Lots of those pretty flowers and weeds we see alongside our roads and highways are “come-heres”, native to other countries – Europe, Asia, Africa and the like, but the friendly little Black-eyed Susans are as American as apple pie. They are true natives of North America and we have had a bumper crop of the yellow beauties this summer. There are a number of different type of the Rudbeckvia … [Read more...]
The Bird Game
Nancy and I are playing the “Bird Game.” Let me explain. During our marriage we have had cats, English Setters, beagles, mutts, rabbits, gerbils, fresh and saltwater aquarium fish, turtles, ferrets and frogs. A few years ago, we got our first birds. A friend of Nancy’s told her told about two love birds that had lost their original owner and were now confined to a basement in a room without … [Read more...]
Tomato Hornworms: A Gardener’s Worst Nightmare
Pity the backyard gardener. If the deer don’t get you, the rabbits will. And if they leave you alone, the squirrels bite and dig up everything. Then there is too much or too little rain or stink bugs or Japanese beetles. In Chuck Strauss’s case, it’s a tomato hornworm. Chuck said that one day, the leaves were completely gone from two of his tomato plants. He thought at first it was deer, … [Read more...]
Rangeland Trophies and Awards
Everybody loves an award. I remember those little blue and red stars my fourth-grade teacher put on my report card for good work or perfect attendance. Everybody loves an honor. And trophies or awards don’t have to be expensive. In fact, they are downright cheap at Rangeland Trophies, Awards and Archery in Ruckersville. Last weekend, our golfing group staged the equivalent … [Read more...]
Ham Salad
Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad. Then repeat. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad. When it comes to salads for sandwiches, I have been in a rut. Chicken, egg, tuna. Not that there’s anything wrong with those three. They make great sandwiches, but I was bored. How about ham salad? I have had ham salad before that was gross – like cat food. Surely I could do better, and I think … [Read more...]
Flounder Action
After a somewhat dormant spring and early summer, the flatfish are biting. Lots of 4 to 6-pound flounder are showing near the CBBT, The Cell and The Wrecks. There is also world-class fishing underway for red drum and cobia. Huge schools of red drum have been surfacing daily in the lower Bay. As long as no one spooks them angers can sight cast them, for an hour at a time some days. Cobia … [Read more...]
Twenty-One
In December 1956, all of America was glued to a TV set. On Monday nights at 8 pm on NBC, the game show Twenty-One was on the air. It was the All-American boy, Charles Van Doren, in one isolation booth and Herb Stempel, a dorky genius in the other. Everyone in the country except Stempel’s mother was rooting for Van Doren, the Columbia University scholar, to win. And he did, with a little help from … [Read more...]
Red Clover
As I continue to travel Virginia’s highways and back roads – ever on the look for colorful weeds and plants – I have noticed an abundance of red clover, especially earlier in the summer. Red clover brings back lots of memories. As a boy in Lewisburg, WV, I was an avid quail hunter. Anytime we found a field of clover – used by West Virginia farmers for hay – there were quail nearby. Rabbits, too. … [Read more...]
Honey Baked Ham
I had forgotten how good a Honey Baked Ham can taste, but my sister-in-law, Laura Patterson, brought one to a family reunion and it was – as always – incredible. Honey Baked opened their first retail store in Detroit in 1957. The initial owner, HarryHoenselaar, actually patented the spiral-slicing process which is still prevalent. The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC has since grown to over 200 … [Read more...]
I’ve Got the Butterflies!
I have never seen so many butterflies as I have this summer. It helps that we have a towering butterfly bush and that Nancy has planted several long borders of colorful zinnias, but we’ve got the butterflies. Yellow ones, black ones, orange and some small white ones. Unfortunately, few are Monarchs and most are Swallowtails. Monarchs lack any kind of extended tail – just rounded tail wings. … [Read more...]
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