Blackberry Season Begins and a Weird Creature (Blog 301)

Today began Blackberry Season here in Botetourt County, Virginia.  The wild raspberry crop had fizzled out a few days ago, and there's always a few days between when the raspberry plants finish bearing and the blackberries begin. I wandered over our 38 acres visiting old patches and looking for new ones and found both kinds. I ended up picking  1 1/2 quarts.

Elaine and I froze them for winter pies and cobblers.  We picked three quarts of raspberries during the two weeks they were in, which doesn't sound like a lot and it isn't.  Wild raspberries are never abundant on our property as blackberries and wineberries predominate.  Any year when we can gather three or four quarts of raspberries is above average.

As always, time outdoors is filled with fascinating sights and sounds.  I heard a white-eyed vireo at one blackberry patch, both favor young forest/edge habitat.  But the most interesting thing I came across was a type of caterpillar which I could not identify.  It was working its way along a blackberry vine.  If someone can tell me what it is, I would be appreciative.

Locavore Dinner at Home (Blog 300)

Yesterday evening for dinner, Elaine fixed a wonderful locavore meal of scrambled eggs (courtesy of our Rhode Island Reds) and cheese (courtesy of the local farmer's market). For lunch we had venison burgers from a deer I killed last year.

Earlier yesterday, I gathered raspberries and checked on the progress of the blackberries and wineberries, both of which are ripening but aren't quite ready to pick. During the morning and afternoon hours, I worked on several magazine articles.  And after dinner last night, we played a scintillating game of Scrabble.

Nothing epic happened yesterday, but all days spent with Elaine are good ones.

Anniversary Night Spent Babysitting (Blog 299)

This past Friday, June 10 was Elaine's and my 38th anniversary.  It was also the anniversary of our daughter Sarah and her husband David, so we volunteered to babysit their boys, four-year-old Sam and two-year-old Eli.

The night started off well with Sam and Eli being very enthusiastic about dinner - their stuffed cheeks in the picture below indicate thusly.

Next on the agenda was a rousing game of hide-and-go-seek.  Neither boy has all the basics of the game yet as Sam always hides in his room and always shouts out where he is.  On the other hand, Eli just hides, no matter if he is supposed to be looking for me or actually hiding. The pictures below show the boys counting, they are good at that skill and hiding, both, strangely enough, hiding in the same box in the middle of the floor in, of course, Sam's room.

We then finished the evening with baths (my pants were sopping wet when this activity was finished) and story time, Elaine reading to Eli and I reading to Sam, then putting our respective young men to bed.

Although Elaine and I did not have a romantic night out, we wouldn't have changed places with anyone.  It was a wonderful anniversary.

Running a Rapid Wrong on the New River (Blog 298)

Yesterday, friends Doak Harbison and Tim Wimer took the Peppers Ferry to Whitethorne float on Virginia's New River. As the author of a book on the waterway, The New River Guide, I should not have trouble negotiating Class I and II rapids. Tim and Doak, when we go on river excursions, trust me to make the plans on how much time to allot, which trips to take, and which rapids to be careful of.

However, I confess that I let Doak down yesterday. Just above the Class III Arsenal Rapid is another rapid that is considered part of the general whitewater in the area. There is a  slot down the river right side; and with me in the bow, I missed the slot which resulted in us crashing into a large rock at the end of the upper rapid.

This led to the boat overturning and Doak and me tumbling into the water.  Fortunately, we were not hurt and no gear was lost. But still my snafu was very frustrating, and I couldn't apologize to Doak enough.  By the way, we had no trouble going through the heart of Arsenal Rapid, as we took the large slot on the far right as my book says to do.

On the New or any river, you never know when something could go wrong. The picture below shows Tim fishing below the Arsenal rapid.

Simple Summer Joys (Blog 297)

I have worked hard on the writing front, finishing two magazine stories and writing a third, plus having a book signing this week...my first full one after the end of the school year. I think I just may take the rest of the day off except for a few chores around the yard.

