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This Weather Is Only Good For Ducks!!

11/29/2014

Today was just one of those days when it felt REALLY wrong to even get out of bed. Even before first light broke over the distant cedar trees, even before a sleepy eyed Greg brought me my steaming hot mug of tea.....even before I thought of cautiously toe testing the room temperature....I just KNEW it WASN'T going to be good ! Out on the deck, my wind chimes were simultaneously playing Beethoven's Fifth and the best ( or worst depending on your point of view !) of rockin' and rollin' Led Zeppelin. No gentle pitter patter of little rain drops on my window pane....Unseen torrents lashed the deck, bounced against the glass and formed pools of standing water. The gutters, totally inadequate with the quantity of rain falling from the still dark sky formed waterfalls the length of the house. As dawn filled the Eastern sky, heavy dark clouds skittered across the horizon driven by the relentless wind. New waterways snaked their way through sodden pastures, new ponds had forged overnight and everywhere the red glow of an angry dawn reflected in standing water. Clearly the weather Gods were not looking kindly down on Gentle giant Meadows Ranch...and our day had barely begun...please can I go back to bed ?

Bran the Border Collie, unconcerned by a little ...or even a lot of rain, bounded effortlessly through deep puddles and sticky mud to leap into the big old farm Chevy. Little Luke, shorter legs, center of gravity ( and everything else !) much closer to the ground was much more reluctant to leave his warm fuzzy bed and even less reluctant to scramble his rotund little body up to join a very impatient and vocal Bran, ready and waiting in the truck. It didn't take too long for me to recognize that, despite the multiple layers of clothes I was wearing, I had a serious wardrobe malfunction....I was warm (for the moment) but sadly had neglected to pay attention to the difference between "water RESISTANT" and water "PROOF"......and my water resistant was, in the face of the deluge of Biblical proportions that we were experiencing TOTALLY and completely ineffective. Bran immediately headed for the comparative warmth and security of the barn kitchen, Mr. Luke made his way ( avoiding puddles and newly formed creeks running through the barn yard) to his cozy little man cave nest in the hay pile. Tiger and Shy the resident barn cats had apparently left their refuge on the top of the haystack to lurk around the feed room door for just long enough to research the possibility of their food bowls being replenished before they resolutely headed back to snooze out the storm in the warm dry cedar barn. The sheep unashamedly crowded in the back of the stall...not one little sheep nose volunteered to venture out and test the storm. Misty Moo and Bella the Jersey cows hesitated in the cow barn but Daisy Mae the black Dexter momma, dripping wet and feisty in the relentless rain joined little red steer Sirloin in vocally demanding food...attention...a bull or all of the above. Horse rugs, still sodden and muddy from yesterday found their way back onto their respective owners and one by one our equine family trudged through newly sprung rivulets, mud banks and murky puddles to spend their day, butts turned into the wind and possibly thinking "this REALLY shouldn't happen to a horse". By the time the last sheep had been ushered out, the cows were all meandering very reluctantly down Cow Lane, The horses were all safely (if not happily) out in their submerged pastures and I had discovered that I had no milk in the barn kitchen with which to infuse my coffee...(it was clearly 5 o'clock somewhere but not Vaughn WA )and I had long since decided that days like today were not good for my health, worse for my peace of mind and clearly only good for ducks...who obviously didn't know better! Now where is that hot mulled wine?

Take care, keep warm and dry. M

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The Smell of Pineapples?!

