The Smells Outside.

[blim]

No, Bubbabob, the frying pan is for Hubby, I threaten the kids with a baseball bat. They run faster and I need the extra length

I finally mowed the backyard yesterday and dug the grass clippings into the vegetable garden! Now to let it "cook" for a week or two and then plant my peppers and tomatoes. Yeah, I know, I'm celebrating mowing the yard, I'm sick....(and doing a "grow dance", I need more clippings!!)

Another smell--lily of the valley! They're just starting to bloom up here.

Liz

[tenmm]

No lilys here yet

Lawn got a clipping this afternoon,will water sunday.

I had to go to town after I got the lawn mowed.

I was reminded of one spring/summer smell I can do without(well several) those caused by ....road construction.

Dust from the distruction of what (IMHO)was a fine road.

Later will come the smell of asphalt

I am less than "amused" by the statement from the young lady who tells us that once the project is done we will have a "fine road".

[JSKY]

Well....I might just mow part of my lawn tomarrow. Snows finally gone from the yard. And the grass is growing double time from the moisture. Looks like all the flowers the misses planted are doing great. So all's well here. Now if it just stays that way.

[JDoors]

Wow! That's some fast growin grass. ...

We've been getting rained on a lot. Half-way through the summer it'll all be brown and crunchy and I won't have to mow again 'til the fall rains pass through.

Lily of the valleys! One of my favorite smells (guess I connect that with the end of winter). I haven't seen any since I moved out of the big city (seems they grow well in dark recesses & the small, shaded yards you'd have in the city). Out in the 'burbs I have yet to see any, been meanin' to plant some just for nostalgia's sake.

[TheTerrorist_75]

When using cast iron for cooking you will notice an even heat transfer. I usually warm it up on my gas stove with a medium flame then I can reduce the heat while cooking. This provides with a thoroughly cooked meal with no scorching. When I am done I just add a tablespoon of fresh oil and wipe the pan out with paper towels. After a couple of weeks if there is the slightest build up in any part of the pan I will add a couple cups of water and bring it to a boil. This will loosen any particles. I will pour this onto the dogs food and wipe the pan clean with paper towels then reheat and add more oil. I have had my cast iron set for over thirty years. I refuse to cook with teflon pans. If you think about it cooking with teflon causes fumes which is deadly to some pet birds. If it is deadly to them, what does it do to you?

As for today's planned mowing, it is raining. heheehehe

[JDoors]

To be fair regarding Teflon, you have to overheat it drastically for those fumes to form (but then, who hasn't left a pan on too long?). My problem with Teflon and its ilk is I don't care how "strong" they say it is, it chips and flakes and wears. Is that pepper or Teflon particles? Sometimes I wonder. Since there's no nutrition to be had it passes right through you ... but do you really want it inside you in the first place? (Maybe it counts as fiber?)

On the other hand, when it's in good shape it cleans up like a charm, and you only need a little (or no) oil.

When non-stick was fairly new I was at a friend's house, chatting in the kitchen while his wife prepared dinner. The sound of the electric mixer drew our attention and there she was, beating the mashed potatos in her new Teflon pan. Hence my previous "pepper" remark.

[X-Cannon]

To be fair regarding Teflon, you have to overheat it drastically for those fumes to form (but then, who hasn't left a pan on too long?). My problem with Teflon and its ilk is I don't care how "strong" they say it is, it chips and flakes and wears. Is that pepper or Teflon particles? Sometimes I wonder. Since there's no nutrition to be had it passes right through you ... but do you really want it inside you in the first place? (Maybe it counts as fiber?)

On the other hand, when it's in good shape it cleans up like a charm, and you only need a little (or no) oil.

When non-stick was fairly new I was at a friend's house, chatting in the kitchen while his wife prepared dinner. The sound of the electric mixer drew our attention and there she was, beating the mashed potatos in her new Teflon pan. Hence my previous "pepper" remark.

I agree, Teflon is great but you really have to be careful with it. When I cook something in a nonstick pan I have to add some olive-oil otherwise it doesn't taste the same and takes longer without oil.

When making something like eggs I never use the nonstick pans don't trust them no matter how new they are. The steel ones are amazing you can get it as hot as you want without having to worry...The only thing to worry about is the clean up

About the smells outside... I love walking in the mornings and smelling the air in the spring, I just makes me very happy for some reason. Also just after it's stopped raining and when there is fog... It's just something about natures odor that make people relaxed.

