Stuffed Cabbage

Chef Elaine grew up with Stuffed Cabbage and I grew up with Cabbage Rolls, probably because my ancestors were from Germany and the Chef's (at least half of them) were from eastern European countries like Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Slovakia.  I made the rolls shown below from the recipe at the bottom, taken from a 1973 cookbook called "Three Rivers Cookbook."  The picture shows the little rolls sitting on a layer of sauerkraut before being submerged in tomato sauce and tomato soup (what!), water, bacon, and sugar.  

The term "Golumki" in the recipe's title might be a typo, as a search returns "Golumpki", which means "little pigeons".  Fortunately, that's a reference to the shape of the roll, which looks like a pigeon’s chest, not the source of the meat. 

More information and a list of dozens of ethnic variations can be found at this link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_roll

Holiday Spirit

Two of our friends introduced us to the cocktail below, a dazzling display of Christmas colors.  You start by rimming the inside of a martini glass with marshmallow fluff (~ 3/8" deep) then turn it upside down to get a layer of red and green sprinkles to adhere.  Fill the glass with a white-colored concoction of your choice and wait for the sprinkles to slowly dissolve into streaks.  

This particular cocktail was made with 2 oz of Rumchata, 1.5 oz of Vanilla Vodka, 1.5 oz of Amaretto, and 1 oz of Half and Half.  Merry Christmas!

Carabiner Part Deux

After my post a couple of weeks ago, a reader noted that carabiner is a really strange word which led me to look at the word's origin.  Pronounced "care-a-bean-ner" (short "a") the word comes from the German Karabinerhaken, where Karabiner translates to Carbine and haken to hook.  So a carabiner originated as a method to attach a carbine rifle to a soldier's belt, but is now used for a variety of purposes and a mainstay for mountain climbers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabiner

WhatTheFont

As I was searching for a nice font to use, I found one I liked printed on a card we received, but of course, I had no clue which one it was.  I searched through the Google Play store and found the WhatTheFont app.  I scanned the text and the resulting matches are shown in the screenshot below.  That was enough information (the "light" was the key) to find a similar font in Google Docs to meet my needs.  

You can also use the link below to upload an image or select an image's URL to have WhatTheFont perform a similar search as the smartphone app.

https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont

Pixel 7 As A Webcam

While I don't think the world needs a higher-resolution image of my face when I'm on a video call, the picture below comes from my Pixel 7 smartphone being used as a webcam on my Mac.  It's a boastful 1920x1080 that blows away the 1280x720 spec of my normal Microsoft HD-6000 webcam by 2.25 times more pixels.  Attaching it to my Mac was seamless but Chef Elaine's Windows PC just ignored it.  Windows is supposed to support USB Video Class (UVC) cameras like my Pixel, so when I get time I might try to figure that out.

The biggest downside to using my Pixel 7 as a webcam is that I don't have a stand that would elevate it to eye level so that just might have to be a snowy winter's day project.

https://support.google.com/googlecamera/answer/14274129

Three Challahs

I've made Challah bread several times in the past (see link below) but have always made one great loaf that a part went to waste, plus it's way more than Chef Elaine and I care to have in our limited-carb diet.  A few weeks I had the brilliant (or more like it, finally) idea to make three smaller loaves as seen below.  After they cooled, two of the three were wrapped up and stored in the freezer for later consumption.  I find it amazing that something this simple takes me years to think of.  Sigh...

https://dailyposts.paulishing.com/2016/12/challah-bread.html

Christmas Tree

After years of buying a real Christmas tree, hauling it home tied to the top of the Jeep, dragging it into the living room, getting it level, and watering it daily, we finally caved and bought the artificial tree shown below.  We bought it from Frontgate Outlet in West Chester, Ohio just after last Christmas when their markdowns were at their highest, making this overpriced-at-$1,000+ tree reasonably affordable.  The tree is just three pieces and has hundreds of small white lights installed.  Just connected the pieces, plugged them into an Alexa-supported smart plug, and added some of the hundreds of ornaments from Chef Elaine's large collection.  It is one of the prettiest artificial trees I've ever seen.

