Beef, chicken, fish, and pork. Pick one. Chance are it wasn’t pork. Yet, lean pork is as healthy as chicken and fish. But because it’s lean, though, it tends not to have as much flavor, and it often turns out tough and dry – at least mine did. Until… I figured out how to make Perfect Pork Loin Chops. Tender, juicy, flavorful, easy. Boneless pork loins are a staple in the meat … [Read more...]
Birds of a Feather
Not only do they flock together, they feed together. All of them. At the same time. My passion is watching birds, sometimes from the kitchen window and sometimes from my vantage point in a lawn chair in the back yard. One thing I have noticed is that all of the birds seem to feed at the same time. You’ll see bunches of birds - cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, finches, and the like, … [Read more...]
The Remarkable Ivy Inn
I understand there are over 200 restaurants in Charlottesville. It seems like there that many on the Downtown Mall, but regardless: All these restaurants can be divided into two groups. The Ivy Inn and the others. Not one compares to the consistent food, service and ambience offered by Charlottesville’s premiere eatery. We eat at the Ivy Inn mostly on special occasions. It was my … [Read more...]
While Shepherd’s Watched
Following is a 4-part short story I wrote a few years back. It’s my attempt to describe how that first Christmas might have been. We will print a chapter each week. Feel free to reprint or use as you choose. Seeking Pasture Near Bethlehem The sheep had gone easily into the fold that evening. Young Amos was pleased that he had not been called … [Read more...]
Looking for Big Rocks
The water temperature in the Bay has dipped into the mid-50s. It’s Rockfish time. The Big Rocks have now drifted out of the rivers into the main bay and some ocean-run fish from the Atlantic have also squeezed in, all looking for a wad of menhaden to attack. Boats found the big stripers this week, many on the Eastern Shore side. The Plantation Lights and Cape Charles areas were … [Read more...]
Fads of the Fifties
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...]
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