Why make eggnog from scratch? Rich, creamy ‘nog at the Boar’s Head Inn. If your only eggnog experience begins and ends with a waxed cardboard carton that clutters up your holiday refrigerator, and if you didn’t care for it, embrace the caloric commitment and whip up a fresh batch for your festivities this year. […]
Tropical Storm Ida and her Nor’easter spawn gouged away chunks of Atlantic beaches, but that’s what those Outer Banks are for, isn’t it? (What would New Orleans give for some barrier islands?) Here in the foothills and Piedmont, though, that soaking was the best gift to gardeners in a long time. Succeeding days of steady […]
More green, please This house on a prominent Ridge Street corner will soon get a green rehab. Want more green housing in Charlottesville? You got it. In a unique collaborative effort, UVA students of architecture and engineering have partnered with the city and Barton Malow Company to rehabilitate and redesign a house in the historic […]
Set to weather well Often, we’ve had guests who, against all reason, have actually volunteered to stay overnight in our chaotic household so that they may donate their elbow grease to our renovation cause. (Perhaps they are persuaded by the embarrassingly large breakfasts we serve.) One project I look on as a special monument to […]
The wallpaper scorer’s teeth punch tiny holes in the paper, which make it easier for stripping agents to do their work. Easy removal still not guaranteed. Stuck on the scorer When my significant other and I moved into our first home, we spent the first few weeks cursing the previous owners for their bonehead D.I.Y. […]
The latest buzz Most morning routines hinge on that first hit of liquid sanity known as coffee. If you have a regular habit, even with a downgrade from Starbucks to 7-11, your fix can end up costing you. If you brew at home, the cost of the machine, paper filters, and energy used to crank […]
What to bring home It’s the smell that brings vegetarians back to the Meat Side; that, and the promise of a crispy yet succulent strip of pork, hardly begun and yet devoured already. Bacon is pork belly that is cured, smoked and usually sliced for easy peeling, although it is possible to purchase slab bacon […]
Bless this mess There are many parallels between gardening and housekeeping. Each is a commitment that never ends. You need to keep a regular schedule and find ways of maintaining interest and regenerating enthusiasm. Things get out of hand sometimes, but often enough you feel you’ve been part of creating something beautiful (which will perish […]
Leafy greens A set of modern, nature-loving vases, $17.99 each at Hedge, proves that the bouquet itself is not the only place where the intricate grace of flora may be found. Petite in size, they’d do well cradling bold, single blooms, or even paintbrushes. Future forward Let’s take a few steps back…into the future? Donna […]
Sunny side The home of Spackled Egg receives a sunnier, satin-finish outlook. We’d been wanting to paint our house for a long time—ever since we painted the roof red, which made a comical combo with our medium-blue exterior. After a couple of years with a flag-themed home, we finally executed the plan we’d had all […]