Have you ever heard the expression "busier than a one-armed paperhanger with the hives"? It's one that was used frequently when I was growing up in central Illinois, and it describes me this week.
First, there was me on my scooter, moving furniture and other bits and bobs around so the new mattress and recliners could be brought in safely without demolishing either the dwelling or the humans. Then there was me on my scooter, dusting and polishing floors where furniture had long sat. Then there was me, patrolling the house from stem to stern, making sure that I hadn't missed anything. As delivery day dawned, there was me, making one last sweep, checking my phone for the time, and waiting.
The Junk Guys came right at 7 AM to pick up the old mattress and recliners. By 11 AM, the recliners were sitting in their boxes in the carport. The next day, the mattress delivery was scheduled for 8:15 to
11:15 AM. That was done and dusted by 7:30 AM. (I do wish all deliveries
were like that!) By 8:30 AM, Tony was here to assemble the recliners. I've also had someone come to program the pool pump, and I know I'm forgetting a person or two in this lineup somewhere. All the companies I dealt with, all the people I dealt with, were absolutely fantastic. Just one great experience after another.
I've moved the furniture back in place, and I've done some more sweeping and polishing. I've already had my first knitting session and first snooze in my recliner, and it passed with flying colors. Hopefully, Denis will have the same reaction when he comes home. The only thing left to do is show you the before and afters.
I never was thrilled with the burgundy color of the old recliners, but when you find them on sale for $300 each (brand new), you pick a color you can live with. They served us well for many years and deserve nothing but praise.
Enjoy your summer and enjoy the links!
►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
- Why do books make us feel emotions?
- Why do reviewers include disclaimers about ARCs?
- The case for catharsis in crime fiction.
- The enduring appeal of the female amateur sleuth.
- Over 50% of adults have not finished a book in the last year. (And we wonder why this country is in a mess.)
- Publishers discriminate against women and Black authors-- but readers don't.
- You can now play "EmilyBlaster"-- a video game based on Emily Dickinson's poetry.
- Authors are protesting Amazon's eBook policy which allows users to read and return. (That's what libraries are for, folks.)
- A brief compendium of advertising fans.
- Four new book-to-film adaptations to watch in July.
►Book Banning & Censorship◄
- Parents in a Pennsylvania school district allege that a school taught first graders about gender dysphoria without their consent.
- Some states are changing laws that govern community libraries.
- George M. Johnson has been announced as the honorary chair of Banned Books Week.
- An early run-in with censors led Rod Serling to The Twilight Zone.
- Teach Julie Otsuka's books in schools, cowards!
- A Maryland man has been charged with hate crimes after allegedly spray-painting "Groomer" on two libraries.
- The Montana State Library Commissioners are fretting over the design of their new logo. Is it too LGBTQ? (Eye roll.)
- A book was deliberately stolen from DeWitt (Iowa) kiosks.
- In Payson, Arizona, folks want to know where a sex ed book belongs in the library. (I knew Arizona would have to get in on the fun sooner or later.)
- According to the records, only one challenge was made against Nampa's (Idaho) school books prior to the board's ban. (I'm beginning to think that some of our bored, mentally challenged fellow citizens believe instigating book bans is the new cool thing to do.)
- Stephen Pico took his school to the Supreme Court in the 1980s for pulling "objectionable" books. He was seventeen at the time. This is his message to young people today.
- This Canadian library responded to threats against Drag Queens Story Hour by adding a second event.
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
- Surprising luxury items are being unearthed in an Anglo-Saxon "cemetery for the rich."
- New photos have revealed that a $17 billion shipwreck near Colombia is remarkably well-preserved.
- Was the Colosseum paid for with pee?
- Archaeologists are examining an extremely rare 1,300-year-old ship that they have to water every thirty minutes.
- Working ahead of a planned rail line, archaeologists have uncovered an early medieval cemetery.
- Rare timbers from a 17th-century Spanish shipwreck have been discovered off the Oregon coast.
- An ancient Inca tomb has been discovered under a home in Lima, Peru.
- Drought is unearthing stunning discoveries from Italy's longest river. More from Smithsonian Magazine.
►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄
- Watch a mother red fox playing with her babies in a Canadian backyard.
- Hidu, the Labrador retriever trained to sniff out electronics, finds hidden evidence in a pedophilia case.
- Trumpet the bloodhound makes history by winning Best in Show at the 146th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
- Jackdaws vote to decide when to take flight.
- Winners of the 2022 Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition have been announced.
- Polystyrene-eating "superworms" may provide clues for better recycling.
- Wild bats can recognize a phone's ringtone four years later.
- Here's a first for me: book-themed dog collars.
►The Wanderer◄
- A doghouse designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is now on display in California.
- Los Angeles has become the latest city to hire a Chief Heat Officer.
