On Feb. 1 our Lenten Rose patch was in bloom. What a beautiful, wonderful plant. Several years ago, Nancy was trying to figure out what to do with the root-studded and mostly shady space beneath our old maple tree in the back yard. She planted a few hostas and they did well, but she wanted some color and could find few colorful plants that could bloom without a lot of sun. My son, … [Read more...]

It’s hard to drive 5 miles without seeing a crumpled up, dead deer along the side of the road. That’s because we are in peak season - the deer are in rut. Bucks are chasing does and they run across roads after the enticing females and worry about cars and trucks later. Some say to watch out for deer in the headlights, but I say just watch out. Recent studies say that Virginia is now the 11th … [Read more...]

  My daughter, Laura, has a big-time case of fly-fishing fever. My oldest daughter, Angelin, loves to dunk squid in saltwater and my son, Jimmie, enjoys tormenting largemouth bass with a buzz bait, but Laura is drawn to the gurgling creeks and the trout lurking within. Creeks like Mossy Creek in Augusta County. Mossy Creek is hallowed ground for Virginia fly fishermen. It was here that I landed … [Read more...]

  One drawback to a vacation stay on the Middle Peninsula is dealing with the water. First, it tastes bad – it sorta’ smells. It most definitely alters the taste of coffee, and you really have to be thirsty to drink a glass straight from the tap. The second problem is taking a bath. If you hop in the shower and put soap on your hair or body, it stays there. The water does not rinse away the … [Read more...]

  Bird lovers: Brace yourself for an amazing product. This is a real game changer in the war against squirrels. The mortal enemy of every bird lover, that group which spends millions of dollars each year on bird seed, is the lowly squirrel. Squirrels will find a way to steal the seed from its intended beneficiaries; they will gnaw through expensive feeders, and they will foul even the … [Read more...]

  Milkweed is rapidly disappearing from our landscapes primarily because homeowners consider it an ugly, invasive weed and VDOT poisons it regularly alongside the roads. There is one place, however, where milkweed is flourishing, and that’s on golf courses. Well, not on the fairways and short grass, but in places where a golfer really shouldn’t be – like the rough and the edge of the … [Read more...]

  We have a table umbrella on our patio that we usually keep rolled up, so the wind doesn’t scoop down and blow it away. That happens. The other day, Nancy decided to crank the handle and spread the umbrella for company and her first guest was none other than a sleeping bat, and he was most upset. He had worked his way up into the nice, dark folds of the umbrella and had been sound … [Read more...]

  Ken Ham was a high school science teacher in Australia, but in his teachings and studies, he had a problem with the theory of evolution. Rather, Ham believed the biblical account was more accurate and even more in line with science. He gave up teaching and went into the ministry, then became haunted with building a Creation Museum to visually display the biblical account of … [Read more...]