Concessions

Well, I’ve conceded to technical blogging issues and started signing off as “- Darla”. Fighting the comment failure rate has proven a ridiculous time waster. I’ve even begun this practice on my own blog.

At least most bloggers know I often use tildes. So far, bots and/or scammers do not.

~fingers crossed I didn’t give out ideas~

Then I wondered about the definition of concession stands. Here is the derivation: from the tiniest community sites to giant stadiums, owners grant vendors permission rights. In other words, these larger institutions concede.

Isn’t modern technology both a boon and burden? Have you ever or would you like to start up a small business?



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Kintsugi: The Centuries-Old Art of Repairing Broken Pottery with Gold

Dear Ellen made an intelligent guess on the meaning of wabi-sabi that caused me to look up the term titled above. Wabi-sabi is an appreciation of natural beauty’s impermanence as sweet Sandee mentioned in her comment.

The esthetics are almost identical as this article states. As well as learning about the history, I saw some beautiful modern examples plus discovered a link to DIY kits. I’m even considering buying one since I have broken so many things over the decades.

~rolls eyes~

I sincerely wish I’d not discarded either of my two champagne glasses broken at different times. ~sigh~ Bought in Austria when my high school choir toured the region, they served at our wedding almost a decade later.

But I digress. Kintsukuroi is an alternative name for kintsugi, which translates as “golden journey”. That alone made this brief research a joy.

Alas, my favorite fictional band broke up...
Heh...

Can you believe I just paid around $36 (USD) without knowing how I’ll use it? Or should I try redoing this repaired mug?

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Things Nobody Teaches You & Other Tidbits

The older we get, my husband and I discover more and more little life improving tricks. Sometimes I call them “Duh Moments” due to how obvious they are in retrospect.

Mmm... Smell the carnations (more on this later).

For example take dental floss, of which my younger self wasted a fair amount. A few years ago I finally figured out that the ideal amount for proper teeth cleaning is just about the length of my forearm. Duh… It makes sense to get a rough measurement.

The next one was less obvious, regarding dishwasher settings. Our machine is far from new, but well advanced over what my mother used. Its option to turn off the drying cycle seemed great. Why not save electricity? Well, don’t do it, at least on a regular basis in humid Southwest Ohio. The constant moisture caused mildew buildup within that took a while for us to notice. Yuck. I now reserve that setting for rare occasions.

Don’t like drying toothpaste gunk beneath the newfangled flip-top cap? Unscrew the thing, instead. My dear man pointed that one out. Oh, and he converted this laptop to Windows 10 without incident. We didn’t have to recover a single file. Whew! His effort is much appreciated.

I, meanwhile, continue striving to exercise. Yesterday I considered getting on our NordicTrack. Then, looking around at various clutter, opted to do some tidying. I started with the kitchen before picking up things to take downstairs, especially off the hearth and mantel where I had too many tchotchkes. In case you're unfamiliar it's pronounced choch-ka(s), Yiddish for brick-a-brack (I tend to forget how regional slang tends to be). In an hour I worked up quite a sweat and felt good for neatening the downstairs a bit, as well as the main living areas.

My final tidbit is true frivolity, but also the newest idea of which I’m quite proud. Our beautiful crystal vase, a wedding gift, is way larger than I can afford to fill. While silk flowers can be nice, fresh carnations give off one of my absolute favorite fragrances. I only buy when they’re marked down, and lucked out at a $2 bunch whose petals and scent remain lovely longer than expected.

The final trick I’ll share involves flower arranging. I wanted to keep their appearance neat and stems from leaning against the glass, impossible without some sort of support (I didn’t splurge on other cut vegetation). To my pleasant surprise, a submerged shot glass fit the bill. Later, I added strands of artificial ivy, a reusable asset dressing up my fragrant display.

Surprise! The clear glass within crystal turned invisible.
But you can kind of see how it corralled the stems.

Did you know both cut and planted carnations bloom longer than nutrient gobbling roses? Do you prefer one type of flower over the other, whether in vases or gardens?

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A Darla Discovery – Brands with Braille

Today I finally got around to cleaning the toilet and dropping in one of those tablets designed to keep the porcelain cleaner. A look at the packaging revealed something unusual. Check this out…

See the Print at Bottom Right?

Sorry about the tear. I failed to think of blogging on this before finishing the deed. After that I saw there was indeed Braille at the top, which sort of blends in with the decorative bubbles at first glance. Anyway, I read further to learn IMS Trading donates some of the proceeds to a foundation for the blind in honor of the founder and CEO Isaac Shapiro’s mother.

