Not too chilly

Its a little cooler out tonight, but still too nice to stay inside. We lit a fire, pulled the corks on some wine and enjoyed the company of friends.

It's Friday that means Fish & Chips

I am a creature of habit. Fridays means fish and chips at the fire station. We usually eat inside the fire station with the rest of the locals ans catch up on all the town news and gossip. Today I broke tradition. It was so nice outside I decided to eat by the lake. and watch the sunset.

Sunrise more pruning to do

Heaven has a new Angel

Izzy's Story

Looking at Izzy, you would have thought she was like any other 3-year old running around the playground and chasing her older brother and sister around the house. However, Izzy was diagnosed on October 20, 2009 with stage IV rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of 12 months. Izzy’s family and friends tackled this disease with fervor however on March 12, 2012 Izzy’s fight ended peacefully. Izzy did not let the non-stop chemotherapy, radiation, or multiple surgeries slow her down. We will remember Izzy everyday….she loved anything purple, was an expert with the iPad, and was never seen without polish on her nails! Izzy was and still is truly an inspiration to all those who knew and loved her

FRIDAY FISH & CHIPS

 The sign says it all. Fish & Chips every Friday during Lent. Members of the local volunteer fire department have these fish & chip dinners to raises money to fund themselves. Local town folks can call in orders for fish & chips,clam chowder ( or as we Rhode Islanders pronounce it CHOWDA"), They also serve  "Lobsta" bisque, and stuff Quahogs too.  We prefer to eat in the station. The fire crews pull the fire engines out and set up tables so folks can sit and enjoy their dinners while catching up on the local gossip or just spending time with neighbors.



The fire crew is still ready for action! 

After dinner we took a long walk around part of the reservoir.



Bud Burst - Pinot Noir

 

Spring sees the vines awake from their dormant period over winter. As sunshine increases, the buds begin to burst. The majority of our vines at now at the stage of "full swell". Some are at "bud burst" and a few are showing "first leaf".

This is a risky time in the vineyard as a severe frost can burn the buds. At worse this can result in the entire season's crop being lost. Whilst global warming is generally assisting viticulture, too much sunshine to early in spring means that the vines will be vulnerable to frost for longer.

Various attempts are often made to protect against frost including lighting oil heaters in the rows, spraying the vines with a chemical solution to form a seal around the buds, orLarge vineyards even using helicopters to get air circulation. We can't use the chemicals or the helicopter as were organic so I guess I might be up tonight lighting oil lamps!

Let's hope that Jack Frost won't catch us out!

A Beautiful Day

We began our day attending a benefit lunching for St. Sophia

A  traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, delicious breads and a vegetarian Irish stew were on the menu. Live Irish music brought out the Irish in all of us. Proceeds will benefit the Scholarship Fund at Sophia Academy. This Scholarship  allows girls facing economic inequities to attend this independent middle school.

The food was delicious, the music was amazing and the afternoon was a success for the school. St Patrick's day is next week and it is always the time I feel that it is safe to start working around the farm. There is still a chance of snow but it won't last because the weather is warming everyday. So after today's luncheon I decided to walk the vineyard to begin my assessment of the work that needs to be done.  

Early March  is time to prune and  tie the vines to the guide wires. I try to walk through the vineyard everyday, but this is when you get up close and personal with the vines. Handle them, train them and sometimes they treat you to a peek at a special type of art work. These winter tendrils appear like a tiny sculptures, gracefully curling and  intertwining among themselves. When I see these graceful curling tendril I can almost hear the Irish music playing in my mind, its as if the vine can dance. It just seems everything is right in the world on days like this.