DEF

At a recent stop at the Buc-ee's off I-40 at the Sevierville, Tennessee exit, I noticed the letters "DEF" over a few pumps, wondered what they meant, and found the answer interesting and a little gross.  "DEF" stands for "Diesel Exhaust Fluid," and it's used in many diesel vehicles to reduce air pollution by lowering nitrogen oxides using a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that breaks down harmful nitrogen oxide emissions into harmless nitrogen and water.  So far, so good, until I learned that DEF is a solution made of 32.5% urea and 67.5% deionized water.  Yuk.  In other words, not drinkable.

Buc-ee's sells DEF at those marked pumps for $3-4 dollars per gallon, or you can purchase pre-packaged jugs inside the store and save about 50 cents per gallon.  Sure beats getting it at Amazon for several times the price.  I'll never look at an 18-wheeler the same.  

More information, in case you're oddly interested, can be found at the link below.

https://dieselpowerproducts.com/blogs/blogs/diesel-exhaust-fluid

Love's Rewards

I've written before that Love's is our go-to travel stop on long trips, and while filling up recently at the last Love's before leaving Ohio on eastbound I-80, I noticed that if you download their app, you can get 10 cents off per gallon by scanning the app's barcode at the pump.  I did that and used it to save money at the first Love's on westbound I-70 after leaving West Virginia (my gas tax dollars are going to Ohio).  Not a big savings, but a dollar in my pocket is better than theirs.  I also get points, and my current total of 125 points translates into $1.25.  You can download their app and learn more at the link below.

https://www.loves.com/promos/download-app

Better Mute

I mute almost every commercial except ones that are funny every time, like the Allstate "Mayhem" and the Progressive "Becoming Your Parents".  That's easy enough on the TV remote, but on my iPad it involves repeatedly pressing the volume down, followed by repeated volume-up presses to restore the sound.  But I've found a much quicker sequence.  I swipe from the top right-hand corner towards the middle of the screen, which reveals the Control Center.  I can mute the sound by pulling the volume to the bottom.  So two quick swipes replace the tap-tap-taps of the old method.  The screenshot below shows the mute, but the rest of the screen is not black; that just happens because taking a screenshot does not include any video.

Sausages With Butternut Squash, Browned Butter, And Sage

When Gourmet Chef Elaine tasted this dish at our local Dorothy Lane Market, she knew she had to give it a try, and it didn't disappoint.  Fortunately, the store handed out printed copies of the recipe, but you can find it at the link below.  To make this easier, she went with a bag of pre-cubed squash, and we bought the sausages at our go-to meat market, Dot's.  The brown butter, maple syrup, and fresh sage leaves add a ton of flavor, and this recipe would be great on a cool, autumn evening.

https://www.dorothylane.com/recipes/sausageswithbutternutsquashbrownedbuttersage

Is That Old?

Happy birthday to me!

If I were fifty years younger, I could still walk into a bar and buy a drink.  Whoa!

That makes me feel like I should feel really old, but I don't.  Older, but not old.  Certainly not 71 years old.  

Cheers to collecting another birthday!

I-90 In New York State

While traveling to Buffalo on eastbound I-90 (aka New York State Thruway), I noticed the mile markers were counting down, not ascending as they do on every other interstate I've driven.  So I asked AI and learned that the Thruway was built before the federal Interstate system was established, which set the standard for east/west highways to start at mile marker 0 at the western state line and increase as you travel eastward.  North/south highways' mile markers start at the southern edge and increase as you travel north.  There are apparently a few other exceptions, and I'll keep an eye peeled to see if I can find them.

Scores At A Glance

I get selected sports scores on my Google Pixel 7 thanks to its built-in "At a Glance" feature, as you can see in the screenshot on the left below.  It automatically surfaces live sports updates on my lock screen, home screen, and Always-On Display for teams that I follow.  In the screenshot on the right are a number of other pieces of information that can be turned on.  

To get sports scores on an iPhone/iPad, you need to download and add your teams to the free (I love free) Apple Sports app.  Then go to Manage Live Activities in the app's settings and toggle them on for your teams. Games will automatically appear on your Lock Screen once kickoff happens.

More information on the Google At a Glance feature can be found at the link below.

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/14884067

Umbrella Storage

With our deck expansion this summer, we now have three umbrellas that we need to store for the winter.  I didn't want to put them in our already-full basement storage room, so I looked around (and up) in our garage to see if I could find space there.  There was space near the ceiling, just above the rails for the garage door.  I bought a pair of Kobalt rails, cut one to fit the wall, and attached it to the concrete block with Tapcon screw anchors.  I attached pegboard hooks at each end and screwed them down.  We're ready to store the umbrellas, but not ready for the cold weather.  And never will be.

Schmidt's Sausage Haus Truck

On Labor Day, we like to go to Kettering's Holiday at Home at Lincoln Park for lunch and a walk through the car show and the numerous booths.  This year's selection was the Schmidt's food truck, where we each ordered a Bahama Mama, one that included German Potato Salad and Red Cabbage.  It may be difficult to see in the pictures below, but these dogs are huge and more than enough for a hearty lunch.  Schmidt's has seven trucks, and you can find the schedule at the link below.  And you can order their sausages and more on their website and find some really yummy recipes.  It's making me hungry!

https://schmidthaus.com/schmidts-sausage-truck-find-us

Half And Half Switch

We've ditched our usual Land O'Lakes brand of Half and Half for the Horizon brand shown below.  It's not that it's organic or tastes better.  We switched because Horizon uses a 1/2"-deep cap, which I can get my 70-year-old hands to get a good grip on.  The Land O'Lakes cap is so short that I have to use a pair of pliers to open it.  Somebody somewhere thought that reducing their use of plastic was a good idea.  We help them reach that goal by not buying their product.  Probably not what they had in mind.