I Wonder How Useful This Is

Do you use cleansing toilet inserts?

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Darla’s Discoveries – Home Maintenance & Patience, Patience

It’s hard to believe we have lived in our home for over twenty years. The experience has been good for the most part. A huge perk is not having loud, obnoxious neighbors stomping around over our heads. Home ownership also requires upkeep on a scale I never understood as an apartment dweller.

The constant effort to keep everyday weather, especially rainfall, from wrecking our southwest Ohio home has proved daunting. We considered brick infallible thanks to three misleading little pigs. We were wrong. Tuck pointing and sealing require regular maintenance. Otherwise, believe it or not, your home may not be blown down by the big bad wolf but can turn into a rocky sponge.

So, for this Thursday’s discoveries I’d like to recommend finding someone you trust to work on your home. Today there are countless websites where you can read service reviews. Back when our walls needed fresh paint, my art framer recommended a former classmate. Lucky for us, that fellow does all kinds of work and knows many skilled specialists.

Regardless how it happens, after you find a reliable contractor treat this person with respect and listen to suggestions. Our man Dale has a company motto: Persnickety by Nature. And he is. That means jobs get done right.

As a result, these contracts can also take a while to fulfill. Hence I mentioned patience twice. Before restoring the interior aesthetics of our cellar Dale has waited for months, wanting to verify that our exterior was sealed against future damage, every bit of resulting mildew eradicated, and inside surfaces remain dry to his specifications.

Work in Progress

This once waterlogged cellar nook supports our main floor fireplace and the chimney. Restoration included not only sealing a huge crack (the grey line is the sealant) but ripping out all damaged materials, resulting in a damaged drop ceiling track as you can see above. It's been a solid year since repairs began. Today all that remains is replacing the removed carpet. If it weren’t for limited resources, I would insist all the basement carpet be removed. It’s been nothing but a nuisance through multiple floods and leakages. ~sigh~ At least I can (literally) breathe easier.

Once Flooring is Laid, I May Install Display Shelving

Have you ever suffered flood damage or mold issues?

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A Darla Discovery Takes to the Garden

Before this year we never enjoyed success growing rainbow chard, certainly not enough to eat. In 2016 a single seed produced results and SO liked the pretty foliage so much I was discouraged from harvesting any leaves. By fall when I went to cut it down my hands would not have fit around the base of that plant. Cool, but not practical.

Last year not a single chard seed sown among my perennials even sprouted. And we had decided we wanted to try adding those greens to our diet. So this year we took a different approach, buying three garden center grown plants and putting them in our root and vegetable EarthBox.

Baby Plants, Now Ten Times the Size

Success! Unfortunately, I am almost tired of eating chard. At least we keep finding new recipes thanks to the Internet. Charring the leaves with a little shallot and olive oil, then sprinkling the chopped bits with more oil, salt, pepper, and golden raisins proved quite tasty yesterday.

I may attempt to make chard ‘crisps’ with nothing but a tiny bit of oil and salt sprinkled over before baking. SO likes to nibble on sheets of nori leftover from rolling homemade futomaki, so why not?

Now, for my discovery, harvesting advice I found online proved very useful. Sure, you can cut off a few leaves here and there. You can also chop the plant to the ground.

We decided to try that with one plant after finding the big leaves less tasty, the stems downright woody. Below you can see the tender new growth.

Look at the Size of that Cut Stalk Compared to the Shoots at Lowest Left

Would you sample if someone set a plate of charred greens or crisped seaweed (nori) in front of you?

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Please Help Me Welcome the Lovely Ellen Jacobson, a Darla Discovery if There Ever Was One!

While this doesn’t include my usual Thursday home care tip, I ‘discovered’ the delightful Ms. Jacobson through her blog The Cynical Sailor and His Salty Sidekick. Dear Ellen is a hoot, and her comedic styling shines in her new book, “Murder at the Marina”, which I was privileged to read early in exchange for a fair review. I’ll be sharing that in a few days. Now, as I requested a story for today’s book promotion, I’ll let her take it away. Enjoy, dear readers.

Click to Visit the Amazon Page

Simon the Time Traveling Cat Goes for a Visit

Simon opened his eyes, yawned, and stretched his front paws, sinking his claws into the couch.

“Wait a minute, where are we?” he asked, peering around the room. “This doesn't look like where I fell asleep.”

“Oh, we're at Darla's,” I explained.

Simon sniffed the throw cushions, then growled. “Who the heck is Darla?”

