There have been a pair of hawks buzzing around our neighborhood recently. Sometimes they’ll share the same tree, but often they simply call to one another from long range. I assume they are mates, but perhaps one is a juvenile. This morning, my three regular crow visitors let me know in no uncertain terms that there was at least one hawk in my back yard – and he was - perched at the … [Read more...]
Famous Dave’s Corn Bread Mix
I thought I was buying Mexican Corn Bread. I saw “jalpeno” on a box, but then I picked up the wrong box. It wasn’t Mexican at all. It was Dave’s Famous Corn Bread Mix, but I made it anyway. Eating this cornbread is like pulling into a barbeque joint down in Rocky Mount, piling your plate with BBQ, Collards, Black Eyed Peas and buttering up a piece of sweet corn bread. It was … [Read more...]
Ham Bones and Beans
Hams are among those things we don’t eat enough of. They are lean (comparable even to chicken), inexpensive per pound and delicious. Since it’s just Nancy and me, the Brewer’s eat hams only every so often, but when we do, we wonder why we don’t serve them more frequently. I suppose the determining factor in not serving ham is the sheer size. They can weigh 20 pounds and more, though … [Read more...]
Stripers in the Sound
I have been fishing for stripers in the sounds on the Outer Banks for over 30 years. At first, we caught a few fish, but they were largely throwbacks. Then a few 18-to-20-inch fish showed and there were lots of them. In the past two years, however, not only are there lots of stripers in the sounds, there are some big stripers. Capt. Reese Stecher of Beach Bum Fishing has been … [Read more...]
A Big Ball of Blackbirds
Stuff bothers me. Like can you really get 20 clowns in a Volkswagen, and how can the radio in my car snatch invisible signals out of thin air and turn it into a song? Why does smoke from a firepit always know where I’m sitting and go that way and can woolly worms really predict cold winters or are they just guessing? That brings me to a flock of blackbirds. I saw a big ball of … [Read more...]
Giving Thanks
By Nancy B During this Thanksgiving holiday, we reflect on all for which we are grateful. We appreciate the confidence you have placed in Nancy B’s House of Lights, and we are grateful for your business and value the relationship we’ve built together. Please accept our heartfelt thanks from my staff and myself. As a small thank you, I’d like to share a recipe from my husband’s Aunt … [Read more...]
Dick’s Sporting Goods: Grrrrr!
Dick’s Sporting Goods is on my S… List (S stands for sad). I had a rough experience on my last visit. I was picking up a few Christmas gifts and saw some interesting things in the Sales Bin in their fishing department. In the Sales Bin, they always have some interesting, discounted items that make good stocking stuffers for some of the fishermen in my clan. I picked up a few of bags of … [Read more...]
Christmas Gift Ideas
Now is the time that many of us go into pre-panic mode, trying to find a Christmas gift for Mr. or Mrs. Very-Hard-To-Please. Don’t panic. Take a chill pill and may I suggest a mini, hand-held, electric chainsaw? I am serious. This is a neat gift for anyone that likes to putz around in the yard. I actually gave one to my wife Nancy, and she loves it. The little saw is cordless … [Read more...]
The Return of the Snowbirds
I saw the first one this morning. A little snowbird – a Dark Eyed Junco, to be exact. He was hopping around beneath the feeder, picking up bits of sunflower hearts and seeds that the finches had dislodged. Almost always, the snowbirds feed on the ground. I’ll have to start leaving more seeds on the ground as I tend to my feeders. Snowbirds are cheerful little birds and not terrible skittish. I … [Read more...]
Gourmet Vegetable Beef Soup
Gourmet Vegetable Beef Soup? It is if you use steak, and why not use steak? Every grocery store offers stew meat and that’s what most home chefs use in their soups and stews. This cut, however, is at the low end of the spectrum, quality wise. It is usually tough, chewy, and lacking in flavor. Steak, however, is a different story – tender and packed with flavor, and if you’re a frugal shopper, … [Read more...]
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