Weekend Link Dump

This week's Link Dump is sponsored by another of our Cats From the Past!

Meet Mimi.  She was yet another homeless wanderer who made her way into the Strange Company HQ heart and home.

Friend of this blog John Bellen recently wrote of "unsung" felines: "not the spectacular sort, not the kind of cat who garners attention. She is not a cute and cuddly kitten, nor a diabetic requiring special care. She is just a cat. But she is my cat, and my friend. And that is something to celebrate now and then."

That was Mimi.  She was a low-key, shy, affectionate cat without any quirks, bad habits or outstanding personality traits.  If she had been human, I suppose she would have been a bit of a wallflower, overlooked at parties in favor of flashier, but not worthier girls.   She was a large, long-haired, quite beautiful cat, though.  I'm sorry I don't have any better pictures of her, but during her time with us the only camera we had was an utterly crappy one on a cheap little flip-phone.  I regret that.

Mimi was a "senior" cat when she moved in with us, so we only had her for a few years.  But she was my friend, and I celebrate her.


What the hell happened to Snooperkatz?

What the hell are the Sheela-na-gigs?

Watch out for those Victorian pleasure gardens!

Watch out for those death ships!

Watch out for those exploding pants!

A busy day at Tyburn.

The "Lady Shore," and a "most disagreeable, mutinous set of villains."

Portrait of a doomed royal marriage.  Or, rather, since this is Henry VIII we're talking about, one of his doomed royal marriages.

Oh, just another 1930s American town in the Amazon rainforest.

Oh, just another ghost ship piloted by mannequins.  And, yes, it's Florida.

Some details about cadaver dogs.

On a related note, here's one hell of a rescue dog.

When the French king lived in England.

This week's episode of "Oh, looky, I've found Jack the Ripper!"

That time Stoke-on-Trent was invaded by aliens.

A forgotten storm.

The history of the ampersand.

Early letters of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales.

Finding Walter, via his 12th century manuscripts.

Someone in Switzerland is imitating the U.S. Congress. 

The story behind The Brownie Comment.

A cat door from the 14th century.

Death on a Victorian canal.

Some odd gravestones.

The race to save historical sounds.

The colorful life of an 18th century comic actor.

A young woman avenged her father's murder...and got away with it.

Oh, good, I'm always ready to talk Necropants.

Murder at a speakeasy.

The Brighton Dipper.

Sorry, kids, there wasn't really any Tulip Fever.

The Devil's fiddles.

This week's Advice From Thomas Morris:  Pregnant women, keep those arms down!  Taking a three-story fall is OK, though.

The mermaid of Connomara.

A forgotten American war hero.

The origin of Zero.

Caring for Victorian preemies.

A failed attempt at flight, 1816.

And, finally: I don't usually include GoFundMe requests, but someone on Twitter asked me to share this very sad story of a cat in need.

That's it for this week! See you on Monday, when we'll look at the unusual circumstances surrounding a couple's disappearance. In the meantime, here's the Stevie Nicks of the Woodstock set. Like Stevie, Melanie tends to grate on my nerves, but like Stevie, I'm fond of a few songs. This is one of them. Even though, like most of Stevie's lyrics, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

*Braces for the incoming missiles from Stevie Nicks groupies*