Since it hasn't quite cooled down enough to head to the Desert Botanical Garden, I've continued my quest to clear out all unwanted/unneeded "stuff" here at Casa Kittling. I'm happy to say that I've managed to take care of all the major areas, and the only things left are minor and easily taken care of. Here's a photo of the latest batch of stuff that was taken away this past Monday. (There are many items behind this front pile that you can't see.)
Most of these items will be donated or recycled.
I had help with three big items, but the rest I managed to haul outside with many trips back and forth on my scooter.
Although I'm very pleased with what I've managed to get done, there has been a downside: my right arm and shoulder let me know the error of my ways by becoming extremely sore. I'd never tried it before, but I remembered those TV commercials about Bengay and decided to see if it worked. It does-- and I even like the smell. An added bonus is that it also works on my arthritic hands better than the much more expensive ointment that my doctor recommended. It's not often-- at least in this house-- that cheaper is better.
Next week looks much more promising for a visit to the Garden. Keep your fingers crossed, and enjoy the links!
►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
- Books in North Carolina school libraries are being targeted by some parents groups.
- The Thursday Murder Club and the resurgence of cozy crime.
- How American tech cartels use apps to break the law.
- Can you guess the movie title based on a synonym?
- Why were medieval Europeans so obsessed with long, pointy shoes?
- AI is making reading books feel obsolete-- and students have a lot to lose.
- Long Beach (California) will open up its eBook library so teens from other states can read banned books.
- After almost twenty years, Goodreads has a new logo fit for BookTok.
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
- 1,500-year-old eagle brooches filled with dazzling gems and glass were worn by powerful Visigoth women.
- Divers recover more than $1 million worth of gold and silver coins from 310-year-old "treasure fleet shipwrecks.
- A rare medieval hair-styling tool was found at Scotland's Eilean Donan castle. (Wish I'd found it during my visits there!)
- A metal detectorist unearthed Bronze Age jewelry in a Swiss carrot field. (Eh... what's up doc?)
- For centuries, Indigenous people lived in these desert canyons. Now, new technology reveals extraordinary details about this sacred site. (One of the best things Denis and I ever did was take an all-day tour of Canyon de Chelly.)
- Archaeologists discovered a 5,000-year-old tomb in southern Spain.
►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄
- Five incredible dinosaurs you've probably never heard about. (I have my great-grandfather, Elmer Brown, to thank for my interest in dinosaurs... and my love of the Jurassic Park movies.)
- Watch these shy, adorable, nocturnal creatures (pine martens) explore their new home after being reintroduced in southwest England. (I love pine martens! Denis and I had one stop by our beach bothy every morning when we were staying in northwest Scotland.)
- Generations of bearded vultures stashed humans' treasures, including a 650-year-old sandal, in their nests.
- What energized this Arctic hare to keep going and going and going?
- The surprising imperial history of the Pekingese dog.
- A lonely cheetah cub at an Australian zoo now has an unlikely "best friend"-- a puppy.
►The Wanderer◄
- An Art Deco lover's guide to Paris.
- For the first time ever, you can see stunning, centuries-old murals at England's oldest hospital.
- Frida Kahlo's family home and artistic retreat has opened as a museum.
- Crime and the City: Capri.
- The highest bridge in the world just opened in China at more than 2,000 feet above the ground.
- The rambunctious, elitist chocolate houses of 18th-century London.
- Glacial melting in Alaska has created a new island.
►Fascinating Folk◄
- The strange case of Henrietta Wiley, a wealthy New York heiress and socialite.
- The Dionne quintuplets captivated the world during the Great Depression, but their fame came at a cost.
- Two years after Cormac McCarthy's death, rare access to his personal library reveals the man behind the myth.
- Nathan Hale, the doomed patriot spy, probably never said, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" before his execution.
- Did enslaved chocolatier Cato help Hercules Mulligan foil a plot to assassinate George Washington?
- Read the dramatic 17th-century memoirs of Alice Thornton, who wrote four versions of her life story.
►I ♥ Lists◄
- Winners of the 2025 Kirkus Prize.
- Twelve failed constitutional amendments that could have reshaped American history.
- If you've never read Agatha Christie, start with one of these books.
- 25 new and upcoming heartwarming books.
- 13 things made collectible thanks to spelling errors.
- Visit the British seaside in these fifteen novels.
- The best naval fiction of all time.
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!
Sorry to hear you're paying such a price for all the clearing out you're doing, Cathy. Still, I'm glad the Ben-Gay is helping. And I admire how productive you've been! I hope the weather is right for you to go to the DBG next week. In the meantime, I'm going to see if those divers left any coins behind in those shipwrecks! Then I'm off to that tomb in Spain, I think...
ReplyDeleteI gave my shoulder and arm a rest this weekend, rubbed 'em down with Bengay, and all is much better, thank heaven!
DeleteWell, naturally I stopped for a visit to Paris on my way to the comments :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the progress with your clearing out! I hope the weather lets you get to the DBG next week; you're definitely due for a trip. And my thanks for the reminder about Ben-Gay, because I'm starting to notice what I think is arthritic soreness at the bases of my thumbs, so that remedy will be worth a try.
I knew you'd be stopping in Paris! ;-)
DeleteI hope it works for you. I have (sometimes extreme) pain at the bases of both thumbs, so I can relate.
I have always been impressed by what you do. Some years ago, you would decorate your house for Christmas- I don't remember how many trees you would do but it looked like a big job. It was very pretty. Then you would show your blankets and scarves that you knitted. On top of all this, you would read and post a blog every day. Like I said, it has always impressed me. It takes me awhile, just to write one thoughtful review.
ReplyDeleteWhat a boost to my morale today, Lynn. Thank you!
DeleteI think you were referring to this post. Thirteen trees and assorted other decorations. Yes, it was a big job.
When I ran track in high school the locker room always smelled of either Bengay or Icy Hot. They both definitely helped with sore muscles...glad it's also helping with arthritic hands. And yay for getting rid of so much stuff. Good for you! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lark!
DeleteYou have been busy, Cathy! Glad that you've moved forward in your quest to do a 'clear out'. I do those each time we move (which we have done several times - ha!). Sorry about your needing the Bengay, but I think we are about at that time of life. Oh, I also love the T-shirt you shared. LOL
ReplyDeleteI was hoping someone would mention the t-shirt!
DeleteI will read all links, appreciate your work on this. I have massaged Tiger Balm into my broken hip area and sore back and thigh muscles. It does
ReplyDeletehelp.The combination of menthol and camphor is a bit of an odor but
if I get dressed over the area, it cuts back the odor. But amazingly,
it helped. I'm trying to read my way to recovery and am trying all
sorts of books.Of course, am checking here. Need some good debut novels and books written by young writers so am adventuring around the Internet to find such books. It is fun. So much to read.
Fortunately, I like the smell of camphor and menthol. May your road to recovery be filled with good books!
DeleteMy goodness, you have accomplished so much! Clearing out is such a chore. My husband was just saying the other night that when we are gone our children are going to have an impossible task divesting all of the stuff we've accumulated in more than fifty years together. My response was they should just move in and keep on accumulating!
ReplyDeleteI think I inherited my grandmother's "clear-out" gene. After going through this process with four loved ones, I just don't have the heart to pass along the same chore to others. There will still be plenty of "me" they can go through, just not a lot of junk.
DeleteI use Icy Hot all the time, I wonder if Bengay would work better.
ReplyDeleteIt probably wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
Delete