Everybody knows about the “blind spot” in their car – the view from the back left rear where a car may be between the side rearview mirror and the actual view outside the car window to the left. Always look back and check is the rule of thumb. But there is another blind spot that may be even more dangerous and because of it, I came within inches of typing my last article. I was in Ruckersville … [Read more...]
My Lonely Bluebird
Every morning, he sits on the fence beside his old bird house. Occasionally, he flits over to the house, peeks inside, then flies back to the fence. He is my lonely bluebird. Last summer, he lost his partner. The male bird and his mate had selected the house several months before they started nesting in late March. I believe they had nested in the house the previous year. They raised their … [Read more...]
Luv’n Oven
Got an e-mail from my pal Sherman Shifflett about a good place to get a bite to eat. It’s called Luv’N Oven and it’s in Scottsville. “The food I ordered was darned good,” he said. “I got the chicken breast, mashed potatoes, pinto beans and rolls. The coconut cake was very good. Ava ordered a BLT and it was good, too.” Luv N Oven is a locally owned diner-type store front restaurant in … [Read more...]
Chicken and Rice Casserole
There are probably as many recipes for Chicken and Rice Casserole as there are cookbooks in America. Every cook, every house has its own version. I did one this week that turned out well. Nothing fancy at all, just basic comfort food. But it was easy and tasty. Here’s how. I started with chicken tenderloins, not whole chicken breast loins. I did this for several reasons – they were on … [Read more...]
The Versatile and Beautiful Goldenrod
The crop of goldenrod this fall has outdone itself. Standing tall, often along a spread of Black-Eyed Susans, goldenrod provides a colorful sea of gold and yellow along our roads and highways. Yeah, but goldenrod is the stuff that causes all those allergies. Get rid of it. Not so fast. Goldenrod is frequently blamed for allergies caused by ragweed. Ragweed, which often grows alongside … [Read more...]
Striper Season Underway
The saltwater striper/rockfish season opened October 4 in Virginia waters and runs through the end of the year. The limit this fall is one fish per day at least 20-inches in length and no more than 36-inches. Lots of stripers are being caught by trollers and caters, but many fish are throwbacks. It seems that no matter where they set the size limits, the fish you catch will be one inch short – at … [Read more...]
Time Was!
What time is it? I don’t know. I don’t have my phone with me. Phone? Where’s your watch? What’s a watch? Time was, everyone wore a watch. A right-of-passage for a young girl or boy was their first watch. It was a big deal. I think I was 7 when I got my first watch. It was an inexpensive stopwatch. I was constantly stopping and starting the watch, which also reset the time. So I never … [Read more...]
Return to Outback
For years, The Outback Steakhouse in Charlottesville’s Albemarle Square was our go-to restaurant. The service with rare exception was excellent and the food consistently good. More often than not, we skipped the waiting with the buzzer in your pocket deal (there was always a waiting line) and squeezed in at the bar. The bartender was Charlottesville’s finest. He was quick with drinks and water and … [Read more...]
Snakes and Leopard Frogs
We have recently found a few snakeskins in our yard, so that meant there were snakes around. But until this week, we had not seen any. Yesterday, I heard Nancy shrieking outside, and that meant she had found the snakes. She wasn’t afraid of the snakes per se, they were harmless garter snakes, but she feared they might get our frogs and there were now two of the slimy critters in our small … [Read more...]
Getting Back to Normal
For the first time since March, I felt a genuine sense of normalcy. I sat out in the back yard on a Saturday afternoon and listened to a UVA football game on the radio. I puffed on a cigar and sipped a cold beer while the Cavaliers alternated between great and awful. It was just like old times. Even though Scott Stadium sat mostly empty, the players of both Duke and Virginia played their hearts … [Read more...]
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