After finishing my writing work and with school out for the summer, I like to stop being so goal oriented for a while and enjoy the summer.  This afternoon, I plan on picking the last of the North Star sour cherries and weeding the garden.

Elaine has already make cherry bread (see below)

 with the fruit from our tree, and I think we have enough cherries left for her to make either cookies or muffins.  Cookies or muffins...that is the big decision for this afternoon - a nice situation after a hard week of  writing.

Black Rat Snake in the Henhouse (Blog 296)

Yesterday evening, Elaine and I received a phone call from our daughter Sarah, who lives across the hollow from us with her husband David and their two boys. Sarah said that a huge snake was in the main nesting box of the henhouse, and that David was out walking.

Elaine and I hurried over, and Sarah's depiction of the snake was not hyperbole.  The black rat snake was  over six feet long (David later held it up for measuring purposes) and the reptile had stuffed itself with eggs, which were slowly making their way down the snake's body.

When David returned from his walk, he and I experienced an "interesting" time extracting the snake from the henhouse, using a combination of hoes, rakes, and shovels to do so.

It's been an interesting time the last 10 days or so out in our rural Virginia hollow.  Last week, we watched as a copperhead consumed a chipmunk while in our driveway and now the henhouse episode.  Soon to come, no doubt, will be the annual visitation of skinks slinking into our house, and, maybe, like one summer, a flying squirrel coming down the chimney.

Strawberry Season (Blog 295)

Strawberry season lasts a glorious ten days or so in our Botetourt County, Virginia garden, and we are coming to the end of it.  Elaine has made strawberry jam (see picture below) as well as strawberry pie and we have enjoyed these red berries with our oatmeal and yogurt.  As good as the strawberry pie can be, I have to say that the jam is my favorite.  We will save these jars for the winter when we can enjoy this spring harvest once again.

It's not only the strawberry plants that are producing right now, so are the chives, onions, and spinach.  Few meals are as good as a venison burger with onions and spinach, chives on a baked potato, plus any sort of vegetable dish and strawberries in some form of dessert.

West Virginia Turkey Season Ends (Blog 294)

This morning, I drove to our Monroe County, West Virginia land to hunt on the final day of spring gobbler season.  On my first visit to the land, I heard five different gobblers, so I had hopes that this outing would prove fruitful.

I was able to call in two turkeys over the course of the morning, but they were both hens.  In fact, on the last two Saturdays of the season, I called in a total of four hens, but no gobblers.

Turkey hunting is often a perplexing pastime, but these last two Saturdays have been overly so.  Where did all the gobblers on the mountain go? I heard not a single one the last three visits.  Why didn't any of those hens have a tom in tow?

Anyway, though my Virginia and Tennessee seasons went well, I blanked in West Virginia and don't really understand why.

Living off the Land (Blog 293)

This week has been a wonderful one for Elaine and me living off what the land has to offer us and others.  We've had various venison themed meals for our entrees, egg dishes from our chickens, a blackberry pie from the wild berries we picked last summer, and early season onions, spinach, chives, and asparagus from our garden.

The strawberry plants are setting fruit, as are our crabapple and cherry trees. Our Rome apple tree will hopefully do the same soon. I've planted 18 tomato plants and hopefully this weekend, if no more rain falls, I can at long last plant zuke and squash seeds.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be turkey hunting in West Virginia, hoping to add to our freezer supply of venison and wild turkey.  The hens should be on the nest by now, and I hope the toms will come when called.

West Virginia Gobbling in the Flog (Blog 292)

This morning I went to a mountaintop in West Virginia's Monroe County to turkey hunt.  The air was heavy with moisture and a dense fog shrouded the mountain, so I was worried that the toms would not be gobbling.

Instead, well before dawn, a tom sounded off to my barred owl call and then three more longbeards chimed in.  The gobbling went on for quite some time, but eventually stopped but not the fog.  The murk continued until well after 9 and even then did not entirely lift. I never saw a turkey.

