It’s hard to drive 5 miles without seeing a crumpled up, dead deer along the side of the road. That’s because we are in peak season - the deer are in rut. Bucks are chasing does and they run across roads after the enticing females and worry about cars and trucks later. Some say to watch out for deer in the headlights, but I say just watch out. Recent studies say that Virginia is now the 11th … [Read more...]
Janice’s Chicken Lombardy
My long-time friend, Janice Kaltenbach (Aunt Remus), is one of the best cooks I’ve ever been around. Her fried chicken is second to none, nobody makes better potato salad, and her pralines are so yummy they should be illegal. When Janice shares a recipe or says something she made was good, I pay attention. So, when she told me that she had a delicious chicken recipe. I begged her for it and … [Read more...]
What’s A Saugeye?
A piece of sausage with a bad eye? Of course not. Sausages don’t have eyes. A saugeye is a fish, a member of the perch family and a Virginia state record saugeye was recently caught by Michael Miller from Nathalie, Virginia. Miller’s 6-pounder caught on a crankbait in the Staunton River on September 23. The fish measured 26 ¼ inches with a girth of 14 inches and was officially weighed at … [Read more...]
A Pile of Leaves
We had a bumper crop of leaves this fall, and for the most part, the foliage outdid itself in terms of beauty. Nancy and I made several trips to and from the Smith Mountain Lake area and were entertained thoroughly by the brilliant colors of the maples, beeches, dogwoods, and oaks. They brought back memories of our house on Court Street in Lewisburg, WV. There were two majestic maple trees in … [Read more...]
Signs of Our Times
A Flock of Cowbirds
I had some unusual visitors at my feeder this week. It was a small flock of blackbirds, and they were small – not nearly the size of a grackle and smaller still than a starling. They were brown headed cowbirds, but their heads weren’t dull brown as I remember from spring, but almost a burgundy. Their jet-black feathers shimmered with streaks of neon purple. They were quite lovely. I don’t … [Read more...]
Bulk Up to Fight Inflation
Chips that were $2.99 a bag are now $4.49. Eggs are precious commodities, approaching $2.50 a dozen. That’s 20 cents for a single egg! But we’re not going to take this lying down. The Inflation Fighter is on the job. We may not be able to buy a package of Lay’s Chips for a reasonable price, but we can offset some of these absurd price increases by buying in bulk – like at Costco and Sam’s Club. … [Read more...]
Frost on the Collard Patch
Finally, a good frost. It was halfway through November, but at last there was frost on the pumpkins, and on the collard patches as well. As every Southerner knows, you never eat collards until after the first frost. It’s something about that frost that brings out the sweetness in what are easily the best tasting greens on the planet. I once went through the line at Food Lion with a … [Read more...]
More Specks and More to Come
In Virginia saltwater, speckled trout are inside all the local inlets, creeks, and tidal rivers near the bay. Fishing on the Eastern Shore bay-side and on the Peninsula has been especially good. Captain Todd Beck, Knot Wish’n Charters says the water temperature in Rudee Inlet is a little above normal. So far the trout are small with very few gators available. Quality should improve as … [Read more...]
The Gingerbread Man
I’ve read a few of the children’s books recently and they are Pablum. Vanilla pudding. “Can’t we all get along?” “I feel your pain”. “Don’t hurt anybody’s feelings.” Bull. I remember when children’s books were exciting, and they didn’t always turn out peaches and cream. Hansel and Gretel got kicked out of their own house and ended up cooking a witch in her own oven. Little Black Sambo … [Read more...]
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