19 Comments
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Celine Keating's avatar

I'm such a Luddite that I've never tried to restack - I don't know if the problem might be on my end.

I'm impressed you've have a baggie drying rack - ahead of the curve!

Happy holidays!

Sheila Lewis-creatingwritenow's avatar

I don't know how to restack, etc., either. Or how to find people I follow. In some ways, my posts disappear before they are posted. Cool takeaway, I do like to dry plastic bags over empty water bottles.

Andrea Ezerins's avatar

I love your gift ideas. I need the plastic bag dryer as my faucet just doesn't cut it.

Celine Keating's avatar

Yes! All those places I used are not up to snuff...happy holidays!

Maggie Hill's avatar

This newsletter delighted me! A drying rack for bags? New story coming out in an anthology! Pictures of the majestic lighthouse on a cold winter night....(sigh). Love it. Thank you. Have a marvelous holiday season.

Celine Keating's avatar

Have a beautiful holiday season, Maggie!

Weatherproof's avatar

Yay for all the inner child moments

Sheila Lewis-creatingwritenow's avatar

Celine, I love this: the eco gifts, washable dish clothes, tree, flower, and lavender obsessions. I hope your unique eye plants these lovely things in your next book. There is never too much lavender. If you grow it, they will buy. Your post perked up a cold night. Sheila

Celine Keating's avatar

Lovely to hear you enjoyed it. Sometimes we just need to be a little silly, right? Happy Chanukah ( a bit late) and best wishes for a glorious and creative New Year!

Alice Elliott Dark's avatar

Thanks for all of this. I have been thinking of planting lavender along the wall behind my small terrace. Do you recommend doing so? Will the deer eat it all?

Celine Keating's avatar

Oh yes, I definitely recommend it. The scent is really prominent, for one thing, and it looks lovely. I don't have personal experience with deer where we live, but I've been told they avoid it because they don't like the smell. Likewise mice etc. dislike it, which is a plus! I put in very small plants a couple of years ago and they tripled in size by the next year and were probably doubled yet again by last summer. So in just two years it went from a line of tiny intersersed plants to filling out into a full display - I was surprised how fast and full it grew. Depending on how many plants you put in, it can be alot of work to do the pruning etc. but if you don't do it, the plants will get too woody. I found it all of the work enjoyable but then again, I like weeding. I watched a lot of videos on how to do the pruning, harvesting, etc., and kind of nerded out, but that's not essential. Someone just told me that you can use the trimmed off stalks as a fire starter so if you have a fireplace, that's fun, too!

Celine Keating's avatar

Thanks, Doug!

Andrea Ezerins's avatar

I was able to restack your post. It's the little circle of two arrows up next to the heart and the comment icon near your name. I heard that every time you post on Substack, you should hit the restack icon, as that will do something. I forget what, but I do it just in case.

Douglas K. Pennington's avatar

This was lovely, Celine. Would love to see the lighthouse lit up! Congratulations on the short story, and hope the writing is going well. Best to Mark. Happy Holidays!

Patricia Slesarchik's avatar

Wow this is so great! Thanks, Celine. I never saw those plastic bag dryers before. How cool! Hope you have a happy holiday! xx

Celine Keating's avatar

Pat, wishing you a fabulous holiday !

Elizabeth Jannuzzi's avatar

Ooh, I need that bag dryer! Happy Holidays Celine!

Linda Stillman's avatar

I always enjoy your posts.

I recycle my baggies too, drying them everywhere.

Wonderful photos of the lighthouse, thank you.

I noted with interest how the bookcovers of your 3 recommended books all have a similar design.

Happy Holidays!

Karen Lynne Klink's avatar

Enjoyed your newsletter. I've had one of those baggie drying racks for years.

I tried to restack and received "Bad Gateway." I've been having numerous tech problems with substack lately. Maybe substack is growing too fast to keep up?