DIY: Picnic Hacks

DIY 1 Minute

I found this article, detailing picnic hacks for this summer, on the dailymeal.com site:

As sunny days approach and the rain moves along, it’s the ideal time to start thinking of outdoor activities. Picnics are an inexpensive way to spend time in the fresh air in a way that’s fit for the family, a get-together with the gals, or a romantic date. But picnics take planning and packing. If you’ve ever gone unprepared, forgetting the essentials, you get it. Picnics can survive a few mishaps — being adaptable is part of the fun — but it helps to have a properly-packed bag. You can keep it simple, with small snacks and drinks, or you can go for a full spread. However you make it your own, it’s bound to be a good time.

Yet with the planning that goes into a day out, it can be easy to forget something. Plus, we don’t always think of all the ways picnicking can be even more effortless. Between packing the food, the blanket, and the drinks, there are a lot of extra tips and tricks to keep everything organized and enjoyable. Here, we’ve gathered some hacks to make your next picnic even better.

1 Freeze grapes for ice cubes

2 Use muffin tins for snacks and condiments

3 Keep bugs out of your drink with cupcake liners

4 Convert a cardboard drink carrier into storage

5 Bring a fitted twin sheet to cover picnic tables

6 Freeze bottles of water for ice packs

7 Keep sandwiches secure with string

8 Pack a wooden board for cheese, meats, and fruit

9 Serve salads in mason jars

10 Sprinkle salt in a cooler of ice

11 Never forget the picnic blanket

12 Make adult juice pouches

13 Don’t underestimate the power of a thermos

14 Plan a simple menu

15 Pack leftover fast food condiments and spices

SOURCE: THEDAILYMEAL.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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73 thoughts on “DIY: Picnic Hacks”

    1. Good Morning, Pat.

      Happy Belated 35th Anniversary to you and Hubby! 1991 was a very good year, same year my son was born 😊

      Cloudy and 77*. We’re under an “Extreme Heat Warning” until Thurs evening.

      Take care 🕯

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    2. Morning, Pat! We had a rip-roaring storm come thru overnight – thunder, lightning and a downpour. Nice and cool this morning @ 69 but the sun is shining with clear skies so I expect another scorcher. Wheezer was sleeping on the chair when I got up. I mixed some dry food with some tuna and he ate about half of it before hunkering down by the door, looking for birds and bunnies. When I went back out on the patio, he whipped his head around as if he were scared of me…..weird. He departed shortly afterwards.

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  4. Congressman Brandon Gill
    @RepBrandonGill

    I just introduced a bill to restrict taxpayer-backed mortgages to U.S. citizens only.

    The sole purpose of our housing programs is to help Americans build wealth and achieve the American Dream. Illegal immigration is making that impossible.
    A new Federal Reserve study confirmed what every American already knew in their gut.

    Illegal immigration drove up your home prices 30% and your rent 20% under Biden.

    Biden’s border crisis had a price tag, and you paid it.
    Biden flooded this country with millions of illegal aliens between 2021 and 2024 — nearly double legal immigration over the same period.

    Every one of them competed with you for a home, and housing supply didn’t follow.

    You got priced out of your own country.
    And while that was happening, Washington actively made it worse.

    The FHA — your taxpayer-backed mortgage program — was handing federally subsidized loans to noncitizens with no permanent legal status.

    6% of all FHA-insured mortgages went to noncitizens.
    The results speak for themselves.

    The average first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old, a record high. Home prices relative to income have nearly doubled since 1976.

    Americans aren’t living the American Dream. They’re being priced out of it.
    President Trump took the first step by cutting off FHA access for non-permanent residents, but an administrative action can be reversed on day one by the next Democrat president.

    My bill makes it permanent.
    My Homeownership Eligibility Reform Act locks it into statute — taxpayer-backed mortgages through FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac for U.S. citizens only, permanently.

    The American Dream belongs to Americans. It’s time Washington started governing like it. 

    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/2071665450979623163.html

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  6. MaineCoon

    June 30, 2026 6:45 am

    The financial forms of 8 of the Justices became available this week. Alito received an extension. Barrett, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Roberts and Thomas received money from instructing classes. Jackson, Barrett, Gorsuch, Sotomayor received funds from book deals. Kagan, Jackson, Barrett and Sotomayor received travel reimbursement, including for overseas travel.