That is until I walked back to my vehicle where a gobbler was feeding nearby.  Of course, I spooked him.  I am thinking of taking  a half day personal day from school on the next clear morning.

West Virginia Turkey Hunting (Blog 291)

This morning I drove to a mountain in Monroe County, West Virginia to turkey hunt, and, unfortunately, as I feared would be the case at this stage of the season, the gobblers were all henned up. I used to bemoan the fact that I couldn't convince gobblers to answer me after they flew down from the roost, but, now, I understand why this is typically the case in this part of April.

The three toms I heard at sunrise never gobbled on the ground.  Later in the morning, I was hoping that they would start up again, but the wind was howling on the mountain, and I probably would not have heard them if they had gobbled after 10:00.

Still, it was an interesting day afield.  I heard my first scarlet tanagers, worm-eating warblers, and yellow-throated vireos of the spring.  In a few days, I expect to hear my first yellow-billed cuckoo.

And in about a week when more of the hens have gone to the nest, I expect a gobbler will come charging in one morning.

Saturday Morning in the Virginia Turkey Woods (Blog 290)

After tagging out in Virginia last Sunday, I looked forward all week to not toting a shotgun and taking friend Doak Harbison back to the same Franklin County farm - and woodlot - where I found three gobblers sounding off, one of which ended up riding home with me.

I promised Doak that we would at least have two toms rumbling in the pre-dawn, instead we heard nine separate toms gobbling.  For over an hour, the toms entertained us, as did numerous hens.  We estimated that were over 20 turkeys within 200 yards of us.

With all that cacophony, I opted to stay put until 8:30, but it was evident at that time that the turkeys had deserted us.  We moved deeper into the forest and heard two more gobblers, both of which came partially in over the course of the next 80 minutes or so but would not fully commit.

Although we never actually saw a turkey, the morning was still an interesting one as I heard my first prairie warbler and ovenbird of the year.  Now, I am looking forward to heading for West Virginia next Saturday.

Virginia's Opening Weekend of Spring Gobbler Season (Blog 289)

Saturday, opening day of Virginia's spring gobbler season, found me in a woodlot bordering an alfalfa field in Franklin County.  The up to 40-mph winds buffeted my decoy and me about, and the only turkey seen all morning was a lonesome jake.

Sunday found me back at the same farm but I opted to hunt a different section of the farm where I had seen lots of sign during pre-season scouting.  It was the right call because I called in and killed a nice two-year-old tom.

With my two turkeys back in the fall, I am now tagged out in Virginia and look forward to taking other people in Virginia and hunting in West Virginia.  The older I become, the more I enjoy not bringing a gun and trying to help other people be successful. In fact, friend Doak Harbison and I have already planned a trip to the Franklin County farm next Saturday.

Spring Gobbler Scouting in Virginia (Blog 288)

Yesterday, friend Doak Harbison and I spent a marvelous morning scouting for turkeys in Franklin County, Virginia.  We heard at least a dozen different gobblers, probably closer to 15, as well as numerous hens.  Of course, all that cacophony of sound may not translate into success on April 9, but still the turkey talk was impressive.

What was also a thrill for me was hearing numerous species of songbirds.  I heard my first pine warblers, Louisiana waterthrush, chipping sparrows, and hooded warblers of the season. But the best bird of the day is what Doak and I thought might have been a rough-legged hawk, though we were not totally convinced.

We will be hunting at this Franklin County farm on opening day.

Working to Renew a Former Trout Stream (Blog 287)

Last weekend, I continued working to reinvigorate a former trout stream that flows through my 94-acre parcel in Monroe County, West Virginia. After school let out for the day, I drove the 56 miles to the land and planted 20 trees, 10 each of sycamores and silky dogwoods.

This part of the creek formerly suffered damage from livestock-caused erosion, and the banks have been worn down in a number of places.  It is at those places where I planted the trees.

One learns something about a particular piece of land almost everytime the property is visited.  On this occasion, I found where a small spring dribbled into my creek - a fount that I have never noticed before.  Hopefully that spring, and the improvements I've done and will do, will one day result in trout being restored there.

