The End of a Long Summer...and Hot Dogs!

Jan here, welcoming you to my last post of the summer!

Yes, I know that summer doesn't really end for more than a month, but Saturday was the last day of the Rally (the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally!) and that is a true sign of the end of the summer in the Black Hills.

Once mid-August comes schools begin to start their fall semesters, the tourist season winds down, the weather begins to cool down, and the birds start gathering for their annual trip south.

But this year, I'm READY for summer to be over! It's been a crazy, hectic, stressful time. Here's a quick recap:

1. Our oldest son and his wife moved 12 hours away (Jacob and Katie)
2. We lost both of our dogs - Wynter in April and Thatcher in May
3. Our middle son graduated from college and moved away, leaving us with an empty nest
4. We sold our house (in 6 days!)
5. We put all of our belongings into a storage unit
6. We had to find temporary housing for the month between selling one house and buying another

And with all this going on, I've been working on my next book - deadline October 1st!

We're so thankful for our wonderful friends and the help they've given us! We close on our new house on Friday and move in a week from today. I can't wait!

You might be getting tired of this view,
but I never do!

Did I mention the empty house? Exactly one week after our son moved away, my husband and I moved out of the house. The last house our family of six lived in together.

With that in mind, I remembered this post from four years ago - before either of our older children were married, before they started moving out, back when the house was bursting at the seams. :-) Good memories!

Enjoy this end-of-the-summer, full-house post!

Hot Dog Extravaganza!

Does your refrigerator have enough space for your family's needs?

Ours doesn't, and it is a constant source of frustration.

Go ahead. Blame my disorganization, or the size of our family, or that I go grocery shopping too often (or not often enough). Or like my husband, you can blame the refrigerator itself.

Me? I blame my family's love affair with condiments.

I thought about taking a picture of the condiments on the table during our recent Labor Day Weekend Hot Dog Extravaganza, but it was pretty embarrassing. You'll just have to imagine what it looked like to give us the end results pictured below.

We started out well enough.

My daughter is a no-frills kind of hot dog eater. Meat. Bun. 'Nuff said.

And then one of her brothers chose the ketchup (catsup?) route for one of his dogs.

Here is his other one. Chili, cheese and horseradish. Mmm...

My husband was traditional. He chose mustard, relish and onions for one dog, and chili for the other. Again, Mmmm....

But now we get to the real condiment hounds. My oldest and youngest sons LOVE things like this -

And this (notice the quart size jars!) -

And here is what they ended up with -

Using multiple condiments on hot dogs really isn't a problem, until you try to put the four different kinds of mustards, two kinds of ketchup, hot sauce, relish, chow chow, sauerkraut, two kinds of cheese, etc. back in the fridge.

I'd say we're probably out of control.

I think we've come up with a new reality show idea, though: Refrigerator Horders!



Wait, what? I didn't share a picture of my hot dog?

I eat mine with coleslaw and onions. The best hot dog ever!

What is your favorite way to dress your dogs?

* * *

Back to 2019! After reading this post, we might have to do another Hot Dog Extravaganza this Labor Day. We'll invite the family members who still live in town out to the new place and break it in!

I hope we've unpacked a little bit by then!

Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-seven years.

Happy Labor Day!

by Jan Drexler

I first shared this post back in 2015 when all four of our children still lived at home. Now that three of them have flown the nest, our refrigerator space is under control...but we still love our hot dogs!

Enjoy your Labor Day!

Hot Dog Extravaganza!

Does your refrigerator have enough space for your family's needs?

Ours doesn't, and it is a constant source of frustration.

Go ahead. Blame my disorganization, or the size of our family, or that I go grocery shopping too often (or not often enough). Or like my husband, you can blame the refrigerator itself.

Me? I blame my family's love affair with condiments.

I thought about taking a picture of the condiments on the table during our recent Labor Day Weekend Hot Dog Extravaganza, but it was pretty embarrassing. You'll just have to imagine what it looked like to give us the end results pictured below.

We started out well enough.

My daughter is a no-frills kind of hot dog eater. Meat. Bun. 'Nuff said.

And then one of her brothers chose the ketchup (catsup?) route for one of his dogs.

Here is his other one. Chili, cheese and horseradish. Mmm...

My husband was traditional. He chose mustard, relish and onions for one dog, and chili for the other. Again, Mmmm....

