A Whack-a-Mole and Haboob Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I know many of you have been wondering how I'm doing since Denis's death. It's not been easy, to say the least. I'm not new to taking care of a loved one's affairs after their death, but what's turned out to be new to me is the almost complete lack of ...? I'm at a loss for words. It didn't help that Denis had everything password-protected, and it certainly didn't help that he didn't include my name on several things that he should have, but that horse has already left the barn. What flabbers my gast is how many times I've had to call the same companies in order for them to actually do their jobs. It's absolutely bloomin' ridiculous, and I'm sick of playing whack-a-mole with these places!

It seems as though one of Phoenix's recent haboobs (dust storms) made the news worldwide, and I appreciate those of you who contacted me to make sure I was all right. You can see the wall of dirt behind my house in the photo above. The good news is that, in my neck of the woods, we got a lot more rain than we did dirt. In fact, we've had several rainstorms since, and it's wonderful that the monsoon decided to make an appearance in this parched land.

Thanks so much to those of you who have sent me cards, books, and other goodies. Your caring is so much appreciated. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• 99 problems: the ice cream truck's surprising history.
• She found a tattered logbook in the trash. It turned out to be a rare record from the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.
• Author Margaret Atwood mocked a Canadian book ban with a new short story, and guess what? Now the ban's on hold "until further notice."
• How pro-war writers and A.I.-enhanced censors conquered Russia's literature industry.
• Our golden age of reading (online).
• The (almost) wildness of Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Austen's remarkable heroine.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• How ancient receipts ushered in the dawn of the written word.
• Ancient statues emerge from the waters off Egypt's coast, where they'd been hiding for thousands of years.
• "A truly unprecedented discovery": a 3,000-year-old multicolored mural with fish, stars, and gods has been discovered in Peru.
• The 2,100-year-old skeleton of a warrior nicknamed "Lord of Sakar," buried in a stunning gold wreath, has been unearthed in Bulgaria.
• A lock of braided human hair could change how we think about Inca society and record-keeping.
• "Lancelot", a medieval knight and his stunning stone tomb have been found under an ice cream shop in Poland.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• How Greenland's dog-sled patrol became unsung heroes of World War II.
• Strongheart the German Shepherd catapulted to fame for his heroics in silent films. Later, spiritualist writings immortalized him in death.
• Pallas's cat: one of the world's oldest felines that stands on its bushy tail to keep its' paws warm.
• A young Cooper's hawk learned to use a crosswalk signal to launch surprise attacks on other birds. (Dumb animals, eh?)
• Two sniffer dogs might have just found a lost population of critically endangered rhinos.
• Orcas are attacking boats in Europe again.

►The Wanderer◄

• See Thomas Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence next year at the New York Public Library.
• After a fearsome dust storm rips the Phoenix area, trees were cleaned up and power restored. (Fortunately, I was in an area that got the much gentler version.)
• Get a dose of sun, sand, and sea with these 20 scenes from the beach.
• The iconic winged lion statue in Venice may actually be from China's Tang dynasty.
• Eswatini: the last absolute monarchy in Africa.
• Italy plans the world's longest suspension bridge to connect the mainland with Sicily.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• America's early female college students held illicit fudge parties.
• Gouverneur Morris, the founding father who lost a leg, romanced married and single women alike, and escaped the bloodshed of the French Revolution.
• The underappreciated true story of Friedrich von Steuben, the brash Prussian military officer who whipped the patriots into shape at Valley Forge.
• The unsung women of the Betty Crocker test kitchens.
• Two years after Cormac McCarthy's death, rare access to his personal library reveals the man behind the myth.
• Donald McPherson, the last known surviving American ace pilot from World War II has died at the age of 103.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 12 cozy mysteries with idyllic coastal settings.
• These mysteries and thrillers will transport you around the world.
• 7 entertaining books to read if you love Man on the Inside.
• 6 fictional mysteries about famous authors.
• "Delulu," "Skibidi," and "Tradwife" are among more than 6,000 words added to the Cambridge Dicitonary.
• 10 infamous films that spelled disaster for their famous directors. 

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!