11/26/2014

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Mother Nature had yet another Ace card up her proverbial sleeve this morning. M J McDermott, Fox 13's meteorologist extraordinaire was almost bouncing on the spot in front of her weather forecast green screen....green, greener...yellow, orange and blue for the mountains...the double Doppler was in overdrive and the pineapple express weather system lurching in from Hawaii was not bringing sunshine to the Pacific North West. Rivers flooding, the chance of landslides, snow in the mountains, standing water on the roads... oh ....and don't forget to take your jacket with a hood! ( I love those inane weather warnings...you have just informed me that we are due a flood of epic proportions and you tell me not to forget ...not just my jacket, but my jacket with a hood. Thank you MJ, without your illustrious advice, I would for sure have got even wetter than I did....but, seriously, I'm really not sure how I could have got wetter without having made a conscious decision to drown myself..and, to be fair, I think at one stage this morning drowning was possibly the easy option !

All the woolly ladies were, as usual lined up at the starting gate. Barney, our virile alpha male with the assets to prove his potency has a (little more than) slight handicap which seriously influences his "need for speed"....Barneys "bits" swing like the Old Bow Bells between his hind legs and give Bran the over enthusiastic Border Collie a target to focus on when he is persuading the ladies and Barney to head in the direction they were already predetermined to go. This morning Barney "the boy with the bits", clearly already unhappy with the inclement weather and less than happy with Bran gnawing at his generous appendages, turned to challenge his canine aggressor. Little Luke, always late to arrive, none the less enthusiastic but..not really sure of the purpose of the chase very quickly backed out of the open gate as Barney's not too impressed and very un-amused eyes bore down on his aggressor. Clearly it was a "NOT ME" moment as he left Bran to face the incensed ram alone. Fortunately, as Bran had a "oh no...now what do I do ?" panic moment, his people " back up" team saved the day ( and his butt) by sharply slamming the field gate.

Two more horses came under our care this morning whilst their people dealt with a personal and painful medical crisis. Tonto the liver chestnut gelding is, fortunately docile and very amiable, Misty the chestnut mare has clearly predetermined her human intolerance and was certainly not going to modify her opinion to make our lives any less difficult....and she didn't. Within moments of me cautiously entering her stall the chestnut mare had reincarnated herself as the devil incarnate. As I attempted to put the head collar over her ears, the mare went into a 4 legged River Dance routine and tap danced on my big toe whilst swinging the rest of my body into orbit. Great !! ..and Greg said "she likes women better than men" REALLY....could have fooled me !

Well, the cuckoo clock has spoken, the dogs have been out to pee on an already drenched tree or three, Greg has my "sleepy time tea" brewing ....guess it's bed time. it's another day tomorrow. Take care, keep safe and dry. M

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So Grateful For Our Life On The Ranch...

11/24/2014

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We had planned a tack sale for Saturday...so, the Weather God apparently had a consultation with the confusion/disorder/wet God and arranged a catastrophic Biblical flood just to make life a little interesting and our misery complete. As dawn broke yesterday morning, the rain began to fall, the horses all rugged up to cover any climatic disasters were unconcerned by the gloomy weather outlook and all headed intently and resolutely for the hay feeders which had been replenished by Greg and his trusty four wheeler hoodies, Bran the Border Collie and Luke the wanna be Australian Shepherd.. Our intrepid flock of sheep, all tucked up in their Woolley coats were less inclined to venture out into the rain and Misty Moo and baby Bella the Jersey prima donnas resolutely parked themselves within the shelter of the cow barn and refused to venture a bovine hoof out into the deluge. Daisy May the black Dexter momma, followed closely by little red calf Sirloin was less concerned with the drenching rain than she was by the chance of hitting the hay feeder before Misty and Bella reached it and, once released into a very soggy Cow Lane didn't take long before she was steadfastly devouring her (and everyone else's daily ration ).