Smallmouth Fishing on the New River (Blog 286)

This past Saturday as part of Britt Stoudenmire and his New River Outdoor Company's annual March "Guides' Tournament" I had the chance to fish with guides Steve Journell and Boo Garber.  The goal is to catch, measure, and release your best five smallmouth bass per boat, and the three of us had a quintet of smallmouths that measured, as I recall, around 92 inches.

March action, or action really just about anytime on the New, can be that good.  Our total was good enough for a tie for first place.  To be truthful, my losing a 21-inch or so smallmouth was the reason my team failed to win, but such is life and such, sometimes, are my fishing skills.

In any event, Britt and his guides are always a pleasure to fish with.  For more information: http://www.icanoethenew.com.  The picture below shows Steve playing a trophy smallmouth while Boo readies the net.

Living the Locavore Lifestyle Book Comes Out (Blog 285)

Elaine's and my new book, Living the Locavore Lifestyle, has just come out.  It's about how by hunting and fishing for food, as well as gathering wild berries, mushrooms, and nuts, planting a garden, raising chickens and fruit trees, and buying locally grown produce and meats, people can lead a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

For the book, Elaine wrote most of the recipes while I interviewed folks from the Quality Deer Management Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, and guides and fishermen like Britt Stoudenmire, Herschel Finch, and Richard Furman, well-

known outdoors people such as Jim and Sherry Crumley, as well as expert small game hunters such as Jay Honse and Jerry Paitsel.

If folks are interested in signed, dedicated copies, they can send a check for $17.50 to us at 1009 Brunswick Forge Road, Troutville, VA 24175.  That amount covers taxes and shipping.

Rhode Island Red Chicks Arrive (Post 284)

Wednesday our heritage Rhode Island Red chicks arrived from Dick Horstman, a well-known breeder of birds from Pennsylvania.  We also ordered chicks for two friends, Bryce Clingenpeel and Zach Kyle who will be raising heritage birds for the first time.

The plan is for us to periodically exchange hens so as to inject new genes into the mix.  It is always exciting to greet two-day-old chicks, but this is especially true when the birds are heritage ones.

Elaine has done a superlative job helping our young charges feel at home, assiduously setting up their brooder and making sure that clean water and food are always present.  Many times every day we go downstairs to the brooder and talk to our birds so that they can become accustomed to us.

All in all, it has been a good week on the chicken front.  Our three heritage Rhode Island Red pullets, that arrived from Horstman last year, had a fantastic week of egg production - their best yet by far.

Tomorrow is Virginia's Last Day of Squirrel Season (Blog 283)

Monday when I arrive home from school, I am going out my backdoor and hunt for squirrels as it is the final day of the bushytail season.  The ending of the season will be little noticed by many state hunters, but I really enjoy walking through the woods on a winter day and pursuing squirrels.

I really don't care if I kill one or not, it is just being out in the woods with a shotgun that is pleasurable to me.  A hollow sycamore is where I plan to take a stand as the creatures should be emerging from the hardwood about 5:00.  Then the action should be really good until dark.

But, then again, I may not see any, as it won't be the last time that I have guessed wrong about squirrels and their peculiarities.  We'll see how things go and whether Elaine will be making a squirrel casserole this week.

Wildlife Sign in Snow (Block 282)

Just enough snow blanketed our Botetourt County, Virginia land this Saturday morning for me to go on a wildlife sign expedition before higher temperatures melted what was left of the five inches that fell on Monday. I had only walked a few steps into the woods when I found racoon tracks and only a few more steps showed where several deer had passed by.

When I arrived at the seeded logging road that runs the perimeter of most of our place, I found even more tracks.  An entire flock of turkeys had ambled down the pathway as had numerous whitetails.  I also located coyote scat, squirrel tracks, and where an opossum had been.

It's true that nothing usual had come by, but I still immensely enjoyed the experience.  I can only hope the turkeys will still be here when spring gobbler season arrives.