    FTA: Justice Sonia Sotomayor received concert tickets valued at more than $4,000 from the record company that represents the Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson received a painting for her chambers valued at $2,500. Those gifts, along with other details about the justices’ book deals, travel, and teaching gigs, were made public in the justices’ annual financial disclosures, which were released on Monday.

    Sotomayor and Jackson were the only justices to report gifts. Sotomayor indicated that she had received $4,333 worth of tickets from Rimas Entertainment, which “provided tickets for a concert for me and guests while I was on a private trip to Puerto Rico in August 2025.” Sotomayor did not specifically identify the artist who performed at the concert, but Bad Bunny played 31 sold-out shows in San Juan between July and September 2025. And a September 2025 story on the announcement that Bad Bunny would headline the halftime show at the Super Bowl in February 2026 noted that Sotomayor had attended one of his Puerto Rico concerts.

    Jackson reported that she had received a painting for her chambers from Paul Branton and Kristen Williams. 

    Details are found at https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/06/justices-financial-disclosures-reveal-bad-bunny-concert-tickets-plenty-of-travel-in-2025/

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  7. EXCERPT: “The Supreme Court is expected to rule Tuesday in Trump v. Barbara, a high-stakes challenge to President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order that seeks to restrict automatic birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment for children of illegal immigrants and temporary visa holders. In the event the court rules against Trump, a number of Congressional Republicans have legislation pending that could practically accomplish what a different ruling would have done.

    “American citizenship is a priceless privilege that must be protected, not exploited. We must restore integrity to our immigration system, uphold the rule of law, and protect the value of American citizenship for generations to come,” Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, told Just The News. 

    Several bills, most notably the Birthright Citizenship Act introduced by Babin and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one day after Trump’s inauguration in 2025 (and similar versions in recent Congresses), seek to end or sharply restrict automatic birthright citizenship by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 

    These measures would reinterpret the 14th Amendment’s “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause to grant citizenship at birth only to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident (LPR) residing in the U.S., or an LPR serving in the military. 

    CIS: 225,000 to 250,000 births to illegal immigrants occurred in 2023

    The exploitation of U.S. birthright citizenship through “anchor babies” involves pregnant illegal immigrants, predominantly from Latin America, giving birth to children in U.S. territory, and thus, automatically becoming citizens, which may later serve as a basis for family sponsorship or complicate deportation proceedings……”

    https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trumps-efforts-reverse-birthright-citizenship-can-succeed-or-without-scotus

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  8. Just The News: “The Supreme Court is set to release its final opinions of the term on Tuesday, with key rulings expected on birthright citizenship, transgender sports bans, and campaign finance regulations.

    The Supreme Court calendar currently lists Tuesday, June 30 as the final day for releasing opinions, which typically appear on the court website around 10:00 a.m. ET. Four cases remain so far on the docket without published opinions for the term.

    Among those, the most highly anticipated is their ruling on President Donald Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to interpret the 14th Amendment as not granting birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants. Two more cases involve transgender sports bans in West Virginia and Idaho, while the fourth remaining case addresses federal limits on party committees spending in coordination with their respective candidates.

    Here’s a look at what to expect:

    • Trump v. Barbara

    The birthright citizenship case addresses President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to interpret the 14th Amendment as not granting birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

    The Court heard oral arguments in April, at which time analysts broadly suggested that the justices appeared skeptical of the administration’s arguments. Much of the case rests around the language of the 14th Amendment, which includes a mention of persons born in the United States and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

    The case is widely expected to go against the Trump administration, though whether the justices will rule on the constitutional question or punt the matter to Congress remains unclear.

    • NRSC v. FEC

    The National Republican Senatorial Committee has challenged the constitutionality of federal coordinated spending limits, citing the First Amendment. The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) sets forth the coordinated spending limits, which vary based on the office in question.

    A win for the NRSC is expected to be a significant boost to Republicans, as their committee has more cash on hand than the Democratic counterpart. Should the Court eliminate those limits, the NRSC would be able to work more closely with its candidates this cycle and coordinate their spending on advertising, promotions and outreach.

    The justices heard arguments in December.

    • West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox

    The twin cases address statewide bans on transgender participation in public school sports. At present, 29 states have either laws or regulations barring the participation of transgender students in sports on the basis of gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Four states, however, are subject to judicial stays blocking those laws or policies, including Idaho and West Virginia.

