The Spending $ Like I Had It Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I've been having one of those spells that we all have: large expenses cropping up like weeds and all demanding attention RIGHT NOW. Loads of fun, aren't they? (I know I'm preaching to the choir.)

At the beginning of the year, it dawned on me to check on our homeowners' insurance. Denis had taken care of it since we were first married, and the last time I'd had anything to do with it, it had been included in the mortgage. Good thing I checked! 

The insurance company had me do a DIY home inspection and then demanded that I do two things. One, I'd already done. ($$$) This second one was even more expensive: a new electrical panel. ($$$$$) I know it needs to be done, but what entity informed the insurance company and all these other places that I just won an obscene amount of money in the lottery? I wish I had! Ah well... cope and adjust.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. I really need to plan a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden. But before I head to the link corral, I'll share this photo with you...

Suzanne inadvertently left a pair of slippers behind. Every time I see them, I expect her to come walking through the kitchen door. *sigh*

Virtual hugs to you all. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The US saw a record high of 5,668 books banned in libraries in 2025.
• Read a book, flip off a Nazi: when reading meant resistance-- in pictures.
• Does reading do us any good?
• What will it take to get A.I. out of schools?
• What are the routines of so-called super-readers?
• Why cookbooks are the next frontier for narrative writing.
• How America learned to love Barnes & Noble again.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A collection of maps owned by England's first queen spent centuries overlooked in a family library. Now, the rare volume is on sale for $1.6 million.
• A 13-year-old boy found this bronze coin in a field. It turned out to be the first ancient Greek artifact discovered in Berlin.
• Stained by nicotine and cocoa powder, these Edvard Munch paintings hung in a chocolate factory for a century. Now, they're going on public display for the first time.
• A 1,900-year-old souvenir cup featuring Hadrian's Wall and Roman forts has been discovered in Spain.
• Archaeologists discovered an Egyptian mummy with part of the Iliad in its abdomen.
• These historic snuffboxes associated with 18th-century monarchs were stolen in a shocking heist. Now, they're back on public display.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• See the 1-in-50-million split-color lobster caught off the coast of Massachusetts. It's carrying two sets of genetic information.
• A rare "cloud jaguar" was spotted in the Honduran mountains for the first time in a decade, representing a win for conservationists.
• Gibraltar's famous monkeys are eating dirt, likely to alleviate stomach aches from munching on tourists' junk food.
• "Robo-bunnies" are the newest weapon in the fight against invasive Burmese pythons in Florida.
• Meet these delightful bookshop cats (and one dog).
• Platypus hair shares a puzzling feature with bird feathers, adding to the egg-laying mammal's list of unusual characteristics. 

►The Wanderer◄

• How to explore the Australian Outback by train.
• This dazzling Tiffany stained-glass window adorned a church for more than a century. Now it needs a new home.
• The long, strange trip of the Titanic victims whose remains surfaced hundreds of miles away, weeks after the ship sank.
• Visiting Arizona's tribal lands and celebrating Native heritage.
• The tallest building in every U.S. state.
• When America found itself ready to roll, Route 66, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, was the road of endless possibilities.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Lauren Weisberger's life after The Devil Wears Prada.
• Eccentric tycoon Charles Vance Miller left a fortune to the winner of a baby-making contest. The Great Stork Derby divided Canadians during the Great Depression.
• Just Wilde about hair.
• Meet entomologist and wildlife photographer Mark Moffett, zooming in on the weird and wonderful world of ants.
• Jeopardy! winner Tom Nissley champions books.
• Quaker Lydia Darragh eavesdropped on British soldiers plotting a surprise attack-- and surreptitiously warned George Washington.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 7 novels about the secrets mothers keep.
• New mystery and thriller shows this spring.
• 6 flower shop cozy mystery books.
• Books set in libraries.
• 13 books that are perfect for Yellowstone fans.
• 16 historical novels about aviators and pilots.

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!