[robroy]

The smells outside on Saturday night were great, burning rubber, oil, hot engines.

Whee was I?

In the stands at Richmond for the Nextel Cup Race

8 rules

[TheTerrorist_75]

The smells outside on Saturday night were great, burning rubber, oil, hot engines.

Whee was I?

In the stands at Richmond for the Nextel Cup Race

8 rules

Don't forget the smells of LaPage's burning vehicle and the oil spill from Kenseth. I had Kenseth picked in my fantasy club.

[JSKY]

Well.... Mowed my lawn on Sunday, brought out all my summer goodies, put the snowblower in the garage, and got ready for the summer on Monday.....

ON TUESDAY IT STARTED TO SNOW........AND HERE IT IS WEDNESDAY AND STILL SNOWING........ .

Maybe I'll look into moving south.

[tenmm]

Well.... Mowed my lawn on Sunday, brought out all my summer goodies, put the snowblower in the garage, and got ready for the summer on Monday.....

ON TUESDAY IT STARTED TO SNOW........AND HERE IT IS WEDNESDAY AND STILL SNOWING........ .

Maybe I'll look into moving south.

Bahh..

Sounds like the way my luck would run,NO Wait,it does I could wash my PU on a clear day and it will rain before sunset.

This summer the smell of fresh sawdust will(along with "other" thing's)will fill the air as I will start building a storage shed 8X12 with room for expansion

The sawdust smell will be followed by the fresh smell of paint(again )

[blim]

Oh, I LOVE the smell of paint and sawdust! My kids say I get a "buzz" when I go to Menards. They're right. I'm grinning the entire time I'm there

Liz

[tenmm]

Oh, I LOVE the smell of paint and sawdust! My kids say I get a "buzz" when I go to Menards. They're right. I'm grinning the entire time I'm there

Liz

Menards.

No such place near me,Home Depot or Lowes.

After those two a lumber yard is next on my stop list.

[JDoors]

... This summer the smell of fresh sawdust will ... will fill the air ...

One of the "smells of summer" AND one of the "sounds of summer": Circular saws rippin' through wood.

Barely related: A friend was remodeling his older home. Once he tore down the drywall and exposed the studs underneath I was in awe: Old-growth wood. No knots, clear and straight, every board, every square inch, perfect. It was so beautiful I was almost brought to tears ...

The wood we have now is horrible by comparison (unless you pay an enormous premium, but it's not like anyone could afford to build an entire home out of premium lumber).

[tenmm]

... This summer the smell of fresh sawdust will ... will fill the air ...

One of the "smells of summer" AND one of the "sounds of summer": Circular saws rippin' through wood.

Barely related: A friend was remodeling his older home. Once he tore down the drywall and exposed the studs underneath I was in awe: Old-growth wood. No knots, clear and straight, every board, every square inch, perfect. It was so beautiful I was almost brought to tears ...

The wood we have now is horrible by comparison (unless you pay an enormous premium, but it's not like anyone could afford to build an entire home out of premium lumber).

Funny you should post this.

Yesterday I was in Pasco,Wa. on my way there I passed six log truck that were on the freeway.

I would guess the biggest log was 24-30 inch,most of them were less than half of that,As I passed them I was thinking that using all the logs there MIGHT not be enough to frame a house.

And on topic I crossed over the Blue Mountians,the smell of pine trees was real heavy

A light rain brought out the best.

[JDoors]

I didn't feel like getting into the whole "logging" thing last time but ... "Profits! Profits! Profits! -- Now! Now! Now!"

Sure Loblolly Pine (or whatever they use now) grows fast, but the wood sucks! Are they ignorant or something? Many (or most) lumber companies own enough acreage to revolve cutting stands less often than they do now, thus allowing REAL trees to grow REAL wood. But no-o-o-o ... As long as they ALL do it we have no choice but to scrounge around the lumber yard picking the "least worst" boards for our projects.

"They" say a board with a "tight" knot is "strong enough," but there's no way it's as good as a clear board. Why do we have to settle for "strong enough?"

Then, to satisfy the demand for clear wood, we wind up cutting down old-growth forests IN OTHER COUNTRIES. Hey, Lumber Barons, we're willing to pay for clear wood, why do we have to import it? Weyerhaeuser owns more acreage than the U.S. Government (at least, they did before Mt. St. Helens roasted much of it), they can't tell me they can't afford to grow better trees.

