Kitchen Gadget

If you enjoy natural peanut butter and don’t already have one of these gadgets you need one. 

 

Grandpa Witmer’s Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer.

 

No more messy stirring!

 

Available on Amazon - made in the USA.

More Holiday Spirit

For the woman in your life that has everything; there is this...

Follow me at this blog for more gift-giving tips.

Merry Christmas!

Wisdom To Live By

 

 

Not much to say about this...

 

Lilac Blight

We have a long-established hedgerow of lilacs situated around the footprint of where the ancestral farmhouse once stood.  This summer we notices that there was leaf die-off and a darkening of the stems and branches.  Upon closer examination the woody part of the shrub was not dead.  If scratched there was healthy, green matter beneath the bark.  Nevertheless, something was stressing the plant as it was pushing-out replacement leaves and flowering.  Go figure.

According to the interweb this is likely a form of blight caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae.  Among other things, it is characterized by leaf spots that can lead to leaf darkening, leaf wilting and premature leaf dropping. 

Fortunately this is mostly a cosmetic condition and unless it reappears over multiple seasons there are no lasting effects.  It is associated with wet conditions; which certainly describes our monsoon-like spring.  

Because this is not a fungal pathogen spraying with a fungicides is a waste of time.  Cleaning-up the leaf debris will prevent transmission next year.

Shelf Life

Will Twinkies last forever? 

This is the iconic shelf stable baked good that was made popular during WW2 via a substitution of bananas for a cream-like filling. The rationing of all food during the war, including bananas, lead to major shortages. Some folks went 6 years without eating a banana during that time. After the war? They kept it as the cream filling because they sold way more and it became the most popular and loved shelf stable baked good of all time.

POWTS

PRO TIP

 

 

If you live in rural America there is high probability you have a POWTS (private onsite wastewater treatment system). 

Pull your filter out at six month intervals to flush it  clean of accumulated nastiness. 

It’s a stinky disgusting job but it will help your effluent move efficiently thru the system

 

Roomba

We've had this nifty little household robot for about a month now.  It is a Roomba - an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner sold by iRobot and introduced to the market twenty years ago.  Our model is connected to our household WiFi and includes mapping capabilities.  Over a period of time it has 'learned' its way around the first floor of the house and navigates its way around known obstacles.  

We have all hardwood and tile floors with some area carpets and if you don't move the furniture too much it's methodology is much like that of a towed array side-scan sonar used to locate a ship wreck.  What I liken to mowing the lawn.

From time to time the forest of chair legs beneath the dining room table challenge its capabilities and on rare occasion will cause it to get stuck - but other than that it performs a decent job of cleaning the floor.

When it needs to offload collected debris, senses that it needs to recharge or on command by either of our handheld devices or preset program it returns to its docking station.  It is murder on the dog hair.

Speaking of which - we still have our old-school kitchen Roomba.  It is always at the ready to clean-up anything I drop or spill on the floor and then returns to its docking station.

 

iRobot

Meet the latest addition to our household...

iRobot Corporation is an American technology company that designs and builds consumer robots. It was founded in 1990 by three members of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, who designed robots for space exploration and military defense.

Roomba is a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners sold by iRobot.

Initially, I was unconvinced that this autonomous butler was worth the expenditure of our valuable Wi-Fi bandwidth.  Nevertheless, having observed it go about its duties following a search pattern similar to mowing the lawn it does seem to perform a decent job of cleaning the hardwood, area carpets (it struggles with the fringe) and the ceramic tile.

And it knows when to return to its docking station to automatically off-load the debris it collects and to periodically recharge before resuming its duties.

The dog seems to tolerate its presence with casual indifference.

 

Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

House received a well-deserved exterior deep cleaning.  

Dirt, dust, mildew - gone!

Windows sparkling inside and out.

And the concrete walkways and patio got a scrub too.

Paneless Glass Cleaning.....

A Radioactive Treat

We have one of these contraptions plumbed from the basement sump crock all the way to above the first floor gutters.  Some of you readers may have something similar in your own home.  

This is what is known as a radon mitigation system.  

Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that is a radioactive byproduct of radium.  Beginning with uranium 238 it naturally decays with a half-life of 3.8 days as alpha particles are emitted.  Over a period of time it decays to polonium, bismuth, and lead.  

The gas that finds its way into your home foundation comes from deep in the soil. Breathing radon over time increases your risk of lung cancer making it the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. 

