It really bothers me to see all these signs saying their yards have been mosquito-proofed with poison. I seems to me that if you poison mosquitos, you poison beneficial insects that birds feed on. I don’t want more poison in my yard, I want less, but I absolutely don’t want mosquitos biting my grandchildren or backyard guests. Last year, Nancy bought a couple mosquito plants, potted … [Read more...]
My Pet Robin
I have a pet robin. Well, I had a pet robin, but now I’m not so sure. It began about a month ago as I was feeding mealworms to my bluebirds in a guarded feeder with a dome on top that allows small birds entry, but not larger birds, like robins. But every time I went to feed the bluebirds, a robin showed up, gobbling any meal worms that may hit the ground. Mr. Softie here felt sorry … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Wes Unseld
I saw in this morning’s paper that Wes Unseld had died. He was just 74. Mr. Unseld was a unique basketball player in the National Basketball Association. I once had the pleasure of seeing him play at Madison Square Garden and later rode with him in the same elevator back at the Statler Hilton. Mr. Unseld was listed at 6-7 and 245. He was easily 245 pounds, but he was not 6-7, maybe … [Read more...]
A Two Fence Rabbit
We have had rabbits in our yard and garden before, but never like this. They are everywhere - big ones, middle sized ones and baby ones. It’s the baby rabbit in my yard that’s killing me. This a two fence rabbit. Noting all the rabbits this spring and recalling how they have wiped out my beans and cucumbers in bygone years, Nancy and I decided to put a two foot fence around my garden. … [Read more...]
Spectacular Speckled Trout Fishing
What a comeback. Three years ago, speckled trout were on the ropes, especially in Virginia, after a brutally cold winter. Last year, speck fishing was very good and this year appears even better, especially on the Outer Banks. Capt. Reese Stecher is once again guiding parties back in the Roanoke Sound and is catching some huge stripers (see above), plus puppy drum and…. the cobia … [Read more...]
Zelda’s Grocery Store
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...]
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