By Angelin Brewer My husband and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage this year, and we’ve decided to take our first European vacation. Actually, I decided. My husband, Brent, doesn’t like to fly. Okay, he hates to fly. But I am on a mission to ensure he loves this trip, so I’ve researched the heck out of it, doing my best to choose places and excursions I think he will love. My dad … [Read more...]
Llama Hair for Bird Nests
We have a heart shaped hanger packed with llama hair dangling in our back yard. Our daughter Laura gave it to us as a present, knowing our affinity for birds. The llama hair is there for the picking as birds build their nests and line them with soft fibers – like llama hair. Animal hair and fur are prized possessions in the nest-building department. Chickadees are known to swoop down and pick fur … [Read more...]
Shad Fishing: Virginia Style
By Dr. Peter Brookes The shad run often starts at the beginning of calendar spring, marking the official end of winter and, more importantly, the unofficial beginning of the fishing high season in the Commonwealth. As Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) fisheries biologist, Alan Weaver, put it recently: “Fishing for shad in Virginia is a rite of spring.” But some may not be … [Read more...]
The Big Blacks are Back
Black drum are returning to the Chesapeake Bay for their annual spawning run. Boats heading out of Cape Charles are making the run to the mouth of the Bay where they are finding black drum near the surf. These fish can be caught in the surf along the coastal beaches but are also found at several locations in the Bay, like reef sites and the bridge pilings at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. … [Read more...]
Strawberry Puff Pastry Tarts
It’s almost strawberry season. My little backyard patch is blooming, and the grocery stores are receiving daily shipments of luscious, red-ripe strawberries. It’s hard to go wrong with strawberries – eat ‘em plain, in short cakes, over ice cream - it’s all good. But recently I saw a recipe for Strawberry Puff Pastry Tarts and since I had some Puff Pastry in my freezer, I decided to give it a go. … [Read more...]
Sleeping with Snakes
This is snake season, when the slithery reptiles shake off their winter chills and make their presence known in yards and beneath porches and around sheds. Unless it’s a copperhead, there is nothing to be concerned about. Snakes are good to have around the house because they wouldn’t be there unless they had a reason – like eating mice and rats. I once took a nap with a snake, tough I had not … [Read more...]
Restaurants are Best When the Boss is on Duty
Going way back in Charlottesville history, there was a restaurant called The Gaslight at 625 West Main Street, founded by John Tuck in 1961. For years, it was among Charlottesville’s finest. John Tuck – everybody just called him Tuck – was always on hand. An eccentric sort of fellow who wore a beret, Tuck greeted each of his guests and went from table to table to make sure everything was just … [Read more...]
Patience is a Gardening Virtue
Every year it happens. After snow, sleet and frigid weather, March delivers beautiful, warm sunny days, which get even nicer in April. Time to get stuff in the ground, right? Then, every year – just when you think winter has moved along – it happens again. A cold snap. Like this week when the evening temps plunged to the low 30s. But this year, I am showing a rare trait for me – patience. … [Read more...]
Nate Bargatze: Just for Laughs
We went to see Nate Bargatze last weekend in the Capital Center in Washington, DC. There is not much that would make me go to DC, except for maybe Nate Bargatze, one of the funniest stand-up comedians in the world. We first saw Nate in his 2 specials with Netflix. He was so funny, we just belly laughed – and that’s hard to do these days. If you’ve seen him, you know what I mean. If you’ve never … [Read more...]
A Beauty and a Beast
We were driving back from Deltaville recently and noticed lots of soft purple plants growing in many of the winter rye fields. We had seen this before, and the fields can be breath-taking in purple beauty. But there are many farmers and gardeners, however, who wish these blooms would grow elsewhere. The plant is called Purple Dead Nettle and it’s a beast to control. It’s now popping up in our … [Read more...]
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