A neighbor came by recently, knowing that I am somewhat of a bird freak, asking if I wanted his bird feeder and explained why. He said he had posted the feeder near his kitchen window so he could take pictures of his visitors. Then he said that between the birds and the squirrels, the waste beneath the feeder was destroying his grass and yard. There is a simple answer, I explained. Cole’s … [Read more...]
Great Gherkins Hamburger Dill Chips
I have been shopping more and more at Aldi’s. Their prices are simply incredible, and I have found a few products that I really enjoy there that are available nowhere else. Their Great Gherkins Hamburger Dill Pickle Chips, for one. I was in Aldi’s recently and bought some ground sirloin for burgers that night and remembered that I was out of dill pickle chips. To me, a cheeseburger without … [Read more...]
Reds in the Surf
Surf fishing on the OBX has turned on from Okracoke to Nags Head. In the surf, some nice trout and puppy drum are around Oregon Inlet. These fish are great for light tackle. You can use soft plastics, jigs, or live bait to entice them. Down south, from the Point to Ocracoke, the big drum showed up in decent numbers over the weekend. These are the fish of a lifetime, reaching up to 50-inches or … [Read more...]
Lake Orange: Open for Business
One of the top fishing lakes in Virginia is now open for business. Actually, it is always open for business, but Angler’s Landing, the marina and bait shop, is again open at Lake Orange. Angler’s Landing rents boats and motors and sells bait and tackle. Darryl Kennedy is also an expert and will offer solid advice. The handicapped accessibly pier at the lake is a convenient place for … [Read more...]
The Days of Pegged Pants
“Hurry son! You’ll be late for school!” “I’m trying Mom. I can’t get my pants on. I think the pants legs shrunk!” Such might have been a morning conversation in any number of homes in the 1950’s. That’s because a certain fad called pegged pants swept all of Boomer-hood, causing both young men and women to truly struggle to get their pants on. Pegged pants had their origins when … [Read more...]
Red Bellied Woodpeckers
Looks like we’ll have a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers nesting in a cavity of an old white maple in the back of our yard. I saw them swoop that way this morning and there are lots of hollow places in that old tree from which to choose a nesting site. Many people confuse the Red-bellied Woodpecker with the less common Red-headed Woodpeckers. Red-bellied Woodpeckers do have red heads, but not … [Read more...]
Spring Peepers and other Amphibians
A spring peeper photo by Steve Roble By Stephen Living/DWR The sure signs of approaching spring are everywhere. Early wildflowers are blooming, tender green leaves are uncurling from the buds and tundra swans and Canada geese can be heard overhead as they wing their way north. Another sure sign of spring across Virginia is the emergence of amphibians! In some parts of … [Read more...]
My Wife: The Mulch-aholic
My wife is a Mulch-aholic. I have gone to their meetings, and there is no cure. It’s an illness caused when your mother didn’t let you play in the dirt as a 4-year-old. Each spring, Lowe’s brings in 2 tractor trailer loads of brown mulch – one for Nancy and one for all the other gardeners in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Mulch-aholics ofte try to hide their sickness. Rather … [Read more...]
A Pot of Beans
For 40 years, I was camp cook at our biannual gatherings. The main reason I volunteered is that if I had not, we would have had Cheetos and Little Debbie’s for every meal. So, I cooked, and for 40 years I always cooked a big pot of beans every trip. Beans are something most of us don’t often eat at home. That’s because they aren’t very exciting, and wives usually don’t bother with them. Yet, when … [Read more...]
A Concert to Remember
There is an amazing concert being held now in Charlottesville. It’s free and it happens every morning around 6 am. It’ is a concert of our local birds performing spring arias. The air is filled with their songs. Robins are the divas; cardinals provide backup, and many other birds join in on the chorus. Birds, of course, sing throughout the day, but they bring their a-games in the … [Read more...]
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