In 1955, Lewisburg, WV was a painted city by Norman Rockwell, or could have been. Main Street was pretty much it – three blocks or so with a half dozen businesses per block. There were the usual stores – a five and dime, a barbershop, a bank, a savings and loan, some clothing stores, a jewelry store, two pharmacies, a couple small department stores, a record shop, a doughnut shop and Zelda’s … [Read more...]
How To Barbeque Chicken
I have been barbequing chicken on the grill to various degrees of edibility for over 50 years. It is one of the first things I learned – or attempted to learn - to cook. Some of it has been really good, while some of it turned out more like chicken flavored briquettes. I have finally learned - I think - how to cook great barbeque chicken every time. In a word: S...L...O…W… I have … [Read more...]
Leave Them Alone
Wildlife across our state is busy this time of year. Baby birds are hatching, butterflies are emerging from cocoons and mother deer are conceiving fawns – which is often a problem when nosy humans get involved. People see what they think are abandoned fawns, take them home and often call the Wildlife Center or Animal Control people for help. In almost every instance, the fawns are not … [Read more...]
Food Lion Bread
The day I thought the governor might just close down all the grocery stores, I made a blitz through Food Lion and bought a grocery cart load of what I thought I would need in the coming weeks. As I passed by the bread aisle, I picked up two loaves of Food Lion White Sandwich Bread and stuck them in the freezer that evening. Fortunately, the grocery stores remained open, and I didn’t really need … [Read more...]
Common Daisies
They are called common daisies, but there is nothing ”common” about them. The delicate white and yellow flowers – usually growing wild – are among nature’s most lovely and they are just beginning to bloom along our roads and bi-ways. Daisies are flowers you would normally find in a meadow – if we still had meadows. Mostly, we don’t. We now have thick stands of fescue grass across most … [Read more...]
The Return of the Brown Thrashers
I find it fascinating that if I have a pair of catbirds in my yard one year, I will have a pair the next year. Like the swallows of Capistrano, they always return. And so it is with my pair of Brown Thrashers. They are among my loveliest backyard visitors. Many confuse Brown Thrashers with Wood Thrush, and refer to a Thrasher as a Thrush. Not so. The Wood Thrush is slightly smaller … [Read more...]
Outer Banks Driftwood
Our new goldfish pond was in place. We had water, plants, fish, snails, tadpoles and rocks, but something was missing. We needed a piece of driftwood for character, and it just so happens I had a beautiful piece of genuine Outer Banks Driftwood. Nancy and I were fortunate enough to have been able to take a short vacation to Nags Head just before they closed things down. I was able to … [Read more...]
Lamp Shades Influence Your Home’s Décor
Big box stores sell lamp shades, but is there a salesperson who knows anything about them? Our staff does. Does your lamp need a riser, harp, saddle, bushing or finial? Do you have an old favorite shade (that may have come with the lamp) that needs to be relined? The heat from incandescent bulbs is hard on linings, so is the sun. Some old shades that are one-of-a-kind, simply cannot be replaced. … [Read more...]
Spot Making an Early Showing
Good catches of spot continue to come from inside the Rappahannock. This is taking place much earlier than usual. Often, it’s September before the spot turn on. As usual, bloodworms are the ticket. Whiting are also moving up into the bay waters, concentrated especially at the mouth of the Rappahannock. White perch are there as well. Stan Cobb of Greentop notes that the first catches of … [Read more...]
We Called Him Dr. B
Remembering people in your life that have made a difference. I can think of one who truly stands out. His name was Arie D. Bestebreurtje. We called him Dr. B. From Holland, Dr. B was an Olympic speed skater, an alternate on the Dutch Speed Skating Team at the 1936 games. A law school graduate, Dr. B escaped Nazi occupation at the start of the war, reached England and joined the exiled … [Read more...]
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