https://www.frontgate.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Frontgate/US/CustomerService/WestChester/content-path

Falls Of The Ohio

Last October we took the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in downtown Louisville and in addition to learning about the history of the brand, we learned about the origins of the city.  It's located on the Ohio River just upstream of the Falls of the Ohio which back in the 1780s presented the only rapids on the Ohio from its beginning in Pittsburgh to it flowing into the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois.  Those rapids were very dangerous and boats would offload their cargo, which would be hauled overland 2.5 miles downstream to a spot below the Falls, and hopefully loaded back on their original ship, assuming the lightened craft could navigate the Falls safely.  

The Louisville and Portland Canal was completed in 1830 and renamed the McAlpine Locks and Dam in 1960.  This removed the obstacle the Falls presented and allowed commercial and pleasure craft safe passage up and down the river.  More information can be found at the link below.

https://www.fallsoftheohio.org

Kirkland Soap

I've used Dove soap for over a dozen years and have been happy with it, but as the cost of everyday supplies has gone nuts, I decided to search for a cheaper version that was equally gentle on my dry-ish skin.  I gave the Kirkland brand shown below a try and it is even better than the Dove at about two-thirds of the cost.  It lathers like crazy (caveat, we have a great Enting Water softener) and does so even as the bar shrinks to a sliver, something the Dove doesn't.  We get ours at Costco but it looks like it's available from eBay and others, albeit for a higher price.

Travel Essentials

Since I seem to travel a lot, a follower asked "What are the essential items you always pack?"  Turns out it's the nearly three dozen items that are listed below.  The most important part to me is these are always ready to go.  I don't go around collecting these; they are dedicated to traveling only, and none are used while I'm home.  That's a lot of duplication, but it's also a lot less work, and more importantly, I will remember everything essential.  I just pack my toiletry and Crown Royal bags in my suitcase and grab my laptop bag.  On the road again!....

Inside my Toiletry Bag

• toothbrush and toothpaste, toothpicks
• razor and shaving cream
• soap in a plastic container
• deodorant 
• ibuprofen, Tums, eye drops, lip balm, body cream
• small flashlight
• bottle opener/small knife
• nail clippers, tweezers
• sewing kit
• hand wipes, bandages

Inside a purple Crown Royal bag

• 40W 4-Port USB Phone Charger
• two USB-C cables (iPads, Pixel 7)
• one Lightning cable (iPhone 11)
• one Magnetic Charging Cable (Apple watch)
• one USB 2.0 Micro cable (travel mirror)

Inside my laptop bag

• small slotted/Phillips screwdriver
• pens and index cards
• flash drive, earbuds
• Coffee CarryAround (see https://dailyposts.paulishing.com/2023/11/carryaround.html)
• Packets of Equal (the only zero-calorie sweetener I like)
• a plastic pouch for receipts
• spare reading glasses

Fried Brie Sandwich

If you're thinking I may have overdone the thick pieces of Brie cheese or the amount of butter I used on the bread to ensure proper frying, just remind yourself that no chef was ever fired for too much cheese, butter, bacon, or other ingredients that make life worth living.  While the recipe at the link below used some leftover cranberry-orange sauce, I used some long-leftover cherry preserves that had been hiding out in the fridge for years.  But anything sweet will cut the fattiness of the cheese and make a well-balanced and warming sandwich as winter approaches.  

https://hellolittlehome.com/cranberry-brie-grilled-cheese-sandwich

Velcro Wrap

The cover shown below includes a couple of velcro straps but they are never enough to prevent a good gust of wind from separating it from the body of the firepit.  The $10 solution was a 10-foot-long, one-inch-wide piece of velcro I purchased from Amazon at the link below.  I wrapped it tight around the cover, cut it so there was a one-foot overlap, and presto, I don't think this cover is coming off with the next gust.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091B1YT1Z

