It is really a miracle that there is even one in my generation still alive. For the most part, we worshipped at the altar of the sun, fearing nothing except that we might be the palest among our friends. Our moms would on occasion suggest that we use some suntan lotion. Remember the little girl in the Coppertone ad with her white butt cheeks showing? Who wanted to look like the Coppertone kid? … [Read more...]
A Late Lettuce Crop
Earlier this summer, you couldn’t afford to buy a head of lettuce. Adverse growing conditions caused the early shortage and the resulting sticker shock at the sky-high prices of the shriveled heads of lettuce. But now, we’re all afraid to buy lettuce because of the Cyclospora outbreak, which sent many on emergency trips to their toilets. Today, the lettuce situation in grocery stores across the … [Read more...]
Coneflowers Add a Bed of Beauty
My wife Nancy spends a lot of time working in our yard and it really shows. She has watered and weeded regularly and keeps things trim with her edging and weed eaters. Throughout the yard, our flowers and shrubs are lovely. But the section of the yard I believe both of us are proudest of are the wildflowers she has planted around our birdbath. They are perennials and flowers like you would … [Read more...]
Cake Mix Pumpkin Muffins
Sometimes, a bowl of cereal hits the spot for a nice breakfast, while other mornings might require eggs, toast and a patty of sausage. Every now and then I - for one - get the urge for a big fat muffin and a glass of juice to satisfy my breakfast cravings. That happened this week, so I decided to bake a batch of pumpkin muffins – my favorites. Just for the heck of it - and since I’m trying to … [Read more...]
A Road Trip to Yoder’s
Say you have a bunch of bored kids (or adults) in the house, and you’d like to offer some healthy and inspiring entertainment, then, load ‘em in the car and head for Yoder’s in Madison, Virginia. There, you will find a slew of birds and animals, and you can feed them by hand. Yoder’s has Billy goats, peacocks, chickens, pigs, ponies, rabbits, ring-neck pheasants and many others. And these critters … [Read more...]
Bee-Ware!
The perils of mowing grass are many. First, it can really screw up a round of golf. “Sorry, guys, but my front yard needs bailing. Two farmers have already put in bids for the hay.”It can also play havoc with an afternoon map. Taking a little snooze while following an electric push mower is not advised in the Boy Scout Manual. Another yard mowing hazard is bees. Yellow jackets, in … [Read more...]
Humming Along
Things are back to normal in our backyard. The hummingbirds are at war. Talk about not sharing, if one hummingbird stakes out a feeder, he or she spends every waking hour making sure that one of its comrades does not sneak in for a quick sip of sugar water. So, we put two feeders in the back yard and separated them, plus two additional feeders in the front yard. Play nice, little … [Read more...]
It’s Spot Time
It’s September. It’s spot time – time to catch a cooler full of these tasty saltwater panfish. In September, spot put on the feed bag and can grow quickly and impressively. By mid- and late- September fishermen begin to catch the “yellowbellies” – spot up to a pound and more. Spot are bottom feeders and like hard bottoms where they find shrimp and crustaceans. The best bait is always a bloodworm, … [Read more...]
Singer Sewing Machines
I like a 29-inch inseam on my trousers. I hate it when pants drag along the ground and become tattered, though that’s what most of the young men today seem to prefer – ragged pant bottoms. But it’s hard to find pants with 29-inch inseams, most are 30-inches or more, So, get them altered, right? Not if you want to pay a tailor almost as much for hemming as you did for the original price of the … [Read more...]
Tuna Pasta Salad
It went against everything I hold dear and sacred, but one night last week I decided to make Tuna Pasta Salad for dinner. Not as a side, mind you, but as the main course for dinner - quite a commitment for meat and potatoes kind of a guy. But why not? On a hot summer night, a refreshing pasta salad fits right in. The salad turned out very well and even passed the “Nancy test”. If she’ll eat … [Read more...]
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