Death To Thorns!

Donna and I have both shed blood in the battle against our evil backyard mesquite tree, but we are having the last laugh. Well, the second to last laugh. Tom and his crew cut most of the tree down, but storms and fatigue kept them from finishing the job. Tom even took a thorn in the foot. Cursed tree. Hopefully, by the end of this week, it will all be nothing more than a memory and a bloody... er... sappy stump.

One for the General...

Apparently, there are some unwritten blogging rules out here on the World Wide InterWeb of which I am not aware. Fortunately, Amy is out there, keeping everyone on their toes and compliant. At the top of the list is this very important guideline:

Update your blog frequently. Or daily. Or hourly.

Well, I probably won't be able to keep up that kind of pace, but I will throw this out there:

Bionic Pants.

Robots and The Husbands Who Love Them...

Robots in our day and age are generally taken for granted. Not only do they serve very valuable and noble purposes in our society, but they also pose a very serious threat to our existence. That's why Daniel H. Wilson's book How To Survive A Robot Uprising is so pertinent to our day and age. I mean, really, how many of us know how to recognize and deactivate a rebel servant robot, if necessary? This book is both informative and hilarious. Keep an eye on that Roomba, Grandma.

Settle It Up...

Donna and I just found an online version of Settlers of Catan. It's actually called Xplorer, but it's just like the board game, and it includes the Cities and Knights expansion and lots of other crazy maps. You can find it at this website, and after you register you can click to your choice of game. The site features real-time games with humans, or games against robots (bots) if you want to play a quicker game. Look out for jz and donga512, maybe we can play a round or three.

Start Spreading the News...

A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight...

Introducing the newest addition to the Flying Zehring Appliance collection:

BBQ Grillware GSF-2616

Three main burners, lined up vertically for extra tasty steak and burgers.

Here is the Consumer Reports Synopsis, in true Flying Zehring style:

Overall score	Evenness	Grilling	Convenience
76.

RECOMMENDATIONS & NOTES A CR Best Buy. A fine medium-sized grill with lots of features at a low price—a CR Best Buy. Impressive searing. Space required (HWD): 49x64x26 in. Claimed output: Main burners 42,000 Btu/hr; Side burner 12,000 Btu/hr. Warranty: castings, 1 yr.; burners, 10 yr.; other parts, 1 yr.

Size	Medium
Number of main burner controls	3
Long-warranty burners	Yes
Bare cast iron grates	No
Coated cast iron grates	Yes
Coated steel grates	No
Stainless steel grates	No
Side burner	Yes
Rotisserie	No
All or mostly stainless	No
Side shelf material	Painted steel
Igniter type	Rotary
Wheels and casters	2 wheels only
Fuel gauge	No
Natural gas version available	No
Propane tank included	No

It's a bird, it's a plane...

It's the Zehrings!