Down on the ranch we are fortunate to be able watch our livestock interacting, we daily observe the tenderness of the ewes to their offspring, the cows with their calves and the close relationship between Lady and Quest, our Shire mother and son duo. It is interesting to watch Bran verbally chastising Luke for apparent indiscretions ( that we aren't necessarily aware of), Daisy loudly berating rebellious little Sirloin and Misty Moo and Bella our beautiful Jersey prima donnas wrangling over a hormonal imbalance or exclusive rights to a particularly tasty patch of grass. Our equine centenarian T bone has become very adept at avoiding the well aimed and indiscriminate kicks of his younger pasture pal, the big bay, Cooper. Old T Bone may be of advancing years, his tail may be thinning, there is grey in his hair, age in his eyes and his joints may creak but, come hell or high water he will ensure that, either heading out to pasture as day breaks or heading for home as the sun sets.... he is well out of striking range of a well aimed Cooper hoof or close enough to for a sharp nip from passing teeth. Back in the barnyard, Tiger the little ginger tabby cat has been known to lull Border Collie Bran into a false sense of security, lying prostrate on his back, soaking in the sunshine with his claws outstretched and the tip of his feline tail twitching expectantly, poor unsuspecting victim Bran is effortlessly lured within reach of a lightning swat from a crafty paw. In the hen house, the gleaming white Leghorn hens with vibrant red wattles and comb squabble over occupation rights to a coveted nest box, fight over an ill fated worm who had the misfortune to surface in the chicken pen or dispute ownership of a loose feather floating in the wind.

Every day as dawn breaks over the pastures and the red sky reflects in a mirror glass pond or on a turbulent swirling maelstrom of water we have been given the blessing of being part of something much larger than us. Seasons come and seasons go,.... Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, we endure driving winds, drenching rain, icy cold snow and blistering sunshine. We watch the fresh green leaves budding and we watch the red and gold leaves fall slowly to the ground. We watch in wonder the miracle of birth, life and death on the ranch, and we are grateful that we are lucky enough to be the stewards on this land we call home. Take care, keep safe, M

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Warmer, Wetter Weather is on the Way!

11/18/2014

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Another "....oh no !! give us a break morning".....another "just how many under-layers are going to fit inside the first layer of my outer layers ?" followed by ..."how many outer-layers will fit under my oversized coat ? ". The resultant fashion faux pas, something looking like a multicolored blob enough to scare the chickens off the lay and turn Daisy Mae's milk sour. Fortunately Greg clearly has a um....problem which possibly means that he doesn't notice !!! as discovered in a recent conversation, standing in front of the kitchen window and discussing the flora and fauna (or, lack of it) on the distant tree line which forms the boundary of our 40 acre"empire". "Look at the skeleton of that big Alder tree out there"....gazing in the vague direction that Greg is looking I am confused as to exactly which naked Alder he is referring and I hesitantly informed him that there are several Alders out there that have surrendered their leaves to Autumn...to which tree is he referring. Impatiently (clearly I'm not psychic) he said "that one over there on the left of all the cedars". Even more hesitantly I dare to suggest that the only denuded Alder I see next to a copse of cedars....is on the RIGHT. Silly me, left..right !!! Indulgently, Greg looked me straight in the eye..."the Alder tree on the LEFT Maureen" and as he held up his RIGHT hand to demonstrate just how wrong I was...I saw a little spark of "OOOPS " (to put it politely !!!) I have to confess....it's tough being right....AGAIN !!

If cows could have a lap band, our big black Dexter Daisy Mae would be a candidate. Daisy has an eating problem...she doesn't know when to stop. To the average city slicker, a fat cow doesn't appear to be a problem of any significance but to us, Daisy's obesity was the cause of her infertility last year. Wayne the man with "the syringe" tried unsuccessfully to impregnate our corpulent cow and after several attempts we resorted to renting a bull with a healthy appetite for "the deed", boundless enthusiasm and.... the appropriate assets to get the job done in a timely manner (we rented his productive "bits" for 6 weeks). A little red bull was the happy conclusion to Pixie Mulder's visit and it has to be said, Sirloin has not been a disappointment but we resolved that Daisy our corpulent cow WAS going to reduce her waistline before Wayne "the man with the syringe" was due to return to the ranch. Daisy is NOT a happy cow...clearly, "sufficient" for us is very lacking from where she is looking and, "when Daisy aint happy...aint no body happy" and the whole ranch, the valley and the whole neighborhood is made aware that our big fat momma is hungry enough to eat a scabby horse. Poor Daisy Mae, life is tough for a fat cow on a diet.

