Squirrels! How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways. I hate thee when you chew the top off a $50 birdfeeder because there was once a seed inside. I hate thee when you gnaw on my $20 plastic lawn chairs in the back yard for who knows why? I despise thee when you sneak into my garden somehow, take one bite out of plump tomato and leave it there for the ants. I hate thee when you … [Read more...]
Ennio: The Master
I first heard, or noticed at least, his music when I went to see Clint Eastwood in a “Fistful of Dollars” way back in the late 60’s. It was a good movie with Eastwood blowing away all the bad guys with his pistol, but the music composed by Ennio Morricone was haunting. I didn’t know his name at the time. I just loved the music in the background, which continued in more spaghetti westerns … [Read more...]
A Near Sighted Frog
I should have named him Mr. Magoo instead of Billy Bullfrog because my pond resident is blind as a bat. Perhaps, he’s not blind, but he surely lacks depth perception. My late afternoon routine these days – barring rainstorms – is sitting beside our small goldfish pond and tossing live mealworms on lily pads for Billy’s dinner. The one-year-old bull frog is pretty good at seeing the worms … [Read more...]
Remembering Barnaby’s
We eat pizza from time to time. Who doesn’t? For us, it’s usually Voccelli’s, which is just a stone’s throw from our house, or on occasion, Anna’s Pizza, near UVA. But we have the fondest memories of Barnaby’s, a pizzeria once located on Greenbrier Drive at the current site of Guadalajara. Pizza was a relatively new concept in the south in the 1960s. New York and Chicago … [Read more...]
Hot Times for Big Sea Bass
The sea bass season in Virginia is back in and the action is outstanding! Look at the whopper above! Ocean wrecks are where it’s at. There are many charters available, that can put you on the fish. Other species that are biting in the ocean now are Yellowfin Tuna, Mahi, and the Blue Marlin bite has been very good. The charters out of Hatteras have been doing better for the Marlin. Folks … [Read more...]
Four Rows of Limas
Green beans are a lot easier to grow and much more prolific than Fordhook Lima Beans, but they are not nearly as tasty. There are few foods anywhere than can rival the goodness of a freshly picked Fordhook Lima boiled to a tender doneness and topped with butter. It is one of my favorite foods in the world. Years ago, I had a garden at our small lakefront cottage in Greene County … [Read more...]
Quadruplets
Ever wonder why there are so many deer in Virginia? When a doe has four at a time, it’s easy to see how there are now over a million animals in our fair state. My buddy, Chris Johnson, sent me this picture of a mother deer with four little ones resting in the shade. With quadruplets, she certainly has her hands (hooves) full. Jimmy Graves of Graves Mountain Lodge told me not long ago … [Read more...]
Strawberry Fest at Liberty Farms
It’s time to pick strawberries in Virginia, and Liberty Farms in Somerset has vines loaded down with luscious, ripe berries. They have now opened their farm to willing strawberry pickers, and a chance to pluck delicious, red-ripe strawberries straight from the vines. On Saturday, May 28, Liberty Farms will host their annual Strawberry Fest. Guests can sample everything from fresh strawberries … [Read more...]
Attracting Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds. What fascinating creatures. Hummingbirds are tiny, really tiny. Got a nickel in your pocket? That’s how much the little birds weigh. Their nests are the size of a quarter. Hummingbirds are in a perpetual state of excitement, at least so far as their pulse rates are concerned. On average, a hummer’s heart beats 615 times per minute and can reach over 1,200 beats per minute. They … [Read more...]
Southern Fried Bluegills
Groceries are expensive, but fish are free – if you catch them yourself (or have a good friend who likes to fish.) I am aware of a certain fish that you can’t even buy in a store, yet there is no more flavorful fish found anywhere. The fish is a bluegill, which is classified as a game fish in Virginia; therefore they cannot be sold commercially. Bluegills, sometimes referred to … [Read more...]
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