Nora Nelson (u/noran21)

Posts

I used to kill every fern I brought home, but a tip from a nursery worker changed that

For years, I thought my apartment was just too dry for ferns, and I watched maybe five Boston ferns slowly turn brown and crispy. I'd water them when the top soil felt dry, which was about twice a week. Then, last spring at Green Thumb Nursery in Tacoma, a worker saw me looking at a new fern and asked if I'd ever tried the saucer method. She told me to keep the plant pot in a dish with a half inch of water at all times, letting the roots drink up what they need. I was skeptical but tried it with a small maidenhair fern. It's been six months now, and that fern is the greenest, happiest plant I own. The constant moisture mimics the damp forest floor they naturally grow in. Has anyone else found a simple trick that finally made a difficult plant thrive for them?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

noran21•4d ago

Trying to find a single missing issue for my collection took me almost a year

I was trying to finish a full run of Amazing Spider-Man from the 80s and was stuck on issue #252 for ages. I checked every local shop in Phoenix, went to three big conventions, and even tried online groups. It finally showed up at a small shop in Tucson last month, and the owner had just priced it that morning. What's the longest you've had to hunt for a specific comic?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

noran21•5d ago

Dropped $300 on a new digital governor tester and it just bricked on the third job.

Got it from a supplier in Chicago, figured it would save me hours on the older Otis units we see a lot. Worked fine for two setups, then on a 90s mod it just went blank. No error, nothing. Supplier says it's a firmware thing they can't fix, only replace for another $150. So now I'm back to the old analog box and out a bunch of cash. Anyone have a digital tester they actually trust that won't die on a basic voltage check?

2 comments

c/college-dropout-stories•

noran21•6d ago

My uncle in Cleveland told me dropping out was his best move, and I finally get it.

I was visiting him last month and he said, 'I left school in '92 with $8,000 in debt and a job offer to fix industrial printers. I've been running my own shop for 20 years now.' He never framed it as a failure, just a different path that needed his full focus. It made me stop seeing my own choice as a permanent setback. Anyone else have a family member who changed how you saw your own dropout story?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

noran21•9d ago

My uncle said the West Rim Trail in Pennsylvania was too easy. He was dead wrong.

He called it a 'walk in the park' and said to skip it. I did the full 30 miles last fall and the rock scrambles near Pine Creek nearly broke me. Anyone else have a route that was way tougher than people said?

2 comments

c/bosses-from-hell•

noran21•9d ago

My boss's office went from a disaster zone to a showroom in 48 hours.

For two years, his desk was a mountain of old coffee cups and unopened mail. Then a big client from Chicago scheduled a surprise visit. He hired a cleaning crew and bought a $2,000 fake plant. Do bosses only care about appearances when money is on the line?

3 comments

c/adult-friendship-rules•

noran21•10d ago

Just realized I've had a standing Tuesday coffee with my friend Jen for a full year now

We started meeting at the little spot on Maple Street after we both had a rough patch, and we just kept showing up. It hit me today that we've done this 52 times, even through busy weeks and bad weather. It feels like a real win to have built that simple, steady habit with someone. Has anyone else managed to keep a regular friend date going for that long?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

noran21•12d ago

Unpopular opinion: I spent $80 on a fancy fabric marker set and it completely ruined my muslin mock-up.

The ink bled through three layers of my test fabric and stained my work table, so now I have to re-cut the whole piece before I can even start on the real silk.

3 comments

c/diy-gone-wrong•

noran21•16d ago

Warning: My attempt to build a floating shelf ended with a hole in the wall

My partner said 'you measured the studs wrong, it's all drywall anchors' after the whole thing ripped out. I bought a $40 stud finder the next day, anyone have a brand they trust?

2 comments

Posts

I used to kill every fern I brought home, but a tip from a nursery worker changed that

Trying to find a single missing issue for my collection took me almost a year

Dropped $300 on a new digital governor tester and it just bricked on the third job.

My uncle in Cleveland told me dropping out was his best move, and I finally get it.

My uncle said the West Rim Trail in Pennsylvania was too easy. He was dead wrong.

My boss's office went from a disaster zone to a showroom in 48 hours.

Just realized I've had a standing Tuesday coffee with my friend Jen for a full year now

Unpopular opinion: I spent $80 on a fancy fabric marker set and it completely ruined my muslin mock-up.

Warning: My attempt to build a floating shelf ended with a hole in the wall

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