How about a little bit of the seashore on your counter? A bowl full of shells will give your living room a serene calm, but hopefully not a fishy stench of death. So comb the beach with abandon, but look closely before you fill your pockets with your collection. Soak them for a day or two, dry them and rub them with mineral oil. But if that shell starts to climb out of the bowl, then you know you've kidnapped something.

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