Little Luke the Australian Shepherd dog with questionable parentage has, apparently.... surprisingly discovered that being a pampered pet isn't nearly as much fun as being a true, down to earth, muddy grubby farm dog. Forsaking his well worked and comfortable little nest in the hay, Luke has been appearing (albeit a little late) to "assist" Bran persuading the flock of sheep to go out to the pasture. Truth be told, neither Bran the Border Collie or little Luke are necessary for this exercise but, it gives Bran a purpose and he likes nothing better than trying to sneak a crafty snap at Barney the rams most...uh.... noticeable assets (that's English polite for scrotum ). As the sheep are all but through the pasture gate little Luke comes charging into the arena...usually heading in the wrong direction but at least he is out to play and in his excitement the little guy just runs for all the world like a scalded cat or a headless chicken around the barnyard. Today, as usual Greg loaded up the daily hay ration on to the trailer and put the key in the ignition to the quad bike. Within seconds, Bran had scrambled up onto the hood and tail waving assumed the co pilot position only to have little Luke gallop up the barn yard after the speeding vehicle. Grudgingly Bran made room for the smaller dog and together they "assisted" Greg on his early morning chore. Little Luke could make a bona fide farm dog yet !! (we live in hope little one).

Well, bed time. The double doppler has assured us that clouds, rain and warmer weather is on the way, the local meteorologists have assure us that their computer models have got it right....so it's hunt out the wet weather gear in the morning ! Take care, keep safe...warm...and dry. M

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I'm Soooo Done With This Cold!!

11/16/2014

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Well, I guess Jack Frost is hanging out over the Pacific North West...in fact, he's hung about so long I think he has about moved in and I for one am finding him a pretty disagreeable "house guest". Jack Frost has seriously outstayed his welcome. Logic tells me that we are in fact very fortunate, certain parts of the United States are digging out after historic November snow falls, some states are mopping up after historic rainfall and others clearing up after wind damage. On the grander scale of things.....some discomfort, frozen fingers and toes, neon nose and watering eyes are a reasonable trade off and I'm sure.... it is only going to get worse. This morning, once again.....just as I have for the past week, I scanned the frigid landscape from the warmth and security of my cozy bed. The pond was covered in a glassy sheen of rippled ice, the huge cedar trees sprinkled with a dusting of icy crystals, the barn roofs were white and the pastures sparkled with frozen droplets of ice. Clutching my steaming mug of Tetleys tea I summoned the willpower to brave the elements and test the ambient temperature with a toe test...it wasn't good but the cuckoo clock had spoken in the kitchen, the meteorologist on KOMO tv wasn't able to give me any better advice than to ensure that I put my gloves on before my mittens ( seriously worrying !) and in the bathroom, a piping hot shower was running. Time to go out into the big frozen world...again.

