Springtime in Minnesota

I didn't realize, when I started "Easy Griller" - the blog - how hard it is to write about grilling burgers.

Well, actually, it isn't. I could go on for what would seem like forever, detailing how it's a bad idea to turn on the gas, and then get a match out; or the "foomp!" when the fire starts; or how my eyes sting, letting me know that we've got enough smoke to make the grilling worthwhile.

But I noticed that each grilling session is like that. Saturday and Sunday, regular as clockwork, I go out with a plate of burgers - or burgers and a wiener - put them on the grill, light the fire, flip them several times, and then take them back inside.

Sometimes I light the fire first, and then put the burgers on, and sometimes there's a different number of burgers, but that's about all the variety there is.

So, that's why I haven't made entries lately.

Today, there is something to report. Minnesota spring is happening!

Elsewhere there may be the stereotype blooming flowers, but here in Minnesota, spring is the season when winter melts.

Water flooded the space where I stand, in front of the grill. That's drained away, happily, but you can see where it was, in that photo. See the edge of the ice? That's where the waterline was.

Something else has changed, too. We need a new grill. This old workhorse has served us well, but it's getting to the point where I'm a little concerned about parts wearing out.

Not the metal grid where I put the meat: one of the crosspieces wore through in one spot, and a few others are nearly there. That just means I have to be aware of where I put the meat. I'm more worried about the valves and tubing, that have been subjected to the wild temperature changes all these years.

I suspect that it'd be about as expensive to replace all that, as it would be to get a new grill - one that isn't deformed from that time when I learned that chicken fat makes a pretty good fuel.

Problem is, this family had quite a bit of month left at the end of our money this month, and a new grill lags far behind medical bills, household maintenance and repair, and food: in terms of priority.