By the Backyard Birds Hey Santa, we’ve been pretty good birds this year. Other than pecking at a few unfriendly starlings and pooping on some lawn furniture, we’ve behaved ourselves, so how about some treats for us this Christmas? For starters, we really need a heater for the bird bath (and some of us need a bird bath bowl as well – they must think we don’t need to drink water from … [Read more...]
Winging It
Nancy and I like wings. We often order them as a side with pizza, and sometimes we fix a batch at home – easy and tasty. But Nancy is always saying, “I like wings, but I like them crispy.” It’s easy to have crispy wings if you fry them, but that’s a chore. Last week I tried my hand at making crispy wings without frying and I knocked it out of the park – made the best chicken wings ever. If you … [Read more...]
Bigger Bass: Coming Soon
(Photo by Meghan Marchetti/DWR) The largemouth bass is unquestionably America’s favorite gamefish. Virginians, too, have a love affair with these freshwater fish which leap when hooked and can grow to impressive sizes. In a few years, if things go as planned, there may be even more large bass in Virginia waters. Here’s the deal. The Division of Wildlife Resources (previously … [Read more...]
Big Stripers Moving In Bay Waters
The water temps in the Bay are in the lower 50s and the big boys have moved in. Big stripers, that is. They like it cold – cold weather bunches up the bait. Reports of rocks pushing 50-inches are on the rise. It should only get better as we approach the season’s end on Dec. 31.The rivers are still giving up good numbers of medium size fish in the 24 to 28 inch range. Umbrella rigs in the lower … [Read more...]
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
They play Christmas music all day, every day on Z 95.1, and that’s the station I tune in. One song that plays often throughout the day is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” The song was written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson and was recorded by many artists including Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters, Bing Crosby and more recently, Michael Bublé. The first stanza goes like … [Read more...]
One and Done
I don’t do many articles on team sports, though my first writing gig was as a sportswriter for the Brier Patch, the Greenbrier Military School newspaper. I covered the GMS/Fork Union Football game in 1960. So after a rather lengthy hiatus, here goes. I will go out on the limb here and predict that neither Duke nor Kentucky will ever win another NCAA Basketball Championship. Oh, they’ll win … [Read more...]
The Scout Team
One crow generally stands watch. He is the scout team. I have a group of 4 crows that regularly stops by at my back yard. That’s because I regularly toss out a handful of corn which the crows enjoy. I like having crows because I don’t like having hawks, and the crows do a good enough squawking job to keep hawks away. But while three crows are feeding, one stands guard, usually on a branch … [Read more...]
Tender Cube Steaks? Slow Cooker!
I’m a big fan of cube steak. It’s always a good buy at the store – no waste, healthy, low prices and great flavor. But it’s tough and super chewy. I have tried marinating, coating with tenderizer and further pounding with the same results – it’s still tough. But where there is a will, there’s a way. I saw a little four-pack at the store recently – under five bucks, and I was … [Read more...]
Be Aware and Beware of Bear Dens
So what if you happened upon a bear in a den? The Wildlife Division folks advise that you leave it alone. Oh really? Like I would climb down in a den with a 400 pound bear and try to wake it up? Hardly. But you never know if you’re out and about in the woods and might stumble upon a bear’s den. As cold weather approaches, animals, especially bears, feed heavily and put on extra fat to be … [Read more...]
Rotisserie Chicken Breasts
Boy, what a deal. On a recent trip to Sam’s Club, I was poking around in the meat and deli section and saw a package of chicken breasts salvaged from the leftover rotisserie chickens. They had put 4 breast halves in a package for just $3.98. Not only was this a super buy, it is a super time-saver for cooking. I had intended to buy some chicken breasts anyway and cook them, then chop them up for … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 205
- 206
- 207
- 208
- 209
- …
- 451
- Next Page »