Eggnog Snickerdoodles

I love eggnog.  I love Snickerdoodles.  When I saw the recipe for Eggnog Snickerdoodles at the link below, I couldn't wait to fill the house with the aroma of this delicious combination.  The only deviations were subbing vanilla extract for the rum extract and opting to go with no icing on top.  Fortunately, Gourmet Chef Elaine spotted at the last second that I was using wax paper instead of parchment paper to line the cookie trays which would have ruined both the cookies and the trays.  I can be such a ditz.

https://lilluna.com/eggnog-snickerdoodles

Miami Valley Meals

Miami Valley Meals is a local organization that transforms raw ingredients provided by various food donors (e.g., farms, urban gardens, restaurants) into balanced, nutritious, and tasty meals.  Food pantries, churches, social service groups, etc., distribute those meals to needy individuals in the Dayton region.  In 2023 they provided 235,123 meals not to just the hungry but to people who are not able to cook their own meals or just have a microwave available to them.  You can learn more at the link below.

One way to donate to their cause is by buying one of the unique spice blends they have created.  Click "Shop" at the top of their webpage to check it out.  I opted for the "Feel Good Fusion".

https://miamivalleymeals.org

Room Numbers

Gourmet Chef Elaine noticed that our local high school has put each room number on a window so it's visible from the outside.  In emergencies, these numbers can assist first responders in quickly getting to the correct location.  The design of the numbers (white and not too large) helps them blend into the building and not present an eye sore, but are easily seen when needed.  Pretty clever idea to help keep the kids safe.

Big Toe Hole Preventer

Every pair of running/walking shoes I've worn ended up with a hole in the fabric on the top of the left shoe and sometimes the right, which eventually causes me to buy new shoes earlier than otherwise needed.  It's a foot condition called "the hyperextension of the distal phalanx" (I know, it sounds kinda dirty), but all it means is that every time you take a step your big toe lifts, and that rubbing will lead to a hole.  

I recently discovered the "Big Toe Hole Preventer" which uses a black path, which is under the lift-off release paper in the picture below.  You just cut the outline to your shoe size, remove the release paper, slide the cut-out to the front of the shoe, and press down.  After a minute or so you slide the applicator out of the shoe and wait 24 hours to ensure the patch is secure.  I've put them in two pairs of shoes and don't know they are there.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4NWVBB1

YouTube TV Zen Channel

As I've blogged about before, I'm a big fan of YouTube TV and their latest feature expands on the little nature and other Zen-like clips they show at times in lieu of commercials.  There is now a full-time Zen channel that loops through scenes of arm-flapping penguins (shown below), crackling fireplaces, play-fighting polar bear cubs, ice skaters, and more.  While targeted at having a calming moment, I find myself flipping over to it during those all-too-often, 3.5-minute commercial breaks that cause major sporting events to regularly run 4 hours or more.  I can't wait until I can customize a 2-pane MultiView with the show I'm watching in one frame and the Zen Channel in the other.  And hopefully, YouTube TV will add a lot more scenes as these do get a bit repetitive.

https://9to5google.com/2024/12/04/youtube-tv-zen-channel

Cornbread Cupcakes

I was left with most of a bag of Pan brand cornmeal after making arepas a few months ago and didn't know what else I could make until Gourmet Chef Elaine made a pot of her awesome chili.  I thought a loaf of cornbread would match perfectly and then decided, for portion-control purposes, to make the cornbread cupcakes shown below.  I just followed the simple recipe at the link below and used baking cups to make clean-up easy.  What I didn't realize was that cornmeal is way stickier than a desert batter and I had to pry the baking cup off.  Next time I'll spray the pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.

The portion control didn't go as planned as these were so delicious I had to have seconds (and just maybe, thirds).  

https://us.allofpan.com/recipes/corn-cupcakes

Unique Flag To Pole Connection

The flag shown below is located in the office building complex across from the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio.  It features one of the smartest ways to connect the flag to the pole to prevent it from getting tangled up on itself.  Instead of the bottom attachment being the usual ring that's (supposed to) rotate, this configuration uses a weight to keep the flag spread vertically and a very loose loop to allow the flag to rotate.  Separating the two needs using two different mechanisms (IMHO) is pure genius.

Fraze Construction - Part 2

As shown below, the answer to yesterday's puzzle is that they are planting new trees. The series of plastic pipes comes from a company named DeepRoot. As its name implies, the piping is an irrigation system that helps the tree's roots grow down into the soil instead of sideways. If you have a tree near a patio or sidewalk, you know first-hand how powerful and destructive their roots can be.  You can read more about DeepRoot at the link below which includes a rainwater filtration option I don't believe is being used here.

I have no clue how much taxpayer money they are spending on this project but just to plant six trees must be worth it in someone's mind.

https://www.deeproot.com

Fraze Construction - Part 1

A couple of weeks ago we found workmen breaking concrete and digging a pair of large holes in the ground at the Fraze Pavilion, including removing some trees.  Why they were doing this was a mystery that only got more puzzling when a few days later they installed the series of plastic tubes you see below.  Maybe some kind of new Christmas decoration?  Take your best guess and tomorrow I'll reveal what they're up to.

Power Failure

One of the benefits of having some smart devices in your home is finding out that our electricity was out l during our 16-day September road trip.  I received alerts from my Blink camera app that it lost connection. I then looked at the Google Home app (screenshot below) to see that the WiFi router and Nest thermostat were offline.  Fortunately for us, we had almost nothing perishable in our two refrigerators and even though the first (of three) outages lasted over thirteen hours, nothing had to be thrown away.