I welcomed a couple unexpected guests to my back yard last week. A pair of beautiful, Pileated Woodpeckers. They swooped in to check on one of our 50-year-old maples, pecked here and there and sailed away. I expect they were shopping for a nesting site. About 20 years ago, I had a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that nested in one of my trees in an old hollowed out place for two straight years, … [Read more...]
(Almost as Good) State Fair Corn Dogs
Anytime I’m at a fair or a carnival, the first thing I do is check out the stands with Corn Dogs. I ate my first one at the West Virginia State Fair in August 1955 and I’ve been hooked ever since. The sweet cornbread crust, the juicy hot dog inside and slathered in mustard? I could eat a half dozen. Recently, at Aldi’s - where I practically camp out these days - I saw a package of Bremer Corn … [Read more...]
Charlottesville 2024 Band Schedule
The Charlottesville Band just released their performance schedule for this, their 102nd season. Check it out below. March 23 (Saturday. It will be “Stage Alive!” at the Culpeper County High School Auditorium at 7:30 PM. April 28 (Sunday). The Spring Concert at Dickinson Theater at PVCC at 3:30 PM. June 11 (Tuesday). The Summer Concert at Martin Luther King, … [Read more...]
Flounder Bite Underway
They always show up first at Chincoteague and Wachapreague, and this year is no exception. Some nice flounder have been caught on the Eastern Shore and the tasty flatfish will soon enter Bay waters. Trout and puppy drum have been active in both Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets and tautogs are stealing baits along the CBBT and other structures. The first black drum of the year were caught … [Read more...]
The Fuller Brush Man
There was a time when Americans eagerly greeted a door-to-door salesman. He was welcomed into the home for a chat and maybe a cup of coffee – sometimes a bite of lunch. The well-respected visitor asked about the family and any news in the neighborhood, and then opened his case of wares. Most were brushes. He was, after all, The Fuller Brush Man The Fuller Brush Man was a consummate … [Read more...]
Green New Deal
I am going to have to watch my step, I am becoming so green that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might recruit me as a “Squad Member” – and it don’t get no greener than that. She wants to ban cows because they ‘toot’ and create methane gas However, I recently started recycling plastic bags, not the brown ones like you get at the grocery store, but bread bags – they are actually stronger. They have all … [Read more...]
Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing
I never cared much for Blue Cheese Dressing – until I tried some at Sting Ray’s Restaurant near Cape Charles. The homemade dressing was a house specialty, and it was delicious. It was so good, in fact, we bought a pint to take home. Recently, I had another good Blue Cheese Dressing experience, this time from Texas Roadhouse, which also makes their own in-house dressings. If they can do it, … [Read more...]
Jiffy Seed Starting Mix
I usually start a few plants for my garden indoors and from seeds, even though I have better luck with mature plants from a quality greenhouse. But I am going to try spaghetti squash this year which you usually don’t see in pots, and I bought some seeds. I also generally use plain old potting mix for my base, but I saw an interesting product at Lowe’s – Jiffy Seed Starting Mix. What caught my … [Read more...]
It’s That Time
Nesting time, that is. For the past few weeks, I’ve heard my backyard male bluebird warbling. By the way, I have backyard and front yard bluebirds. Even though they’ve been with their mates all year, the makes take nothing for granted and woo the females, lest a younger bird move in on their territory. Then yesterday, I saw the backyard male pulling up dead grass and flying to the birdhouse … [Read more...]
The Fly That Changed My Life
When I moved to Charlottesville in 1967, I had done some fly fishing, but nothing serious. I had caught some smallmouth and redeyes on a popping bug in the Greenbrier River and I frequently put a worm on a hook at the end of my fly rod and caught stocked trout. But I never had any luck catching trout on a genuine trout fly. That is, until I met Chuck Kraft. Chuck ran a sport’s shop in the … [Read more...]
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