New Year’s Day began with the “String of Pearls” conjunction described in our Winter 2018 entry. January 20th and February 19th had “supermoons” when the moon at perigee, its closest position to earth, appears larger in its full phase. Yes, I do a lot of talking about the moon. I have developed a fascination with it and enjoy being conscious of its phases as a timekeeper in my life. No, I don’t adhere to astrology predictions or believe that the stars control our lives. I do however seem compelled to try to photograph the moon even though my results are always disappointing. (Any really good shots shared on this website were probably harvested from somewhere else online.) Maybe I just like to document the fact that I acknowledged the moon doing something fun by snapping a photo whenever weather conditions allow.
Spring 2019
Pruned branches accumulate on a burn pile which creates opportunities to have nice fires on Saturdays. A chilly day is still very pleasant when you can stand near a well-built fire with a glass of wine. It’s been consistently cold but “growing degree-days” start to add up after the second week of April.
“an explosion of wildflowers”
Every spring we have an explosion of wildflowers in the woodland. Violets, spring beauties, and trillium create a floral carpet in some areas. Conditions were right for a pop-up event on April 27th which we called the “Teddy Bear Picnic.” Visitors of all ages enjoyed snacks and the chance to sit under a canopy among the wildflowers.
Summer 2019
National Rose’ Day was June 8 so we served up “Pink Chia Sangria” using our Patchwork Pink wine along with offering a discount on our pink wine by the bottle. Party bookings pick up with the warmer weather. Morning glories are dreaded weeds to farmers but I tolerate a few on the patio for their unique blue color. By removing a fence and adding two posts for shade sails, FINALLY our expanded patio design becomes a reality.
May 31st was Brian’s last day at the gas company. It was hard to say goodbye to a job held for 42 years and all those friends seen on a daily basis. His job was truly a blessing for which we will always be thankful. We hope to see a lot of familiar faces from the company come out to visit us here!
Again the moon captures my attention; this time reminding us of an historical event that happened 50 years ago. On July 20th, 1969, two American astronauts landed and walked on the moon’s surface while the world watched from their television sets. Those who are old enough, remember what a big deal this was! It remains a remarkable feat to this day in the realm of manned spaceflight. Of course, we needed to celebrate this 50th anniversary and created a family-friendly event with games, interactive props, video of the original broadcast, and even a signature beverage named “Berry Blast-Off.”
Who knew my mother would be the first to don the Tyvek space suit and plant the U.S. flag on our patio? It was a hot day but we had some good sports that really jumped in! A big thanks to Amy, Whitney, Shawn and Astronaut Mom for staffing the event. We hope to reprise the Lunar Module as a bar someday!
“resistance is futile”
Fall 2019
This year held many changes and another was our technology tools. Our previous webhost changed their service and prices making a switch necessary. We also retired our landline along with an old reliable computer only interfaced by a dial-up connection. The old computer was used for web design and the demand of being mobile-friendly was bearing hard on our web presence. Our now current website utilizes a blog-post system so my format of journaling is changing as well — this page being the last installment of top-to-bottom chronological reading. Please follow the link labeled “The Vineyard Journal” to see new searchable posts. We made these moves slowly over several months, establishing a new WordPress site in June and adding a tablet to our cell plan. These types of changes are difficult for me. Excruciating! But resistance is futile. I have been assimilated.
An FFA chapter from Iowa came for a tour during the National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis. We are thrilled to share our story with groups of young people like this who have their eyes on a future agriculture career. We are also very pleased to have received a building permit for finishing the interior of our winery facility. This has been a long time in the works and we can’t wait to have an indoor option for our party hosting.
Winter 2019
The “Shop Small” weekend introduced new half-size bottles for three of our wines. It is a way to manage some wines that are repeatedly small batches. We have gift basket trios available as well.
The doors on our garage were recently replaced by the master, John Mollet, and during a photo of the finished project we had an eagle fly into the shot. So, the year has been full of many changes and surprises! We’ll close out by reminding you we are always open on Saturdays, but if that doesn’t work, you can make an appointment by calling or now TEXTING us your request. Hope to see you in 2020!