Thursday, February 02, 2023

A Brrr-ing on February Weekly Link Round-Up

 


Last week went very well. Denis's procedure had the best possible results, and although there was a hitch with the transportation, we loved spending the afternoon at the Desert Botanical Garden. Naturally, I'll be sharing some photos with you in the near future.
 
One thing I'm ready for is some warmer weather. Temperatures here in the Phoenix metro area have been consistently in the 50s and 60s (that's 10-15° for you Celsius folks), with temperatures dipping down to freezing (-1°C) at night. That's a tad chilly for me-- and even Denis has acclimated so he gets cold, too. Now... I can hear gales of laughter from many of you who experience an actual winter, but let me tell you, your blood thins out after living in the desert for any length of time. At least Denis and I don't bundle up like we're setting out on an Arctic expedition like I've seen many others around here do. The Midwesterner in me still laughs when I see that!
 
I am happy to say that the cold weather has provided some free entertainment. The one group that's seemed the most perplexed about the cold is the resident flock of starlings. I have to admit that I've never been a particular fan of starlings, but I've never seen any other bird enjoy communal bathing like they do. Their twice-daily ablutions mean that their favorite birdbath needs constant replenishment. That is, until the freezing temperatures came to stay. Watching those starlings flock to the birdbath and then peck at its frozen water first thing each morning has been good entertainment.
 

 
Lastly, here's a photo of my birthday gift to myself. Courtesy of The Poisoned Pen, I'll be traveling to New Zealand (Michael Bennett's Better the Blood) and Sweden (Christoffer Carlsson's Blaze Me a Sun) as soon as Inspector Montalbano solves his case in Sicily.
 
Enjoy the links!
 

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
 
►Book Banning & Censorship◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄
 
►The Wanderer◄
 
►Fascinating Folk◄
  • Twenty-two-year-old Edward Tian created an app to detect essays written by AI.
  • Lorraine Louie, the artist whose book covers distilled the Nineteen-Eighties.
  • Rachel Maddow on how cell phone spyware threatens privacy and democracy.
  • Colin Cotterill is on a mission to write something that will make you shout with glee.
  • Ghostwriter James Fox reveals the tricks of his trade-- and why J.R. Moehringer shouldn't be blamed for Harry's memoir.
  • When he was nine-years-old, Joe Whale was reprimanded for doodling in class. Now twelve, he's been hired to cover a restaurant in his drawings.
 
►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.

Don't forget to spend some quality Me Time curled up with a good book!
 

19 comments:

  1. I am so glad Denis' procedure went so well, Cathy! I really hope he continues to improve. As for the weather, we've had some chilly nights, too, and I know what you mean about bundling up. The East Coast in me inwardly chuckles at people who wear knitted hats and heavy winter coats in the weather we have here. Now, I'm off to Cahokia. I used to live just a couple of hours away from there...

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  2. Cathy, glad Denis had a good procedure. Also happy you two got to visit the 'garden' - look forward to pictures. As to weather, well, I 'hear' you. We have been having an ice event this week, though our area has not been as bad as the Austin area. Lots and lots of trees and limbs are down, which knocked the power lines down and you can imagine from there. Happily, the temperatures were not in those crazy lows of the teens, but freezing drizzle and rain and temps of 27-32 will still cause a lot of damage. Our friends and family have sent lots of pictures - sigh. Clean up will proceed I can imagine. Enjoy your new books!

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    1. I lived through that mess while growing up in central Illinois, and I don't miss it one little bit. I'm glad you're not in the hardest hit area.

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  3. I have heard about the cold weather you are experiencing there. My mom is in Phoenix for three months. The rest of the year she lives in MN. She says many of her neighbors are grumbling because many of them have come from colder climates to escape for a few months. We have been experiencing really cold weather for our area too (we started this morning at -15 and will be warming to a balmy 3). It's all relative - 50's is quite cold when you are used to 70's and 80's.

    New books is the best present! I hope you enjoy them.

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    1. None of the people seemed to be complaining at the Desert Botanical Garden, and I heard a lot of different languages while Denis and I were there. They must be from really cold climates! (I remember reading a mystery set in Sweden that informed me that they were having a "heat wave"... and it was in the 70s. That's winter weather here!)

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  4. Google wrangler here. I'd say for hire but I might get arrested. Lots of good information here for books to read inside under blankets with tea and biscuits.

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    1. A friend posted on her Facebook page a couple of weeks ago that reading books under cozy blankets was the best winter activity. I rather liked the idea that, not only do I read the books, but I make the blankets as well.

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    2. Yes, you do make the blankets. But the biscuits? I found a brand I love right around the corner and I overdo it. I will await the reviews.

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    3. I could do that, too, if I didn't hate to cook.

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    4. Carr's Wheat crackers sweetish, but not too much. And all one does is open the box.

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  5. Congrats to Denis, and long may this positive health trend continue for both of you!

    Having moved to NC after CT, PA, and IN, I know what you mean about blood thinning out, and about mentally snickering over those who over-bundle for cold weather. Since I'm usually one of the colder people in a gathering, there's a pretty high threshold for overdoing the winter outerwear, and it's surprising how many people manage it. Entertainment comes in so many ways.

    Thanks for including the link about the teens protesting book bans. Stories like that are the silver lining for the entire situation, and give me a lot of hope for the future.

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    1. Yes, there is hope, but more of us need to join the fight. We can't just assume that the crazies are going to get bored and disappear into the night.

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  6. Lots of good reading to look forward to in the "best historical fiction of 2023." Good news about Denis, but not much good news in the "book banning" department. Really, the stupidity of it astounds.

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  7. I'm ready for some warmer weather, too. Last week we were in the teens and 20s here in Salt Lake. I think today we're supposed to reach a balmy 43. I'm tired of shivering. ;D

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    1. I lived in Provo for three years, and even though I remember the shivering, I still think that I've never seen it snow as beautifully anywhere else as it did there. Growing up in central Illinois it seemed that the snow arrived as gray, grainy ugly slush, and the clouds were always gloomy. Ugh.

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  8. Good for Denis!
    I'd love to visit Phoenix if only for the desert botanical garden.

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