Altafiber

It has been almost 2 years since I blogged about Altafiber (the rebranded Cincinnati Bell) starting to run fiber down the major streets, and I've been (not so) patiently waiting for them to begin stringing fiber on the access poles, as you see them doing below.  Now I have to wait until they're ready to offer service to our house and allow us to save $50 per month over our current Spectrum Internet.  Hurry up, folks!!

https://www.altafiber.com

Golf Ball Picker Upper

New to the practice green at Walnut Grove Country Club is the ball sweeper you see below.  You attach an empty bucket to the rear, and as you push it across the green, the golf balls are gathered at the center of the diagonal pipes and conveyed into the bucket.  In under a minute, you can collect an entire bucket of balls without bending over.  This is genius!

https://walnutgrovecc.net

Streaming Cost

Comparing how much I pay to watch "TV" against what others pay is a bit of a challenge.  If I include the total cost of our high-speed Internet access, our monthly total is $191.34, which includes YouTubeTV and Netflix.  That overstates the cost since the Internet is used by lots of other things.  It also doesn't include what other services, for example, HBO, STARZ, and Disney+, that I use for a few months and then cancel until something good comes along.  

At the moment, that includes ESPN Select, to watch certain football games, for $12.89 a month for the next three months, and STARZ to watch Blood of my Blood now and the final season of Outlander early next year.  STARZ's special promo cost us a cheap $29.99 for a year, so I'll be looking hard for more shows to watch there.

Butt Dial Prevention

There just seem to be select people who butt dial (i.e., an unintentional call) you most often, and it made me think what they must be doing to cause that.  I've concluded that after a call, they just stick their phone in a pocket, where the slightest touch calls you back.  That's even more annoying when it's a group FaceTime or other video calling app.  The article at the link below has several more suggestions, but I think just making sure you turn your screen off (and have a lock code of some type set) before putting it away will solve the issue.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-prevent-butt-dialing-calls-from-your-iphone

Cowboy Candy

Also known as Candied Jalapenos, this recipe combines the heat of sliced jalapenos with loads of vinegar and sugar.  Three pounds of jalapenos are sliced using a mandolin (and a cut-proof glove), shown in the top picture below.  A sweet pickling liquid takes four cups of sugar, two cups of apple cider vinegar, and some turmeric, celery seed, garlic, and cayenne peppers, which are boiled, the peppers added to it, and simmered.  The jalapenos are packed into pint jars, topped with the liquid, sealed, and boiled for fifteen minutes to kill harmful bacteria and allow for longer-term storage.

The full recipe at the link below (a public link to my personal Google Drive) will take two hours and yield four pints of these snacking delights.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VDoHTlQMPwEKa7SKPADhZm_orO0FCJNPWlYOCdsmu7o/edit?usp=sharing

Unexpected Costco Moment

One of the three Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' (aka Porcupine) grasses we planted last spring did not make it, and I dug it out a few weeks ago.  The plan was to wait until spring and buy another, but that changed when we saw the exact same plant, shown below, at Costco.  We didn't know Costco had plants because we usually come in on a different side than where the plants are, we're trying to get a cart, and I'm fumbling for the membership card.  But this time we came in the other side, and when we saw these grasses were only $18.95, instead of the $50 we paid at a nursery in the spring, we jumped on it.  Paying attention sometimes pays off.

https://www.costco.com/live-plants.html

Gemini Image Editing

Whether AI is good or bad for humanity is certainly a debatable topic; it can certainly be funny.  I uploaded the photo I use on Instagram (on the left below) to Google's Gemini and asked that it give me hair like Pierce Brosnan.  I also asked for a better smile.  As you can see on the right below, it did that and made me look about twenty years younger.  Or it just made me look goofy.  That's also up for debate.

You can try Gemini's image editing at the following link.

https://gemini.google.com/app

Calvary Sunflowers

At the western edge of Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, on St. Andrews Drive, are two fields of sunflowers, some of which are shown below.  It's an annual tradition and a stunning display.  Calvary is a great place to take a walk, particularly that western edge, which has very little traffic.  With cooler temperatures on the way and leaves changing, I'm going to follow my own advice and take a hike.

https://calvarycemeterydayton.org/news/sunflowers-in-bloom

Uranus Fudge

Before I start, let's agree that Uranus is pronounced "YOO-ran-uhs".

This thoughtful gift, a box of delicious fudge from the Uranus Fudge Factory General Store and a copy of the Uranus Examiner, comes from Gourmet Chef Elaine's brother and sister-in-law.  The original location is in central Missouri along historic Route 66 in the Uranus Missouri Towne Center.  They now have three locations, with our gift coming from the newest location in Richmond, Indiana, near the Indiana Welcome Sign.  Where they pulled that location from is unknown.  Check out all things Uranus has to offer at the following link.

Shout-out to Dale and Kim for the fudge and their sense of humor.

https://www.uranusgeneralstore.com

Harrison's

Harrison's is a cute restaurant in historic downtown Tipp City, Ohio, and after considering many of their delicious sandwiches decided on the All-American Gourmet Club you see below.  Layers and layers of turkey, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, and tomato on an awesome pretzel bun made getting all that goodness in a single bite quite the challenge.  More of their menu is at the link below.

https://harrisonsrestaurant.com