Last month when I was down by the creek, I thought I saw some bear scat. I wasn’t sure, because I’ve only seen it once, and that was two years ago. But the folks at the New River General told me that there have been black bear sightings in the area for the last year [...]
Entries from September 27th, 2008
We’ll Have Nastyshams
September 23rd, 2008 · No Comments · From the Garden
The fall lettuce crop is coming in and we’re having some excellent salads. We’re harvesting the mesclun mix as well as thinning four other types of lettuce. The arugula, spinach, and turnip seeds went in the ground this weekend. Anne added some nasturtium blossoms to the baby lettuce for last nights salad. Nasturtiums are easy [...]
Tags:Nasturtiums·salad
The Remodel Rag, or Bernie Comes Out of the Closet
September 20th, 2008 · No Comments · Uncategorized
If you’ve ever considered buying a house and remodeling it, you should probably reconsider, unless you’re into self-flagellation, or insane, or you’re a building contractor or have the necessary skills to build a house from the ground up.Those skills include plumbing, electrical, carpentry, dry wall, painting, heating and air conditioning, tile, and a multitude of [...]
The Trail
September 16th, 2008 · No Comments · Uncategorized
When you mention The Trail in this part of Virginia, most folks assume you’re talking about The New River Trail State Park, and not the Appalachian Trail which also passes thru here. The New River Trail is a 57 mile linear park (the only one in Virginia) than runs from Galax to Pulaski with a [...]
Morning Webs and the Grits Mess
September 14th, 2008 · No Comments · flora and fauna, recipes
I don’t know if the seemingly inordinate number of morning spider webs I’ve been seeing lately means anything, like a hard winter, early frost, or anything like that, but they make some cool photos. Here are a couple for your perusal. The Grits Mess Anne tends to eat healthier than I do, particularly when it [...]
Toodling
September 9th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
Anne and I met in Germany in 1968 and got married there the following year. One of our favorite things to do was something we called toodling. We’d hop in our VW Beetle, which we called Myrtle, the Mean Green Machine, and go for a drive. Most of the time, we had no itinerary other [...]
September 7th
September 7th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
Well, the big day has finally arrived. Today is my 60th birthday. I googled the date and found that I share a birthday with Garrison Keillor, one of the people I most admire. Warren Zevon, a singer/songwriter that I include in my top ten favorites of all time, died on this date. And in 1927, [...]
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Living with Critters
September 4th, 2008 · No Comments · flora and fauna
One of the least pleasant aspects of country life is the variety and number of critters with whom we often share our humble little cottage. For the first couple of Decembers when I came down for the weekend, I found the place overrun with mice and ladybugs. The mice I expected, but the hundreds of [...]
Ennui
September 3rd, 2008 · No Comments · Uncategorized
Ennui. What a funny looking word. Ennui. Ahn-wee. From the French . It looks nothing like it is pronounced. Ahhhhn-weeeeee. I love the way it rolls off the tongue. It’s an interesting word, because it has more than one accepted pronunciation. AHN-wee or ahn-WEE, your choice. A feeling of utter discontent resulting from a lack [...]
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