We have eaten out maybe a half dozen times since phase-whatever kicked in and restaurants were opened. Most have been good and welcomed experiences and I appreciate the extra effort these eateries have gone to keep things safe and to make dining experiences enjoyable. But we hit a pothole last week. Texas Roadhouse, which had become one of our go-to places, genuinely failed to … [Read more...]
It’s a Southern Thing, Y’all
(This has been around for a while, but it’s too good to print only once, y’all.) There ain't no magazine named "Northern Living" for good reason. Who wants to live up north? Nobody would buy the magazine! Southerners know everybody's first name: Honey Darlin' Shugah Southerners know their three religions: Bapdiss Methdiss Football Only a Southerner knows how many … [Read more...]
The Spanish Invasion
As I recall, it was about 30 years ago that Spanish mackerel first started entering the Chesapeake Bay. Considered strictly an ocean fish, the Spanish macs quietly began poking their noses past the Bay Bridge Tunnel and moved up as far as Windmill Point of the western side of the bay. It was big news at the time, and some thought it was a freak event. But now, the Spaniards enter the bay in June … [Read more...]
Remembering Saran Wrap Sammies
I saw a picture of a sandwich wrapped in waxed paper recently that took me back to the 1950’s and brown bag lunches. As an elementary student, sometimes I ate in the cafeteria, assuming someone had an available quarter, but often Mom would pack my lunch – a cookie, an apple and a sandwich wrapped in waxed paper. I remember watching the early commercials of Reynolds’s Waxed Paper when the … [Read more...]
Peanut Logs for Birds
Among the friendliest birds in my yard, or perhaps I should say the least-spookiest, are my catbirds. I can approach within a few feet and they pay me little mind. For years, I have had a pair, one single pair of catbirds. They have nested behind my house in the hedges, raised their young, then took off around September. This year has been different. For starters, three catbirds showed up this … [Read more...]
Dairy Queen Hot Dogs
I feel sorry for the Dairy Queen restaurant at Forest Lakes here in Charlottesville. It’s tucked away, seemingly back in the woods, over behind McDonalds, and is hardly visible from the road. Plus, our business-hating county refuses to let DQ have even a modest sign on the highway so people will know it’s there. But we know it’s there, and every now and then when Nancy gets a hankering for a DQ … [Read more...]
Yummy Roast Beef Sandwiches
Every year for the past ten years or so when we go to Urbanna for the Oyster Festival, the first thing I do is head for the Beach Bully food truck and order a roast beef sandwich – or two. There are probably a hundred food vendors at the festival, but Beach Bully, out of Virginia Beach, is best. I once asked what kind of beef they used and the cook said it was a bottom round roast, not a brisket … [Read more...]
What a Sunflower!
I suppose they call them sunflowers because some of them think they should grow as high as the sun. At least that’s what the sunflower that sprouted and grew next to my garden must think. I thought it was an accidental squirrel planting, but Nancy thinks it may have been included in an assorted packet of wildflower seeds that she sewed along the edge if our garden. They say if you have bright … [Read more...]
Fish From Heaven?
Our goldfish pond continues to amaze. Last week, Nancy said she saw some tiny minnows swimming in the pond. I suggested that maybe they were her little imaginary friends, like Harvey the Rabbit. She gave me one of those looks that said, “You are treading on thin ice, buster.” And I said no more. But tiny minnows in our pond? Where did they come from, heaven? Then she called me over. … [Read more...]
Band on the Run
Bands like to play music. That’s why they get together with horns, drums, reeds and stuff and practice - so they can do what they love. Play music. But this has been a difficult year for bands, especially the Charlottesville Municipal Band. They don’t feel comfortable squeezing in 50 or 60 musicians into the band room to practice. But several smaller groups have formed, and guess what? … [Read more...]
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