Oddball Things

I love to find new little gizmos and gadgets.  I'm sharing a few with you today.  Some of these are just everyday things with a slight twist that appeals to me.  Mostly, when I find something new and useful, I think other people want to know about it, too! 
​First off, there's a story about these salt and pepper shakers.
Last February in Florida, Debbie and I took a little field trip to find any interesting quilt shops within driving distance.  We honestly didn't find much to write home about, but we did find a good lunch spot.  Not a fancy place, but a good sandwich.  The dining area was a bunch of picnic tables on a screen porch.  There were nice little covered salt and peppers on the tables, the lid was hinged and sealed nicely to keep the moisture out.  Lots of moisture in the air down there!  I had never seen a shaker like this before, and I thought it would be very practical for the trailer.  Not only keeping the moisture out, but keeping the stuff inside if tipped over.  Things tend to tip over a lot when the trailer is towed down the road, so I have to give extra attention to making sure everything is secured.  When we left the establishment, I asked the young woman at the counter where they could be purchased.  A very young woman.  The look on her face was priceless!  It said "Why is this grandma lady asking me about salt shakers??  Why would I know anything about salt shakers?  Why would I ever care?"  To her credit, she didn't burst out laughing!  She did ask someone else about it, and said they were from the dollar store.  Debbie was cracking up all the way to the dollar store!  No shakers to be found there, so I ended up ordering them on Amazon.  Two sets, so I could give one to Debbie!

I found these cute little jar lids that fit a standard mason jar or ball jar.  This one has a covered spout, and I've been looking for something like this for my dish soap.  The glass jar is a different shape and shorter than the normal mason jar.  I found it at Hobby Lobby.

Did you know there are dot-to-dot books for grownups?  I did not, until Brita gave this to me for mother's day.  I loved dot-to-dot when I was a kid, but I always wanted the puzzles to last longer and be more complex, so it wasn't so obvious that it was going to be a boat or a flower or a duck.  Well, this is the answer!  The puzzles in this book are all pictures of landmarks and architectural icons.  I think each puzzle has at least 1200 dots.  I do have to use a little ruler to connect the dots that span more than an inch or so, and sometimes I need a lighted magnifying glass to search for the next number.  I'm on picture #3 now.  There are plenty of dotty book choices over on Amazon.

Somewhere in a public restroom, back in March, in Indiana or Illinois, I found this high tech faucet.  We're used to the automatic sensor for water and soap in restrooms.  But this one also had a blower in the faucet, over on the right.  So it was an all-in-one super duper fancy faucet!  I suppose it would be nice if I could tell you where it was, but I didn't write it down so that little fact is gone!

Strike Anywhere Matches!  I've been looking for these for quite awhile!  Whenever I'm in a grocery store when we travel, I always look for these.  I had become convinced that they were no longer made.  I don't have a pressing need for them, but I remember how handy it was to have a match container that didn't have to have a striking strip.  They strike on a rock, among other things, so very handy for camping.  It took a trip to Truckee, CA, to find these, and they were on a coupon deal!  Available in Mountain Hardware in Truckee, CA!  They cost less there than from Amazon.

And that wraps up the oddball things for today!  Let me know if you like oddball things, too!