Flooring Visualizer

The flooring seen in the picture below is not what's currently in our master bedroom, it's a color and pattern that we thought might be a good upgrade.  The visual is courtesy of Home Depot's Flooring Visualizer.  Using my smartphone, I selected the flooring and from its product page clicked “See this in my room.”  I snapped a photo of the room and the app placed the flooring on the floor, not just over the existing floor but also an area rug that's around and under the bed.  This takes a lot of guesswork (and possibly buyer remorse) out of a big decision.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Flooring/Visualizer-Enabled/N-5yc1vZaq7rZ1z1sewv

Carabiner Clip

All it took was the carabiner clip and screw eye hook shown below to organize the two extension cords we use to power our outside holiday decorations.  The carabiner is large enough for the cords, but small enough that the electrical plugs can't get through when they're disconnected.  Just one more simple but effective house hack born out of my need to organize anything.

Smoke and Heat Alarm

At my brother-in-law's suggestion, I've installed a smoke and heat alarm in our garage, as shown below.  It makes sense to have an alarm in the one area of our house where I store all the most flammable items such as gasoline, oil, charcoal, a full propane tank, and fire-starter sticks.  Because the garage can go above or below the normal operating temperature of a smoke alarm, I opted for the combo that includes a heat alarm.  God forbid that the garage catches on fire, but this might give us the extra seconds needed to get out of the house.  A link to the model I purchased for $30, which has a 10-year, no-replacement battery, is at the link below.

Big shout-out to Albert for this safety addition!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZQK1WV1

The Original Q Shack

The picture below can't begin to convey how delicious this sliced barbeque brisket sandwich, hot hushpuppies, Pinto beans, and a couple of jalapeno deviled eggs from The Original Q Shack in Durham, NC turned out to be.  The pile of brisket, sliced 1/2" thick, was enough by itself, and was larger than my normal-sized lunch.

We waited outside until a spot opened up at the order counter, came inside and selected our choices, paid, and then found a table to which they delivered a few minutes later.  They also have tables on an outdoor porch and everything is available for takeout.  We highly recommend this place and suggest visiting outside the normal lunch hours and even better when the Duke students are off on a break.

https://theoriginalqshackdurham.com

Murphy's Law

I've known Murphy's Law, which is not really a law but more of an observation since I was a kid, but I recently decided to look into its origin.  Edward A. Murphy was a United States Air Force Captain and aeronautical engineer and came up with the saying "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."  It was coined in 1948/49 following some mishaps testing rocket sleds.  It's actually very good advice and helped guide my testing of computer programs throughout my career.  

My favorite follow-on is "Mrs. Murphy's law" which states, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong while Mr. Murphy is out of town."  From personal experience, I know this is the absolute truth.

https://byjus.com/physics/murphys-law

2023 Mowing Season

This year's mowing season is finally over but at the beginning of spring, I wondered how often I mow in a given year.  So I kept track of that this year and now that the mowing season is over I can tell you the answer is twenty-nine, which roughly translates into twenty-nine hours of cutting, edging, and blowing.  That was a bit more than I expected, but with the warm temps continuing into November, I'll take the extra rounds of golf in exchange for a few extra trips around the yard.

Maps Screenshot

We ran into the odd situation of getting a phone call from a relative walking around the neighborhood and needing assistance.  The problem was they didn't know exactly where they were, but the solution was simple, just have them bring up their Maps application, take a screenshot, and text it to us.  For those who might need a reminder on how to screenshot an iPhone, directions are at the link below.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/take-a-screenshot-iphc872c0115/ios

Repurposed Basketball

It has taken me a mere 16 years to become annoyed enough with the air conditioning compressor's cover, which normally lays flat and collects water and ice in the winter, to find a simple solution.  As shown below (well, sorta), I placed an old, worn-out basketball under the cover, positioned in the middle, forming a slope that should drain the rain and slide off the snow.  I'm not a hoarder, so why I kept this basketball around is a bit of a mystery, particularly since 99%+ of the garage contains only things that get used at least yearly.  Kismet?