    West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act bars biological men from participating in women’s sports and has faced a challenge from transgender teenager Becky Pepper Jackson, who at the age of 15 participates in shot-put and discus throwing. Idaho’s ban faces a challenger from Lindsay Hecox, a collegiate transgender track and field specialist. The Court’s rulings in these cases could be either tailored to the language of each specific ban, or a broader ruling that could impact dozens of states with similar laws.

    The Court heard arguments in January on both cases.”

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  10. EXCERPT: “President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Monday that gives Americans more options for fixing their vehicles and protects their rights to fix the vehicles themselves.

    The president’s action comes as automakers increase the costs of vehicle repairs and control who can repair the vehicles through software and other exclusive tools, according to the Washington Times. 

    The memorandum allows consumers to fix their own cars with aftermarket or third-party parts, directs the Environmental Protection Agency to issue guidance clarifying what actions individuals may take to fix their vehicles’ emissions systems, and expedites ways for consumers to acquire aftermarket auto parts. 

    “This is something that’s very exciting to me,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “It means a lot to people that own vehicles, cars in particular, but cars and anything else. It’s going to save them a lot of money. They’re going to be able to do it themselves.”

    The signing also comes after Trump claimed he heard about people who were “arrested for fixing their car.” The order directs the EPA to de-prioritize civil actions against people who attempt to fix or modify their cars if they do so in good faith…..”

    https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trump-signs-presidential-memo-gives-americans-more-options-fix-their-cars

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  12. We’ve been betrayed once again by SCOTUS!!!

    Just The News: “The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

    The 6-3 decision saw Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett join with the court’s liberals. Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissented.

    “No such intersovereign concerns apply to children born of parents unlawfully or temporarily present in the United States; no foreign sovereign would “have any motive for wishing” them outside this Nation’s authority,” Roberts wrote. “Those children are thus subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. They satisfy both elements of the Citizenship Clause: they are ‘born … in the United States’ and ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’ Under the Constitution, they are citizens at birth.”

    25-365_4hdj.pdf

    At issue was President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to interpret the 14th Amendment as not granting birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

    The Court heard oral arguments in April. At the time, judicial analysts interpreted the justices’ questions as betraying a skepticism toward the administration’s position.”

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  14. reading differing opinions on line. one remedy is for congress to enact changes to the immigration law–when (and if) that is passed, there will be a challenge and it can be relitigated again before SCOTUS, but this time there would be legislation clarifying the law which might make a difference.

    I cannot believe this decision. it’s ridiculous in nature and ignores the ccp conspiring to create a CCP President at some point.

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  16. Drones being used to indicate exit for an event in Osaka, Japan

    Inviting

    Extraordinary Entrance

    Bob learned an important lesson about physics…..and pain.

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  17. “Helping”

    Ancient pottery art from the Greeks, circa 500 to 400 BC. Makes you wonder what we will never see as it is lost, given the fragmentary record we currently have.

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  18. ROFLMAO – just like me shooting at the squirrels! That’s what you do with critters that are making a nuisance of themselves!!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  22. we finally have a water lily blooming again!

    last year, the cattails choked them out and we barely had any lily pads and no blooms. then hubby yanked out as many cattails as he could last fall. the irises took off–we had tons of flowers this year and the lily pads came back…and now a pretty pink blossom. ours look like these…

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  25. Ausonius

    June 30, 2026 3:51 pm

    Concerning President TRUMP’S comment about China’s win in the Supreme Court:

    “Investigative journalist Peter Schweizer detailed this practice extensively in his 2026 book, “The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon,” in which he described how China has industrialized the practice on a large scale through an organized industry. 

    Chinese officials have estimated around 50,000 Chinese nationals per year give birth in the U.S. or territories like Saipan, while some scholars place the figure closer to 100,000 annually, according to Marketplace’s China.

    Schweizer reports more than 1,000 birth tourism companies operate in China focused on the U.S., offering concierge packages costing up to $100,000 that include visa guidance, medical arrangements, and sometimes instructions on concealing pregnancies or claiming indigent to reduce hospital bills. 

    China leads this activity by a wide margin, but Russia has also participated notably, with dedicated firms in South Florida like Miami Mama.

    South Florida NBC affiliate NBC6 reported that Miami Mama LLC was raided by the FBI in 2017 and has been operating in Miami since 2009.

