Goat Cubes

I was quite startled when I happened upon 15-pound boxes of Bone-In Goat Cubes during a recent trip to Costco.  Harvested from free-range goats and processed into 2" x 2" pieces, they are Halal-certified.  Halal is an Arabic term meaning "permissible" or "lawful" in Islam, primarily referring to food and drink that adheres to Islamic dietary laws.  You can find a recipe for "Slow Cooker Jamaican Curry Goat" at the link below.

https://thomasfarms.com/products/goat-cubes-1

Lencho Brown

Following up on yesterday's post, another funny comedian I follow on Instagram is Lencho Brown, whose real name is Lorenzo Diaz.  Lorenzo is Mexican and entertains us with his take on how Mexicans use English words with his 'Mexican Word of the Day.'  He is a usually clean comedian, but an occasional f-bomb does occur.  Links to his Instagram feed and YouTube channel are below. 

https://www.instagram.com/lencho_brown_

https://www.youtube.com/@LenchoBrown

Mike Goodwin

I follow a very limited number of people on Instagram outside my immediate family and friends, unlike some people I know who follow over 2,000, which I think is just crazy.  One of those is Mike Goodwin, the handsome fellow you see below, an absolutely hilarious and clean comedian.  One of his best skits is "There Are Only Two Things in Life to Worry About", which you can watch at the YouTube link below.  Below that is a link to his Instagram channel.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bx1IcND-Kak

https://www.instagram.com/bowtiecomedy

Meatloaf Sliders

We recently bought the nonstick, 6-cup, mini-loaf pan you see in the first picture below to make manageable loaves of meatloaf.  Not only do they bake faster, but leftovers are easier to wrap, store, and reuse.  We used those to make Ree Drummond's (aka, The Pioneer Woman) Meatloaf Sliders.  In addition to the meatloaf recipe you'll find at the link below, we made a sauce of ketchup, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, and mayonnaise, which we slathered on the top half of the slider buns.  The meatloaf was topped with crispy bacon, lettuce, and dill pickles.  Delicious!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/meatloaf-sliders-22080451

My Secret Santa

Merry Christmas to you and your families!

If you're looking for a nice Hallmark-style Christmas movie, my recommendation is "My Secret Santa."  Starring Alexandra Breckenridge (Virgin River) and Ryan Eggold (Blacklist, New Amsterdam), it's a heart-warming story of a single Mom who manages to disguise herself to get a Santa Claus job at a resort.  I'm not saying any more about how the movie unfolds, but it's both hilarious and touching.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35219851

Kitchen Faucet

I've earned a partial plumber's badge for replacing our kitchen faucet.  The old one had been running slower and slower, and after trying to figure out where the clog was, I finally decided that replacing the whole thing was the least risky option.  I bought the faucet shown below from Lowe's and thought of having a plumber install it, but if Lowe's was going to charge a $289 installation fee, it was high time for me to try, and it turned out to be very simple, except for the part of getting my 70-year-old body to lie down on the floor and under the cabinet.  It's just one plate and one nut to hold the faucet in place, and connecting one snap-together fitting.

But of course, the story isn't that simple.  I had to remove a PVC pipe to get to the cold-water line, and I couldn't for the life of me get it back together.  The root cause of that was that the plumber who installed it didn't line the pipes together correctly, but he did manage to force them together.  I called for reinforcements, and my friend Dan came to the rescue.  I learned quite a bit as he explained how PVC pipes are properly fitted and connected.  Thanks and a big Shout-Out to Dan!

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Moen-Georgene-Matte-Black-1-handle-Deck-mount-High-arc-Handle-Kitchen-Faucet-Deck-Plate-Included/5005565305

Cork Puller

There are many corkscrews on the market, from rabbit ears to electric-powered screws to the standard waiter's model.  I use one that I bought years ago at Goosecross Winery in Napa Valley that includes an integrated foil cutter.  But you may not have met the type shown below: a cork puller.  It has two tines, one a bit longer than the other, and you slide those tines down between the cork and the bottle using a rocking motion.  When fully down, you pull up while twisting, and the cork comes out with the puller.

