I had just dumped 2 ½ pounds of Aldi’s ground beef from the tray into the frying pan. I started to toss the tray in the trash, but I just couldn’t. The tray was as solid as any piece of Tupperware, and it still had many uses. So, I washed it and later used it as a container for a Pea Salad I was making for the family I cook for. They could toss it if they wished, but at least I had salvaged a … [Read more...]

Like the Lorax, I speak for the trees, and this Lorax says don’t waste your Christmas tree – recycle it! Christmas is over. It’s time to un-decorate the tree, drag it out to the curb and let the trash guys do their thing. But not so fast! A Christmas tree has many uses after the holiday season is over. For one, it makes ideal cover for small birds as they face the coming winter. On a … [Read more...]

(Looks like a good crop of acorns this fall) The success of hunters often depends on the mast crop. When things are scarce in the woods, deer must be on the move to feed, where they become susceptible to 30:06 cartridges. When they are plenty of nuts on the forest floor, deer can eat and bed down without a lot of travel and it’s tougher for hunters. Katie Martin of the DWR says that all … [Read more...]

Last week, we saw a Mason Wasp among the many pollinators that visit our patch of Mountain Mint. The bees and wasps flock there every day where we recently saw another interesting creature - a Scoliid wasp. In addition to being a pollinator, the Scoliid wasp is extremely beneficial to your yard and plants as it helps control June beetles and other grubs. Most prevalent during the month of … [Read more...]

One of our most prized plantings is a gorgeous Butterfly Milk Weed. Butte A few years back, Nancy picked a half dozen small seeds from a Butterfly Milk Weed pod. She started them inside and nurtured them into small plants. When she brought them outside, she knew the damn squirrels would get in them and dig them up, so she put a heavy wire guard around them with a top to keep the squirrels from … [Read more...]

Photo by Daniel Bailey   I have thus far seen 31 types of birds in or around my yard, but they are the usuals – robins, finches, bluebirds, doves, etc. I really get excited when I see a new bird, like a grosbeak in my yard So, I can imagine how a fellow birder from Lynchburg, Daniel Bailey, was absolutely giddy to see a true rarity, a Gray-Crown Rosy-Finch, and in Virginia no … [Read more...]

  With summer in full swing, many people will take to the water, and often people will come flying out of the water. “Get out. There’s a water moccasin!” Possibly, but doubtful, and practically impossible unless you are in the southeast swamplands of Virginia. Overwhelmingly, snakes seen in the water are simply harmless water snakes – northern water snakes, most likely. Here’s how … [Read more...]

I bought 4 tomato plants this spring. One was a cherry tomato plant because I enjoy them in salads. Nancy, however, bought three plants for her above-ground garden, and she mistakenly picked out two cherry tomato plants. They are now beginning to produce, and we soon be overwhelmed with the little red and gold fruits (or maybe vegetables. It depends on who you ask). I say cherry tomatoes, but … [Read more...]

  It looks like we have a resident raccoon. Well, maybe not a resident, but a frequent visitor. A few weeks ago, Nancy noticed a flattened place in one of her garden beds. The deer are fenced out, so they weren’t the culprits. Maybe a big cat? Then, one day as I was typing in the living room, I saw a raccoon walk right up on the front porch – in the middle of the day. Nancy found another … [Read more...]