Merry Rose Home Warnings : Candle Soot : Carbon Coating Homes Tuesday, November 20, 2018 by Mrs. Dashwood

On this sunny, very cold Tuesday, the twentieth of November, Mrs. Dashwood was glad to have scheduled someone to visit her home to clean the gas heater, an older wall model that still works fine. Mrs. Dashwood was just getting ready to light a sweet-smelling pumpkin spice-scented candle when the contractor arrived. In this day and age, with lots of allergies, etc., it seems polite to ask if burning the scented candle is a problem. The contractor answered no, but did mention that soot from candles can eat away at dry wall tape, that he had seen that happen in a church that burned candles a lot. At that moment, we both looked up at the ceiling, where the dry wall tape was beginning to show signs of coming apart.

Needless to say, Mrs. Dashwood, who loves burning candles, was shocked. She had never heard of such a thing. She promptly decided not to light the wonderfully-sweet smelling pumpkin spice candle. Later, after the furnace was clean and humming along fine, warming the living room, Mrs. Dashwood made a cup of steaming, stove-top espresso coffee, and sat down to research this situation online.

The contractor was not kidding. Candle soot can be a serious and expensive problem for homes.

Esurance gives this information on its webpage:

"Soot, which can be mistaken for mold or dirt, can cause irreparable damage and cost homeowners sometimes tens of thousands of dollars. Homeowners insurance may or may not cover damage resulting from this black substance.
Soot, chiefly made up of carbon, can coat your walls, television screens, and computer monitors, as well as your carpet, furniture, blinds, and drapes. It can even infest your ventilation system's ductwork."

https://www.esurance.com/info/homeowners/the-dark-side-of-candles-soot-damage

 

 

Another source is Chimney Keepers:

 

"'Due to the lack of air exchange, burning a single candle a week in a tight, well-insulated home can cause very worrisome wall darkening,' according to Jeffrey C. May, a professional home inspector in Cambridge, MA."

 

http://chimneykeepers.com/resources-2/that-mysterious-soot-might-be-from-candles/

 

Prevent Soot in the First Place

 

Most all sources advise against scented candles, unless they are in a ventilated area such as a fireplace. Other suggestions are to keep the wicks trimmed to 1/4 inch, and to keep burning candles out of drafts.

Sugaree's Bakery in New Albany, Mississippi, Offers Wondrous Goodies, via Mrs. Dashwood Nov. 11, 2018

This past summer, 2018, Mrs. Dashwood was visiting a dear friend in the area of New Albany, Mississippi. There she was taken to a wonderful bakery on the main street in this charming little town. Sugarees.com makes it easy to Order Online, or visit in person at 110 W. Bankhead Street, New Albany, MS. 38652 662.534.0031. Mrs. Dashwood purchased some delicious pecan tarts and wedding cakes to share with family and friends. It's always fun to find a great bakery!

 

Sugaree's

Almost Like Papps, Shoes Like Pappagallos, by Mrs. Dashwood Sat. Nov. 3, 2018 for The Merry Rose General Store.

Here are some shoes that Mrs. Dashwood found online that are almost like Pappagallos from the '60s and 70s.

Bailarinas can be found on ebay https://www.ebay.com/sch/45333/i.html?_nkw=bailarinas&ul_noapp=true
Mrs. Dashwood purchased these. For her foot, these are a bit narrow.
However, they look very good, and she enjoys wearing them.

 

 

 

 

The next set of shoes is from Everlane, and called "Women's Day Glove." 

Mrs. Dashwood doesn't have a photo, so here is the link: 

https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-day-glove-caramel?collection=womens-shoes 

These flats are made in Italy from soft Italian leather in a variety of attractive colors.

Personally, Mrs. Dashwood wishes that the shoe was cut lower, almost to toe "cleavage."

She hasn't tried or purchased them, but the shoes have a lot of positive feedback from customers. 

Mrs. Dashwood likes the trim, skimmer look, and the wide seamed back, which hearkens to the Papps heels.



The Rifleman DVD Sets: Practically Perfect! Suggestions for Any TV Series DVD Makers, a Review by Mrs. Dashwood, Sun. July 1, 2018

The Rifleman DVD Sets 

Reviewed by Mrs. Dashwood

 

A great show with dvd sets that are practically perfect in every way:

Here is what Mrs. Dashwood wishes for every DVD TV series.

 

 

Mrs. Dashwood purchased these DVDs from The Rifleman website, the source of all 5 seasons of this long-lasting show, originally broadcast from 1958 to 1963.

The series debut on September 30, 1958 was written by Sam Peckinpah, and directed by Arnold Laven, with Dennis Hopper as guest star. The series became a hit, with Lucas McCain's blend of friendly sodbuster and citizen, mixed with deadly rifle skills. Johnny Crawford, formerly on the tv Mousketeers show, opened the door to a younger audience who already knew Johnny from the Disney show.