The cork puller is my main way of dealing with difficult corks, particularly ones that are either kind of loose, and a corkscrew may push down into the bottle, damaged corks that a corkscrew shreds, and really tight corks that are difficult to pull out.  You can find a $7 version at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/EY-Opener-Corkscrew-Bottle-Two-Prong/dp/B072272K47

Using AI For Checking Grammar

One of the first uses I made of AI was to check the grammar on some of my older Life Experiences blogs, and I was shocked at how poorly I wrote back then.  I uploaded my 5-page "Getting Sideways" blog and asked Gemini to "grammar check the attachment".  It suggested 25 changes, the first 3 you can see below.  I've done this on several documents, and I incorporate 80-90% of its recommendations.  My newer writings are much better because, since 2020, I started using the free (I love free) Grammarly extension in Google Chrome and catch the errors as I make them.

https://gemini.google.com

Thanksgiving Dinner

I made dinner reservations for Thanksgiving at The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Ohio, back in July, just in case another get-together option failed to appear.  Getting a reservation as the date nears is just about impossible, and cancelling our reservation would be no big deal.  Their signature dinner included turkey, sage sausage & apple dressing, vegetables, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes with two-day turkey gravy.  None of the cooking and none of the cleanup.  Loving it!

https://www.goldenlamb.com

Grinch Mimosa

For a different take on a mimosa, we made the Grinch Mimosa shown below. It's about a half a flute of orange juice, 1/2-ounce of blue curacao, and topped with champagne, prosecco, or another bubbly. The ratio of OJ to blue curacao is important to get the perfect grinchy green, so add a little at a time until it's just right. We opted for a rim of Rainbow Nonpareils Sprinkles, but a sliced strawberry with a piece of marshmallow on top, resembling the Grinch's hat, would be totally cool. The simple details are at the link below.

https://thetoastykitchen.com/grinch-mimosa

60 Watts

When I saw the USB and USB-C outlets on our flight from College Station, TX, to Dallas, I was surprised to see that they could deliver up to 60 watts of power.  But over the years, smartphones and tablets have improved their charging rates, with the Pixel 10 Pro XL supporting up to 45 watts and the iPhone 17 Pro Max up to 40 watts.  I guess Southwest was looking a few years into the future when they decided 60 watts was a good number.  More on all that watts, volts, and amps can be found at the link below.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question501.htm

Mug Rug

I like mug rugs so much more than traditional coasters.  They are larger, skinnier, and as you can see below, perfect for this Ohio State football fan.  If you're crafty, you can sew a mug rug perfect for your passion, or turn to Etsy (link below), Amazon, or many others for designs that please.

Big shout-out and THANKS to Mary for this awesome cutie!

https://www.etsy.com/market/mug_rugs_machine_embroidery_designs

Using AI For Research

A few years ago, I heard that Electric Vehicles (EVs) were going to be a problem because they weigh so much more than conventional gas cars due to their large batteries.  That made sense, and because I wasn't thinking of buying an EV, I really didn't care.  Recently, I took some heavy stuff to the dump, and the invoice said my Infiniti QX60 weighs nearly 4,800 pounds, more than I expected, but certainly not the largest SUV you can buy.

With the advent of AI and its ability to produce answers to questions, I asked Google Gemini how Tesla's weight compared to its gas-powered brethren.  The table you see below shows that Tesla EVs and regular SUVs are very comparable.  Using AI for research has made my life much easier.

https://gemini.google.com

All The Best Delicatessen

We had lunch a few months ago at our local All The Best Delicatessen, with my selection being the soup and half-sandwich combo shown below.  The chicken soup was packed with chicken, carrots, and noodles, and the corned beef Reuben was served on a seeded rye bread.  The food was great, and this isn't your normal deli.  We got seated at a table set up with silverware wrapped in cloth napkins, given menus, and we placed our order with our server.  This is no stand-in-line joint that's mainly self-serve.  To top it off, they even have a full bar with seating.  Very cool place.

https://allthebestdeli.com

Traffic Sign Recognition

We rented a Mazda CX-50 from Budget during our last trip to Texas, and like many cars, it displays the speed limit on its dashboard, which you can see as "55" in the picture below. It seemed odd that it would disappear for a while, only to return as we approached a new speed limit sign.  I thought the car might actually be reading the signs, but I had never heard of anything like that.  

Took a little research to find that some newer cars have a Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) system that uses a small, forward-facing camera, typically located near the rearview mirror, to scan the road ahead for traffic signs, and an onboard image processing computer to recognize a variety of road signs.  The TSR can be combined with the car's navigation system, which may have limited or outdated speed limit data, to keep the driver better informed.

That's all good, but the Mazda included one very annoying feature.  Look closely at the end of the needle on the speedometer, and you will see that the speed limit is highlighted in red with a red line curving to the limit of the current speed.  That piece of nanny-nagging is too much.

https://caradas.com/understanding-adas-traffic-sign-recognition

Rain-Sensing Wipers

As I was driving on the rainy day you see below, it got me to wonder how rain-sensing wipers work.  A little research showed it starts with a light-emitting diode (LED) located between the windshield and the rearview mirror.  When the windshield is dry, most of the infrared light is reflected back to a light detector (photodiode) within the sensor.  When raindrops land on the glass, they disrupt this reflection. The water droplets scatter the infrared light, reducing the amount reflected back to the sensor.  Pretty slick.

