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Blog Winter 2023: Ask an Old Farmer Winter 2023: Ask an Old Farmer  Founded in 1818, the Farmers’ Almanac’s timeless appeal has spanned three centuries, offering readers a trademark blend of long-range weather predictions, humor, fun facts, and valuable advice on gardening, cooking, fishing, conservation, and much more.  My grandparents on both sides always had an Almanac hanging from a string on […]
Blog Roll Out the Ole Yule Log! You Will Have a Barrel of Fun! Roll Out the Ole Yule Log! You Will Have a Barrel of Fun!  Burning the Yule log is one of the oldest Christmas customs. In fact, it predates Christianity in pagan rituals that eventually merged with Christian holiday traditions in the early Middle Ages. Today, few Americans still follow the Old World tradition of placing […]
Blog No Matter a Peacock or Partridge it is still in a Pear Tree. No Matter a Peacock or Partridge it is still in a Pear Tree  No matter if you love it or hate it, the “12 Days of Christmas” song is a holiday staple. Sure, you might prefer belting out other beloved Christmas carols like “Feliz Navidad” or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” […]
Blog Spooky, Creepy, Morbid, Yes Christmas Cards! Spooky, Creepy, Morbid, Yes Christmas Cards!  Some of the Earliest Christmas Cards Were Morbid and Creepy. Santa kidnapping children and murderous mice were par for the course in the Victorian-era Christmas card tradition. In the 19th century, before festive Christmas cards became the norm, Victorians put a darkly humorous and twisted spin on their seasonal […]
Blog Plum Pudding: By Any Other Name and Holiday Plum Pudding: By Any Other Name and Holiday  Plum Pudding is often associated with Christmas thanks to Charles Dickens, but it is served at Thanksgiving as well and special occasions. Call it what you may it is delicious!  Christmas pudding is sweet dried-fruit pudding traditionally served as part of Christmas dinner in Britain and other […]
Blog Thanksgiving: Thomas Jefferson Secret Holiday Thanksgiving: Thomas Jefferson Secret Holiday  Thomas Jefferson’s had a very Complicated Relationship with Thanksgiving. The third president declined to participate in the tradition. Since the United States became a nation, people have come together to count their blessings, feast on bountiful foods and give thanks with family and friends. These days, Thanksgiving celebrations usually involve […]
Blog Did Florida Host the First Thanksgiving? What!!! Did Florida Host the First Thanksgiving? What!!!!! More than 50 years before the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Spanish colonists in Florida feasted with Native Americans in what some call the first Thanksgiving. Blaring trumpets and thundering artillery serenaded Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés as he waded ashore on September 8, 1565. The Spanish admiral kissed […]
Blog BOO! Pardon Me, Have you seen my Head? BOO! Pardon Me, Have you seen my Head? The Headless Horseman is a mythical figure in English and American folklore since the Middle Ages. This entity is very similar to the headless reapers or demonic fairy known as Dullahan in Irish myth. The most commonly known examples of the Headless Horseman is from the American […]
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Blog Why Do Witches Ride Brooms? The History behind the Legend. Why Do Witches Ride Brooms? The History behind the Legend From pagan fertility rituals to hallucinogenic herbs, the story of witches and brooms is a wild ride. The evil green-skinned witch flying on her magic broomstick may be a Halloween icon—and a well-worn stereotype. But the actual history behind how witches came to be associated […]
Blog Chesapeake Bay & Potomac River’s Ghost Fleet Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River’s Ghost Fleet Let’s start with the Chesapeake Bay’s Ghost Fleet on the Virginia side of the Bay.  Origins WWII ships, known as the concrete fleet.  A few hundred feet from the beach at Kiptopeke State Park, nine concrete ships rest end-to-end, decaying under decades of seabird guano. A slew of […]
Blog Port Royal, Virginia: You may find Food Ghost, Antiques Port Royal, Virginia: You may find Food, Ghost, Antiques  Believe it or not, this sleepy tiny town of Port Royal is one of my favorite places to go.  We go there at least once a month and love it.  My favorite is Horne’s restaurant and gift shop.  This 50’s themed diner has wonderful homemade food […]
Blog The Potato Bowl: Sweet Potato VS. Yams! The Potato Bowl: Sweet Potato Vs Yams! Being raised by parents and grandparents from the Southern United States, we had Sweet Potato Pie especially starting in the fall and for holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas). No one ever said we are having a Yam Pie.  Our table included sweet potato biscuits (make with left over baked […]
Blog Even Scarecrows Have a Family Tree! Even Scarecrows Have a Family Tree!  Well, Well, Well, if it isn’t fall and it comes to my mind Fall decorations. The centerpiece is cornstalks, pumpkins, hay bales and the Fabulous Scarecrow (whether it is male or female). In my family we always had a garden, a tradition I carried on. In the garden was placed a Scarecrow. When […]
Blog Fall Rolls In; Your Home Maintenance Check List Fall Rolls In; Your Home Maintenance Check list  As the season begins to change, it’s time to prep your home for falling leaves, cooler weather, and, eventually, winter storms. Tackling a few fall home maintenance tasks now can help ward off issues later in the season, so you can enjoy everything you love about autumn […]
Blog No Chemicals: The Road Less Traveled! No Chemicals: The Road Less Traveled!  Looking for ways to eliminate garden insect pests, without resorting to pesticides? Get our tips for controlling harmful garden bugs, no chemicals required. There’s no greater joy for a gardener than a plot full of perfect-looking flowers or vegetables. The problem is that many garden bugs use our flower […]
Blog Old McDonald had a Farm or was it a Farmette? Old McDonald had a Farm or was it a Farmette? A farmette is basically a smaller-scale farm — and is sometimes used interchangeably with “hobby farm.” It could be as small as an acre or it could be closer to 10 acres (though some definitions put the acreage significantly higher). So this can be very confusing. […]
Blog All in the Family: Pets All in the Family: Pets  So you have a new pet.  No matter, cat, dog, goat, pig, lama, whatever, we as humans give our pets names.  I am southern, so in the south we all have at least 3 names and 70% of the time go by 2 names example my sister in laws are […]
Blog To Be or Not To Be: Why Stand We Here Idle To Be or Not To Be: Why Stand We Here Idle  This famous speech of Patrick Henry, who was from Hanover County Virginia, at the Second Virginia Convention spoke these stirring words at the 1775 Virginia Convention, take a look back at the speech that included the famous line, “Give me liberty or give me death!” […]
Blog Let Me Take You Down To The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Let Me Take You Down To The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel My first time I ever road on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel I was in my early 50s.  I made the trip by myself.  To say the least it was like an outer body experience. I was going over with a buyer to view […]
Blog IRIS: The Plant That Keeps on Giving IRIS: The Plant That Keeps on Giving I love the Iris plants, this flowering plant was also one of my mother’s favorite flowers. Some states even have an Iris Festival yearly. The one near me is in Richmond Va and it is a wonderful way to spend the day. So let’s talk Iris talk now. With many different […]