The Rifleman DVD Sets Offer a Template for All TV Series

The DVDs are wonderful examples of what every dvd should be like for tv shows.

In fact, The Rifleman dvds are practically perfect in every way.
Here's what Mrs. Dashwood would suggest for any dvd sets from tv series:

Attractive Cases, Clearly Marked Seasons, Episodes, Air Dates, Writers, and Directors 

First, the dvds come in attractive cases, with the episodes clearly marked on the case and dvd itself.
Each dvd and menu has pictures of the actors, along with some extra information.
Especially nice is the accompanying page with the original air dates, writers, and directors


 

 

 

Menu Choice of "Play All" or Single Episodes

There is the nice choice of "play all" episodes, or select a single episode.
So fans can "binge" play the disc, or choose a favorite specific episode to watch.
Mrs. Dashwood appreciates the menu that again provides the season and episode numbers.

Numbered Episode Titles Menu and Air Date Again

As an additional bonus, the dvd screen itself repeats the name and number of the episode.
This is very helpful if Mrs. Dashwood can't remember what episode she wants to watch.

And the menu again provides the original air date. This is a lot of fun and nostalgia for Mrs. Dashwood, who can look at the air date, and remember how old she was, and where she was living, when the episode originally aired. For instance, one of Mrs. Dashwood's beloved relatives had a March 17th birthday. She can sit and wonder if they watched this episode together on the birthday.

The DVD Lettering is Easy to Read

The lettering is easy to read, such as black letters on a mirror background.
This makes for quick, easy reference, and is a plus for anyone who appreciates easy reading.

Closed Captions are on time, and don't "lag."

The closed captioning is perfect, without "lagging," for those who like to see the dialoge.
This is important for people who are hard of hearing, or for teachers and students, especially for English as a Second Language, who can enjoy episodes and learn English at the same time.
Here are two examples:

 The DVDs Play Well

Needless to say that everyone, including Mrs. Dashwood, appreciates dvds that play well without skipping or getting stuck.

Great Music, Stories, Home-Spun Culture, Humor, and Love

There is great music by Herschel Burke Gilbert.
There is plenty of home folk culture, mixed with common sense, humor, and love.
Lots of people like to watch the show for the characters and family dialogue.
Here's a link to "One Went to Denver" which displays all of these fine qualities.

Father's Day Present of The Rifleman DVD via June 17, 2018, as reported by Ms. Dashwood at The Merry Rose Home Garden and Farm June 6, 2018

 

 

 

Fathers' Day is coming up fast, and for those of us at The Merry Rose who might still be looking for a gift for Dad, we visited The Rifleman website, the source of all 5 seasons of this long-lasting show, originally broadcast from 1958 to 1963.

The series debut on September 30, 1958 was written by Sam Peckinpah, and directed by Arnold Laven, with Dennis Hopper as guest star. The series became a hit, with Lucas McCain's blend of friendly sodbuster and citizen, mixed with deadly rifle skills. Johnny Crawford, formerly on the tv Mousketeers show, opened the door to a younger audience who already knew Johnny from the Disney show.

The DVDs are wonderful examples of what every dvd should be like for tv shows.
In fact, The Rifleman dvds are practically perfect in every way.
First, the dvds come in attractive cases, with the episodes clearly marked on the case and dvd itself.
Second, the closed captioning is perfect, for those who like to see the dialoge.
Third, each dvd menu gives the air date of the episode, for those who would like this information.
Fourth, the episodes play well, without skipping.
Fifth, there is great music by Herschel Burke Gilbert.
Sixth, there is plenty of home folk culture, mixed with common sense and love.
Lots of people like to watch the show for the characters and family dialogue.

Putting out such a fine product takes time, and each season has come out singly, as they are finished and ready for fans to purchase. Now, the Rifleman Official Season 5 DVD Boxed Set Collector Edition, Episodes 143 to 168, is available for $52.95 at https://www.therifleman.net/

If this is too pricey, visit other pages on this Rifleman website, to check out the prices of Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as visit the store for t-shirts, mugs, books, prints, accessories, calenders, and caps.

They have a sale on Value Editions, Season 1 and 2, for $35.
Value Edition Season 4 Vol. 1 is on sale for $10.98.

Again, the folks at The Merry Rose are very pleased with The Rifleman DVDs, and wish that other dvds of films and tv shows would look at The Rifleman DVDs, as a shining example of presenting a wonderful show on wonderfully-designed DVDs.

Here are some of the DVDs with guest stars Agnes Moorehead as Miss Bertie and Richard Anderson as Lariet Jones.

"Richard Anderson made six guest appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, playing a different role in each episode.  He played Tom Birch in "One Went To Denver " (episode 25), the title role of Lariat Jones in "Lariat" (episode 67), Duke Jennings in "Miss Bertie" (episode 90), Jason Gowdy in " Flowers By the Door " (episode 92), Harry Chase in "Milly's Brother" (episode 140), and Griff in "The Bullet" (episode 163)."