More information can be found at the link below.

https://www.carparts.com/blog/how-do-rain-sensor-wipers-work-and-are-they-the-right-choice-for-you

Skinny Caps

Back in November 2024, I blogged about the skinnier cap on cartoons of Half-n-half, which measures in at 3/8" high, and how I had to use pliers to get it open.  Ice Mountain has taken that to new lows with a cap that measures only 1/4-inch high, as you can see in the image below.  Activists pressure companies to reduce their "environmental impact," apparently with no regard for what is good for the consumer.  I, for one, will be looking very closely at cap heights when buying in the future.  

More on "wrap rage" from USA Today at the link below, including the next bad design idea, "Tethered caps".

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/04/shrinking-plastic-caps-bottles-harder-to-open/75719362007

Using AI For Landscaping

Since a blight killed all the boxwoods at the front of our house, we decided that a complete redo was necessary, and I turned to AI for an assist.  I uploaded a picture of our house and asked it to "remove all the bushes, shrubs, and shadows".  Then I asked it to "recommend landscaping with plants that do well in southwest Ohio", and that's the picture you see below.  I really like the pop of color from the purple and bright green hostas and how it puts a larger bush at each end to frame it nicely.  It was also nice that it removed all the leaves from the grass and made the American flag look brand new.  I used Google Gemini 3 with a trial of their Nano Banana Pro image generation tool.  Now we can't wait for spring!

https://gemini.google.com

Honey-Garlic Shrimp Skewers

I picked up a large bag of 16-20 Wild Ocean Shrimp at our local Foremost Seafood store, and Gourmet Chef Elaine turned them into a wonderful meal you can see below.  The glaze consisted of honey, sriracha, crushed red pepper, garlic, lime zest and juice, and parsley, which was brushed on the skewered shrimp as they fried.  It's sitting on a bed of wilted spinach, which was sauteed with a couple of grated garlic cloves.  The full recipe is at the link below.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/honey-garlic-shrimp-skewers-6601298

Love Field

Our recent return trip from Austin, Texas, went through Dallas, but I thought that would be the huge Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport; but it happily turned out to be the original Dallas airport, Love Field (DAL).  There are only 20 gates in its single terminal, but it is packed with plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops.  We'll be looking to fly through there for future trips.

The Southwest Airlines sign you see below has several screens with useful information, but I particularly like "how full is the aircraft for the next flight", which for this Atlanta-bound plane is 55%.  It's nice to know you'll have room to spread out and stow luggage in the overhead bins.  However, our Columbus, Ohio-bound plane was 85% full, but we still had adjacent seats, albeit in the back of the plane.  Southwest is changing from its "cattle call" boarding process to assigned seats beginning January 27, 2026, a change we are 100% looking forward to.

https://www.dallas-lovefield.com

Honey Bucket

Back in July, I promised to share more porta-potty names as I encountered them, and I finally found a new one, Honey Bucket, while driving along Texas State Route 71 headed to College Station.  I couldn't take a picture at that time, as I was moving at 70 mph, so the image below comes from their website.  

Usually, porta-potty names are cute, like Mr. John or Gotta-Go, but Honey Bucket takes that in a different direction, trying to make it sound like the inside is going to be pleasurably scented.  No way, I'm still going to hold my breath for as long as it takes.

https://honeybucket.com

Thunderstorms

Falling to sleep during rain falling and distant thunderstorms rumbling is a once or twice a year occurrence at best.  We found that our Amazon Echo, playing the right selection from our Spotify Premium subscription (i.e., no ads), is every bit as calming as the real thing.  Stormy Evening by Taranis is our current favorite, the right balance of gentle rain and booming distant thunder.  It's also available on YouTube at the link below.

We also like the sound of waves crashing on a beach, but for some unknown reason, their soundtracks sound fake and don't do a thing for us.  The real thing, however, is bliss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lCpVQbj9Nk

Using AI For Creating Images

I have a whole bunch of links to websites that have free (I love free) images I can use for these blog posts or other of my writing adventures.  Searching can take a lot of time and is not always what I want, if I can find something reasonably close.  AI allows me to describe what I want, like "create an image of a scary Halloween pumpkin", as I did below using Canva, and select one of several options that I like best.  I think it hit the mark on scary!

https://www.canva.com