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Monthly Archives: May 2015

Another nice value wine

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

While I’m thinking about wine, here’s another good value, from Trader Joe’s. For at least a couple of months now, Trader Joe’s has carried both a chardonnay and a cabernet from Liberté vineyards. That winemaker is in Paso Robles, which is in San Luis Obispo County in southern California. Both the chardonnay and the cabernet […]

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Bonterra organic wines

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Back in the 1990s, when I was living in San Francisco, had a comfortable income, and had access to a deep cellar, I lived in the French mode, bought wine by the case, and fetched it from the cellar. A lot of the wine I bought was from Bonterra Organic Vineyards. Bonterra’s wines aren’t the […]

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Blacksnakes, in flagrante delicto

Friday, May 15, 2015

I’m not going to actually post these photos directly to the blog, because I think many people will find them frightening or disgusting, especially those who have a phobia of snakes. So, instead, below are links that you can click on if you really want to see the photos. While doing chicken chores this afternoon, […]

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Rural communities

Friday, May 15, 2015

Earlier this week, I was asked to attend and shoot photos of a community gathering in northern Stokes County. The people there are concerned about the possible closing of the elementary school there. To them, the school is an important part of their community. To the school board and the county commissioners, the school is […]

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Vintage fire truck

Friday, May 15, 2015

While attending a community event recently in the little Stokes County community of Francisco, I sneaked into the fire station to get photos of their vintage Mack fire truck.

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The people strike back

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

From time to time, when I think it is of general interest, I will post here about what I’m up to as a local political and environmental activist. When I bought land in rural Stokes County, North Carolina, and built the abbey here, I did expect to have some involvement in the county’s civic life. […]

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Commingled recycling

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Sign on a county recycling container Some time back, the county I live in changed its recycling system. In the old system, stuff had to be carefully sorted. For example, green, brown and clear glass had to be kept separate. Plastics, aluminum, and cardboard had to be separated. Steel cans, junk mail, and paper milk […]

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Egg-testing a “green” pan

Sunday, May 10, 2015

The butter is a little brown not because I overheated it but because I had cooked a Trader Joe’s fake sausage before cooking the egg. Six or seven years ago, I bought some nonstick Calphalon pans from Williams Sonoma. They were on sale, but they were still pricey. They were said to be dishwasher safe. […]

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Poldark is returning to PBS

Saturday, May 9, 2015

If asked to name my favorite Masterpiece Theater series of all time, it would be “Poldark.” The series started in 1975. It starred Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark and Angharad Rees as Demelza. Rees, unfortunately, died in 2012 of pancreatic cancer. Robin Ellis, now 73 years old, lives in France and has an excellent web […]

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A new Neal Stephenson, May 19

Friday, May 8, 2015

I wish the list were longer, but there are only two science fiction writers whose books I eagerly await and buy the day they’re released — John Twelve Hawks and Neal Stephenson. Stephenson’s new novel, Seveneves, will be released on May 19. I’ve pre-ordered the hardback version from Amazon. By the way, the Kindle version […]

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