Hot Dogs in a Puff Pastry Blanket with Everything Spice

I baked the hot dogs shown below just for something a little different.  I love puff pastry and everything spice, so when I ran across the recipe at the link below, I was destined to try it.  Instead of making everything spice per the recipe, I used a jar of it I had in the cupboard and then applied it a bit too liberally.  The result was a salt bomb that only my good friend Grace would appreciate.  

Chef Elaine and I know from experience that the first time you make a new recipe things often don't go as expected, but we learn and move forward.  This was certainly a learning moment for me.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hot-dogs-in-a-puff-pastry-blanket-with-everything-spice-16718672

Travel Glasses

Chef Elaine and I like drinking out of real glass, whether it's a Diet Coke or a few fingers of whiskey.  It used to be that most hotels we traveled to had glass glasses in their rooms but in more recent years most now provide plastic (or worse, paper), so we've kept a pair in the trunk of our car.  After months of trying to figure out how to box them up in something protective, I finally came to the realization that buying a pair on Amazon (link below) for $13 would solve that problem as they came packaged (photo below), of course, in a perfectly sized box.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B835C8DP

Defog Outside Mirrors

Chalk up another accidental feature found on our Infiniti G37x.  During a recent trip to North Carolina in which it rained almost the entire time (yuk), the windshield was fogging up.  So were the outside mirrors, a condition I had never experienced before. My Chief Navigator (Chef Elaine) took to clearing the windshield and accidentally hit both the front and rear defrost buttons.  That cleared the fog on the windshield and I noticed a few minutes later that the outside mirrors were also cleared.  It turns out our car is equipped with the outside mirror defrost option that we had no clue even existed.  

Maybe I should spend a few hours reading the owner's manual...

 

Triangle Park Movie

We recently had the opportunity to watch the new Triangle Park movie at the Neon Theater in downtown Dayton.  It's the story of the first NFL football game between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles that occurred on October 3rd, 1920.  The movie is narrated by Michele Tafoya and features conversations with NFL greats including Eric Dickerson, Troy Aikman, and several former and current NFL players with ties to the Dayton and Ohio area.  The plaque below is located in Triangle Park on the hill overlooking where the football field used to be, now used as a baseball diamond.

https://www.triangleparkmovie.com

FireTV Live Sources

I ran across the Amazon FireTV "Live TV Sources" feature quite by accident, missing my intended key and pressing the button with a TV symbol instead. 

My FireTV Cube came with the five sources seen in the picture below which if you're a fan of "channel surfing" you can scroll through over 600 channels looking for something new (or perhaps something old).  To this list, I added Plex and Tubi then sorted the sources so the two largest, freevee and YouTubeTB, were at the bottom of the list.  I'm not sure how often I might use this feature, but it's nice to have it available.

The best thing I found while exploring this feature is that "Kung Fu", the 1970s series starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine is available on Plex and it's one show that I've wanted to watch again.  It's the right time of year to have binge-able content.

https://www.aftvnews.com/full-list-of-all-services-apps-channels-devices-integrated-into-fire-tvs-live-experience-channel-guide

 

Classic Deviled Eggs

The trifecta of food choices to bring to a football party are the deviled eggs shown below.  They're served at room temperature, do not need serving utensils, and since we elected to bring them in a disposable aluminum tray, there's nothing to forget to bring home.  Forget using the piping bag as suggested in the recipe at the link below, I find a spoon works just as well.  Lining the tray with a fancy paper doily was Chef Elaine's idea and certainly added a certain je ne sais quoi.

