Do you have and flying squirrels in your yard? No, you say? Well, you very well might and not know it. A few years ago, I looked out our bedroom window and saw a strange little creature with huge black eyes. It looked like something from outer space. Upon closer observation, it was a flying squirrel. I saw the little fellow the next day peering from a tree cavity, but never again. In … [Read more...]
The Importance of Harvesting Does
By Justin Folks/DWR It’s no secret that the prospect of a big buck is what gets most of us in a deer stand each fall. It’s also no secret that overabundant deer have negative effects on forests, farmlands, front yards, and Fords (I like alliteration). We, as deer hunters, need to look beyond “grip-and-grins” and taxidermy bills, and think more about the big picture of deer management. It’s … [Read more...]
Pompano Make a Showing
Calm seas and mild weather this week have combined to produce some great fishing in Virginia salt waters. Along the Virginia Beach oceanfront, some nice pompano have been biting sand fleas. Pompanos are more of a warm water, tropical fish and relish the waters off Florida, but in late summer they will venture as far north as Virginia. They are one of the finest eating fish that swims. Their mouths … [Read more...]
The WVA State Fair
It didn’t take long after we moved to Lewisburg to discover that a huge event took place just outside of town. In Fairlea, a small burg between Lewisburg and Ronceverte, West Virginia staged their annual state fair in late August, and it was well worth the price of admission. There were great rides, grandstand shows with star entertainers, food galore, girly shows, horse pulling contests, harness … [Read more...]
Typing 101
In my senior year of high school, I had the choice of two electives – Mechanical Drawing or Typing 101. That was an easy decision. I had been accepted at NC State and was considering architecture as a career, so I took Mechanical Drawing. Besides – typing? I had no plans to become a secretary. After a semester of struggling to make lines meet where they were supposed to on a graph paper, I decided … [Read more...]
KFC: 3 Strikes, and Y’er Out
I like Kentucky Fried Chicken – the original recipe, but I don’t particularly care for their Charlottesville restaurant on Emmet Street. My last three experiences have not gone well. The first snafu was about a year ago. It was a Sunday night, I pulled up to the window, and they said they were out of chicken. Really. A chicken restaurant that was out of chicken. I left in amazement and went … [Read more...]
Ain’t Your Mama’s Meatloaf
Meatloaves are personal. Whatever you grew up with will likely be your favorite meatloaf recipe. I was always partial to Mom’s meatloaf. She used tomato paste for the topping and lots of onions in the meatloaf. When I married Nancy, she used her mother’s recipe which called for a ketchup topping. Over the years, that has become my favorite. Recently, however, I saw a recipe that called for Ritz … [Read more...]
Frogs In Trees
My wife Nancy likes to screw around with the tree frogs in our backyard. Let me explain. We have a small army of tree frogs among the aging branches of the white maple trees in our yard, and the miniscule amphibians love to sing. Beginning in early spring and into the summer, they puff up their throats and carry on as a mighty chorus. One starts singing, and then they all join in. It sounds … [Read more...]
Blue Collar Sparrows
I went out to the shed last evening – where I usually scatter some seeds– and the birds had all left, except for a small band of house sparrows. They were scratching away, happy to find a few seeds that the other birds ignored. I watched as they filled their little craws with millet and then flew away. I love my sparrows – the “blue collar” birds of my back yard. Sparrows are the Rodney … [Read more...]
Ron Martin Appliance
A business I truly miss from Charlottesville’s past is Ron Martin Appliance. I also miss the dear owners, Ron and Nancy Martin. For years, we played bridge with the Martin’s and took biannual beach trips with them and other friends. Ron was outgoing and honest to a fault. I remember one day, I called him and said we needed an extra refrigerator as an overflow for downstairs. I told him to … [Read more...]
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