There is a real homeless problem in Verona, near Staunton. Thousands and thousands of homeless are swarming in the edge of the woods behind the 12thhole tee box at Ingleside Golf Course. No, not human homeless, but homeless honeybees. They are looking for a new home. My golfing amigos and I were playing Ingleside this Tuesday, when we saw the swarm of bees. I had just heard about … [Read more...]
Buttercups
Another beautiful “weed” now growing in my back yard is the common buttercup. This variety, sometimes called the creeping buttercup, has stubborn roots and can be the devil to get rid of, but the flowers are certainly delicate and lovely. Buttercups are generally perenials, but unlike many wildflowers, they are poisonous. Livestock that grazes in a field overrun with buttercups can … [Read more...]
I Have the (Baby) Blues
They hatched last Saturday afternoon and on Sunday morning. Three, healthy, precious baby blue birds. The adult bluebirds responsible selected the house on our fence last November. Almost daily, they have checked out the box and any bird or squirrel that drew near was dive-bombed - and this was before they built. I don’t think these are the same two that nested here last year, but … [Read more...]
A Picnic At Wal-Mart
The last several times I’ve been in the grocery section at Wal-Mart, they have had fresh, picnic hams. They are hard if not impossible to find at other grocery stores. Kroger’s, Harris Teeter and Food Lion will have plenty of pork loins and Boston butts, but rarely fresh picnics. - my favorite cut of pork. And they were just $1.55 a pound. Sure, there is some waste in a picnic, but … [Read more...]
Wow! A Blue Grosbeak!
“Jim, come quick. There’s a strange bird beneath the feeder.” Reluctantly putting down my morning paper, I went to the kitchen window and saw the blue bird feeding. “That’s just a bluebird,” I said. Then the bird turned and it was all blue, except for its scarlet tipped wings. Maybe an indigo bunting or a mountain bluebird? Nope, it was a blue grosbeak and alongside the … [Read more...]
Blues, Flounder and Specks
Flounder, speckled trout and bluefish are starting to bite inside local inlets. There have been keeper size specks caught in Rudee Inlet this week. The best flounder catches will come from Wachapreague, Oyster and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore. Flounder should be showing along the CBBT. Numbers will continue to improve as the water warms. Tautog fishing remains good to excellent. Look for … [Read more...]
There is Crying in Baseball
Contrary to Jimmy Dugan’s famous line in the movie, A League of Their Own, there is crying in baseball. I for one am shedding tears. It is April and there are no games. Clayton Kershaw is in his back yard tossing Nerf Balls with his kids. Mike Trout swats at house flies these days, not high fastballs. How is it that there is no baseball? Baseball was my first love. I remember … [Read more...]
Trader Joe’s for Great Wine
Trader Joe’s is an interesting grocery store, but I rarely go. First, Stonefield Shopping Center is a pain - difficult to get in and out of and screwy parking. I also get claustrophobia in Trader Joe’s as hundreds of customers squeeze into a not very large grocery store. But last week, Nancy and I went. A friend had given us a bottle of wine from Trader Joe’s called MoonX, a black … [Read more...]
A Potato Farmer
The upper part of my small vegetable garden only gets partial sun; therefore I am limited in what I can plant. I always want a few spring onions, they do well most anywhere and can go in the ground in March or even before. Black Simpson leaf lettuce is another one of my early spring favorites. Is there anything better than freshly picked lettuce along with a glop of Duke’s … [Read more...]
Violets are Blue
I have a weed in my yard that I’m quite fond of. It is blooming now. It’s a common wild blue violet. I never planted violets and have no idea how they made it to my yard, but I’m glad they did. There is no flower more lovely. Wild violets have heart-shaped leaves with purple-blue flowers. Though they are classified as annuals, they often self-seed, coming back each year in different … [Read more...]
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