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/classic-deviled-eggs

Protea

At a recent wine tasting, we were served chilled water in the very fancy bottle shown below.  We had to ask where they found these and the surprising answer was that they were wine bottles from a company named Protea (PROH-tee-uh).  Based in South Africa, they make a wide selection of wines at affordable prices and we'll be sure to pick up several, looking for the bottles with the most interesting designs.  All we have to do is drink the wine, peel off the label, wash it well, and fill it with water from our RO system.  We're not the artsy/craftsy type, but it looks like that would be another reuse possibility for those who are.

https://proteawines.com

Stringless Blinds

We recently had some upstairs blinds replaced as the plastic pieces in the old header had disintegrated.  The big surprise with the new blinds (shown below) is this design has no strings.  You just lift up on the bottom rail and the blind goes up.  You pull down on the bottom rail (with slightly more force) and the blind comes down.  The wand works as always, twisting one way or the other to open or close the slats.  

I like it when a product gets safer and better at the same time.  The link to the company that came out, measured, gave us options, and installed the blinds is below.

https://www.blindsplusandmore.com

Texting Addresses

My navigator (Chef Elaine) and her iPhone do a great job of routing us to our destinations, but occasionally in searching for a place while we're rolling along, we end up with the wrong address and things go awry.  Our newest solution is for me to text her the names and addresses, like the four in the screenshot shown below, all at once before we leave, making it easy to find and tap the proper location as they are all together in iMessages under my name.  Seems like a nice process improvement for us oft-traveling retirees.

Stay Right

The two signs shown below, from Kettering, Ohio, apparently serve the same purpose, to make a driver aware of a medium.  There are dozens of both types and no apparent reason why one was chosen over the other, however, one is correct and the other literally wrong.  The one on the right would suggest that the lane is shifting to the right ahead of the medium, which is not the case.  The only reason one would swerve like that is if they were straddling a portion of the lane coming in the opposite direction.  

Why might this matter?  Probably not to the average human driver, but to a self-driving Tesla, it has resulted in moving its car from the left lane to the right lane, presumably because it's taking the sign on the right literally and obeying the direction to move right.  But confounding this explanation is the possibility that the medium is so low and similar in color to the street that the Tesla can't "see" that reliably when it first "sees" the sign.  It's a good reminder not to trust self-driving 100% and always be ready to take control at a moment's notice.

Big shout out to Nick for bringing this self-driving puzzle to my attention.

Tajín Chipotle BBQ Chicken Thighs

I'm a dark meat kind of guy so I'm always looking for something different to coat budget-friendly chicken thighs and this one came courtesy of the makers of the Tajín spice.  Ancho chilis are steeped for 20 minutes in boiled water, blended with Chipotle peppers in Adobo, and strained.  That is simmered with Tajín, tomato paste, dark brown sugar, chicken stock, and spices for 30 minutes then cooled to room temp.  Make this the day before to let the flavors fully develop or use it right away.  

The BBQ sauce is brushed on the chicken thighs as they are grilled until the meat thermometer reads 165ºF.  The remaining details can be found in the recipe at the link below.

https://www.tajin.com/us/recipe/tajin-chipotle-bbq-chicken-thighs

John Bryan State Park

The path shown below is on the North Rim trail at John Bryan State Park, located between Yellow Springs and Clifton, Ohio.  It offers scenic views from high above the Little Miami River and Clifton Gorge as the trail winds for just over two miles.  That nice amount of exercise helped justify having a two-dip dish of pumpkin ice cream afterward at Young's Jersey Dairy.  It was two-scoops-for-the-price-of-one day, so it was like getting a scoop for free (I love free).

More on the 752-acre park at the link below.

https://ohio.org/things-to-do/destinations/john-bryan-state-park-campground

General Booty

The good-looking man below is not a college photo of some army general but a quarterback on the Oklahoma Sooners football team.  His Dad had a lifelong fascination with the military and naming his son "General" was always his plan.  A redshirt sophomore, General is, for now, just a backup, and his only playing time this year was at the end of the Arkansas State game when Oklahoma had a 73-0 lead.  His only throw, which was incomplete, was erased by an Arkansas State offside penalty.