Down at the barn, crystallized spider webs twinkled between the tree branches, the lock was frozen (again)....Daisy accusingly informed me that her water bucket was a pink frozen block, the two less than happy barn cats met me at the farm gate, tails twitching in irritation....so now the inclement weather is all my fault ? The White Leghorn chickens huddled into a feathered mass braving the brutal temperatures whilst the apparently much more astute Rhode Island Red birds lined the perches relatively warm and cozy within the walls of the chicken coop. In the barn, a warm moist aroma emanated from the cow stall, Misty Moo and Daisy patiently waiting for the day to start. The sheep, having spent yet another frigid night huddled together in their stall anxiously bleated for breakfast and in the horse stalls, our equine guests warmly rugged up to fend off the cold, stamped and neighed in restless impatience. Bran the Border Collie, apparently impervious to the challenges of life in a virtual frozen tundra continued to take life at his habitual pace...twice the speed of sound whilst Luke, (he of uncertain parentage but believed to be at least nominally Australian Shepherd) wisely retreated to the warm hay nest that he has fashioned behind the hay stack, there to stay entombed until it was time to head back up to the house. Heritage turkeys are (aren't they ?) by definition American ancestral birds...the white commercial turkey is notoriously stupid, apparently able to drown itself when it is raining....Heritage turkeys are noted to be more astute.... intelligent even, not at our ranch. The automatic waterers had, not surprisingly frozen solid and, by necessity been replaced by a temporary watering system in the turkey house. Said "intelligent...astute......native" turkeys clearly had a serious problem working out how to take water from the turkey waterer being used to the automatic system and consequently preferred to dehydrate than drink from the alternative and much more labor intensive method of watering. Conclusion....turkeys are ALL dumb !

Well, another day on the ranch draws to a chilly close, livestock are all bedded down in the big cedar barn, Bran and Luke are snuggled up on their fluffy dog beds, Greg is close by, I have a warm mug of mulled wine.... all's good in my world. Take care, keep safe and warm, M

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Does This Look Cold?

11/15/2014

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Well, this morning was another reason for MJ Mc Dermott, meteorologist for Fox 13 news channel to jump up and down in frenzied excitement. Across the board the regional map was blue and pink and white. Fortunately for us, our little spot on the projected map of impending disaster was for the most part a non event. Temperatures of 21 degrees F or for my colonial friends... 7 C below zero compared with...(almost) local ice storms, MAYBE snow in the lowlands and multiple weather related road accidents... I guess meant that we were comparatively faring quite well.....as we looked out the window onto a white landscape and a frozen pond, I was inclined to dispute that badly informed assumption..but, who was I to question the professionals ?

By the time I had considered, reconsidered and finally decided on my multiple undergarments, layer upon layer of inside ( yes, VERY inside !) garments and settled on my outer vesture, I guess I closely resembled an ageing yeti if not an oversize and very unflattering Michelin woman. Thankfully, my appearance wasn't my greatest concern as I ventured out into the great outdoors this inclement and extremely unforgiving Winter morning. Unlocking the farm gate was my unexpected first challenge.....with so many clothes, how on earth am I expected to locate my key chain ? Once located...the padlock was inconveniently and very securely frozen up, clearly today was going to be..um...interesting.

Before my first challenge (the gate) had been mastered, Daisy Mae the Dexter Cow had informed me in no uncertain terms that all was not well in her world. Her water bucket was frozen solid, her hay manger was depleted and she was in serious need of A MAN ! Little Sirloin, her red Dexter calf was clearly not what she was looking for, her hormones were apparently rampant... and not a testosterone loaded male in sight. Not fully convinced whether her issues were hormonal, carnal or simply dehydration, I concluded that, since no bull was within 20 miles, her hormones were something I had no control over and every hose pipe in the Pacific North West would be frozen... there was not a lot I could do to help her clearly frustrated condition.

I have a purpose here on the Ranch..I would sincerely like to say that it is an executive position..but, in reality, I am the chief, undisputed horse poop scooper ! Usually my daily mission is to scoop the poop in the horse stalls which generally isn't too much of a challenge...today however, my mundane poopy chore became more a mission, my stall brushes had frozen up, the horse apples were like golf balls, every frozen horse apple had frozen solid to the stall mats and every equine inmate appeared to have seriously manic issues. Not fun. Combine glued to the stall mat poop to sub zero temperatures and frenzied horses and I was seriously reconsidering my vocation...then old T Bone our doddery old centenarian just put the proverbial icing on the cake by stomping on my frozen toes. It was a wonderful morning...everyone should be a rancher..in the Winter.....NOT !!! ( wonder if I still have my job in a nice warm office in the city ?) NOT...I wouldn't swap this job for all the gold in the world, just wish it wasn't QUITE so cold tomorrow, God...please ?

