One day, a fellow at the local bar had a bit too much to drink and decided to go ice fishing. He staggered out onto the ice and drilled a hole. As he peered into the hole, a loud voice called out, “There are no fish down there.” The drunk walked several yards away and drilled another hole and peered into the hole and again the voice said, “There are no fish down there.” He then … [Read more...]

(From Sharing Southern Fare) ELEPHANT STEW 12 medium size elephants 1 ton salt 1 ton pepper 500 bushels of potatoes 211 bushels carrots 4,000 springs parsley 2 small rabbits (optional)   Cut elephant meat into bite-size pieces. This will take about 2 months. Cut vegetables into cubes (another 2 months.). Simmer for 4 weeks. Shovel in salt and pepper to taste. … [Read more...]

“You made your bed, now sleep in it!” That’s right. I did make the bed. It’s now my job. My first experience in bed-making was as an eight-year-old at a boy’s camp in western Virginia, called Camp Lake Pocahontas. We slept on wooden beds with a mattress, some sheets, a pillow, and a blanket. Each morning after revelry, we made our beds which were later inspected by the Camp … [Read more...]

“And do you, Jim, promise to have and hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and do you promise to give up all your personal space for so long as you both shall live?” “I do.” And did I ever. While you gain a wonderful, lifetime partner in a marriage, you lose space. Your house or apartment is taken over completely. Walls where you would normally hang a mounted … [Read more...]

A couple weeks before Christmas, I was reminiscing with a friend about how great it was to get a Lionel train for Christmas. Then I wrote about a childhood experience with a train set. My wife, Nancy, was paying attention and damned if I didn’t get one for Christmas. It was a genuine Lionel Polar Express Battery-operated set, not one of those old metal ones that cost a thousand bucks. But it … [Read more...]

I'm going to retire and live off my savings. Not sure what I'll do the second week.   Old age is coming at a really bad time!   I don't have gray hair. I have "wisdom highlights".   My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that needs work.   Even duct tape can't fix stupid ... but it can muffle the sound!   The kids … [Read more...]

On a December morning many years ago - I suppose it was around the time Rose Mary Woods accidentally erased 18 minutes from his President Nixon’s secret tapes – a half dozen of us rose before dawn to drive and meet a charter captain at Callao for a fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay. As I recall, several on the trip had finished their first Bloody Mary’s before we got to Richmond and then … [Read more...]

About 25 years ago, I got a call from Neil Selby up in Remington. “Can you be up here about 5 tomorrow morning? We’ve got geese and lots of them.” Neil, a long-time friend, owns Shady Grove Kennels, a hunting preserve. Neil also is a master dog trainer. “Sure,” I replied. “See you at 5 AM.” It happened to be on a Monday in early February and I remembered I had not bought … [Read more...]

Thousands took to the streets last Friday when their CvilleBuzz did not publish. Well, maybe not thousands, but at least 100 people were heartbroken and distressed to no end that the Buzz didn’t happen. Okay, it was three. Three people actually asked why they did not get their weekly on-line publication. It turned out to be an Artificial Intelligence failure when a company called Mail Chimp … [Read more...]

How wonderful it is to walk into a house with tantalizing aromas oozing from the kitchen. But which kitchen smells are best? Which ones make you want to eat everything in sight?  Here are some of my thoughts in that regard. First of all, fried chicken. Who can resist the smell of chicken legs and breasts frying in hot oil? And for me, if I even think about fried chicken, I have to cook some … [Read more...]