- Five of the best beaches for beachcombing in the United States.
- The pervasive problem-- and far-reaching impact-- of tree poaching.
- Lake Mead nears dead pool status as water levels hit another historic low.
- Why are hundreds of Grand Canyon tourists suddenly getting sick?
- Santiago (Chile) crime fiction.
- From Duluth to Decatur, these bookstores are helping in the fight for reproductive justice.
- DroneSeed uses swarms of drones to reseed forests after devastating wildfires.
- Eighteen beautiful beaches that have secrets.
►I ♥ Lists◄
- In praise of Nancy Drew-- and the women in mystery who save themselves.
- The best classic mystery sidekicks.
- Five new Australian crime book releases.
- Eight mysteries featuring mazes and labyrinths.
- Ten contemporary authors writing under more than one name.
- The fifteen best-selling book series of all time.
- Seen great crime novels with first person narrators.
- Nineteen of the best Ethiopian books.
- Ten must-read novels for fans of Scandinavian Noir.
- Expressive words that don't exist in English.
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 cool. Stay healthy. And don't forget to curl up with a good book!
Oh, those new recliners are beautiful, Cathy!! Don't you just love it when everything's in place and you can see what the new look will really, well, look like. How exciting! And I remember that paperhanger expression, too; I grew up with it as you did. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to South America to check out that Inca tomb and that Colombian shipwreck!
ReplyDeleteI thought you'd check out that tomb! ;-)
DeleteSo much progress; impressive. The new recliners are fine and look ready for service. And you are making a gray afghan as far as my memory goes.
ReplyDeleteI will return to read blurbs as I'm trying to hit the hay (father's expression)
I see in the banned books area that librarians are now being harassed; insane.
Glad the new recliners look good and that have friends helping with the trucking and so on.
Yes, the grey afghan is already complete. I'm almost done with a blue one now.
DeleteI think that list of Scandinavian noir books is just what I need to cool me off this summer.
ReplyDeleteYou should've heard me laugh when I read a Scandinavian mystery set in the summer, and everyone thought it was hot. The temperature was only in the 70s. Here in the desert, that's winter weather! LOL
DeleteWow, you did have a busy week! I hope you have a more relaxing weekend enjoying your pretty new recliners. :)
ReplyDeleteSomeone's coming by to do some work sometime this weekend, so I don't know how relaxing it's going to be!
DeleteGood job with getting things ready for your new things! Bet it feels good to cross some lines off your 'list'. Enjoy the chairs - they look comfortable!
ReplyDeleteIt does feel really good to have the place pretty much ready for Denis's return. He's the reason why I've been playing paperhanger.
DeleteUmmm....yeah. I like the new recliners' color better than the old. Glad they're comfortable enough for a snooze!
ReplyDeleteYes, the color is better, and it's nice that the recliner is good snoozing territory, but since I could go to sleep leaning against a wall, I really like the fact that it's very comfortable for knitting! ;-)
DeleteI don't think I have ever heard that saying! Sure fulfills what it means! Enjoy the new chairs!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying mine; I just hope that Denis enjoys his!
DeleteI've used that saying, and I'm not surprised that you know it, too. I'd be willing to bet that it's been used in books we have in common.
ReplyDeleteThe new chairs look nice and comfy, and I hope Denis is home soon to see and try them for himself.
I have to figure out which link to start with, after noticing that this week's book banning section is alarmingly long. Some people ...
I know... just like I knew when last week's round-up had no book banning section at all that those "lovely people" were trying to lull me into a false sense of security. *sigh*
DeleteI love the new chairs! I have purchased a piece of furniture because the price was great, even though the color was not my favorite. That seems like a bit of a rarity in this world of endless choices.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I feel sorry for the 50% of adults who haven't finished a book in the last year. How do they cope??
Hope your weekend is a good one!
I don't think those people cope as well as we readers do. They don't know what they're missing!
DeleteI'm glad to see that someone else bought furniture because the price was so good they couldn't pass it up. Those old recliners were exactly what we wanted... except for the color. I'm glad the next generation of recliners are in a color I like (and was looking for).
Well, the recliners certainly look good there. Hope you get some rest at some point with all this work going on.
ReplyDeleteThings did quiet down somewhat... but now the air conditioner isn't working properly. If it's not one thing...
DeleteI decided a long time ago that life is a series of projects, and that every single thing is a project. The 20-year to do list as my sister calls it.
ReplyDeleteJust the name "20-Year To Do List" exhausts me and takes away every scrap of hope within me. I'd have to name it something else!
DeleteYes. Rename it. I throw pages out of my planner when I finish the tasks. Wow, is that refreshing. But why is there a project every day? I just want to read and snack in a/c, not do tasks.
ReplyDelete