Category Archives: Rants and Raves

Things that I find interesting and disturbing

Reduce The Work of Making Tamales

Reading Time: < 1 minuteReduce the work of making tamales Spreading the Masa The final major step to making tamales is to spread the masa on the corn husks and assemble the tamales. This is where the work can be reduced. Spreading the masa on the husks requires using a large spoon. A spoonful of dough spread on the husk with… Read More »

RV Roof Stack Vent Replacement

Reading Time: 2 minutesRV roof stack vent replacement This article is about rv roof stack vent replacement. Do you have an RV roof? I was drawn to the roof area of my daughters RV recently when she had a ventilation problem. As is the case I generally tend to try to examine everything within the area. My philosophy… Read More »

Where Are The Long Life Wiper Blades

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhere are the long life wiper blades? My search for the long life wiper blades that last longer than a season continues. I am totally disappointed that there is not a wiper material that can last longer than one rainy season.  Materials have gotten better, it would seem that someone would have developed a long-lasting… Read More »

A Replacement Router Installation

Reading Time: 3 minutesA Replacement Router Installation (Aug-2016) I have a replacement router installation on my horizon. My old router is having problems staying connected. It’s dropping out more and more often. So I ordered a new router, highly rated by a computer magazine as a “best buy” for an entry-level router. This new router has three external antennas… Read More »

Defrosting The Chest Freezer

Reading Time: 3 minutesDefrosting the chest freezer I had to defrost the freezer the other day. It reminds me why I have a freezer that does not defrost automatically. It all comes down to the condition of the items in a freezer that does not have automatic defrosting over one that does. How it works It seems that… Read More »

The Texas Roadhouse Experience

Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Texas Roadhouse Experience The Texas Roadhouse was on our radar. My wife had an appointment. We needed to travel for that appointment. We live in the central valley and she needed to be in Palo Alto for the appointment. That’s in the south bay area. And as usual, we needed to stop somewhere for a… Read More »

Pedestrians Drivers and Rolling Stops

Reading Time: 3 minutesPedestrians drivers and rolling stops Pedestrians drivers and rolling stops are a recipe for disaster. If you are a rolling stop type driver your part of the problem. Thousands of pedestrians a year are injured or killed by drivers not coming to a complete stop. What is a complete stop? Let’s define a complete stop? I guess the… Read More »

Long Life Pool Brush

Reading Time: 2 minutesA Long Life Pool Brush A long life pool brush, is there such a thing? It seems that every second year I have to buy a pool brush. This is because the bristles are starting to fall out. So my question is: Is there a long life pool brush? I am asking anyone who reads this… Read More »

New NSA Products In Supermarket

Reading Time: 2 minutesNew NSA Products in Supermarket I found some new NSA products in the Supermarket. I do the shopping for my family and since I am a diabetic I am always looking for NSA products.  I found these products were on the shelves in June 2016. The new products, Canned Fruit, Flavored Coffee Creamers, and Pickles. I… Read More »

Best Sugar Free Syrup

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe best sugar free syrup Selecting the best sugar-free syrup is dependent on three factors. For me, these three factors make the perfect syrup. The first attribute is viscosity. If the syrup runs out of the bottle like water, that is a big turn off. Pancakes or waffles are not appetizing if the syrup runs off… Read More »

Best Tri Tip Sandwiches In Fresno

Reading Time: 3 minutesBest tri-tip sandwiches in Fresno Best tri-tip sandwiches in Fresno. There are two places in Fresno highly rated for their tri-tip sandwiches on Yelp. Both of these places have reviews from their patrons that had eaten at both places. Some of the reviewers for each restaurant chose one place over the other enthusiastically. I had… Read More »

The Dog House Grille

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Dog House Grille The Dog House Grille. I was recently in Fresno, Ca. to wrap up some business. So after a long day we finally got to have some lunch. I had recently been to another barbecue restaurant in the area after first coming here and finding it absolutely swamped with people. After last… Read More »

The Fresno Quilt Show

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Fresno Quilt Show Six items from the Fresno Quilt Show. I went to the Fresno Quilt show this week. I went in my usual capacity as the designated driver. On the way to the show, I kept thinking about what to write about this show. I had already showcased the quilts in the Sacramento… Read More »

My Lunch In Fresno Mike’s Grill

Reading Time: 3 minutesMy Lunch In Fresno Mike’s Grill Prior to this last trip, I had been looking thru Yelp for places to have lunch in Fresno. I consider myself a carnivore plain and simple, so I was especially interested in a couple of places that specialized in barbecue. The two places were The Dog House and Mike’s… Read More »

My Trip To Ironstone Vineyards

Reading Time: 4 minutesMy Trip to Ironstone Vineyards My trip to Ironstone Vineyards started with a conversation. The wife and I were visiting with my favorite aunt recently when Ironstone Vineyards came into the conversation. My Aunt mentioned that she had been to it just recently and that it would be worth it to go there for a… Read More »

Smog Shop Surprise In Modesto

Reading Time: 2 minutesSmog Shop Surprise In Modesto   I had to smog my truck by the end of March. I had already found out about the new smog rules. No need to do the usual oil change, or the additive in the gas tank, new air cleaner filter pre-smog routine. So I gathered up a coupon for… Read More »

Half Of All Californians Are Pre Diabetic

Reading Time: 3 minutesHalf of all Californian’s are Pre Diabetic Half of all Californians are Pre Diabetic, I heard that on the radio the other day. I could only cheer. Why you ask? Well, it goes like this. As a pre-diabetic for twenty-four years before slipping over to the diabetic side and being on this side for the… Read More »

Gerbils On A Train

Reading Time: < 1 minuteGerbils On A Train   Gerbils on a train what a wonderful way to encourage the youngsters in our lives to maintain their dental health. Share this video with all your little ones. They will love the gerbils on a train and the music and the message their parents or grandparents send them. If you… Read More »

Top Ten Quilts Of The Sacramento Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival

Reading Time: 2 minutesTop Ten Quilts Sacramento Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival Top ten quilts. This post is, in my opinion, of the top ten quilts from this March’s Quilt Craft & Sewing Festival. I’m not a quilter but I know what I like. So in no particular order I present the top ten quilts from the show… Read More »

Robotic Gymnast Video You’ll Be Amazed

Reading Time: < 1 minuteRobotic Gymnast Video You’ll be Amazed Have you seen the robotic gymnast video?  I saw this robotic gymnast video recently. The development of artificial intelligence has evolved. Motion and manipulation Main article: Robotics The field of robotics is closely related to AI. Intelligence is required for robots to handle tasks such as object manipulation and navigation, with sub-problems such as localization, mapping,… Read More »