With the weekly editions off to the print, we turn our attention to our weekend edition, and one of the articles teed up and ready to go looks at how Virginia’s crops of berries are doing this spring growing season.
The verdict is upbeat. At least according to the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, which tracks such things.
“We’re ready for a good season,” said David Goode of Swift Creek Berry Farm in Chesterfield County. “We’ve got good fruit development, and there’s a lot of healthy leaves and healthy plant structure.”
Like everything that’s grown in the ground, berry production is dependent on weather and other factors. April’s frosts did some damage statewide, but otherwise things are looking OK.
Coming up in June is prime season for yours truly’s favorite berry: blackberry!
OK, technically, my favorite berry was Ken Berry of “F-Troop,” a TV comedy from way back that also included Washington-[Redacted] High School graduate Forrest “I’m Big Where It Counts” Tucker.
My affinity for Ken was in part because we shared a birthday, albeit more than three decades apart. RIP, you ol’ musical-comedy hoofer …
THERE’S AN 8th DISTRICT, TOO, YOU KNOW: The folks at the political site Bearing Drift (motto: “We’re Republicans Who Hate Republicans Even More Than David Gergen Hates Republicans”) had some coverage of last weekend’s GOP congressional-nominating contests.
There was the 5th District, there was the 10th District … but what about the 8th District, where the GOP nominated its kamikaze pilot (alas, true) for the race against Don Beyer? Doesn’t she deserve some love, too?
Maybe they just forgot. For people like the Bearing Drifters in the “rest of Virginia,” as it’s known to some, the 8th District is tucked so far up against the District of Columbia, it might as well be part of it.
GOOD TO HAVE A LITTLE HISTORY IN PRINT: In a recent article in the Falls Church News-Press – titled “This Is No Time to Be Avoiding Reality” (I’m not going to touch that one) – editor/publisher/chief-cook-and-bottle-washer Nick Benton brought some history to the fore.
Even I, who loves to throw in extraneous but interesting (to me) historical fun facts to otherwise mundane coverage, look with favor that the Nickster brought in British judges Henry de Bracton (1210-68) and Matthew Hale (1609-76) to make a point about, of all people, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Aliton.
The actual point was a little hard to discern, as is sometimes the case over there, but kudos for inserting obscure references in an effort to make it. I’m impressed, and as we all know, I don’t impress easily.
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