After the Storm  opens with the morning right after Castle and Beckett's first big night together. Castle wakes up to an empty bed and wonders if he had dreamed the whole event when Kate walks in, bearing coffee for them and wearing only his shirt.
Causes of dry crusty skin in ears. A magnitude of things may cause the skin in and around the ears to become dry and flaky. However, it is easy to pinpoint the problem. One common cause of crusty ears is cleaning the canal of the ear too often or vigorously. Too much cleaning of the ear canal tends to wipe out the earwax that helps protect the canal.
When the tube is not opening and closing normally it is called Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. This can cause a crackling noise in the ear when you swallow and can even cause some pressure feeling in the ear. The cause of ETD can vary. The most common cause is a sinus infection or allergies. Once these clear, the ETD should clear as well, and the crackling noise should stop.