Archives for the ‘Blog Entries.Local’ Category

“Small Spaces Big Buzz – A Zine”

Author: From https://chrisod.weblog.lol • Apr 4th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Small Spaces Big Buzz - A Zine

As part of my Virginia Master Naturalist training I need to create something (presentation, demonstration, etc.) I made a Zine.

Zine Cover Page - Small Places, Big Buzz Native plants for small spaces in RVA A pot, a strip, or a yard can be a habitat.


Zine page 2 - Pollinators need food from early spring to fall


Zine page 3 - Your space is a stepping stone between parks, medians, river corridors, and neighbors’ yards


Zine Page 4 - It’s ok to start (and stay) small - Single pot in sun - Small sunny strip - Shady stoop edge -Lawn corner transformation (sheet mulch blob)


Zine Page 5 Richmond-area native plant suggestions - Full Sun - Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Common Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Dwarf Iris (Iris verna L.) Part Sun - Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)


Zine Page 6 - Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea), Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) Shade - American Alumroot (Heuchera americana), Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), Striped Wintergreen (Chimaphila) Notes: Consider this an inspiration list. Every garden is different.


Zine Page 7 - 30 minute action plan (Get started now!. Pick one spot (sunny pot, strip, corner). Remove only what you must (keep leaves where possible). Plant 3 natives (or 1 shrub + 2 perennials). Water deeply for the first year (2x a week for 15-20 min.). Leave stems/leaves over winter (nesting habitat).


Zine Back Cover - Your mission: Make one native patch this season To get started: https://vnps.org/, https://www.plantvirginianatives.org, https://ext.vt.edu/ Small Spaces, Big Buzz © 2026 by Chris O'Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/



A Good Friday Pairing: Bourbon County Stout & The Wise Man Maduro

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 4th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
After a day of fasting and abstinence on Good Friday, I traditionally enjoy a stout and a cigar in the evening. After all, the monastic tradition of sustaining oneself on “liquid bread” during fasts dates back to the Middle Ages.

I reached into the cellar for a bottle of Bourbon County Brand Stout, this one from the 2024 release. For such an imposing beer, I selected an equally rich cigar — The Wise Man Maduro from Foundation Cigars. A few of these Toros have rested in my humidor for just shy of two years, making them roughly contemporaries of the beer.

Pollen hung thick in the evening air when I stepped onto the porch. Despite having dusted things off the day before, a yellow film coated the furniture — and my sinuses.

Still, the evening called.



The Bourbon County Brand Stout is an annual release from Goose Island Beer Company, aged for about a year in bourbon barrels from distilleries such as Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. At a formidable 14.7% ABV, it has become a benchmark for barrel-aged imperial stouts.

The beer pours thick and indulgent, offering bold notes of chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and toffee. Undertones of dark cherry weave through a bourbon-like warmth, all carried on a dense, velvety mouthfeel. It could easily be called dessert in a bottle — if dessert were on the Lenten menu. The rich aroma alone cut cleanly through any pollen-induced haze.



The Wise Man Maduro is a standout from Foundation Cigar Company. The 6 x 52 Toro features a dark, reddish Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binders from Estelí and Jalapa, with fillers from Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa.

Medium to full in body, the cigar opens with notes of bittersweet chocolate and bold espresso, accompanied by a subtle red pepper spice. From the outset, the pairing with the stout feels natural and well-aligned. 

As the smoke progresses, the flavors deepen. The chocolate becomes creamier, while a dark fruit sweetness emerges, reinforcing the dessert-like quality of the experience. The spice builds slightly toward the final third, adding just enough contrast to keep things engaging.



The interaction between the Bourbon County Stout and The Wise Man Maduro proves to be near perfect. Chocolate and coffee notes echo between sip and draw, each enhancing the other without becoming either bitter or cloying.

With blues music playing softly in the background, time seemed to slow as I sipped and smoked. Aside from the persistent assault of spring pollen, the session was effortless. The cigar burned flawlessly — no relights, no touch-ups — maintaining an even burn even when left to rest.

After two years in the humidor, it remained in peak form.

As the cigar neared its end, I glanced at the time and realized that two and a half hours had slipped by. That, perhaps, is the surest sign of a truly exceptional smoke and sip — and a fittingly contemplative close to Good Friday.

Cheers!


A Good Friday Pairing: Bourbon County Stout & The Wise Man Maduro

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 4th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
After a day of fasting and abstinence on Good Friday, I traditionally enjoy a stout and a cigar in the evening. After all, the monastic tradition of sustaining oneself on “liquid bread” during fasts dates back to the Middle Ages.

I reached into the cellar for a bottle of Bourbon County Brand Stout, this one from the 2024 release. For such an imposing beer, I selected an equally rich cigar — The Wise Man Maduro from Foundation Cigars. A few of these Toros have rested in my humidor for just shy of two years, making them roughly contemporaries of the beer.

Pollen hung thick in the evening air when I stepped onto the porch. Despite having dusted things off the day before, a yellow film coated the furniture — and my sinuses.

Still, the evening called.



The Bourbon County Brand Stout is an annual release from Goose Island Beer Company, aged for about a year in bourbon barrels from distilleries such as Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. At a formidable 14.7% ABV, it has become a benchmark for barrel-aged imperial stouts.

The beer pours thick and indulgent, offering bold notes of chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and toffee. Undertones of dark cherry weave through a bourbon-like warmth, all carried on a dense, velvety mouthfeel. It could easily be called dessert in a bottle — if dessert were on the Lenten menu. The rich aroma alone cut cleanly through any pollen-induced haze.



The Wise Man Maduro is a standout from Foundation Cigar Company. The 6 x 52 Toro features a dark, reddish Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binders from Estelí and Jalapa, with fillers from Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa.

Medium to full in body, the cigar opens with notes of bittersweet chocolate and bold espresso, accompanied by a subtle red pepper spice. From the outset, the pairing with the stout feels natural and well-aligned. 

As the smoke progresses, the flavors deepen. The chocolate becomes creamier, while a dark fruit sweetness emerges, reinforcing the dessert-like quality of the experience. The spice builds slightly toward the final third, adding just enough contrast to keep things engaging.



The interaction between the Bourbon County Stout and The Wise Man Maduro proves to be near perfect. Chocolate and coffee notes echo between sip and draw, each enhancing the other without becoming either bitter or cloying.

With blues music playing softly in the background, time seemed to slow as I sipped and smoked. Aside from the persistent assault of spring pollen, the session was effortless. The cigar burned flawlessly — no relights, no touch-ups — maintaining an even burn even when left to rest.

After two years in the humidor, it remained in peak form.

As the cigar neared its end, I glanced at the time and realized that two and a half hours had slipped by. That, perhaps, is the surest sign of a truly exceptional smoke and sip — and a fittingly contemplative close to Good Friday.

Cheers!


Good Friday Contemplation

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 3rd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
I share this moving reflection every year on Good Friday. Still, it never fails to raise the dust levels in the room. 
Limbo
The ancient greyness shifted suddenly and thinned like mist upon the moors before a wind.

An old, old prophet lifted a shining face and said:

“He will be coming soon. The Son of God is dead; He died this afternoon.”

A murmurous excitement stirred all souls. They wondered if they dreamed

save one old man who seemed not even to have heard.

And Moses, standing, hushed them all to ask if any had a welcome song prepared.

If not, would David take the task?

And if they cared could not the three young children sing the Benedicite,

the canticle of praise they made when God kept them from perishing in the fiery blaze?

A breath of spring surprised them, stilling Moses’ words.

No one could speak, remembering the first fresh flowers, the little singing birds.

Still others thought of fields new ploughed or apple trees all blossom-boughed.

Or some, the way a dried bed fills with water laughing down green hills.

The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam on bright blue seas.

The one old man who had not stirred remembered home.

And there He was, splendid as the morning sun and fair as only God is fair.

And they, confused with joy, knelt to adore

Seeing that He wore five crimson stars He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung. None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song,

A silent man alone of all that throng found tongue — not any other.

Close to His heart when the embrace was done, old Joseph said,

“How is Your Mother, How is Your Mother, Son?”
-- Sister Mary Ada, OSJ

Michelangelo's Pieta, via Wikimedia Commons



Good Friday Contemplation

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 3rd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
I share this moving reflection every year on Good Friday. Still, it never fails to raise the dust levels in the room. 
Limbo
The ancient greyness shifted suddenly and thinned like mist upon the moors before a wind.

An old, old prophet lifted a shining face and said:

“He will be coming soon. The Son of God is dead; He died this afternoon.”

A murmurous excitement stirred all souls. They wondered if they dreamed

save one old man who seemed not even to have heard.

And Moses, standing, hushed them all to ask if any had a welcome song prepared.

If not, would David take the task?

And if they cared could not the three young children sing the Benedicite,

the canticle of praise they made when God kept them from perishing in the fiery blaze?

A breath of spring surprised them, stilling Moses’ words.

No one could speak, remembering the first fresh flowers, the little singing birds.

Still others thought of fields new ploughed or apple trees all blossom-boughed.

Or some, the way a dried bed fills with water laughing down green hills.

The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam on bright blue seas.

The one old man who had not stirred remembered home.

And there He was, splendid as the morning sun and fair as only God is fair.

And they, confused with joy, knelt to adore

Seeing that He wore five crimson stars He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung. None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song,

A silent man alone of all that throng found tongue — not any other.

Close to His heart when the embrace was done, old Joseph said,

“How is Your Mother, How is Your Mother, Son?”
-- Sister Mary Ada, OSJ

Michelangelo's Pieta, via Wikimedia Commons



Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Apr 2nd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Blooms with tree in background

Blooms with Crepe Myrtle in the background

Pink blooms on a tree

Blooming tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Tulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens



Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Apr 2nd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Blooms with tree in background

Blooms with Crepe Myrtle in the background

Pink blooms on a tree

Blooming tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Tulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens



Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park

Author: From https://blog.odonnellweb.com • Apr 2nd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Blooms with tree in backgroundBlooms with tree in background

Blooms with Crepe Myrtle in the backgroundBlooms with Crepe Myrtle in the background

Pink blooms on a treePink blooms on a tree

Blooming tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical GardensBlooming tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Tulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical GardensTulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens



“Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park”

Author: From https://blog.odonnellweb.com • Apr 2nd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park

Blooms with tree in background

Blooms with Crepe Myrtle in the background

Pink blooms on a tree

Blooming tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Tulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens



“Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park”

Author: From https://chrisod.weblog.lol • Apr 2nd, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Spring blooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Park

Blooms with tree in background

Blooms with Crepe Myrtle in the background

Pink blooms on a tree

Blooming tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Tulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens