Elaine's Blog

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 beh...

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 decade...

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 foo...

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 biscuit...

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 gar...

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...

Collards: A True Southern Delight with Pork of Course! Southerners love their greens.  A time-honored tradition in southern kitchens, greens have held an important place on the table for well over a century, and there is no other vegetable that is quite so unique to the region.  Greens are any so...

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 pr...

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 ve...

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 Linda Sue and Nina Lou. So that being said...