Burned Grass

This patch of tan-colored grass in our backyard had us stumped as to its origin.  We had moved all the patio furniture to the grass, so perhaps a glass top on one of the tables magnified the sun rays?  No, it wasn't quite the right shape.  Did we spill something?  The grass didn't smell and we couldn't remember dropping anything.  Took us another couple of days to figure out that is where I parked the pressure washer to cool off after cleaning the patio so I could safely disconnect the water hose without burning myself.

Note to self.  Leave the pressure washer on the patio.

Rack Of Lamb

Chef Elaine prepared this beautifully medium-rare rack of lamb using the Ina Garten recipe at the link below.  The lamb is coated with a mixture of salt, rosemary, garlic, mustard, and balsamic vinegar, let stand for an hour, and then oven-roasted to 125 degrees, about 25 minutes.  It was served with a medley of roasted onions, green peppers, zucchini, and a few small potatoes.  

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rack-of-lamb-recipe-1914142

No U-Turn

We've been a bit startled by the number of cars that ignore the No U-Turn sign on southbound Shroyer Road just south of Stroop Road in Kettering.  It's justly marked that way because there are two lanes of traffic on northbound Shroyer and left and right turn lanes exiting the Kroger parking lot, and that's a lot of cars to account for safely.  But we think we have figured out why it's happening so frequently.  The drive-through exit of the Chick-fil-A encourages a quick exit to southbound Shroyer to avoid snaking through half the parking lot to find a properly-aimed exit and that leads to more illegal U-turns.

https://www.keatingfirmlaw.com/post/are-u-turns-illegal

Doody Calls

Pretty cute name for a dirty business, cleaning up animal waste products.  I kinda get it for commercial property owners, parks, and other public spaces where, unfortunately, owners are often negligent, but I hope people are not so lazy that they can't clean up their own property.  I have no idea what this might cost, but I'm sure it's high enough to make it a profitable business.

https://www.doodycalls.com

Cable Staples

Some number of years ago one of the cable companies ran the orange cable you see below down the telephone pole and into the ground to a neighbor's house.  But they just left the cable dangling which was none too pretty next to the arborvitae, lilies, and viburnum in that corner of the backyard.  Since I had learned about cable staples while wiring the garage for the new lights and had a bunch left over, I finally had a solution.  I moved the cable to the backside of the pole and tapped a pair of cable staples with a hammer.  Out of sight forever!

https://www.gardnerbender.com/en/products/Staples/NM-Staples/Plastic

Garage Door Lights

We now have our long-awaited garage lights installed.  They're motion-sensing and will be left on all the time, just waiting to illuminate the driveway at night as needed.  It took a couple hours of drilling and running electric wiring, almost all at or above head level, so our arms and hands are somewhat sore today.  But worth it.

Huge shoutout to my brother-in-law Albert for making this project a reality!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Decorators-Collection-Port-Oxford-1-Light-Oil-Rubbed-Chestnut-Motion-Sensing-Outdoor-Wall-Mount-Lantern-22231/314022622

Oklahoma Onion Burger

The Oklahoma Onion Burger might just be the most delicious hamburger I've ever had.  I took four 3-ounce balls of ground chuck, seasoned them on the flattop pictured below, and smothered them with piles of onion slices Chef Elaine made using the mandolin.  Using a large spatula, I smashed the balls and onions into a patty, cooked them for four minutes, flipped them, added American cheese, and laid the hamburger buns on top crust sides up.  Four more minutes and the perfect burger was done.  Instructions, and a bit of a history lesson, can be found at the YouTube link below.

Big shout to my daughter for this delicious tip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wm-rPBkW2o

Hilton Head Iced Tea

The muddy-looking Hilton Head Iced Tea shown below is a nice alternative to the usual Long Island version.  It combines 2.5 ounces of five different liquors with beer, orange juice, and cola for a refreshing summertime cocktail.  I suppose it was invented by somebody on Hilton Head Island, but darn if I can find anything to confirm that.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/237892/hilton-head-iced-tea

Pressure Wash Demo

Earlier this year I wrote about buying a Rotating Surface Cleaner and I finally had the chance to use it and I needed to show you the amazing results.  It cut two-thirds off the time and more than that on the effort to clean the patio.  For the first time ever, I even pressure-washed the sidewalk from the driveway to the patio.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Briggs-Stratton-14-in-Surface-Cleaner-Rotating-Surface-Cleaner/1000460207

Wi-Fi Calling

Even if you have an unlimited minutes plan, turning on Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone may be a good idea.  I find many times that I can get on a Wi-Fi network in places that have poor or zero cellular service, and with Wi-Fi Calling turned on, I can get and receive phone calls.  I even walked down the street talking to my wife, transitioning from our home Wi-Fi to Verizon without dropping the call. 

Note the Emergency Address verbiage below and read it closely.  Unlike cellular service, which knows where you are, Wi-Fi doesn't, so in an emergency make sure to tell whoever you contacted your exact location.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203032