Radon mitigation systems operate continuously and actively suck radon gas from under concrete slabs, sump pump pits and crawlspace liners.  Moisture vapor and other soil gases also travel up through a radon system, since they both are present in the soil.  

Among the many benefits of having a radon removal system is that it pulls the moisture vapor and soil gases out from under a building, resulting in lower relative humidity, reduced odors, and cleaner air.  The only downside of a radon system drawing out moisture vapor is the potential for icing and clogging during cold winter months.

No worries however.  If you break-off one of these icicles you can enjoy a delightfully refreshing radioactive frozen treat.  

Suck on enough of them and your might find yourself gently glowing in the dark.

Just kidding.  Suck on the icicles from the opposite side of the house where the birds poop.....

Takes a Beating - Keeps On Cooking

Founded by William Coleman this company is known for producing a wide variety of camping and recreational use products. The first dating back to 1900 – the gasoline pressure lamp. 

The first pressurized gasoline camp stove was introduced in 1954 – the Model 413E. This variation was sold from 1954 thru 1961.  As a child I recall camping with mom and dad out of our venerable American Motors Rambler station wagon. Lacking a tent mom and dad bunked in the back of the wagon and I slept on the front seat. Dad hand-built screens to insert in the open windows for ventilation. Mom cooked on a borrowed and battered Coleman gasoline camp stove and I’d bet it was the first model 413E. 

I have pictures in my possession somewhere but I digress. 

In any event I brought these up out the basement last weekend thinking they might get some use this fall/winter. 

These are called Coleman Suitcase Camp Stoves. The smaller on top is a Model 425E manufactured January 1967. I purchased it used. The larger on on the bottom is a Model 413G manufactured April 1980. I purchased it new at Fleet Farm. 

They’re both two-burner models with the smaller stove capable of 14,000 BTU output on the main burner. If the secondary burner is engaged the output is 7500 BTU on the right and 6500 BTU on the left. The larger 413G replaced the 425E and not only boasts an output of 17,000 BTU (9,000 right and 8,000 left) but has a stronger grate capable of supporting heaver cast iron cookware. 

Both of these stoves have surface rust, dings and dents and plenty of scorching.  A camp patina I suppose. And they’ve cooked countless meals outdoors under a year-round range of conditions in both Canada and the United States. If only they could talk. 

I added some fresh gas and after tightening a loose fitting or two they both operate like champs. 

Manufactured in Wichita Kansas, USA - after 93 combined years of service – I figure the amortized cost per use is pretty small.

The lesson is:  hang-on to the good stuff - you never know when it might get put to use for a camping experience - or an emergency.  

Household Gadget

For the person who has everything including too much clothing there is this...

The FoldiMate laundry folding robot.

Come to think of it - if you wore a uniform (slacks and shirt) every day this household gadget just might come in handy.

The company expects to roll this out before year-end.  Retail price around a grand.

Learn more about it here.....

How to Prevent a Smash and Grab

It is estimated that a vehicle is broken-into in San Francisco about every 17 minutes, or 85 times a day. Thieves tend to prey on vehicles in target-rich environments, like parking garages, large lots or areas of light foot traffic. 

photo - SFGate

 

A pair of signs near Alamo Square Park are not only inspiring chuckles - they include some sound advice.  Especially the part about the angry, poisonous bees.  Complete story here.

H3N2

We can speculate that human influenza (the flu) has bedeviled the human race throughout history – although a lack of accurate records and similarity to other respiratory diseases make the data difficult to interpret.  The classic symptoms of the flu were described by Hippocrates as early as 2,400 years ago. 

The earliest record of an influenza pandemic was of an outbreak in 1580 which started in Russia and spread thru North Africa to Europe.  In Rome over 8,000 people were killed and several Spanish cities were largely depopulated.  A century ago the most famous and lethal outbreak was the 1918 flu pandemic – also known as the Spanish Flu.  Lasting from 1918 to 1919 it is estimated to have killed 50 to 100 million people. 

The flu is still around today and with regular vaccinations society has achieved much progress in lessening the impact of pandemics.  Nevertheless, the flu should never be taken lightly.  It can be fatal to very young children, the elderly or among those who have compromised immune systems or other preexisting conditions. 

