Monday, March 21, 2011

Old Friends

  I spent many hours sitting under this grape vine when I was a kid.
It is now one of my oldest vines.The original vine was planted by my grandfather around 1920. My father took a cutting back in the early 60's and it grew in his yard for over thirty years. We enjoyed delicious jelly, some fantastic wine and tasty fruit produced from this vine.

When my father passed away in the late 90's, I took a chance and transplanted this vine at Yellow Dog Farm. It occupies a place of high honor and we still enjoy the rewards from her fruit. I have made many cuttings from this plant to increase the vineyard.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Signs of Spring

It looks as if old man winter has finally left. What a mess he left around the farm. It will take some time to clean up after him but I am excited to begin. It was a gorgeous spring day today, so I decided to take a walk through the vineyard. The vines have started to sprout.  I will spend many hours walking through the vineyard, pruning, tying up vines,  and talking to my vines encouraging them to be the best they can be. 

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Something New At Yellow Dog Farms

It was a balmy 55 degrees here today. The snow is rapidly melting and the grass is starting to appear  from under the blanket of snow left by our friend "Old Man Winter". I went out and sat on the patio after dinner tonight and enjoyed a good cigar.

The aroma of  fresh earth rose from the exposed grass and I could hear the cry of baby squirrels in their nest from the old oak tree near the patio. My senses have been aroused and I have a feeling that spring is just around the corner. I can help but imagine what opportunities  this summer will bring.

There will be something new on the horizon at Yellow Dog Farms. Lemoncello. My wife Susan and I had this delicious digestivo many years ago at our favorite restaurant, Saraceno's, in the North end of Boston.  After a wonderful  meal of some of the best Italian food since mama, our waiter, Marcello, brought out this delicious drink. It's called a disgestivo because it is said to aid in the digestion after a heavy meal.

My wife Susan and I traveled all throughout Italy. It was on the island of Capri where we discovered many lemoncello stands. This refreshing drink is served chilled and is very refreshing on a hot summer's day. We were introduced to a nice Italian family, the Paganos. They have been  making  lemoncello  for three generations and we had an opportunity to tour their farm. Orlindo, the head of the family treated us to a fantastic lunch in his lemon grove and we talked about how this delicious elixir is made.

The wonderful yellow coloring comes from the peels of lemons and reminds me of our yellow lab Molly, and namesake of Yellow Dog Farm.

We peeled over two thousand lemons to produce our first bottling of our lemoncello. It will be made in small quantities until I can test the market in our area.


I have been at the drawing board all week trying to design the label for our new venture. 
Until my next posting...Cheers

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Relaxing

It actually took a full week to recuperate from the wedding. Molly and I have spent the last three days hiding in my office. The phone has not stopped ringing, people have been calling to tell us what a wonderful time they had at the wedding.This is especially great to hear.

Sunday was a sad day because the kids had to leave to report back to their respective Coast Guard stations.

Joseph had a fifteen hour dive back to North Carolina. twenty minutes from his apartment he received a call from his ship that he had to report as soon as possible because they had a rescue mission.
Gwen is on her way back to her base on Kodiak Island in Alaska.  A 26 hour journey.

This newly married couple won't be together again until October.  Their devotion to duty is truly inspirational and they accept their separation as part of their duty. Until then we all throw ourselves into our work so we do not dwell on the time apart. Soon our daily task will over take our minds so we can endure the time apart.

Having this time together was truly a joy that does the heart good. When the day came to say goodbye many tears were shed and it was a reminder to live everyday as if it were your last.
"To the newlyweds all my blogger friends,"
Peace, Love, and Happiness. All the days of our Lives,
~Old dog~