“Darla has a lovely blog and offered to host us to celebrate the release of my cozy mystery, Murder at the Marina.”

“You're not still going on about that stupid book of yours, are you?” Simon jumped on the coffee table and pushed a pen onto the floor. He turned and glared at me. “Listen, lady, no one cares that you wrote a book. All they care about are your stories about me.”

I sighed. “Simon, for the last time, I'm not going to write a book about you. You'll have to be content with the occasional story on my blog.”

Simon's tail swished back and forth. “If you keep it up, lady, I might just stay at Darla's permanently.”

“I'm not sure she'd have you,” I said. “Now just be quiet for a few minutes while I tell everyone about Murder at the Marina and then I'll get you a saucer of full-fat milk.”

BLURB

Murder at the Marina is the first in the new lighthearted and humorous Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery series.

A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.

Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.

When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.

Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.

Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?

BUY LINKS

You can get a copy of “Murder at the Marina” at:

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHXQ29Y

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/murder-at-the-marina

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-the-marina-ellen-jacobson/1128516692

Apple iBooks - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1373848719

Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ellen_Jacobson_Murder_at_the_Marina

ABOUT ELLEN

Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and scifi/fantasy stories. She is the author of the “Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery” series. She lives on a sailboat with her husband, exploring the world from the water. When she isn't working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about their adventures at The Cynical Sailor.

You can connect with Ellen on:

Author Website - https://ellenjacobsonauthor.com/

Author Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/EllenJacobsonAuthor/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17395138.Ellen_Jacobson

The Cynical Sailor Blog - http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/

The Cynical Sailor Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/TheCynicalSailor/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Ellen__Jacobson

Newsletter Sign-up - http://eepurl.com/dpy5sv

Doesn't this delightful cover just scream 'beach read'?

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Darla's Discoveries (How to Live Trap a Spider, a Little Biology Lesson, and My Latest Misadventure)

Warning: Don't like creepy crawling things? Then please give this a skip (includes a photo).

I don’t know what it is about our house with all the centipedes and whatnot, though we can probably blame the wooded fields out back. Or maybe it’s me, the one forever coming across big bugs, usually when naked and legally blind sans eyeglasses entering the shower stall.

A few summers ago I discovered a very large spider in the floor drain between my washer and dryer where it resided for several weeks before moving on. You see, we try our best to release native species back into the wild rather than destroy them and I couldn’t figure out how to do so in that particular case.

(Trust me when I tell you one or both of us would have been injured had that spider ran at me.)

Here's the live trap trick I discovered. The best case scenario is when your insect or whatever resides on a flat, open surface. From there you need some large glass or plastic cup, thin stiff paper (like an envelope), and a little fortitude. Fortunately, today I spied the similar beast pictured below before it settled into the drain. And it’s a good thing I wasn’t home alone, because this harmless arachnid drained all my fortitude.

These so-called fishing spiders have the ability to hunt underwater, trapping air in a surrounding bubble like a self made diving suit. I figured that explained the drain lair, though they’re just as successful on the ground (years ago I spotted one on our driveway). At least these home invaders found me on dry land, as well.

My first Southwest Ohio encounter was in a canoe, when collision with an overhanging tree branch dislodged a huge spider and knocked it into our boat. By some miracle, my hysterics did not capsize us before my then-fiancé flipped our uninvited guest into the water where it stood atop unfazed like some creepy, eight-legged messiah.

Today I actually shook in my sandals until DH answered my frantic phone call and came downstairs to help wrangle the creature. I fetched a big plastic cup and piece of stiff paper from our new mattress cover packaging (why I went downstairs in the first place, to launder the cover). This photo is taken on the other side of the laundry room wall, near the stairs.

Why You Shaking, Lady?

Sorry it’s grainy. I was also too nervous to think of using a flash, though maybe that’s just as well as it might have spooked the poor thing. As it was, this peaceful hunter stood still for the procedure, and SO got a good chuckle when I reacted to the tease, “It’s all yours now.” I got called “cute” several times while overseeing disposal down the hill and swear the thing sailed like a flying squirrel on the way.

My Foot for Comparison in the Calm Aftermath

On that note, I should be glad we haven’t been invaded by destructive rodents. However cute, they can also carry disease.

Are you having a mildly exciting day like mine?

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Darla’s Discoveries – Embracing Reality & Saving Time, and Breath

No person can truly know another’s thoughts. And I have learned that my spouse could not think much less like me, who forever mulls over stupid things SO wouldn’t consider for a moment.

I am trying to be more like that and obsess less over trivia, wanting to reduce the time thinking about pointless issues. The same goes for talking about them.

