The first jonquils of the year are just beginning to pop up, but our Lenten Roses are and have been in full bloom for several weeks. Snow, sleet, frost, cold – it doesn’t matter to these hardy plants. They are the Energizer Bunnies of all our flowers. They are early bloomers, they are beautiful, they flourish in shady areas, and they have earned their rightful place as the most important flowers … [Read more...]
Neither Rain, Nor Sleet….
I had to mail a check for a deposit for a vacation rental last week, and as I licked the stamp, enclosed the check and put it in the mailbox, I wished it godspeed. Truth is, I wasn’t sure if or even when the check would ever arrive. That’s how little confidence I have in the United States Post Office. Lost or late arriving mail has become – not the rare exception – but practically an … [Read more...]
The Ivy Inn: A Special Place
When you have a truly special occasion, there is no finer place to celebrate than Charlottesville’s Ivy Inn. For a recent anniversary, Nancy and I never even considered another restaurant. We made reservations at The Ivy Inn. I won’t list all the delectable things we ate because at the Ivy Inn, it doesn’t really matter what you order. Everything you put in your mouth will be … [Read more...]
Lucky to Have Ladybugs
“Ladybug, silver dollar, rabbit's foot, with a four-leaf clover and a horseshoe.” You’d have to go all the way back to 1958 to recall those lyrics in a song recorded by Billy & Lillie called “Lucky Ladybug”. Only Boomers would ever even have heard of it. But I think of that song often, whenever the term “lucky ladybugs” arises. Along with silver dollars, rabbit's … [Read more...]
Crappie Time
In fresh water, it’s crappie time. The silver warriors are heading shallow in advance of the spawn and are feeding heavily. The yellow perch bite remains good in tidal rivers and in many lakes. The annual shad run is just getting underway as the schools move up the rivers to spawn. Some nice smallmouth are being caught on the upper James. The water temps in many lakes are well up into the 60’sand … [Read more...]
3D Comic Books
I’m old enough to remember 3D comic books. I owned several and I sure wish I still had them. 3D comic books were a part of the Three Dimension Craze of the 1950s, spurred on by 3D movies. To see a 3D movie or read a 3D comic, you had to wear glasses with blue and red lenses which created an ocular illusion. It was a color manipulation that caused one eye to perceive one of the printed images … [Read more...]
In Love with Pistachio Nuts
If you rolled a wheelbarrow full of pistachio nuts up beside me and left me alone, I could eat the entire barrel full. Pistachio nuts are truly addictive. You put in a mountain of effort to eat just one. Sometimes they pop right out of the slightly open shell and sometimes you have to dig them out with a sharp molar. Sometimes, the shells are sealed shut and you need a hammer and chisel to … [Read more...]
Signs of Our Times
Wright’s: A Better Slice of Bacon
Every now and then I’ll splurge and buy a pound of Wright’s Bacon. It’s almost twice as expensive as some of the other top brands, but it’s the best. And it’s been the best since 1922. You don’t last over 100 years if you don’t do things “wright” and Wright does. The Eggleston family from Vernon, Texas thought that bacon should be thicker, richer and worth the wait of smoking and curing. They … [Read more...]
Garlic Butter Chicken with Stuffing
I hit on a good recipe recently; one that is simple, delicious and reasonably healthy. The recipe called for Garlic Butter Chicken Bites which I converted into Garlic Butter Chicken over Stuffing. This is a company-worthy dish that comes together quickly. The recipe called for bites, but I didn’t want bites. I found a good buy on 2-lbs. thin cut chicken breasts and cut them into smaller pieces … [Read more...]