Propane and Propane Accessories

Tuesday was grill-out day for the Marksberry house – first of the season.  We spent the entire evening out on the back deck enjoying the view of the gradually greening hillside.  Last week I bought these Double Impatiens.  I couldn’t resist even though they probably need more shade than they are going to get anywhere in our yard.  I don’t get that excited about plain old impatiens but the double variety remind me of wild roses.

Also last week I bought these new chairs, umbrella, and planter in an effort to pull the look of our deck together a little more.  Last year it reminded me of a circus – our umbrella was pink, orange, and blue striped, there were tiki torches mingling with a strand of malfunctioning Christmas lights, and all the plants were randomly thrown together in mismatched pots.  I’m going for more of a zen feel this year.

This picture actually makes our deck look much less decrepit than it is.  In real life it is stained a fading, dusty blue (I’m still looking for whoever sold the blue stain to the former owners- the same people who also painted the wrought iron rail on the front steps a bright, primary blue) and many of the rails/steps are rotting or loose.  One of our projects this summer will be to repair, power wash, sand, and re-stain the deck a reasonable color.  I’m actually really looking forward to that project.

Our first grill-out of the season featured teryaki chicken kabobs with marinated onions, peppers, and mushrooms.  It was all pretty good but I’m still looking for a marinade recipe that tastes just like the chicken on a stick at Chinese restaurants.  Also, while I can throw together a main dish I usually flunk the side dish category.  Many times the subject of a side dish doesn’t even cross my mind until we sit down and our plates look awfully bare.  This time I did plan one side dish, but it turned out to be disastrous.  I followed a recipe for Korean green beans that sounded really good but didn’t pan out.

To top off the evening Randy and I went for ice cream at what is rapidly becoming our new favorite place – the Dairy Crest in Covington on 17.  Its about ten minutes from our house and though its about the size of a closet, they offer any kind of frozen treat you could want including my favorite – 24 flavors of soft serve every day (magic!) – and – they have a full food menu including chili dogs, hamburgers, fish sandwiches, pizza pockets, onion rings, and fries.  I’m not gonna lie – Randy and I have already eaten dinner there twice this season…………….I think this will be a nice summer.