Take my realization that my everyday toiletries and skin care products no longer need be on the medicine cabinet’s top shelf. Duh… I’m the short one. While SO has taken to keeping daily medications in a desk drawer for some reason, infrequently used stuff took their place. Moving items seldom used up and the aforementioned stuff brought down has made my mornings that much easier.

A younger me would have made a point of mentioning the decision. But these days I know that SO is not likely to notice, let alone care about the changes. So I kept my mouth shut, saving those precious minutes for talking about our shared interests instead.

Meanwhile, as I typed this last night we were preparing to view another live streamed SpaceX launch. We both geek out over each event.

Are there any little realizations that make your life simpler, whether in dealing with a loved one or how you arrange your living space?

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Darla’s Discoveries – Music as a... Mask?

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me in even a virtual sense knows music is one of my favorite things in this entire world. An inner ear headphone worn back in my office work days helped keep me sane, sometimes with the thousands of songs on random play.

It was amusing to hear a Marilyn Manson tune followed by Mozart, then maybe some hardcore Otep. And something fast paced makes exercising and cleaning a little more palatable.

Now I’m an aging asthmatic early retiree with one creaky knee who found other benefits to playing tunes. Breathing easy but lungs popping and crackling? Turn up The Cure. Queasy over a grinding knee joint ascending the cellar stairs? Put Palaye Royale on through headphones before starting the laundry.

As I type, I’m listening to music from “The Crow” to drown out my rattling exhalations. Maybe after this I’ll put on some KoЯn. That’s always fun writing accompaniment.

KoЯn - Nu Metal Masters

Does your life require a soundtrack?

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Darla’s Discovers – Feeing a Little Blue on April 5th, 2018

Actually, that title is misleading. I want to talk about… blueberries!

Our local grocery store recently marked down a box of the juicy, cobalt delights. And I, knowing they freeze beautifully (forgive the obscure “Steel Magnolias” quote), snatched them up.

However, when I got them home and rinsed these beauties, something rather unsavory happened on my tongue. It turned out that the spent bloom was not cleaned off the berries, making for a dry and rather dusty finish to the fruit.

See Those Pesky Tufts? They are Easy to Pluck Away

Not to worry! It only took about ten minutes to pluck the dried flower remnants. So be aware but don’t despair! These are delicious in plain yogurt.

Some Neared Half the Size of the Berry - Not Good Eats

Do you like blueberries? If not, I suppose you haven’t read this far. ~grin~ Be well!

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Duh Moment & Epiphany

Starting today, I am embarking on the Camp NaNo month long writing challenge. My goal is to write 1,667 words a day.

During these challenges, I like to use Scrivener writing software because it keeps a word count at the bottom of the screen. It also allows me to break down the project into days. In past years I went through the painstaking process of naming each day’s file, one through thirty.

Only on Friday before typing this did I realize my foolish error. All I need do is create the first file and call it ‘Day’. Then when I duplicate it, Scrivener automatically names the next ‘Day-1’.

~slaps forehead~

Upon reaching ‘Day-29’, I simply renamed ‘Day’ followed by the ‘-30’ suffix and dragged it into the correct position within the project. Ah, well, another lesson learned.

Simple, No?

That said and done, I also read again my thirteenth “BloodMoon” short story. The ending struck me as having too much exposition. That tale is also around three thousand words shorter than most of the others, plus I discovered a neat little plot twist missed in past reads.

My work fun is about to begin as I rewrite the entire ending. What will stay are the last two lines of dialog, which I like just as they are.

This is About to Change...

Do you tend to sabotage your own efforts and work harder than necessary?

Good grief! How did Easter sneak up so fast? Happy Easter and Passover to all who celebrate!

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Darla's Discoveries & Minor Disasters with Water - March 29, 2018

Our home seems to be inhabited by water sprites. It’s a ranch style house with a carpeted walkout basement that has been flooded more times than I can count. We are on our third water heater, for instance, which have dumped their contents with every fail. And those are just the biggest incidents.

One thing I’ve learned as a result is that cellars are best left uncarpeted. Also, on another note, do not let a shower faucet sit unused for too long. Both ongoing little lessons have been expensive, let me tell you.

I should have known that unused plumbing would freeze up from watching those shows on hoarding, in which so many troubled individuals have an unusable bathroom. I guess it never occurred to me why that happened.

So now, every time I change the cat litter (new bags of which are stored in the bathtub we never use), I turn on the faucet for a moment. Hopefully that will prevent it freezing up again.

Also, did you know that unsealed brick will leak? Yeah, that was another new one. We ended up with black mold downstairs from seeping walls beneath the fireplace, of all things.

A Work in Progress

What kind of structure is your home?

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Darla's Discoveries and a Quiz Answer - March 22, 2018

Yesterday I asked about a kitchen gadget and got some fun responses. Today I will share its purpose as well as a tip in caring for the accompanying tool.

The rubbery tube pictured below removes the skin of garlic cloves. You simply insert individual cloves and roll the tube using very light pressure.

This is Amazingly Efficient

On that note, why are the garlic bits called ‘cloves’ and not ‘lobes’ when there is a clove spice? That actually confused me a moment writing this as if I had the wrong term. ~grin~ Anyway, rolling it back and forth removes the skins super fast, as long as you keep the tube dry. Be sure to skin all your cloves before rinsing the tube clean (this delicate thing never goes in the automatic dishwasher).

While I realize that’s a tip in and of itself, I figured out another useful one regarding the garlic press after SO cooked a recent meal. When I went to cook something else garlic-based the next day, I found the press in the dish drainer with dried bits of garlic skin stuck to the shiny outer left hand portion (below).

This is More Dishwasher Safe; We Seldom Bother

At least the internal parts were clean. But thinking those less tasty flakes might end up in my food, I cleaned the press again. The bits were really tough to remove as I tried to hurry beneath a cold tap.

The lesson learned here is not only to clean garlic tools once you’re done with them for the day, but make sure your effort is thorough. Let’s hope dear SO got the message.

Oxo Brand Tools are the Best!

Do you like garlic?

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Darla’s Discoveries - March 15th 2018

Tip #5: Rest and Relaxation on the Cheap

Adult coloring books have become all the rage. And why not? My mother discovered the peaceful joy of crayons long ago. She used to sit and color even if her grandchildren acted uninterested.

But have you looked at the cost of those things? I seem to recall one at my grocery store having a $15 price tag! No way would I pay that for something so frivolous. And the images inside were so detailed that it would have been near impossible to color inside the lines.

I’m persnickety by nature, so instead of relaxing me those books would ratchet my stress! No, thank you.

Instead, I went to a discount store and found a book designed for children. It cost a fraction of the price and includes way more content. There are even word search puzzles, which I’ve always enjoyed.

These Colors Caught My Attention

Do you like to color?

How's This for Fun?

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Another Use for Cheap, Plastic Peach Ribbon - A Darla Discovery

In response to all the great suggestions for how to use a huge amount of ribbon remaining from my wedding, I have to admit to not being very crafty. I don’t even have a Pinterest account because the last thing I need is another time sink. ~grin~ That admission aside, let me get to the point of this.

In the Outer Banks last autumn I found a local artist whose depiction of cherry blossoms caught my eye. It’s surreal like so much of the art on my walls.

Unfortunately, the double sided tape used to mount the piece in an area seafood restaurant got ruined upon removal from the wall. It had been therefore leaning against my bedroom wall atop a little table, which didn’t do it justice.The other day I took another look and decided that, due to the light weight, the small square canvas could be hung with a loop of ribbon stuck to the back using rubber cement.

I Let It Dry for an Hour

It worked! Sad to say, this is about as close to a cherry blossom I'm likely to get this spring. Our neighborhoods are infested with invasive Bradford pear trees.

This Really Brightens the End of Our Hall

Does your area boast any cherry trees?

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Darla’s Discoveries - Tips & Tricks for Around the House

Tip #4: Battery Retrieval

The other day a fellow writer on Facebook saw my post about an Alphasmart word processor saving my writing day. She made a cute remark asking about this magical device that promotes word creation. I thought she was just being funny but later learned she really wanted to know more about the machine.

Used by Students in Between the Age of Typewriters & Cheaper PC's

So I proceeded to relay all the information that came to mind. Unable to remember how many AA batteries are required, I totally forgot for a moment that the shell is semi-transparent and tried to take them out for a count.

All I needed do was hold it up to the lamplight. ~rolls eyes~ And my wasted effort unseated the battery so that the connection became unreliable. I couldn’t keep it turned on and had to wrestle the battery out.

At that point I recalled how a lot of electronics provide a ribbon of sorts in the battery compartment to help a person unseat that first tight fitted cell. So, I made my own from a bolt of ribbon bought for my DIY decorated wedding.

Should I Worry about the Plastic Melting?

Can you suggest other uses for all this remaining ribbon?

I'll Probably End Up Taking This to My Grave
Heh...

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