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.

Swipe To Logoff

Sorry, this is not for iPhone users, just us Android-loyal folk.

I've had Android smartphones for as long as I can remember, and it took me over a decade to accidentally find this feature that I really love.  I have a few apps, mostly financial, that I want to log off when I'm finished, but finding where that option is located — which is, of course, different in each app — takes some time.  But I found that I can just swipe from the left edge of the screen to the right, or the right edge to the left, and that directly brings up the confirmation message you see below.  Nice time saver.

Skeletons

When I took the picture below on Schuyler Drive in Kettering, it was still two months before Halloween, but I guess if you've invested (or wasted, IMHO) this much money in giant skeletons, you want to get your money's worth.  Unless you live under HOA restrictions, you can keep these monsters up year-round in Kettering.  But if they have a neighbor trying to sell their house, I wouldn't want to live next to them.

OUPS

I see "OUPS", like the one in the picture below, painted in various places, and I was curious to know what it means; a quick search led to more information than I expected.  OUPS stands for the Ohio Utilities Protection Service (also known as OH811).  They are responsible for ensuring that underground utilities are located before digging or excavating.  They use these various colors to identify what lies beneath.

• Red: Electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables
• Yellow: Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or gaseous materials
• Orange: Telecommunications, alarm or signal lines, phone, internet, and cable TV
• Blue: Potable (drinking) water
• Green: Sewers and drain lines
• White: Proposed excavation boundaries (painted by the contractor before calling 811)
• Pink: Temporary survey markings
• Purple: Reclaimed water, irrigation, and slurry lines

I had no idea that so many different things are run below our surfaces.

Ohio law requires callers to wait at least 48 hours (excluding weekends and legal holidays) after contacting OUPS/OH811 before digging. The contractor must check the OH811 system to ensure every notified utility company has either marked their lines or responded with "No Conflict."

https://oups.org

Oklahoma Onion Burgers

I mentioned Oklahoma Onion Burgers in a previous post, but I haven't shown how to make them yet. Start by placing two 85-gram (3 oz) balls of ground chuck per burger onto a cast-iron griddle over medium heat. Season them with salt, then press a generous handful of thinly sliced onions into the top of each ball. Place a piece of parchment paper over each patty and smash it down to a thin patty with a grill press or a heavy spatula. Cook for 3 minutes, flip, lay a slice of American cheese on each patty, and crown them with the buns. Cook for another 3 minutes, assemble your burgers, then scrape the griddle clean—tossing about 20 ice cubes onto the hot surface makes cleanup a breeze.

If you want to see the entire production, I recommend George Motz's video at the link below.

Big shout-out to my daughter for this every-Monday delight!

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

Frederick's Coffee

I was fed up with ground Starbucks coffee costing so much more at Meijer lately, so I decided to give their store brand, Frederik's, a try. I bought the Espresso Roast pictured below, and I honestly can't tell the difference in my morning cup of joe. I'll still buy Starbucks when it's on a great sale, but it's nice to have a cheaper everyday alternative.

https://www.meijer.com/shopping/c/collections/frederiks-coffee.html