Take care, keep safe, M xx

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A Wild and Windy Day

11/12/2014

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M J Mc Dermott on Fox 13 was in hyper mode this morning, doom, gloom, wind, ice, snow...a meteorologist's Nirvana...tucked up warm and snug under the comforter, things didn't look so good and glancing out the window my worst fears were confirmed. The huge cedar trees were waving in the wind, the swell on the surface of the pond swirled from bank to bank, the heavy black clouds swept across a threatening sky and on the deck the big wind chimes played Beethoven's 5th,6th, and 7th..simultaneously !! Clearly, it wasn't going to be a good day ! Winter had arrived on the Pacific North West and I had serious reservations about getting out of bed.

Down at the barn the relentless wind whistled around the cedar stalls, hay flew through the air, shavings swirled and leaves fell from the trees like red and gold confetti. In the turkey pen the bronze heritage turkeys turned their feathers into the wind and gobbled in defiance. The chickens mostly huddled together on the roost some brave birds foolishly chanced the inclement conditions and found themselves buffeted and blown like loose feathers around the coop. On days like today conventional style and color co ordination are disregarded ( which possibly makes me highly fashionable). Blue, yellow, pink and grey all thrown together with gay abandon....and I was still chilled to the bone. Luke the little Australian Shepherd retreated to his hay lined nest in the sheltered safety of the big cedar barn whilst Bran the Border Collie barked his defiance to the wind...and anyone else who cared to listen. The horses, snug in their Winter rugs turned big hairy butts to the wind and the formation eating team (aka our flock of sheep) hunkered down in a sheltered dell to sit out the worst of the weather and wait impatiently for dinner.

"We are going to do WHAT ?"....as Greg appeared around the end of the cow barn, lasso coiled in readiness gripped in his hand, nose red with the cold and eyes watering in the relentless wind. Little Sirloin the red Dexter calf watched cautiously from the perimeter of the pasture, Bran the Border Collie yelped in anticipation of some barnyard excitement and Daisy Mae the black Dexter cow snorted in agitation and irritation. Sirloin the little steer with a lot of attitude IS going to be domesticated (apparently !). Greg has decreed it...but, standing there with the wind whistling around my ears in the middle of the pasture that felt for all the world like a virtual freezer attached by a flimsy rope to an infuriated momma cow, there really was a whole lot more on my bucket list than teaching young Sirloin the error of his ways. No disrespect intended but, Greg may be an engineering wizard, he is comfortingly confident with gardening, butchering, plumbing, electricity and septic tanks (luckily) BUT ......when it comes to roping skills, Greg is no John Wayne and it was a seriously blessed moment when young Sirloin surrendered to the inevitable and all but surrendered to the noose dropped around his chunky neck. Thank you God....I was only in the early stages of hypothermia....not yet an iceberg.

All the predictions are for more of the same...the horses are all tucked up in their rugs for the night, the cows snug and warm in the cow barn and the sheep cozy in the sheep pen. We had just brushed the last horse, fastened the last rug and scooted the cat out of the barn kitchen when the LIGHTS WENT OUT...a power cut....dinner ? Tomorrow HAS to be a better day....doesn't it ?

Take care, keep safe and warm...M

And YES... That is over 60 gallons of wine fermenting... G Nice 2014 fruit harvest.

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Maureen's Back!

