I was still 4 when we were transferred to Beckley, WV. Daddy worked in an office with two other FBI agents. His territory covered 4 counties and he often was gone for several days at a time, often to the home office in Pittsburg. As I would come to learn, a lot of the work that Special Agents for the FBI did was investigative. If a woman from one of his counties applied for a Federal job in … [Read more...]
Mushroom Farms
I took a walk around our neighborhood after one of our many rains and it looks like a mushroom farm. Every yard that had not mowed in the last 24 hours had mushroom patches. My neighbor on the corner must have had 75 beneath a tall oak. I am no mushroom-ologist, but I think most of the mushrooms I saw were common field mushrooms – and they are edible. Deer love them, by the way. Fall seems … [Read more...]
Sears on West Main
Before Fashion Square Mall, Sears was located on West Main, built in 1957. In my hometown of Lewisburg, WV, we had a Sears Catalog Store, mostly where customers picked up their orders, but this Sears was something else. When Nancy and I married, the only thing I owned was a stereo and she had a single bed. When we moved into our first house on Commonwealth Drive in Berkley, we had to … [Read more...]
The World’s Greatest BBQ
I just ate the best BBQ sandwich I’ve had in my life, and I’ve eaten a lot of BBQ. A North Carolina native, I ate BBQ instead of Pablum when I was a baby. I love Eastern NC BBQ, I love western NC BBQ, South Carlina BBQ and I’ll even eat Virginia BBQ if there’s nothing else. But the sandwich I just fished was the best ever, and it was just an afterthought. I had cooked a Baby Back Rib in my … [Read more...]
Striper Time
The Fall Season for stripers (rockfish) kicks off Saturday October 4 and extends through December 31. The limit is one per person with a minimum size of 19 inches with a maximum size of 24 inches. That means all the big stripers go back to reproduce. It is said that those big ones – the 40 and 50 pounders - lay far more eggs and eggs of a higher quality than the smaller females. Allowing … [Read more...]
Bluebirds: Already Looking
Good job, guys. Yet I saw Mr. Bluebird poking in and out of one of my three houses this week. He’s already looking. I suppose all birds keep an eye out for potential nesting sites, but since bluebirds are most visible, I Frequently see them shopping around for nests throughout the year. One reason, I suppose, is that for the past 30 or 40 years, nesting sites were drying up as invasive sparrows … [Read more...]
Toys of My Life
Slinkies I miss Toys R Us. I enjoyed shopping there for my Grandkids – who are now all grown. They had literally acres of toys on display. When I was a kid, there weren’t many choices. But I, like most Boomer kids, did not lack for great toys. Slinkies, for example. The Slinky was invented in the early1940s by a Naval Engineer, Richard T. James. It was a bit of physics genius as … [Read more...]
A New User for Food Savers
I am in love with my Food Saver system. It has literally saved us hundreds of dollars as there is always lots of waste when cooking just for two. Bacon, for example. We have it maybe once a week. So, I’ll buy a pound of bacon and divide into three or four portions, freezing the extras for later use. And recently, I bought a large package of fresh green beans from Aldi’s. I cooked half, put the … [Read more...]
3 D Movies
When the 1950s arrived, Americans were wide open There was nothing we wouldn’t do or try. We were suckers for fads and there were many – including 3 D movies. For the film industry, the 3D films came at an ideal time, when people were staying home to watch Lassie and Gunsmoke on their new Zenith television consoles and keeping movie theater seats unoccupied. With aid of special glasses, 3D … [Read more...]
The Old Downtown Charlottesville
Downtown Charlottesville used to be a fun place to shop. There was on-street parking, and you could always find a spot. There was a wonderful, upscale Miller & Rhodes store. I often went there to buy the ladies of my family Christmas presents, and across the street was a Leggett Store. Also, on Main Street was C.H. Williams and Tillman’s department stores, plus the Young Men’s Shop. There was … [Read more...]
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