It was Nancy’s birthday and I wanted to give her something special. She enjoys (really and truly) canning and I have given canning paraphernalia in the past. I even gave her an apron with her nickname,“Pepperella”, on it since she loves to can peppers. I scanned Amazon for canning gift ideas and saw an electric canner. I didn’t know such things existed, but I rolled the dice and ordered one. She … [Read more...]
Water Snake or Water Moccasin?
With summer in full swing, many people will take to the water, and often people will come flying out of the water. “Get out. There’s a water moccasin!” Possibly, but doubtful, and practically impossible unless you are in the southeast swamplands of Virginia. Overwhelmingly, snakes seen in the water are simply harmless water snakes – northern water snakes, most likely. Here’s how … [Read more...]
BLT Mac and Cheese
I made a fun dish last week. I made a BLT Mac and Cheese Casserole. One thing that encouraged me to experiment was our abundance of cherry tomatoes (the tomato part of the BLT). It fairly easy to put together and rib-sticking good. Here’s my take on BLT Mac and Cheese Casserole. For starters, boil a pound of elbow macaroni and drain. Next, stick a pound of bacon strips in a 375 oven till … [Read more...]
Wren-field: The Real Spider Man
Recently, during a rare downpour, I saw “Wren-field” pecking away on the window ledge. He had found a juicy spider. Wren-field is the name I have given to my resident Carolina Wren. He, or one of his ancestors, has called our yard home every year we’ve been living at 214 Brentwood Road. While we’ve only lived in one house for the last 50 years or so, Wren-field has had many houses – sometimes … [Read more...]
Cast Iron Seasoning
We were at the Crozet Arts and Crafts Show recently and ran across an interesting product – a Cast Iron Seasoning Compound made by BCW. Everybody knows you’re supposed to “season” cast iron cookware, but few know exactly how. This 100% natural product is made from grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and natural beeswax, Simply apply a thin layer to the entire skillet, then wipe off the excess. Put … [Read more...]
The Spaniards Are Hungry
Spaniards. Spanish Mackerel. They’re well up into Bay waters and if they see a Clarke Spoon, they’ll eat it. I can remember about 30 years ago when Spanish first began to poke their snouts up into the Chesapeake Bay. Before that, they stayed in the ocean – mostly to our south. Today, the mackerel make an early appearance in the Bay and head well past Deltaville and Sting Ray … [Read more...]
Dragnet: Just the Facts, Ma’am
Unless you were a product of the Fifties, it’s impossible to understand the complete infatuation our generation had with television. We were able to watch technology unfold to the extent that - with the aid of an aerial on the roof, and 21-inch picture box within a huge console - images and sounds actually appeared in our own living rooms. It was television and whatever was on, we watched. On a … [Read more...]
Country Fried Goodness
We went to Texas Roadhouse for one of those last-minute dinner decisions as our Grandson, James, had come to visit. Their Burgers are great, and their Ribeye Steaks are easily the best in town, but I decided on something different – something I wouldn’t normally get at home. I ordered their Country Fried Sirloin Steak, and it was delicious. The choices are with white gravy, with brown grave … [Read more...]
Signs of Our Times
Squirrely Squash
The squirrels had planted a mysterious plant in one on Nancy’s flower beds and we decided to watch it grow and see what it was. As I regularly toss out cantaloupe and melon seeds for the pesky rodents, I figured a melon, but it turned out to be an ordinary yellow squash plant. At first, I couldn’t imagine how they got hold of squash seeds – I never throw them out when we have squash. Then I … [Read more...]
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