11/11/2014

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It's ME.....I'm back !!! My motivation and enthusiasm for recording the "Almost Daily Diary" dissipated into the ether thanks to the debacle involving our former Insurance Company. Over the past months, the daily coming and goings..ups and downs, successes and fiascos have for the most part gone unrecorded. In the barnyard the Union Jack has, as usual, fluttered in the breeze or blown in the gales alongside Old Glory ; In the cow pen, little Bella the Jersey calf has matured into a beautiful Jersey heifer, Daisy our black Dexter cow surrendered herself to the handsome (and thankfully) bountiful Dexter Bull, Pixie Mulder, producing with more than a little drama, a little red bull calf with a huge personality, Sirloin. Three new woolly puff balls on legs joined our little flock of hair sheep. Rodney the ram was retired and Barney the new semen bank has happily and enthusiastically assumed the rank of flock despot in his absence. Greg has valiantly tried to maintain the diary while I tried very hard to forget just WHY I had stopped writing and try even harder to exonerate the Insurance Company for their part in changing the life of the ranch and for using our web site and my blog as evidence against us. Hopefully I am going to be able to prevail against corporate America and return the Almost Daily Diary into an almost daily literary ( loosely speaking) event once again.......will you join me?

Poor Sirloin, to date the chunky little red calf has enjoyed a very uncomplicated life...milky bar open...milky bar closed. Out to pasture as the sun rose...back to the barn as the sun set. Over the past week, the single brain cell that generated the "must follow mom (mum)" message seems to have split into dual brain action..(1)follow the swinging udder and (2) check out if the human team are paying attention. Fortunately if our attention span wavers Bran the Border Collie doesn't miss the twitch of a bovine ear and when young Sirloin takes an unscheduled detour, Bran's right there to encourage the errant little steer in the right direction. An executive decision (Greg's) has decreed that the little red calf with big attitude must learn to accept the head collar...the little red calf with big attitude has decided that he is going to make Greg pay for the error of his ways. Over the past few days much time has been spent chasing a little red calf in a black head collar around the pasture whilst a very irritated and over protective black momma cow works out her exasperation and wrath against man or beast who happens to cross her path. Greg (the eternal optimist) insists Sirloin will learn the error of his ways.....I (the abiding pessimist) recognize that the little red calf with big attitude has little difficulty evading us right now..... and things can only get worse !

Today I took Greg to Gig Harbor for oral surgery. The good news is that he survived, the even better news is that I drove him home without even a whispered complaint about my (in his opinion) erratic driving. I have constantly drawn his attention to the fact that it isn't my unpredictable driving that is at fault....driving on the right side of the road clearly contributes to inconsistent and hazardous road conditions...now if you drove on the left...! I think that his failure to take deep intakes of breath and heavy sighs was possibly due to the big wodge of gauze in his mouth..but i could be mistaken, maybe he wasn't pressed into the passenger seat, fearing for his life. I'm not judgemental (well, not today, he is sick !)

Time to say goodnight from Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch, take care and keep safe, M

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Time for Wine

11/10/2014

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Harvest time turns into fruit pressing time that turns juice, water and sugar into wine! This was a great year for the grapes. We beat the crows and other birds and were able to harvest about 400 lbs of grapes. Naturally grapes are best for wine... So now there is about maybe 60 gallons of wine fermenting. My den (laboratory) has turned into winery. Smells like it too. Can't wait for the first taste from this batch. The first fermenting we made from some of the white grapes was outstanding. All gone. (There were only 2 gallons! Don't worry.
Grandson Brennon and Matt came to visit over the weekend. Brennon got a taste of calf wresting. We put a halter on Sirloin for the first time and what a wrangle. Luckily it was easy to get him in the pen and we were able to have an easier time. Then it was off to learn how to drive the tractor. Reaching the pedals is a requirement and Brennon is just there. From the smiles I think he had a good time.
Well the sun is up and its time to think about getting ready to go let animals out. Looks cold out there. Fog hanging in the valley.
Take care, stay safe till next time.
Greg and Maureen

2 Comments

This Weather Is Only Good For Ducks!!

The Smell of Pineapples?!

So Grateful For Our Life On The Ranch...

Warmer, Wetter Weather is on the Way!

I'm Soooo Done With This Cold!!

Does This Look Cold?

A Wild and Windy Day

Maureen's Back!

Time for Wine

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