Levering his unique name, he created a merchandise website at the link below where you can order a women's "We Got Booty" crop tee, a men's "Booty Call" shirt, or an "I Love Booty" license plate frame.  His organization, More Than Just a Name, donates twenty percent of the profits to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.  

https://www.generalbootyshop.com

Buick Roadmaster

The beauty seen below was at the Love's Travel Stop off I-70 near Richmond, Indiana.  This Buick Roadmaster has certainly seen better days and why it's covered in dirt is anyone's guess.  It appears to be a convertible version of a 1949 model, given the four round holes on the front quarter panel and the straight side trim.  Maybe she doesn't look that bad for being over 70 years old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Roadmaster

Theft Deterrence

I don't believe the Kettering police car parked outside Meijer was just there to enjoy an afternoon donut as we've noticed this practice on many occasions.  Our guess is that theft is becoming more of an issue and the possibility of an immediate police response would be a hefty deterrent to would-be shoplifters.  Just knowing a police car might show up at any moment should give them pause.  Our hats off to the Kettering police for this new tactic.

Tex-Mex Pulled Chicken

Chef Elaine cooked up this different way of making soft tacos, seasoning the tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, and bell peppers and baking them before pulverizing them in a blender.  That gets added to the chicken that is baked with the veggies, and all that flavor is stuffed into hot tortillas.   Garnish that with salsa, sour cream, crumbled cotija cheese, lime wedges and/or cilantro.  While the recipe at the link below has all the details, don't believe the 16 minutes to prepare this, unless you have a sous chef who's already sliced, diced, deseeded, and has your oven up to temp.  Figure more like 30 minutes for us normal folk.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/tex-mex-pulled-chicken-5617665

Grand Old Fashioned

There are so many Old Fashioned recipes but this one is sweeter and more orangy than most.  Just a few dashes of aromatic bitters mixed with equal amounts of Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Grand Marnier.  This is a good drink to use the slow-melting large ice cubes and an orange peel cut with a potato peeler to get a nice large chunk of rind without a lot of bitter pith.

https://www.grandmarnier.com/en-us/our-cocktails/grand-old-fashioned

Dethatching Yard

Before doing some overseeding in the back yard we decided to do some dethatching first.  We rented the machine below at Sunbelt Rentals in Beavercreek using my son's truck (which has a lift gate) to transport it back and forth with limited effort.  However, the machine is not self-propelled and while the spinning tines help a little, most of the power comes from yours truly.  I was a tired, sweaty mess by the time the job was done.  Come spring we'll see if the result was worth it.

https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/location/oh/beavercreek/equipment-tool-rentals/1308

Fraze Wi-Fi

There's a new Wi-Fi provider at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio.  Altafiber is providing the free (I love free) public service and I decided I would scope it out.  I ran several speed tests and it's an impressive 140-150 Mbps download speed in the area surrounding the main building where the concession stand is located.  When I moved into the performance area and ran tests there, it was a very disappointing 10-20 Mbps.  According to their press release at the link below, there are 24 access points, so maybe the area I tested was just a spot with poor coverage.  Another very odd thing to note, and it's pretty worthless, is the upload speeds were marginally faster than the download speeds.

You will need to give up your name and email address to connect, but for free I think that's OK.

https://www.altafiber.com/about-us/news/article-20220412

CarryAround

The latest addition to our travel necessities is the coffee carrier shown below.  Chef Elaine is so very kind and when we're at a hotel she finds a Starbucks or other place and brings us back a couple of coffees.  Most of the time they don't offer any type of carrier and those hot cups are tough to handle.  The CarryAround costs about $10 at Amazon and folds flat, making it easy to throw in my travel bag.  You just pull up the white handle and rotate the four arms in place and you're ready to deliver up to four coffees.