Last week I was slammed by a nasty strain of the flu (likely H3N2) that was not prevented by my yearly flu vaccination.  Each year, there are usually a few different strains of the flu virus circulating around and as a consequence your flu shot may not be as effective.  In 2018 we’re seeing more of the Influenza A-H3N2 than any other strain and any year in which this is the dominant strain tends to be worse than usual.  This is the worst year in a decade. 

The good news is that nowadays, we have antivirals, acetaminophen, fortified sports drinks and over the counter extended-release medications to loosen mucus to moderate symptoms and avoid complications.   Such things didn’t exist a hundred years ago.  Yet individuals still die from influenza and complications like pneumonia.   So wash your hands regularly, cover your coughs and sneezes and if you have sudden onset of cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue seek medical help.

Raising a toast to Tamiflu, Mucinex, Tylenol and enough Gatorade to float a boat.

Growing Your Own Air Purifier

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has researched options for filtering and converting carbon dioxide to oxygen in the air in its space stations.  Plants can be a contributor.

Studies concluded that certain plant species were more effective than others. If you are an average homeowner NASA suggests that a minimum of one plant per every hundred square feet of home or office space is a good start.  

And in case you need a recommendation here are the 17 plants that can help you can breathe a little bit easier – including our giant bamboo fern...

click on image to enlarge

Thanks to the Automation

Sometimes I don't think we give enough credit to all the tiny computers and automation that keep a household running when we're not there to personally oversee the process.

Been away from The Platz for three weeks and as news of the cold snap spread across northeast Wisconsin we did not receive a call from the alarm company about a drop in the heat, the break of a pipe, power outage or a flood. 

Of course, the water was turned-off as a routine and year-round precaution.   Admittedly, I did suffer no small amount of anxiety about two cases of bootleg Canadian beer I left in the attached garage.

As it turns-out all crises were averted, the house remains in running order and the beer was intact.  I have since moved the brew to The Bunker for safe keeping.   Good thing as it might have exploded in all its magnificence in our absence.

Raising a toast to automated climate control and monitoring...

The Garden Chronicles - Final Harvest

The last of the garden crops included a short row of Bibb lettuce and the remainder of the carrots.  The deer ate the lettuce and I wanted to leave the carrots in as long as possible to sweeten-up a bit.  

Leaving your carrots in the earth until after the first frosts of autumn does allow the sugars to translocate to the root.  As a matter-of-fact avid gardeners will mulch their carrots with a thick layer of straw and dig them-up on as as-needed basis throughout the winter months.  I attempted that once.  It didn't work.  The carrots froze solid.  I am a dedicated gardener but not that avid. In any event the more brazen of whitetails have been paying a nocturnal visit and have begun to nibble on the leafy green carrot tops.  I also know from experience that they'll figure out how to extricate as much of the really tasty root before too long.   

I week ago I attempted to get a fork in the earth to uproot the carrots but the cold snap would have nothing to do with it.  The ground was frozen.

With the recent moderate temperatures and today's spring-like temperature of 62 degrees the pitch fork effortlessly uprooted my carrots without snapping-off a single one.  Easy peasy.


And they're as sweet as can be.  The dogs certainly approve as they dined on some of them too. 

It's official.  End of November.  Final harvest.

Found Item

Jill found this the other day.

Still in its manufacturer's wrapping is a 30 minute and 20 second-long VHS instructional tape on the operation and care of my 14 year-old, General Electric, Horizontal-Axis, washing machine.

If I had something to play it on I might learn more.  However, what I really need is something that tells me how to keep the GE dryer from starting on fire...

click on the appliance for a better view

Public Service Announcement

In case any of you care to know what evidence of a combustion problem looks like in your ordinary laundry dryer - check this out.

Add to your list of best practices the following:  Have your burner serviced and your vent ducts cleaned of lint.

Otherwise your might burn your house down.

Turkey Hunting Tip

If you are looking for a hunting tip you can take this one to the bank courtesy of my Pal - Braumeister.

When the Beatnik Turkey Hunter returned home  from his hunt with a fine gobble he was hauling it in hipster style.

Slung over his shoulder with a strap salvaged from a duffle bag.

All you need is one of these and a couple of heavy-duty  zip ties.

 click on images to enlarge

Instructions:  

Shoot your bird

Write-down registration stuff

Put a zip tie on each leg between the body and spurs - making sure it is not tight nor too loose to slip over the spurs

Clip each end of the duffle strap to a zip tie 

Hoist over a should and march home

Easy peasy...