Sagittarius (November 22-December 21): “They will say you are on the wrong road,” said poet Antonio Porchia, “if it is your own.” I suspect you may have to deal with wrong-headed badgering like that in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. In fact, you could experience a surge of discouraging words and bad advice that tries to […]
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21): “They will say you are on the wrong road,” said poet Antonio Porchia, “if it is your own.” I suspect you may have to deal with wrong-headed badgering like that in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. In fact, you could experience a surge of discouraging words and bad advice that tries to […]
Under construction Nothing says “holiday season” like decorating a gingerbread house. Just as it did last year, Sweethaus is offering a gingerbread workshop at its new West Main location. Drop in on Saturday, November 17 at 10am or Saturday, November 24 at 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm, and for $25, get a pre-assembled house, a […]
It’s not all a jungle out there, and for that we should be grateful here in the red clay heart of Virginia. Ceaseless growth and decay below the equator harbors no winter sleep or spring awakening. Only deciduous forests of the middle latitudes change into seasons other than rainy or dry. In the northern hemisphere, […]
It is tempting to imagine that the resurgence of Virginia hard cider had its genesis in a single moment: Monticello’s Director of Gardens and Grounds Peter Hatch and Virginia gentleman Tom Burford kneeling together with their grafting knives to re-propagate the Virginia Hewe’s Crab apple tree in Thomas Jefferson’s north orchard.
According to the United States Census Bureau, new home sales are defined as occurring “with the signing of a sales contract or the acceptance of a deposit.” That said, most new homes sales happen while the house is still under construction or not even started. Only 25 percent of new houses are sold at the […]
I’ve eaten tacos from propane-fired griddles outside my apartment near downtown Los Angeles, and from the street grills off Garibaldi Square while mingling with mariachis between sets in Mexico City. I’ve partaken of the ubiquitous taco stands of Texas and the cozy Mexican diners on the north side of Chicago. It doesn’t make me an […]
Fresh apple cider is the quintessential autumn drink in Central Virginia, and has a long and relevant history here that predates even Mr. Jefferson. When European colonists arrived in the 1600s, they invested in survival by planting apple orchards. Because apples don’t bear true to seed (due in part to their survivalist tactic of mixing […]
Cider may be indelibly written into American history, but no matter how many pints John Adams drank with breakfast, it’s a beverage that confuses us. Cider, to everyone but Americans, implies the presence of alcohol; here, unless we preface it with “hard,” we picture the hot, spiced variety that warms us up after a romp […]
It was supposed to be a small project. Debra Weiss had owned her North Downtown house for seven years when, in 2003, a city ordinance changed to allow homeowners to build detached rental properties. She was ready with what she thought was a simple, low-key idea: Turn her 400-square-foot garage into a tiny rental cottage. […]
Having come home to his calling as a woodworker, Fred Levering is now selling his wares through a number of local shops: The Happy Cook, The Barn Swallow, The Artful Lodger, Curious Orange, and Vivian’s, among others. Hunt for him there or contact him directly: 202-8887 or falfour@comcast.net. What kinds of objects do you make? […]