By Nancy B Happy Fall Y’all! The temperature is dropping and so are the leaves. Time to think about home decorating with pumpkins, pansies, mums, and home lighting! We had a sweet pumpkin and a beautiful bright yellow mum at our entrance welcoming customers into our showroom but sadly, someone wanted or needed them, and they are gone. We don’t mind sharing, and the garden centers have plenty. … [Read more...]
Oh Nuts!
By Katie Martin/DWR Acorn production across the state in 2023 can be categorized overall as extremely poor for white oak and average to above average for red oak species (see graphs below). Based on the annual hard mast survey, white oak routes came in at an all-time low since survey data has been recorded in this manner (2007). Conversely, red oaks surveyed right at the long-term … [Read more...]
Open Season for Rockfish
The Rockfish Season for saltwater is now open. Starting on Oct. 4 and running through Dec. 31, anglers will be allowed to keep 1 fish per day between 20 and 31-inches. Larger fish must be released, which bodes well for the future of these hard fighting and popular gamefish. The big 50- and 60-pound fish are largely females and the quality and the quantity of their eggs far surpass that of smaller … [Read more...]
No More Sears?
Each time I drive on Rio Road, I ride by Fashion Square Mall and see the empty building that was once Sears. How I miss that wonderful store, now bankrupt. Sears was America’s store. It’s where Boomers bought everything from sleeping bags to stereos to back-to-school clothes for their kids. And lives there a Boomer who can’t remember that special day when the Sears catalogue arrived in the … [Read more...]
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I don’t eat enough oatmeal. Some doctors say that if you eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast, you might live forever. It’s healthy stuff. I will, however, eat oatmeal cookies. How many ever oatmeal cookies you give me are how many I will eat, especially with a glass of cold milk. Oatmeal is an interesting and varied product. Mr. Wiki says that oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have … [Read more...]
Viceroy, Monarchs and Other Butterflies
We have had a few monarch butterflies visiting our nectar-laden plants and bushes this summer. Last year, I don’t recall seeing any, though we have butterfly bushes and pollinator attractors as well as milkweed necessary for the monarch larva. We have enjoyed seeing other butterflies, however, including lots of orange ones in recent weeks. I believe most of the orange butterflies visiting our yard … [Read more...]
Signs of Our Times
The Impossible Dream
I have a dream that is likely never to come true. It’s an impossible dream that one day I would be able to take a handful of ice cubes from the refrigerator without having at least one escape and go sliding across the kitchen floor. Yesterday, it almost came true. I only dropped one cube. Our refrigerator has an internal automatic ice maker, and it works to perfection, keeping our ice tray … [Read more...]
The Violin Panhandler
Charlottesville has emerged as one of the top cities in the country for beggars. On nearly every major corner and intersection, there is a panhandler with a cardboard sign saying, “Homeless. Anything helps. God bless.” It must be working because they are at it every day. One guy on the corner near Kroger’s Rio Hill should be paying rent. Flanking the healthy looking 35-year-old were multiple … [Read more...]
Conservation Mowing?
We live in Woodbrook, abutting the school yard. A month or so ago, whoever mowed the school grounds left several acres unmowed and erected signs saying, “Conservation Mowing.” They were letting the grass grow to somehow benefit wildlife. That’s total rubbish. The grass they have allowed to grow is knee high fescue, which actually is a detriment to wildlife habitat. It’s the single reason that … [Read more...]
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