But now we get to the real condiment hounds. My oldest and youngest sons LOVE things like this -

And this (notice the quart size jars!) -

And here is what they ended up with -

Using multiple condiments on hot dogs really isn't a problem, until you try to put the four different kinds of mustards, two kinds of ketchup, hot sauce, relish, chow chow, sauerkraut, two kinds of cheese, etc. back in the fridge.

I'd say we're probably out of control.

I think we've come up with a new reality show idea, though: Refrigerator Horders!



Wait, what? I didn't share a picture of my hot dog?

I eat mine with coleslaw and onions. The best hot dog ever!

What is your favorite way to dress your dogs?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Hot Dog Extravaganza!

Does your refrigerator have enough space for your family's needs?

Ours doesn't, and it is a constant source of frustration.

Go ahead. Blame my disorganization, or the size of our family, or that I go grocery shopping too often (or not often enough). Or like my husband, you can blame the refrigerator itself.

Me? I blame my family's love affair with condiments.

I thought about taking a picture of the condiments on the table during our recent Labor Day Weekend Hot Dog Extravaganza, but it was pretty embarrassing. You'll just have to imagine what it looked like to give us the end results pictured below.

We started out well enough.

My daughter is a no-frills kind of hot dog eater. Meat. Bun. 'Nuff said.

And then one of her brothers chose the ketchup (catsup?) route for one of his dogs.

Here is his other one. Chili, cheese and horseradish. Mmm...

My husband was traditional. He chose mustard, relish and onions for one dog, and chili for the other. Again, Mmmm....

But now we get to the real condiment hounds. My oldest and youngest sons LOVE things like this -

And this (notice the quart size jars!) -

And here is what they ended up with -

Using multiple condiments on hot dogs really isn't a problem, until you try to put the four different kinds of mustards, two kinds of ketchup, hot sauce, relish, chow chow, sauerkraut, two kinds of cheese, etc. back in the fridge.

I'd say we're probably out of control.

I think we've come up with a new reality show idea, though: Refrigerator Horders!



Wait, what? I didn't share a picture of my hot dog?

I eat mine with coleslaw and onions. The best hot dog ever!

What is your favorite way to dress your dogs?

State Fair Fun

I went to the NC State fair this week for the first time in a long time. A friend suggested we go together because our spouses, wonderful as they are in other ways, don't like going.

Farmer Julie and her Piggy friend, Diane. Yes, Diane deserves a blue ribbon.

As someone with allergies, the fair can be hit or miss. The aromas are calorie free but tempting. I focus on the displays first, the food second. But I was greeted by this as soon as I went through the gate:

Sigh. It smells so good and EVERYONE had an ear. But me.

We visited the produce section:

The winning pumpkin weighed in at 800 pounds this year.

The quilts and other crafts:

The home canning:

The cake decorating contest:

It was time for lunch so we headed to the Westover UMC Fair booth. One of my friends is pastor there but they also have the best chilidogs at the fair. At least if you only eat one every five years.  And as someone whose final exams in food microbiology consisted of diagnosing real cases of food poisoning at the State Fair, I make a point of eating at a church booth. I've worked em and know how clean they are!

I've also worked at the NC State Ice Cream booth. Nothing has changed in the three decades since I was dishing out cherry vanilla and chocolate mint for the food science club. Students still give you an awful lot of ice cream for the price. The milk comes from NC cows. And cherry vanilla is still my favorite. And no high fructose corn syrup. 

 

What has changed is turkey legs have taken over from italian sausage and onions in popularity.

My daughter and her boyfriend were brave enough to eat those monster turkey legs...and deep fried HoHos.

And my grandchildren are now going to the fair with my son and DIL.

They were so happy.

 And learning about the cycles of life and the precarious nature of fair fish.

Good thing the parents told them fair fish only live 24 hours!

That's worse than a case of fair food poisoning!  My poor babies. No more fair fish for them.

Except for the fish incident, it was a beautiful day to check out the farm animals, make a few carnies mad by taking their pictures, and appreciate all our state has to offer in terms of agriculture and talent.

So what about your fair experiences? Do you have a food item you MUST have? Or a display to check out? Do you ride the rides or play the midway? Best or worst experience? 

PS: Some of you may have seen the news story about the people tragically hurt at our fair on Thursday. Please be in prayer for the families of those affected.