The most frequent question about this column is “How do you find all the people you write about?” There are many avenues down which a writer travels to find interesting subjects, but perhaps meeting the Howards is one of the most unusual.

A couple of years ago, while participating in a festival in Gloucester, Ernest Borgnine the rooster and a few lady hens were part of the display of the neighboring exhibitor, CA&J Farm.

Ernest in his private coop, with his lady friends close by, became the star of the show with his routine crowing. Who wouldn’t want to meet Ernest’s owners? Here is your chance to meet them.

Charles Allen (CA) and Jean (J) Howard bought their five-acre farm in the Bohannon area of Mathews County in 1997. “We love it here,” Jean said. CA retired from the U.S. Coast Guard and today is a contractor at Fort Eustis. Jean began the work of renovating their home and immediately added bee hives in their first step to becoming a real...