nice little pet shop

Being a puppies' caretaker for few months, I got to know about this pet shop which sells stuff at better prices compared to other shops in Dharwad, and the service is good.

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river grass mats - ಚಾಪೆ

It was a long time wish to buy floor mats (ಚಾಪೆ) made of river grass sticks. Off late shopkeepers stock only mats made of plastic sticks, mats made of natural material have become rare. The long wait finally ended last week as Pushpa noticed a mobile vendor with grass-stick mats. The vendor said that these mats were made near Karur in Tamil Nadu. The hand-woven mats had the pleasant aroma of grass, looked well woven. Three variants were available- 1. single layer with cotton thread, 2. single layer with plastic thread and 3. dual layers with cotton thread. We picked up two single layer and two dual layers with cotton thread for ₹1400. The price could be fair or more.. I'm not sure which but the product is great and I expect them to last years if used wit care.

Sharing the vendor's contact info for those interested.

 

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how to prevent sore-throat

Throat itch is usually the first sign of sore-throat aka throat-infection. If no care is taken the itch can become severe and transform to burning sensation. Severe sore-throat can be painful and leads to cold, cough and fever. As the saying goes- prevention is better than cure -its easier to tackle a problem in its initial stages. Chewing granular-salt helps relieve the itch but its not advisable since the salt eventually is swallowed. The better way is to gargle with salt-water and spit it out. Gargling with warm salt-water is something doctors advise patients to reduce inflammation. Couple of gargles at a time relieves the itch significantly. After gargling, you must a layer of salt in your mouth and throat. Salt is a natural disinfectant. So don't eat or drink for some time and let salt do its work.

I've suffered this malady countless times which eventually led me to devise a way to control the problem. I started gargling three times everyday- morning, evening and night before going to the bed. However, the itch used to start when I was outside, especially while commuting. This is something which wasn't addressed until Corona virus pandemic started. The very thought of catching cold and undergoing Covid-19 tests was scary. I was super careful during the lockdown March and May.

In the first week of May we travelled from Bangalore to Dharwad. For the journey I carried some table salt and a spare water bottle. During the journey, I experienced mild itch which could be due to weather condition or psychological. I must've gargled a dozen times in the 9-hour journey. Ever since that day, its a habit to carry salt-water in a 500ml bottle wherever I go. Find a spot to spit and gargle soon after visiting any public place. A gargle after a meal or even a cup of tea or coffee removed any sugary and oily particles, the two main proponents of throat itch. Those who are using public transport often, do carry a pack of salt and a small bottle.

One may ask how much salt for a given quantity of water? Its simple, the salt water should be salty enough to leave the taste for few minutes i.e. it should almost reach saturation.

Salt has corrosive effect on metals. So its good to exercise care. Ensure the bottle cap doesn't leak. As a extra measure, keep the bottle in a plastic bag. 

Disclaimer: this is a suggestion to prevent throat itch, this not a cure. This suggestion is based on personal experience, this is not be taken as medical advise.

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sunburst of Nov-7

 

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home grown potato

A potato sprout was planted some time July. First leaves were seen in about ten days. The plant stopped growing after two months or so. Ideally potato plants need soft soil, regular water supply but water shouldn't stagnate. Here the soil was slightly hard and logged water during rainfall. When the plant flowers, its time for harvest which is around the end of three months. This plant never flowered and past three months. On digging up the roots, two potato were found. Its a good yield considering the conditions.

The boiled potato tasted good. A successful experiment.

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