Little House by the Vineyard

A Blog Column by Jay Bryant

Little House by the Vineyard is a blog column reflecting on life on the farm, through the unique perspective of Jay Bryant, Union Grove Farm’s Poet Laureate.

Jay Bryant is a retired speechwriter, communications consultant for U.S. Senators, congressmen and governors, television producer, internet columnist, radio personality, poet and author who now lives in a little house by the vineyard at Union Grove Farm. He has been a commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He and Greg Bohlen collaborated on the novel The Sugar Rat, and the non-fiction work, Common Men. Jay also authored the novel Earth and Water.

Reach out to Jay: j@ug.farm

The French Connection

The French are a strange people. A few weeks ago they all trooped to the polls and voted to turn their government over to the most right-wing group in the country. But in this strange land, you have to win twice to take office, and when they voted the second time, only a week later,… Continue reading

Young Greg

The first thing you have to remember about Greg Bohlen is that he is the baby of the family, born twenty years after his oldest brother, Bob, and a full ten years after Chris, his other brother. His two sisters, Ginny and Susan, were born between Bob and Chris. So Greg was not only the… Continue reading

The Cabin

I made history one cold March dark last week by becoming the first person to survive a night spent in The Cabin. This ranks right up there with my being the only person in history to have walked out of a supermarket having bought just two items, a jicama root and a box of Fudgesicles.… Continue reading

Rescue Flag

My house, the semi-famous Little House by the Vineyard, is, overall, a great delight to me. No one is ever going to accuse it of having good bones, but it is pleasantly laid out, with a large kitchen, new paint, all my furniture in place and the walls covered with my modest treasures, which is… Continue reading

Arts and Farmers

Katie Murray’s office sits behind the loading dock of an old mill on the Eno River, in the back on the lower level. To get there, you have to bump down a steep, rough incline. You also have to make sure you don’t turn in six feet too soon or you’ll wind up in the… Continue reading

Roger That

Whenever anyone familiar with this general part of North Carolina asks me where it is I live in Orange County, I have learned to reply, “Do you know where the ice cream shop is?” They always do. The Maple View Farm Ice Cream Shop is a regional legend, a Nutter family enterprise that was… Continue reading