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Cleveland Daily Banner—Wednesday, January 6, 2016—21
Right at Home: products and
ideas for tangle-free earbuds
Contributed photo
the
newComers
Club annual
Christmas party was
held at Johnson
Woods Retreat.
Guest speaker was
Judy Baker, storyteller. More than 35
club members
attended the event.
Gardening
Let’s talk dirt: Soil terms every gardener should know
By Lee Reich
Associated Press
Good gardens start from the
ground up, but to be a good soil
steward you have to understand
some basic terminology.
A few important terms associated with soil:
Soil TEXTURE describes nothing more than the size ranges of
the mineral particles that make
up a particular soil. Those size
ranges are defined in three broad
classes: clay (smaller than 0.002
mm), silt (0.002 mm to 0.05 mm)
and sand (greater than 0.05 mm).
Rare is the garden soil that is pure
sand, silt or clay, so textures usually have such names as “sandy
clay” or “silty clay” to indicate the
mix.
Texture is important because
particle sizes reflect the sizes of
the pores between them, and that
influences how much air and
water the soil can hold. The smallest pores actually draw water in
by capillary action, then hold onto
it tightly. So clay soils can stay
moist through long periods without rain.
Sandy soils have large pores,
too large for capillary action, so
gravity easily pulls excess water
down beyond the root zone. Sandy
soils tend to dry out quickly. On
the other hand, they are well aerated because air fills those empty
pores.
The ideal soil has a little of
everything — sand, silt and clay —
for both good aeration and good
AP photo
In thIs Photo, large and small pores abound in this well-aggregated soil, offering roots access to both air and moisture in New
Paltz, N.Y.
water retention. Such a soil, with
roughly equal functional contributions from clay, silt and sand
is, texturally, a LOAM.
You get what you’re dealt in soil
texture, but fortunately texture
isn’t the end-all when it comes to
water and aeration. A soil’s mineral particles can clump together —
or “aggregate” — into crystal-like,
larger units, which give a soil
STRUCTURE.
A poorly aggregated clay soil, its
small pores filled with capillary
water, leaves roots gasping for air.
However, when a clay soil has
good structure, the small particles
aggregate together to make large
particles with large pores between
them. At the same time, water can
be held in the small pores between
particles within the aggregates. A
well-aggregated clay soils offers
roots the best of both worlds.
While it’s usually impractical to
change your soil’s texture, there
are ways to manage soil so that it
has good structure. (Hint: Organic
matter — see below — is the key.)
FRIABILITY and TILTH, while
not meaning exactly the same
thing, are closely related from a
plant’s point of view. A FRIABLE
soil crumbles when you squeeze it
gently. TILTH is the physical condition of the soil as far as plants
are concerned. A soil that is friable is in good tilth. Good structure puts a soil in good tilth.
A soil that is WELL-DRAINED
Anyone who’s wrestled with
tangled earbuds knows how hard
it can be to keep the little devils
from becoming a scrambled
bunch of knots, no matter where
or how you store them.
Here’s the latest in cord technology designed to solve this
messy problem:
PRODUCT IDEAS
Zipbuds’ Juiced 2.0 and Pro
Mike models have an actual zipper between the cords; the glowin-the-dark green version would
be easy to dig out of the dark
recesses of a bag. The Slide
model employs a tiny zipper
attachment like the ones on resealable plastic containers.
(www.zipbuds.com )
From Beats by Dre, urBeats
have a flat, bright-red cable that
resists tangling and is easy to see.
(www.beatsbydre.com )
STORAGE IDEAS
If you’re not in the market for
new earbuds but are just looking
for a way to store them smoothly,
there are lots of options.
The Sinch is a little rubber band
that slips over a phone’s cord port.
Wrap the cords around the phone
and secure with the built-in magnet. (www.thesinch.com )
The Spyder Byte is a black,
plastic, spider-shaped clip that
attaches to the cords to clasp and
secure them. (www.fredandfriends.com )
The Nest is a pliable silicone
case with an inner spool to hold
earbuds. Pull one of the earbuds
to release them from the spool
when needed. (www.digitalinnovations.com )
For kids or those after a bit of
whimsy in their tech accessories,
Storenvy has a silicone 3-D rabbit
that offers storage in its rear and
room for a phone up front. It
comes in a slew of hues.
(www.storenvy.com )
DIY
Look online for ideas on repurposing tape dispensers, thread
spools, badge clips, credit cards,
small snack boxes, travel-size
swab holders, gum dispensers,
bandage holders and contact lens
cases into earbud storage.
Crafty types might tackle the
bunny, butterfly or bear holder
shown
on
www.easyfreshideas.com ; it’s
made from just felt, Velcro and
thread.
Cord tacos — discs that folds in
half, with a simple closure — work
for any tech cords, including earbuds. You can devise your own
out of scraps of material, or find
distinctive leather ones online.
Knitters can create a menagerie
of cute earbud holders, including
turtles, fish, frogs and mice. Tiny
pouches secured with small buttons or snaps can be made quickly. Harry Potter fans might like a
crocheted Golden Snitch; find
L