Hamburger, Rain, and Sizzleberries

Despite a drizzle with pretensions of being rain, I was out grilling lunch today. Our second-oldest daughter kept me company, sensibly staying in the shelter of the garage and keeping an eye on me through an open door.

She also provided me with an umbrella. Quite sensible of her.

The hamburgers came out very well: brown all the way through, and without that crunchy crust that so few people appreciate.

Granted, she did remind me to flip them once or twice, and observed that they were done just before I would have noticed: but surely it's possible that her presence and tasty burgers is a mere coincidence?

The light rain gave me an opportunity to observe and enjoy sizzleberries. That's a word I think I made up, to describe those tiny, sizzling, droplets of water that form when rain (or any drop of water) falls on a very hot, flat surface.

It's the steam, of course, generated each time a droplet hits the surface, that makes them bounce up, falling to make another burst of steam, and makes the sizzling sound.

Science aside, the sizzle and the delightfully frantic dancing droplets are fun to watch. That's me in the picture, making sizzleberries.

Grilling in the Rain With the Umbellybrella

I was outside, grilling in the rain last fall. The visiting daughter kept me company, wisely standing in a sheltering doorway. She loaned me her umbrella. I found out that I could tuck it down the neck of my jacket, getting shelter from the umbrella while keeping both hands free.

I dubbed it an umbellybrella: a grilling accessory ideal for those who trill in the rain, and don't care how they look.