Smartie's Bar & Grill #75

We got lucky last night and I hoped you fared the same. Tonight we're headed down to 26 and we'll probably be having the last fire of the season. In fact, I'm on a break from cutting firewood right now.

If I don't get a chance to chat with you later have a Happy Easter, daisy, and that goes for everyone else as well.

 

Brussel Sprouts take about 5 times longer to cook than asparagus.
Cook asparagus like you would Brussel sprouts and you have basically a
type of paint { like used in oil paintings }.
A stringy type of oil paint.
Not sure about use of vinegar.Because vinegar is finicky.
I wouldn't use vinegar { even balsamic } in soups or sauces.
Salads ... most definitely.
Dint Y'alls Mommies teach Y'all a thing er two about cooking.
I hate to ask how Y'all would approach cooking a roast.

 

I've been getting better and better about making my own food.

Just pulled a bunch of tomatoes and fresh cilantro from the garden and made salsa that is better than any jarred stuff. I'm now making my own sausage for pizza, too. I'm going to play with pizza dough. Just got a stand mixer. I've never made bread of any kind before.

I tried my own french fries in the air fryer yesterday. The flavor was right, but too soggy. I need to soak them longer and let them dry longer, I think. I also think I used too much oil.

 

Hope that holds. Sometimes it takes a few days for frost damage to become visible. Even if it hits potatoes, they will send up fresh shoots.

 

Everything looks normal and healthy we are suppose to be in the thirties again tonight but I don't think it will get that low. Although weather can change. Our weather changes at the drop of a hat.

 

Hope you Easter is great and you get to enjoy all of your blooms and birds.

 

For @Smartmouthwoman wherever you are I hope you have a wonderful Easter.

 

Speaking of missing people has anyone heard from Though Criminal? Time for another head count to check on people.@Crownline, @Texan, @B.Larset @Seth Bullock are you people ok?

 

I recall a poster named Mary.She was a favorite of Miss Smartie.
What became of her.
And I bet no one here even herds of Scummy.I may have misspelled that
word.Another Miss Smarty pants message board foil { Yahoo boards }

 

Kind of you to check up. I'm fine. I'll try not to be a stranger so much. If I could buy you a drink, I would.

 

I remember her and a lot of people that have just vanished. Some posted everyday. If they are lurking they can just check in and say I am fine.
The one you are speaking of was @mothersuperiormary or something like that and @gypzy she also left.

 

Thank you. Happy you are fine and hope you and yours stay well.

 

Ladt night wasn't as bad as the weather predicted I don't think. I walked outside this morning at about 5 AM and it wasnt that cold. The weather forecaster said the next cold snap would be in November...I hope he knows what he is talking about.

 

@Smartmouthwoman, how are the bluebonnets growing this year?

 

Everyone Have a Happy Easter and a safe weekend.

 

You too...and may the Sun always be at your back and may the road rise up to meet you.

 

Well the good news { very rare these days & nights } is that in my
area { region } Easter should be marvy.Weather-wise.Not "*Cookie-wise"
[ Popular word used in - The Apartment - { 1960 }.]
I could add ... about time.But I don't wanna seem a Wisenheimer.
Easter is a Holiday where people can do something about.
Maybe not Elmer Fudd { Dat rascally wabbit }. But you git the drift.
Nor Hud who would say ... Yeah ... I sometimes drift to the left
and sometimes drift to the right.

* popular phrase used in Britain and the U.S. in the
50's and 60's. Meaning that's how the situation turned out.
And there is nothing you can do about it.

 

Checking in. I've been working a lot lately, but I'm fine.

 

How about every day

 

This is part of my deck rebuild. After the wind tore up that plastic trash that was up there I decided to build back better. The wood is heart pine that was harvested a hundred years ago.... and other wood. I treated it with diesel fuel and it stinks! But that will go away. I could not see spending a small fortune on wood preservative that doesn't work. I have a frame outside that was done that way a year ago and it looks the same. It was kind of a waste of the material because it would make some fine furniture but I was short of cash and need the money for a new roof on the house and since it will be metal this time I will probably use some of the 1by stuff on the roof. Attach the 1by to the rafters and the metal to the 1by. Should last another lifetime.

 

This is the landing down the first set of stairs. The floor is heart pine. Notice no finish work on the pine. These are the steps off the landing the stringer is an old 2by12 salvaged off the house next door. The trends are heart pine....mostly. I am going to work out some handrails soon... maybe.

 

Happy Easter to you and yours as well, Falena.

And it's a beautiful Spring day here in Virginia. The sun is shining, the sky is clear and we're being serenaded by the ringing of our wind chimes....

 

This is what I've been working on, a little at a time for the past couple months. I've been replacing 100 feet of wood fence that I built 30 years ago. A mistake I made when I first built the fence was to allow the picket boards to touch the ground. They lasted all this time, but now they were rotting from the ground up. So this time I installed a pressure treated base board, and the bottoms of the pickets are screwed into it with all of them above ground level to prevent rotting. Also, when I first built it, it followed the lay of the land which is a gentle slope. I used a stepped method this time by adding 2X4 extensions to the posts so the tops of each panel would be level. Yesterday I finished the last panel, and today I loaded my truck with the old disassembled fence for later transport to the dump. The one remaining thing I'm planning on doing is to finish each panel by framing them with 1X4. Not necessary, but I think it will add to the appearance.

I have found this to be a sort of fun and pleasant pastime except for my aching back at the end of the day.

Here's how the old fence looked.

 

New, rebuilt fence ...