Nancy and I are blessed with a sprawling, tree-shaded patio in our backyard. Since the grass wouldn’t grow among all the tree roots, we poured concrete and created a nice outdoor room, which we thoroughly enjoy. But! Here comes summer and 90 degree weather, which makes sitting outside beside our new goldfish pond– even in the shade – not so enjoyable. Christmas before last, Nancy had the … [Read more...]

  Lawd, poison ivy will make you itch. Thanks, Coasters, for that warning. Last weekend, I brushed up against one of the little three leaf devils and found myself a’scratching the next day. But not to worry. I have a quick cure to relieve the itching from a poison ivy attack. It’s called Melaleuca Oil, a tea leaf extract from certain tea trees in Australia. During WWII, every … [Read more...]

Sometimes if we’re pressed for time and have guests for lunch, I’ll make a run to Sam’s Club, pick up a container  of  Sycamore Farms Chicken Salad, a couple avocados and a pack of freshly-baked croissants and we’ll have that for a meal. If we’re really pressed, we’ll pick up a carton of their Amish Potato salad and – voila!  A fancy, delicious and really easy lunch. I have been really … [Read more...]

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...]

  “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...]

  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...]

  One-hundred and fifty dollars was our last Comcast cable bill – and we don’t get HBO, Showtime or Stars. The mortgage payment on my first house was just $107, so it grated me to see a bill like this. What particularly irked me was they recently dropped the ME/TV channel that we often watched for the old shows. Plus, Comcast was too cheap to sign on to the ACC Network,  so we couldn’t … [Read more...]

  On a recent visit to Sam’s Club, I ran across a product that’s worth mentioning. In this Corona madness we are now enduring, grocery supplies have been sporadic. Sometimes there’s hamburger,  sometimes there’s not. I’m not a great fan of frozen hamburgers and patties, but I figured it would do in a pinch if I needed ground beef. I saw a product called Chop House Chuck and Beef Brisket … [Read more...]

Late at Night while you’re sleeping, poison ivy comes a creeping all around-ound-ound-ound. Poison ivy, Lawd, will make you itch.   Thanks, Coasters, for that classic song reminding us of the evils of poison ivy, a plant so vile as to send shivers up the spines of those who are extremely allergic – like half of my family. Fortunately, when I accidently bump into the noxious plant, … [Read more...]

  When we arrived in Nags Head last week, one of my first trips was to Food Lion and the meat department. I was looking for my favorite sausage – Spencer’s – and they had some. Nancy and I ate it every day for breakfast and brought home an extra package. Spencer’s Sausage is made and processed in Eastern NC, in Washington, over near Greenville and East Carolina University. They make … [Read more...]