A male bluebird lit on our window feeder recently and he was simply stunning. There is no blue on the finest artist’s pallet that could begin to duplicate his color. This is the time of year when birds strut their stuff. An early spring molt leads to spectacular colors which male birds use to attract females. The feathers don’t change colors, but new, brighter feathers take their place. Even … [Read more...]
Bass Farm Sausage
I wrote recently about Spencer Sausage which I find on the Outer Banks and in Eastern North Carolina. It is good stuff. But there is another excellent sausage from down that way. When we were in Nags Head, I went to Food Lion and they no longer carried Spencer Sausage, but they had a brand called Bass Farm Sausage. It looked good and I bought a package of 8 link sausages. Later, though, I found … [Read more...]
Gun Control
Do you suppose there is even one person among the 43 million in Ukraine who is now the least bit concerned about the magazine capacity of weapons for sale in their country? Is gun control high on their political priorities? To the contrary, every single soul in Ukraine now wishes for effective weapons with which to defend themselves against Russian tyranny. The 2nd Amendment has nothing to … [Read more...]
Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm
May I interrupt this newsletter with a message from our sponsor – well, not actually a sponsor but a company you should be aware of in your gardening and birding adventures. It’s Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm. Over the past 10 or 15 years, I have dealt with numerous pet stores and worm companies as I always supplement my bluebirds’ diets with meal worms, especially at nesting time. My … [Read more...]
Breakfast in a Muffin Cup
When company comes, cooking breakfast can be a chore. There’s bacon to fry, cheese grits to stir, potatoes to roast, eggs to fry and toast to brown. But what if you could put an entire breakfast into a single muffin tin? You can, and it’s both good and easy - allowing more time for company and less to spend in the kitchen. And it’s fun! I saw a recipe from Betty Crocker that triggered my recent … [Read more...]
Gill Lice Found in Virginia Trout
Fisheries biologists with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) recently identified gill lice on rainbow trout in Blue Springs Creek, a tributary to Cripple Creek, located in Smyth and Wythe Counties. Gill lice are tiny, parasitic copepods, a type of zooplankton, that attach to a fish’s gills, mouth, and fins. The gill lice recently found is likely Salmincola californiensis, a … [Read more...]
The Art of Changing Diapers
I recently read that with inflation rising like a hot air balloon, many young families are being squeezed tremendously in buying diapers. I did a little research, and a throw-away diaper today costs about 50 cents each – give or take. Babies go through lots of diapers, maybe 8 or 10 a day. That’s $5 a day or $150 a month. Twins would set you back $300 a month. Wow! Boomers, however, … [Read more...]
My Amazing Worms
I had waited patiently until mid-March to begin my early garden – lettuce, onions and peas - and I decided to till it myself, by hand. After downing the required 3 Ibuprofen, I set out to the task. With my first plunge of the shovel, I was surprised at how easy it was. Each shovel full returned the same experience. It was almost as if the garden had already been plowed, and it had. By the worms I … [Read more...]
What! No Hardees?
Nancy said the other day that she didn’t think we had a Hardee’s anymore in Charlottesville. I knew they had closed the one on 29 N. when the $64 million tunnel effectively put it out of business, but don’t we have another one? Nope. They closed the one on Pantops, as well. The world, certainly, is going to hell when there are no more Hardees in town. I remember the first Hardees … [Read more...]
Oh, Christmas Tree
I am still enjoying my Christmas tree. Really. No, it’s not decorated and clad in lights and ornaments. It’s a little, brown, actually, and sitting beside our patio firepit. I clip off the dry branches and limbs, put them in the bottom of the firepit when I’m ready for a fire, light it with a piece of newspaper and “Whoosh!” It’s up in flames. The dried branches and twigs make … [Read more...]
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