The year 1955 was not a good one to be a raccoon. In fact, if you were such a masked critter, chances were pretty good you’d lose your tail and skin to a fad called “Coonskin Caps.” In the mid-1950’s, Walt Disney was a dominant program on TV. Families gathered around their Zenith, Philco or RCA black and white sets on a Saturday night, set up the trays for TV Dinners and watched … [Read more...]
Snakeheads: Another Invasive species
They first showed their ugly – and I mean ugly – heads in Virginia waters back in 2004. The Wildlife Department was most concerned. They feared these imports from Asia would cut into the bass population. As such, biologists did their best to eradicate snakeheads. But it was like finding a needle in a haystack. The “Snakes” are here to stay. Below is an update from … [Read more...]
Checking in on Virginia’s Elk Herd
We have elk in Virginia, you know. The Game Department introduced them several years ago in the far west reaches of our state and the herd is prospering. Below is an update from Jackie Rosenberger and Jessica Ruthenberg/DWR. As we head into November, the elk breeding season (also known as the “rut”) is coming to a close. At this point, most females, referred to as cows, … [Read more...]
Texas Roadhouse Delivers – Again
I don’t know if Texas Roadhouse delivers meals to folks at home, but they sure delivered the goods on our last visit. They knocked it out of the park. It had been a while since Nancy and I ate out, so when she e-mailed and suggested we let someone else do the cooking and cleaning up afterwards, I was in total agreement. “Let’s go to the Loud Place,” she suggested. Loud Place is … [Read more...]
Three Crows and a Hawk
There have been a pair of hawks buzzing around our neighborhood recently. Sometimes they’ll share the same tree, but often they simply call to one another from long range. I assume they are mates, but perhaps one is a juvenile. This morning, my three regular crow visitors let me know in no uncertain terms that there was at least one hawk in my back yard – and he was - perched at the … [Read more...]
Famous Dave’s Corn Bread Mix
I thought I was buying Mexican Corn Bread. I saw “jalpeno” on a box, but then I picked up the wrong box. It wasn’t Mexican at all. It was Dave’s Famous Corn Bread Mix, but I made it anyway. Eating this cornbread is like pulling into a barbeque joint down in Rocky Mount, piling your plate with BBQ, Collards, Black Eyed Peas and buttering up a piece of sweet corn bread. It was … [Read more...]
Ham Bones and Beans
Hams are among those things we don’t eat enough of. They are lean (comparable even to chicken), inexpensive per pound and delicious. Since it’s just Nancy and me, the Brewer’s eat hams only every so often, but when we do, we wonder why we don’t serve them more frequently. I suppose the determining factor in not serving ham is the sheer size. They can weigh 20 pounds and more, though … [Read more...]
Stripers in the Sound
I have been fishing for stripers in the sounds on the Outer Banks for over 30 years. At first, we caught a few fish, but they were largely throwbacks. Then a few 18-to-20-inch fish showed and there were lots of them. In the past two years, however, not only are there lots of stripers in the sounds, there are some big stripers. Capt. Reese Stecher of Beach Bum Fishing has been … [Read more...]
A Big Ball of Blackbirds
Stuff bothers me. Like can you really get 20 clowns in a Volkswagen, and how can the radio in my car snatch invisible signals out of thin air and turn it into a song? Why does smoke from a firepit always know where I’m sitting and go that way and can woolly worms really predict cold winters or are they just guessing? That brings me to a flock of blackbirds. I saw a big ball of … [Read more...]
Giving Thanks
By Nancy B During this Thanksgiving holiday, we reflect on all for which we are grateful. We appreciate the confidence you have placed in Nancy B’s House of Lights, and we are grateful for your business and value the relationship we’ve built together. Please accept our heartfelt thanks from my staff and myself. As a small thank you, I’d like to share a recipe from my husband’s Aunt … [Read more...]
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