How lucky that you have a greenhouse, greenhouser. I wish I had one. I plan to look into it before long. Even a little one would do wonders. Still, we get so much hail around here that I wonder if it would be worth the effort. It has been very hot, 90's-100's here in Kansas, but suddenly we got hit by the remnants of the TX gulf hurricane and now it is overcast. We got between 4 and NINE inches of rain yesterday in a radius of six miles. So I'm thinking, now what? I've got Romaine lettuce seedlings ready to transplant. Do I dare? I think I'll give it a try and if it gets hot, I will cover them with row cover so they don't get toasted. Gardening is an adventure, isn't it? So glad I don't farm for a living. Whew, that would be scary.

Whoo Hoo! Your first Weber! Play time ahead girl. You have got to do a chicken. Cheap easy and you will be amazed how easy. Here are some action shots of my grill... click the thumbnails for a big picture. Charcoal on the sides under the grate flaps. Later you can drop some wood or more charcoal. Probably won't need more charcoal! Bird in the middle. Stuff if you want but at least get the gizzard package out. Vents both bottom and top wide open! Go drink alcohol and party! *picture censured for indecent content* When you are drunk and partied out return for food. Note paper like skin. Eat it with your fingers while slugging on your beer. Relax... beer and chicken skin are calorie free when consumed together. Often best to work with kitchen gloves and tear the bird apart with your hands. Leftover skin, fat, and the bones should go in a pot for soup broth... a great lentil soup base because of the smokey flavor. There is a whole 'nuther bird stuck to the bones and you will be amazed at how meaty the soup is! After simmering for about an hour strain the broth to get the skin and bones back out. A wishbone in there!... remember those. Return any meat to the pot that you don't nibble away. In the picture I added coconut milk, curry paste, and cayenne pepper (flaming hot! and !!! hot) to the chicken broth and spooned it over lentils cooked in the microwave.... lentils cook in about 20 minutes when nuked! Being single I reserve the breast meat for sandwiches. Thighs have fat deposits that pick out with ease leaving nice lean meat. Wings and legs are prime snack parts... hand to husband and tell him to go lay down.. "good boy". I can still get a decent fryer bird for about $4. Leftover shredded chicken meat can be covered in bbq sauce and refried for a dandy sandwich filler... taco sauce for taco meat... soy sauce for fried rice... you get the ideas. Best spent 3-4 bucks in my whole grocery bill. Works fine with a whole turkey. Note the bird is so tender and well done that the legs pulled out to their sockets while rolling into the pan for transport to the kitchen. Works with every meat I've tried!... london broil, eye of round, bottom round, pork roast, and brisket. It even makes a meatloaf if you wrap the loaf in foil. Caution with foil wrapped stuff as there may be hot liquid to drain off... don't get splashed or drizzled on. It works in the winter and in the rain! No need to let a little rain stop the bbq. In fair weather you can use your Weber with the top off for traditional grilled steaks or whatever. Sometimes when smoking a chicken I'll slip a burger or steak over the coals. You may need extra charcoal if you lift the lid often... like an oven it cooks faster when left alone. Soak the wood but if you are lazy like me just drop a chunk on top the charcoal. A few peppercorns on the coals makes a pepper smoke... great flavor but don't get the smoke in your eyes. Now you need an injector kit! Inject those dry beef roasts with good stuffs for super juicy tasty experiments. Butter and cajun spice are a favorite. The grocery store probably has a dozen pre-made liquids for injecting. I'm currently eating on a beef brisket that I thusly smoked using charcoal, hickory wood, and black pepper. Last night pulled a chunk of cooked brisket from the fridge and covered it with vinegar, evoo, and rosemary before reheating in the microwave... a great main course in under 2 minutes! So good I'm having more for breakfast. I like to put an empty catfood can in the middle of the ash catcher to collect dripping grease... much of the fat will drip out the bottom. Your dog will probably eat it ashes and all before redepositing it on your livingroom carpet. : ) lyra

If you are going to paint the door again asnd or scrape out all the charred wood. Use Minwax High performance wood filler to smooth out teh 'divots', then prime and paint. For a stained finish you can fill, stain, and then touch up with artists colors to create grain that matches the surrounding wood. Then apply a topcoat. CLear coats work best.

I saw this tread and thought "Oh my God! My father has come back from the dead!" When we lived in St Louis, my parents lived in an old (c1914) three story house. My father had his "gun room" on the 3rd floor - reloaded all his own shells. He also had multiple bird feeders on our terrace and in our small, narrow backyard. Daddy took it VERY personally when a squirrel would get the food out of the bird feeders. He spent a fortune on "squirrel-proof" bird feeders; they were not. So he would stand at the window on the 3rd floor and use an air rifle (the kind children use to receive for Christmas) and shoot the squirrels at his bird feeders. My mother and I were horrified; I'm sure some of the neighbors were as well, but no one ever called the police. The squirrels always won. They just sent in reinforcements and my father could not be on guard 24/7. No, it was NOT dementia. It was just a man who was born in a small rural town in 1901 who was given his first rifle at age 6 and allowed to go out shooting with a buddy. Amazingly, no one was ever hurt. If they shot a song bird, his mother had plenty to say about it. To him, this was normal. You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy.