Excelsior Pest Management, LLC

10/03/2026

10/03/2026

In 1934, the Rieke-Sieleman family set up a stand selling b**r and hot dogs. In 1935, they built a tin shack next to the stand and expanded into BBQ, and they've been legends ever since. All these years later, the family still operates the business there by making the BBQ just the way they always ha...

10/02/2026

A 10th-century woman captured Viking cities, built a network of fortresses, and ruled a war kingdom on her own terms — and medieval chroniclers recorded it all without batting an eye.

Aethelflaed was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex. When her husband Aethelred, Lord of the Mercians, died in 911, she didn't step aside. She stepped up.

She was immediately recognized as the Lady of the Mercians — a title that carried the same political weight as her husband's — and she ruled Mercia as a sovereign leader for the next seven years. ⚔️

What she did with those seven years was remarkable.

Aethelflaed launched a sweeping program of building and strengthening fortified towns across Mercia, creating a strategic line of defense against the Viking-held territories to the north and east. These weren't minor outposts. They were the bones of a military campaign.

In 917, her forces stormed Derby — one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw, the great Viking strongholds that had controlled much of northern England for decades. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that she conquered the town "with all that thereto belonged." Historians consider it her greatest triumph. Derby was the first of the Five Boroughs to fall back into English hands.

But the victory came at a cost. Four of her most trusted and beloved thanes were killed inside the very gates of Derby. The Chronicle specifically notes they were among her most valued men.

The very next year, 918, Aethelflaed turned to Leicester. Unlike Derby, Leicester didn't fight. The town and its Viking army surrendered to her without a battle. 🏰

Her reputation had grown so formidable by this point that the Danes of York reportedly sent word offering their submission to her rule as well. She never got to answer that offer.

Aethelflaed died on June 12, 918, at Tamworth. She was roughly 48 years old.

Her daughter Aelfwynn briefly succeeded her, but within months Aethelflaed's brother Edward moved in and absorbed Mercia directly under his own rule. The speed with which that happened made clear just how singular Aethelflaed's authority had been. No other Anglo-Saxon woman is known to have ruled a major kingdom as both a military and political leader at this scale.

No other Anglo-Saxon woman ever did it again. 🛡️

Sources: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Mercia historical records

10/02/2026

Today is a big day at Hometown.Renea Danner Williams Tom Williams

It’s Renea and Tom’s last day as owner, and before we step into this next chapter, we want to take a moment to honor the one she and Tom built.

I’ve only had the privilege of really getting to know Renea through the process of buying Hometown, while Juston has known her for most of his life. But even in this short time, I’ve gotten to see exactly why this place means so much to so many people.

What Renea and Tom created here is more than a restaurant.

It’s a legacy.

I don’t think you could ask many people in Richmond if they have a memory tied to Hometown and not get a story in return. Birthday dinners. Team celebrations. Family nights. First jobs. Friday nights. Reunions. Hard days made better over pizza. Good news celebrated around a table.

Hometown has been woven into this community for decades, and Renea and Tom are a huge part of that story.

Over the last month and a half, I’ve also gotten to see the relationship Renea has with her crew—and it is pure love. The respect, the loyalty, the laughter, the history between them…you can’t fake that. That kind of culture is built over years by showing up for people, caring about them, and treating them like family.

There is a lot of pressure that comes with carrying something like that forward.

And the truth is, I don’t think we could ever fill Renea’s shoes.

But we aren’t trying to.

Those shoes belong to her.

Our job is to honor what she and Tom built, protect the roots of Hometown, and carry it into its next chapter with the same love for this community that has always lived inside these walls.

Renea and Tom owning Hometown will forever be part of Richmond’s history, and we feel incredibly blessed and honored that they trusted us with what comes next.

So today, please help us wish Renea the happiest retirement.

May it be full of slow mornings, long naps, grandbaby snuggles, coffee you actually get to drink while it’s still hot, lunches that don’t get interrupted, spontaneous days off, vacations without checking the restaurant, evenings with nowhere you have to be, and plenty of time to simply enjoy the life you worked so hard to build.

Renea, you deserve every bit of it.

Thank you for the memories.
Thank you for the years.
Thank you for trusting us with your legacy.

Here’s to retirement—and to the next chapter. ❤️

This entire community loves you.

10/02/2026

Black rhinos are among the most hunted animals on earth. Poachers kill them for their horns, and in much of Africa they've disappeared completely.

Botswana was down to an estimated 25.

In early September, conservation teams in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province went to work on one of the biggest rhino moves in years. Vets darted 20 black rhinos and loaded each one into a heavy steel crate on the back of a truck.

The convoys drove for about 36 hours, across the border into Botswana, with vets riding along to check on the animals at every stop.

At the other end, the crates were opened at a remote, guarded spot that's being kept secret to protect the rhinos from poachers. The rhinos stepped out into the bush.

With the 20 newcomers, Botswana now has about 45 black rhinos.

The move was part of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, which the World Wildlife Fund and its partners started in 2003. Its idea is simple. Take rhinos from parks where they're doing well and start new herds in safe places where they've been lost. Botswana's is the 18th new population the project has started.

Rangers say the newcomers are settling in and feeding well.

Somewhere in that bush right now, 20 black rhinos are browsing on thorn trees in a country that only had 25 of them a month ago.

10/02/2026

Nobody planned this dish. It started as the end of the Sunday roast.

Stovies are a Scottish classic. Potatoes and onions are slowly stewed in a heavy pot, usually with dripping, until they turn soft and golden. Leftover roast meat is often added.

The name is thought to come from the Scots word "stove", meaning to stew. The dish was a way to make sure nothing was wasted, and to turn Sunday's leftovers into Monday's supper.

It was filling and cheap, and it was made in homes across Scotland. It is traditionally eaten with oatcakes and sliced beetroot. Everyone has an opinion on the right way to make it.

Plain food. Big comfort.

What goes in your family's stovies?

10/02/2026

The tripod fish (Bathypterois grallator) is a remarkable deep sea fish that appears to stand on the seafloor using three extremely long fin rays.

Its modified pelvic fins and lower tail fin can extend far beyond its body, forming a tripod like structure that supports it above the seafloor. The fish faces into deep sea currents and can remain almost motionless while waiting for food to drift toward it.

Its eyes are highly reduced, so instead of relying heavily on vision, the tripod fish uses its long, sensitive pectoral fins to detect movement and vibrations in the surrounding water. These fins extend forward like antennae and help it locate small prey such as zooplankton and tiny crustaceans.

Tripod fish live in the deep ocean, at depths ranging from roughly 900 to 4,700 meters, where sunlight never reaches.

They are also unusual because they are simultaneous hermaphrodites, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. This may be useful in the vast deep sea, where finding another individual can be difficult.

10/02/2026

An aging lion named Ginger has become the center of a touching wildlife story from Zambia’s South Luangwa region.

Ginger was already well known to safari guides after years of living in the wild landscape. As he grew older, observers reported him spending time near a pride connected to his adult offspring rather than remaining entirely on his own.

Male lions usually face major changes as younger animals take leadership of a pride. Ginger’s calm presence around the group drew attention because the encounters appeared peaceful and allowed the older lion to rest close to familiar animals.

The story has been shared as a rare family chapter in the life of a wild lion. Instead of focusing only on dominance, it highlights recognition, tolerance and the social bonds that can appear among animals living across the same territory.

10/02/2026

Les Baux-de-Provence in the Alpilles sits on an extraordinary rocky promontory. The ruined medieval castle above the living village commands views across the entire Rhône delta.

The extraordinary Carrières de Lumières light show is nearby.

Entry to the Les Baux castle ruins costs around 8 euros.

10/02/2026

🦌 Mouse deer may look delicate, but they are ancient hoofed mammals with a surprisingly secretive life.

Also called chevrotains, they move quietly through dense forests, feeding on fallen fruit, leaves and shoots.

Their tiny size helps them stay hidden near the forest floor, where speed and camouflage matter more than strength.