960,000.
• The earliest evidence of a Maya divination calendar has been discovered in an ancient temple.
• Archaeologists are discovering historical artifacts during the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.
• The remains of a Roman mercenary and a beheaded victim have been found at an ancient site in the UK.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• How one Wyoming mule deer won friends and influenced science.
• I just had to laugh. Watch this raccoon steal a security camera.
• Why do dogs and other animals lick their wounds?
• Why amazing discoveries about bear hibernation may help improve human health.
• Watch the world's oldest gorilla celebrate her 65th birthday with cake.
• In 1932, Australia started an Emu War-- and lost.
• Watch a quokka eat a leaf.
• Spencer the beloved therapy dog was named the "official dog of the Boston Marathon" while battling cancer.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt, the trailblazing sisters who founded the nation's first woman-led museum.
• Paige Shelton on the literary greats of Scotland.
• James McCune Smith, America's first Black physician, sought to heal a nation's persistent illness.
• The charming mid-century murder mysteries and rich interior life of Edith Howie.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• The business of blackmail in Gilded Age New York.
• Scientists have found evidence for the biggest earthquake in human history.
• How a collective madness in 18th century France led to financial ruin and a scheme to lock up women and ship them into exile.
• George Harrison's childhood home-- an early Beatles rehearsal venue-- is now a vacation rental.
• How the pandemic has changed the way we think about solitude and loneliness.
• Bookish ways to get outside more.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Agatha Christie's favorite American author, Elizabeth Daly.
• From The Irish Times: books that deserve to be better read.
• Nine books that came to fame slowly.
• Six novels with an overwhelming sense of unease, slow-burning menace, and coercive control.
• Ten crime novels with isolated settings.
• Thirteen historical novels set in America.
• Eleven mysteries featuring quirky amateur detectives.
• Ten novels about postwar Germany.

 

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!