https://www.carryaround.com

Pork Tenderloin Schnitzel With Fennel Slaw

"Schnitzeling" is pounding meat until it's very thin (~1/8"), breading it, and frying to a nice crisp.  But the star of Chef Elaine's dinner treat was the slaw, a combo of thinly sliced fennel and celery, sweetened dried cranberries, extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, kosher salt, and black pepper.  It was so good I ate the leftovers for lunch the next two days.  

https://www.southernliving.com/pork-tenderloin-schnitzel-7963544

Spiked Caramel Apple Cider

I love a good caramel-covered apple, so if those flavors are great for a snack, it makes sense that the same would be true for an autumn-time cocktail.  I took almost a mug of apple cider, poured it into a saucepan, and slowly heated it up.  That went into the mug below and I added one shot of Crown Royal Salted Caramel whiskey and stirred to blend it together.  You might have to shop at a few stores to find the whiskey, but it's worth the effort.

Squirrel Damage

Another neighbor has learned what we found out several years ago ... squirrels love pumpkins.  All that hard work and creativity for naught.  We've simply stopped buying pumpkins feeding the little critters, but part of me wants to cover a pumpkin with a sticky blend of maple syrup and ghost pepper chili powder and see if that might deter their appetite.  Or maybe light up their little squirrel mouths... hee hee.

TV Wall Mount

We decided to add a television to one of the spare bedrooms for our guests to enjoy, however, it took up most of the room on the dresser leaving little space for phones, keys, etc.  The solution was to wall mount the TV using the bracket shown below, a real deal for about $20 at Amazon.  While the bracket can handle a lot of different sizes on the back of a TV, our installation was made simple by having a standard size, eliminating the need to add any of the included adapters.  The only guesswork was finding a wooden stud to attach the bracket and that was made easy with a deep scan stud finder bought at our local Greive hardware store.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHFPD8S

Grow Light

We enjoyed having fresh herbs this summer so much that we bought the grow light below and Chef Elaine planted basil and rosemary plants in mini pots.  We choose the 12-hour-on, 12-hour-off lighting setting, but you can also choose 4-hour-on or 8-hour-on, depending on your need.  There are many other details, most of which I don't understand, at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2R8B8KK

Strudel With Fried Apples

Chef Elaine will admit she's not much of a baker, but this apple strudel she made for my birthday begs to differ.  The addition of bacon drippings in the fried apples made it more decadent, but the star is the use of puff pastry, carefully cut into ribbons on the third of each side and wrapped around the filling, making it extra fancy.  Absolutely serve this hot so the scoop of vanilla ice cream will melt into creamy goodness.

https://www.southernliving.com/strudel-with-fried-apples-7568583

Slap Koozie

Also called a Slap Wrap, I picked this up as a vendor freebie a few weeks ago.  There are springs inside the foam cover that wrap the koozie around any size can or bottle, making it one-size-fits-all.  No more carrying a variety of koozies in my golf bag to match whatever beverage I decide to have on any given day.  You can pick up a three-pack for $11 at the Amazon link below.

https://www.amazon.com/Desing-Wish-Sleeves-Non-slip-Beverage/dp/B09XDP87CD

Pick Wisely

I saw the advice below on some Instagram post a while back and thought it was blog-worthy.  Most of this revolves around favoring short-term desires over long-term consequences, but it's an interesting view that both are actually hard.  While I'm far from being physically fit, at least to my standards, all those tens of thousands of miles I've run since I was seventeen years old, have left me comparably, at sixty-eight, in a good spot.  My choice of hard in that instance has paid off.

Wallace Wade Stadium

I took the picture below about thirty minutes after the Duke football team defeated Lafayette back on September 9th.  This unique view is from a balcony atop the Yoh Football Center, home to the football team's locker room, huge weight room, training and treatment areas, and the coach's offices.  As odd as it sounded to us they began mowing the field right after the game, and the riding mower can be seen below at the right of the near end zone.  Pictures and more details on the Yoh Center's impressive weight room can be found at the link below.

https://dukesportsperformance.squarespace.com/the-where/yoh