Oh wait, this isn't the RANT thread ...

[bozodog]

The best framing lumber I've seen lately is the finger jointed stuff. First time in a long time I've seen a banded stack of 2x4's stay flat and straight until you use them up.

[thesidekickcat]

Favorite smell anytime of year...the Pacific Ocean!!!

Just had a week's vacation at the coast in our motorhome down at Long Beach Wa (SW corner of Wa). Didn't get to stay at our favorite state park campground at Cape Disappointment at Ilwaco a few miles south of Long Beach, because of their construction redoing all the best full hookup sites that are the only ones real close to the beach, but did find a private campground further north on the peninsula right next to the sand dunes and the beach. Unfortunately it was lots more expensive, very small, and in very close proximity to next RV site. A 40 footer MH with slide-outs and about 12 foot high moved in next to us later in week (owner spent hours cleaning front end of his pride and joy with every nasty smelling cleaner he could find so definitely no ocean air smell after he arrived plus he was on ocean side of us!) so we decided to pack up and find another place the next morning, before someone that big moved in on other side. Felt claustrophobic enough with only one huge one let alone chancing another on other side. So went to our favorite little county park about 10 miles west of Longview, about 10 or 12 feet to the Columbia river from front end of our motorhome (million dollar view for 10 bucks a night!), luckily they were done with their sidewalk patching that we managed to miss out on earlier by being there the previous weekend on way to coast. So that campground made up for the coast spots not being so great this trip, and the river and the forest smells there are ok too especially after a rain. Gas prices were terrible!!! 3.22 at Longview were highest...and coming back we got gas at one of our usual stopping spots for 2.99 and within a half hour or less they raised it to 3.09. We were waiting at the next door Napa garage to have our carburetor looked at yet again, by our favorite out of town mechanic, turned out to be a plugged up fuel filter probably dirty gas from the Chevron 3.22 gas station in Long Beach a few days earlier as MH was running great up til then. Oh well, can't break our record of spending part of every vacation in the shop. Ha! Mostly mild temps in 60s days, 40s nights, sunny most of the time with occasional showers. Showers here when we got home, then sunny or partly cloudy and mild with days 60 to 70.. But will get some hot weather starting Sunday at 80, Monday to be high 80's. Haven't had time to get used to hot weather this early in season.

As for junk lumber, that is one of my pet peeves of all time...!!! We went over the Longview bridge over the Columbia river, with a good view looking down on the huge full loading zone for our best logs to be shipped to Japan, while our lumber yards get the second and third quality or worse. This has been going on for many many years as Japan is willing to pay premium prices for our best logs. As for getting any boards without knots...haven't seen any in years!!! You are lucky if you can get boards that aren't warped, crooked, or splitting!!! Grrr!!!

Regarding the Honda mowers, Hubby loves his. it is one of the less expensive ones and it does a great job. Has good heighth adjustment too, starts first pull, only annoying thing is deadman's safety handle so every time he empties the bag, he has to restart the mower. Should be a way to bypass that feature but I don't think he's tried to. This is our second one in about 30 years, finally had to replace old one a few years ago as it was getting to be to much trouble to fix. He regularly mows 2 to 3 yards, but tries to alternate them every few days so he doesn't get so tired out. I told him it doesn't seem to be the mowing that is so hard, but all the weedeater work and edging he does with the mow jobs. He says those things help him 'rest' his tired muscles in between front/side/back yards..hmmmn!

Mother used to store her cast iron pans in the wood cook stove oven, or on the top of it. We lived in Western Washington so that kept the pans from rusting out in our rainy climate. She washed them with soap occasionally and re-seasoned them with lard using heat of oven to bake the seasoning on. She had quite a nice collection of cast iron pans, but I never did like them due to how heavy they were, so only one I kept was the waffle maker for sentimental reasons. It has the high cast iron stand to concentrate heat, plus of course it has the pivot joint at the end to turn the waffle maker over to do other side of waffles. Funny how I use her recipe on my modern waffle maker, but it just isn't as good as hers but then none of her other recipes turn out as good as my memories of her cooking think they should be. All her good cooking tasted and smelled so good!!! Ahhhh!!!

Pat

God bless everyone