    The company offers packages ranging from just under $20,000 to over $53,000 that include all the medicines and procedures that come along with childbirth. NBC also noted that the owner was never convicted of the business’s operations.

    See:

    https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trumps-efforts-reverse-birthright-citizenship-can-succeed-or-without-scotus

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      1. I think everyone has had those chairs at some time or other! Ours when I was growing up were blue and white! LOL

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  28. 🌌 Electric Clouds Over Paris

    Noctilucent clouds drifted as far south as Paris this week.

    These shimmering electric-blue clouds form almost 80 kilometers above Earth, where tiny ice crystals gather around microscopic bits of meteor dust. They’re among the highest clouds in our atmosphere…and among the most beautiful.

    🌪️ Wind Strong Enough to Break Wind Turbines

    South Dakota recorded a staggering 131-mph wind gust.

    wind storm metrics south dakota

    That’s Category 4 hurricane strength. The storm literally snapped giant wind turbines in half.

    When the machines designed to harvest the wind become its victims…you know it was serious.

    🔗 Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/unbelievable-damage-131-mph-windstorm-snaps-wind-turbines-half-across-south-dakota

    🔥 Wildfires Unlike Anything Before

    Utah officials say this year’s wildfire behavior is unlike anything they’ve experienced.

    Extreme winds. Explosive fire growth. Unpredictable conditions. The phrase “unprecedented” is becoming disturbingly common.

    🔗 Source: https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/canyonlands-needle-closure-wildfire-22325151.php

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  29. Mrs. Sunshine

    June 30, 2026 4:45 pm

    “Congress, Kavanaugh suggested, “could amend” that law “or otherwise enact new legislation establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country. But,” he noted, “Congress has not yet done so.”

    Brett Kavanaugh concurred in the judgment to block the executive order but dissented from the majority’s constitutional reasoning, arguing the order violated federal statute rather than the Constitution

    Congress again. Worthless, feckless, treasonous Congress. To get rid of birthright citizenship, Congress needs to pass it and The President needs to sign it and then maybe SCOTUS will back it. 

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  32. “Karma can be a “biatch” as they say and in this case, it was. Jessica Falls, 47, of Lanett, AL and Daniel Robbins of Macon, GA were found dead, side by side, in rural Chambers County where Robbins was dumping the body of his girlfriend. Autopsies would confirm later that Robbins had died of a heart attack and Falls had been strangled to death. The bodies were discovered after someone called emergency services and reported a truck sitting in the middle of a rural road with the drivers side door open and the engine running. When sheriff’s deputies arrived they discovered “drag marks” from the back of the truck leading into the woods where the two bodies were laying.”

    Irish Finds a ‘shroom…

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  37. SD weighs in…

    TheLastRefuge
    @TheLastRefuge2
    2h
    Dear @SecRubio and @realDonaldTrump , as a pragmatic American I respectfully suggest and recommend the @StateDept immediately institute the “Roberts Requirement” following similar visa entry protocols previously used for COVID-19 tests prior to U.S. admittance.

    The Roberts Requirement: Each female visa applicant must present a valid negative pregnancy test taken no longer than 10 days prior to travel to the United States.

    The certified document, negative pregnancy test, together with all related visa approvals must be presented to Customs and Border Patrol at each port of entry. Failure disqualifies the traveler.

    Same protocol as COVID-19, only using pregnancy status as the disqualifying health issue. It is a lawful regulation that does not need congressional approval.

    Thank You,

    An American!

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  38. petzanpz

    June 30, 2026 5:43 pm

    https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/Section 5 – The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.https://immigrationhistory.org/item/1924-indian-citizenship-act/This law stipulated that all Native Americans born in the United States were automatically citizens by birth. Native Americans were the last main group to gain this right set forth in the Fourteenth Amendment.If congress can legislate what group of people can be considered as citizens, why can’t they do the same for excluding a group who entered the country illegally?

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  40. Just The News: “President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the Republican Party will host the first ever Midterm convention this year in Dallas, Texas. The convention will take place later this year and run from Sept. 9-10. 

    “It will be fantastic! It has never been done before, and will be a truly historic event,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “We are going to celebrate the GREAT AMERICAN COMEBACK, and the incredible successes of the American People who transformed our Country through the America First Agenda.

    “At the event, we will have hardworking Americans, our great innovators, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, first responders, and Job Creators who are powering our Nation’s Golden Age, and proving that America’s best days are still ahead of us,” he added.”

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