The Someone Was Psychic Weekly Link Round-up

 

Just as I was getting back in the swing of blogging, a monkey wrench has been thrown into the works. Remember my telling you that Denis had two loose screws in the metalwork holding his spine together? Well, the attention has moved from those screws to one of the rods.

Last Thursday night, Denis couldn't walk. Friday morning, he couldn't stand up. We called the Phoenix Fire Department's non-emergency number to have them take him to the hospital.

Denis was stuck in a room in the ER of a nearby hospital over the weekend. Naturally, nothing ever goes smoothly for either one of us. The surgeon who did the original surgery had moved to New York, and his replacement didn't want to take over. They found a surgeon at the Banner University Medical Center, but there wasn't a bed available. Finally, a bed opened up and he was moved at 7 PM Tuesday night.

Today is Wednesday. Denis has spoken to his surgeon. Now he not only has two loose screws but he also has a snapped rod. I have Dial-a-Ride scheduled tomorrow (Thursday) so I can spend some time with him. Hopefully, they won't be running tests on him; I'd hate to sit in an empty room instead of spending time with Denis!

Last Friday as Denis was being loaded into the ambulance, the mail was delivered. 

Somehow, a friend knew that I would need a bit of cheering up. Bless you, friend!

I hope everything is going well with all of you. If not, consider yourself hugged. As far as that goes, consider yourself hugged even if everything is peachy keen in your world (and I hope it is). Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• From "Ted" to Tom: The illustrated envelopes Edward Gorey sent to his pen pal.
• Israeli police raided Palestinian-owned bookstores in Jerusalem and arrested the owners.
• Can you guess the band's original name?
• Can you choose the correct version of these commonly misspelled words?
• Grove Atlantic is launching the new Atlantic Crime imprint.
• An IKEA bookshelf's third coming.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Lasers have revealed a 15th-century fortified Zapotec city in Mexico.
• Discover the aromas of ancient Egyptian mummies, from orange peels to pine to incense.
• Archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of a 2,000-year-old Roman basilica beneath an office building in London.
• Archaeologists discovered a stash of 1,500-year-old weapons-- including the only known Roman helmet ever found in Denmark.
• Experts are alarmed by a video of workers hammering away at Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.
• Archaeologists have unearthed intricately decorated blocks from Hatshepsut's Temple in Egypt.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Why cats love to knock things over.
• A study has found that the incredible arm dexterity of an octopus comes from a segmented nervous system.
• Why do dogs wag their tails?
• Squirrels are displaying "widespread carnivorous behavior" for the first time in a California park.
• As cities get warmer, rat populations are on the rise.
• What did scientists learn after thousands of penguins were slaughtered by mountain lions?
• Can Olney, Illinois's protections for albino squirrels inspire other cities to guard wildlife against cats? I hope so. (And I'm well-acquainted with Olney's white squirrels.)

►The Wanderer◄

• Meet the caretakers of Sealand, the world's most stubborn micronation.
• Atlantic City: Crime fiction on the boardwalk.
• Se the beauty of Alaska with 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest.
• Antarctica's first-ever amber fossil sheds light on the dinosaur-era rainforest that covered the South Pole 90 million years ago.
• See photos of the world's largest coral, newly discovered by scientists in the Pacific Ocean.
• How all 50 states got their names.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• The life and times of Gaston Means, one of the greatest rogues in American history.
• Harriet Tubman just became a one-star general more than 150 years after serving with the Union Army.
• Chimney sweeps and the turn against child labor.
• Could "Rosie the Riveter" be Chinese-American?
• Jacquie Pham on historical fiction, colonialism, and "the many imbalances that wealth, gender, and power wield."
• Norma Gabler, the woman whose crusade gave today's book-banning moms a blueprint.
• Watch Martha Stewart try to keep a straight face while making tacos with Robin Williams.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• The best classic mysteries of all time.
• Eight of the best debut mysteries ever written.
• Ten of the most original murders in mystery.
• 17 gripping Native American mysteries and thrillers to add to your TBR list.
• Eight funny murder mysteries.
• Five of the best cop duos in television and film.

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!