The Food Dude

I wrote about The Food Dude last year on a blog with their lemonade, and this year they get another mention for their fully-loaded Smashburger.  Two patties topped with cheese, bacon, pickles, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce between a pretzel roll bun.  The potato chips were appreciated, but frankly, there was no room left in my tummy to eat more than a couple.  Check out their Facebook page at the link below to find when and where they will be making these beauties near you.

https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Food-Dude-Street-Eats-and-Catering-LLC/100091404420448

Pop First

For years, I've put the ice in the glass first, then poured the carbonated beverage on top, being careful to add it slowly enough so that the foam doesn't overflow.  Recently, I discovered it's better to perform that operation in reverse: pouring the soda (or pop) in first, then adding the ice last, a few cubes at a time at first.  Instead of all that warm soda hitting all the cold ice all at once, the soda is cooled down a little at a time.  Yet another example of things I've been doing backwards all my life.

Popsicle Riddle

A recent popsicle purchase resulted in a surprise riddle.  After I unwrapped the treat, I saw there was a question written on the bottom of the stick which read, "Who cleans up after sailors?"  I figured the answer must be hidden on the top of the stick, and sure enough, it was.  It's hard to see in the image below, but the answer is "Mermaids".  Yuk, yuk, yuk ....

Chain Door Stop

Our front storm opens towards the south, resulting in it catching the predominant west wind.  When that wind is really blowing hard, it can rip the door out of your hands.  That causes two issues.  First, the glass can bang into one of the planters on the stoop and potentially break, and second, it could rip the storm door from its hinges.  The solution to both problems is the chain door stop you see below.  It allows the door to open easily, but when the chain is fully extended, the powerful spring takes over and prevents the door from opening too much further.  

Major shout-out to my brother-in-law Albert for installing this during his recent visit!  

https://www.doitbest.com/product/203726/national-hardware-black-door-stop-spring-chain-203726

FANS Enrollment

Montgomery County offers its free (I love free) Fraud Alert Notification (FAN) system that will alert you when any documents are recorded against your property title.  Fraudsters attempt to claim ownership of your home by filing forged documents and aim to quickly sell to an unsuspecting buyer.  Catching this early is key to reversing the fraud and avoiding a bunch of legal hassles.  Some other counties offer a similar service, which a quick search should turn up.  

It's also good to keep your credit locked on all three reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) so no one, including these bums, can open credit cards or obtain loans using your identity.

https://go.mcohio.org/applications/recorder/fraud/findRegistered.cfm

Cheesy Shell

Instead of just adding cheese to my leftover chicken filling, I opted to try a technique I recently saw on TV.  I put down a layer of shredded cheddar cheese, covered it with a flour tortilla, and added the filling.  I cooked this over medium heat for several minutes until the cheese was nicely browned.  The next time I do this, I'll microwave the filling first to make it hotter.  Every time I make something for the first time, there are always lessons learned. 

Rum Runners Cafe

The cute little bar you see below is the speakeasy at Rum Runners Cafe in the Woodlane Shopping Center in Kettering, Ohio.  We had a delicious lunch at the cafe, but it was too early in the day to have a cocktail, so we'll be planning a return trip soon.  Best of all, the prices are pretty reasonable.

https://rumrunnerscafe.com

Mole.Stem.Model

In February 2024, I wrote about What 3 Words, a website and mobile app that assigns a three-word combination to every three-meter square on the planet.  In addition to providing an exact location while hiking, boating, or any other place without a fixed address, I recently used it to provide the location of my parents' graves in Calvary Cemetery, which is at the link below and the image below that.  With their mobile app, I can enter mole.stem.model and it will navigate me there.  I've walked around many graveyards trying to find a headstone, and if this method were available, it would have saved me hours.

https://w3w.co/mole.stem.model

U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier

Walnut Grove Country Club hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier on July 10, and members are allowed to walk the course and spectate.  We spent a couple of hours at the intersection of the 9th green, 10th tee, and the 18th tee, strolling back and forth to watch the action.  These ladies can absolutely crush their tee shots while not appearing to swing hard at all.  I need to learn from this.

Ellie Yeazell and Eileen Park tied for medalist honors with 3-under par 69, with Yeazell eagling the par-5 16th and Park having back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to avoid being in the four-way playoff to determine which two made the finals, with the other two becoming alternates.  More on the results at the link below.

https://ohio.golf/results-2025-u-s-womens-amateur-qualifier-dayton

Turn The Jar

As we've gotten older, opening jars has become more challenging.  One recent piece of advice that helped is to turn the jar, not the lid.  That made a lot of sense since simultaneously squeezing and turning the smaller lid while holding the jar puts most of the work on one hand, whereas holding the lid and turning the jar uses both hands, and the larger jar is easier to turn.  It helps, but it isn't perfect.  The article at the link below contains several other ways to open jars, my favorite is using a bottle opener.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1468719/hacks-to-open-stubborn-jars