3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

postaday

Day 187/365: Barbeque Chicken

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The Secret to Great BBQ Chicken
The Secret to Great BBQ Chicken

The answer…slow cooking. Many times I’ve ruined perfectly good chicken because I put it on the bottom rack, and even on low the fat dripped off and the flames singed and burned it to a crisp. Now I put the seasoned, naked chicken on the top rack and the burners on low, as low as they can go.

I let them cook for at least 30 minutes until golden brown, checking every 5 minutes or so, yes they take babysitting if you don’t want the chicken to burn, then lather with barbeque sauce.  Regardless of the desire to turn up the heat I don’t, I want the barbeque sauce to bake on, I turn it every 5-10 minutes watching for hot spots on the grill.

Only after I see that the chicken is cooked, juice runs clear (no I don’t use a thermometer) do I turn up the heat to caramelize the sauce. My favorite sauce is Cookies BBQ Sauce, it’s a staple in Nebraska barbeques, found locally in the Midwest and is the only sauce my kids will use. Heaven forbid if I buy something like Krafts.

Day 186/365: Sweet Basil, Watching it Grow

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Sweet Basil
Sweet Basil

Just a few weeks after I planted my basil it’s twice the size, just need to keep pinching back the tops to make it bushy, otherwise it just grows tall and goes to seed. Don’t want that, I want a huge plant with lots of leaves so I have plenty to harvest and dry. I use basil in just about everything, on pork chops, roasts, chicken, even omelets, and yes Italian dishes.

Day 185/365: Peony Garden

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Another peony garden in Elmwood, Nebraska. It was a very windy day, so no flower porn macros. Peonies normally start blooming in May and are in full bloom for Memorial Day. For this reason many graves have peonies planted so they will naturally decorate the graves.

Peony Garden
Peony Garden

I sometimes get strange looks as I drive around Elmwood, get out and crouch on the ground to take photographs of flowers. But, for the most part people are used to me and my camera.

Day 184/365: Why Did the Turtle Cross The Road?

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So why did the snapping turtle cross the road? Why does any turtle cross the road for that matter?  I don’t know, but he obviously didn’t do it so I could carry him across to the other side. If he did he wouldn’t have been so ungrateful to hiss and snap at me while I saved his shell from tires of a car. He was heavy guy, about 25 lbs and a good 18 inches in length. Didn’t want a car to hit him, so I carried him in the direction he was going, north across Holdredge Street east of Lincoln Nebraska.

Snapping Turtle why did the turtle cross the road
Snapping Turtle, so ungrateful…

There is an old wives tale that if you see turtles crossing the road it’s going to rain. (Within 12 hours of this picture it did rain by the way. ) This theory is true, or is at least true from my standpoint. In 1988 I was working a summer internship job for SafeGuard cattle dewormer in Oklahoma. We were in the middle of a heatwave and drought.  Ranchers were asking me if I was bringing rain with me when I came to visit. I always had bad news for them.

Then one morning I started noticing the turtles crossing the highway, being familiar with the old wives tale I started counting them. I stopped at 73. When I stopped at the Farmers Co-op they asked the question, “Did you bring any rain?” I jokingly told them “Turtles were all over the road it’s going to pour buckets.”

That afternoon as I drove past the co-op again it WAS pouring buckets and I honked my horn as they waved from the doorway.

The next week when I stopped by they asked the same question. I could only shake my head and say, “Sorry, this morning I saw a tarantula cross the road, it’s going to be dry for a while”

So why do turtles cross the road? Probably for many reasons, it’s breeding season, it just rained and their homes got flooded and they have moved to higher ground. Or, like another blogger thought, it’s going to rain.

What Gets Hit More? Turtles or Snakes?

Day 183/365: Death of A Lawn Mower

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Death of a Lawn Mower
Death of a Lawn Mower

It was Death of a Salesman that inspired the title, but it’s not even related. My old, used, bought off Craigslist mower, bit the big one and died. A tragic death. Not only the handle broke, yeah that’s duct tape you see. But the do-hiicky that attaches to the blade think-a-ma-gig  just disconnected or flew off. Did in mid mow, and I just got a whirring metal sounds when I tried to start it again.

So, I didn’t even check the internet for reviews and best prices, I went to Sears, I was so frustrated and mad and bought a new Craftsman lawn mower. Yes, it’s my first “new” lawn mower and it’s not a push mower, it’s a walk-behind. There is a difference.

Previous mower I had to push, this one is self propelled and I just hold the handle and walk behind it. Or, if I’m in a hurry a very fast walk.