Pumpkin Pie

Every once in a while I get the urge for pumpkin pie and if it's too far from Thanksgiving to hold off, I'll bake one of my own using the instructions on the can of filling and my favorite homemade pie dough recipe.  What's not pictured below, but equally essential, is a can of Reddi-wip Extra Creamy, which I perhaps overindulge a bit.

https://www.reddiwip.com/dairy-whipped-topping/extra-creamy

Sea Foam

Our 2004 Jeep developed a ticking sound which was heard for the first few miles before the engine got a chance to warm up.  Figuring a sticking lifter was the likely cause, I added a can of Sea Foam Motor Treatment, less than $10, in the gas tank and its cleaning action has resolved that issue and I'm sure some others that await.  

https://seafoamworks.com

Privateer

The picture below shows all the Starlink (i.e. SpaceX) satellites in low-earth-orbit at a single point in time.  Go to the Privateer link and you'll start with all the satellites from over 100 constellations and you can use a few filters to see just a portion of interest.  A large number of the results fall into the Uncategorized category and zooming out reveals lots of that space junk.  Seems like it's pretty crowded up there already and the thousands of satellites expected to launch each year will make keeping track of what's where even more important.

https://www.privateer.com

Peonies

The peonies that love the mostly-shady east side of our house are the official flowers of Paul and Elaine (P+E, get it?).  They spring up from ground level to these too-heavy-to-stand-up-by-themselves monsters in a little over a month, develop large and wonderfully fragrant blossoms, which we pick to brighten up the dining room table.  After a couple weeks of splendid color and aroma, they just get in the way of the lawnmower for the remainder of the summer.

https://www.almanac.com/plant/peonies

Electric Shock

Compared to the $0.609/KWh, 3-year rate I signed up for last December (2021), the best of the current rates is almost 50% higher.  It's a good time to review your current contract and usage, and plan for a big bump in your monthly bill if it affects you.  I'm hoping these rates come way down before my contract expires in December 2024, but I'll keep a close eye on it.  Look for your best rate at the link below.

https://energychoice.ohio.gov

Garlic Butter

That bread with the Caesar salad you see below is topped with Chef Elaine's homemade garlic butter, a combination of butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and paprika.  You might want to start by adding only one-half or maybe one-third of the garlic and add more until you get the bang you desire.  This one would scare off a vampire.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/36925/garlic-butter

1MORE Headphones

I needed a pair of wired, in-ear headphones but won't use them often enough to justify one of the more expensive brands.  A search for "best 3.5mm earbuds" led me to the article from Lifewire (first link below) where their Best Budget recommendation was "1MORE Piston Fit at Amazon" (second link).  I snagged a pair for only $12.99 plus tax.

https://www.lifewire.com/best-wired-earbuds-4767562

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KPYI0YS

More Arborvitae

In a few years, these six new arborvitaes will provide an even nicer visual screen from our neighbor's yards which became an issue when about a dozen of their dead trees had to be removed.  Gorman Landscaping did a great job removing the sod and a few good-sized roots, digging the holes, evenly spacing the trees, and mulching the entire area.  Arborvitae need a lot of water which we'll do using the "drip" setting on our hose's nozzle, fifteen minutes at a time per tree.

https://www.gormanlandscape.com

Romaine Redo

This little plant started as a bottom couple of inches of a store-bought head of romaine lettuce.  Gardner Elaine planted it in our raised herb bed (sorry bunnies) bottoms up, watering it daily, and in a week, these tiny leaves appeared.  Instead of it ending up in the trash, we're hoping for a tasty end-of-summer Caeser salad.

Big shout out to Kim for this garden suggestion!

Woven Balcony Set

We were fortunate to get this 3-piece set for our deck back in March before the price of outdoor furniture went through the roof.  It was one of those random deals you find at Costco that you jump on while supplies last.  It was a bit of a splurge, but we had just received our yearly Costco Cash Rewards certificate, which paid for a good chunk of it.

It came in a 5'x4'x3' box and fortunately, my son has a truck with a lift gate.  Mike, thanks for the assist!