Death among the vines

Sometimes grape vines die. I don't know why one vine among dozens just gives up. But they do, especially in the older, established vineyard parcels. In some cases, the dead vine is replaced with a younger, healthy one. In other cases, the vine is removed but not replaced. An empty space marks the spot until, at some point, there are too many empty spaces and the entire parcel is dug up and, eventually, replanted. Or not. I'm sure vineyard management is not so simple as that.

A dead grape vine among the living.

Yesterday was a productive day. I made another trip to the dump and got rid of several containers of spent fryer oil. I also went to the filling station for ten liters of gasoline for the mower. After, I managed to cut the grass in the west forty. Today I hope to cut the south forty and the strips outside hedges. The weather forecast looks good. 

Twenty years ago

Just a quick photo from 2005 when we started harvesting green beans from our garden. Yum! No such bounty this year. :(

Green and yellow beans from one of our first vegetable gardens, 2005.

I was up and out early this morning. Another trip to the dump and to buy some gasoline for the mower. 

Getting plowed

One way to keep weeds under control out in the vineyards is to plow them under. That's what's happened in this parcel in the past week. It's good for the vines and it looks nice. But walking in the newly plowed rows is next to impossible. Oh well, the vineyard isn't there for our strolling pleasure.

A newly plowed vineyard parcel.

Can you believe that, after our near 40ºC days last week, we're now back to putting blankets on the bed. It rained most of the day on Sunday. The rain was welcome. You may have noticed from the photos of our back yard how brown the grass is. It's almost like California in the summer.

Top heavy

The apple trees are looking a little top heavy these days. They're on the list for pruning during the winter months. It'll be the second time we've have them done in twenty years. There aren't any apples on the tree this year. We seem to be in a year-on year-off cycle with them. One year were drowning in apples, the next year there are none. I've read that this happens when trees are not pruned regularly.

No apples on the trees this year. That'll make mowing a lot easier. Didn't I see this tree in The Wizard of Oz?

We woke up to light rain this morning and about 18ºC on the thermometer. Dare I say, it's almost fall-like. Our high is predicted to be 20ºC, a far cry from the nearly 40º we had for a couple of days last week. 

It's grapes

Here are some grapes on the vines out back. They're coming along nicely. I think they like the hot weather and all the trimming and pruning they've been getting.

These are red grapes, I think, but are they gamay, cabernet, or côt (malbec)?

Today is market day and I'm thinking of going for some poultry sausages. Next weekend is a big holiday weekend: July 14, commemorating the French Revolution and, if the weather is good, I expect there to be a lot of vacationers in the area. The market can get crowded. 

Ivy league

It just got away from us. The ivy growing on the garden shed, that is. And we can't remove it; Ken has tried. However, the landscape contractor said "no problem." But, he warned, it will try like heck to come back, so we'll have to cut away any shoots we that see at ground level to keep the takeover from happening again. Doses of weed killer could help, but we may have to move those irises.

Ken cut some of the ivy (you can see where it's brown), but it's tough going, and we can't pry it off the walls.

It's chilly this morning! It was 16.4ºC when I took Tasha out. That's about 61ºF. The high is expected to top out at 31ºC (about 88ºF). Sleeping is much easier, especially for Tasha.

Relief!

This morning's low temperature is below 20ºC (about 68ºF) for the first time in a while. It feels nice. We're expecting a high of 31ºC (about 88ºF) this afternoon. Much better.

The remaining hazelnut hedge, about half of what it was.

This photo shows the row of hazelnut hedges out in the west forty. You can see them between the fig on the left and the artichoke on the right. It's about half the the hazelnuts we had before I had the other half ripped out many years ago. Some have died, others are being taken over by ronces (blackberry brambles). The hedge serves no purpose; it's up against the fence. It gets trimmed back every year with the other hedges, but there's really no reason for it to be there. It doesn't produce any edible nuts and hasn't for years. It's filling up with sharp-thorned brambles and they're choking the hedge. One of the nut trees that make up the hedge is already dead. So the whole hedge will come out as part of our Big Beautiful Pruning Project (sorry) that we hope will happen some time this coming winter.

Still hot

The heat wave continues. Tuesday night was the hottest so far. I'm waiting for the weather site I like to update its forecast, about fifteen minutes from now. Meanwhile, I have no new photos to share. (I since went out and took a few photos of the yard.) But, there's news. The landscaping contractor who trims our hedges each year came by yesterday to work up an estimate for a bunch of things we'd like done this fall and winter on the property. The list includes pruning back the two apple trees, cutting back the large tilleul (linden tree) out back, digging out the row of hazelnut trees and another dying shrub, helping to remove as much of the St. John's wort as he can, and cutting back the overgrowth along the north side fence. 

The tall linden (center) looms dangerously over the house.

It feels good to know that some (or all) of these things will get done. We've been stressing because we haven't been able to do much of it ourselves this year due to weather, the scale of the work, or the fact that we were sick a good part of January.

The photo includes one of the apples (left), the linden (middle), and a Christmas fir (rignt), all planted by the previous owner over twenty years ago. The top third of the linden will come down and the remaining branches will be pruned back or eliminated to open up, reshape, and lighten the tree. Its proximity to the house, in its current form, makes it dangerous when we have high winds.

Watering the vines

I think the new grape vines out back are too young and fragile for this heat wave we're having, so the growers are working to ensure they survive by giving them water. At least, that's the story I've conjured in my mind about what's going on here (maybe they'd water them anyway?). Four people, each armed with a hose that's connected to that big machine, walked behind it as it crept along, keeping the ends of the hoses aligned with the rows they were watering so there would be no waste. With that big machine, they could do four rows at the same time.

I was very far away when I took this photo. You may be able to see the people just to the left of the tractor.

Meanwhile, the heat wave continues. Today looks like it might be the hottest day before it cools down again. We shall see.

A trip to the dump

Our local "dump" is not so much a dump as it is a recycling center. We separate all our refuse before tossing it into the appropriate bins. When the bins are full, they're loaded onto the backs of large trucks and carted away to a central processing facility before being recycled and/or incinerated. I was checking on line this morning to see if our déchetterie (dump) is open on Mondays and was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was it open on Mondays, but it was open at 06h30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays! Summer hours! This is new.

This photo of the château and church in St.-Aignan has nothing to do with today's post.

Ken and I had loaded up the car yesterday with old bed linens, pillows, and rugs for disposal. Once I learned of the summer hours, I hopped in the car and drove across the river and, voilà, that stuff is all gone. No fuss. No muss. I have some more stuff (used deep-frying oil among other things) to take over there, maybe tomorrow.

Potato patch update

I'm somewhat fascinated by this garden out in the middle of the vineyards out back. I've still not seen who tends it. My walks are too early in the morning or too late in the afternoon, but somebody is taking care of it. Good for them.

The potatoes are blossoming.

We don't have a vegetable garden again this year. Our garden soil has really and truly turned to concrete. I am, however, growing a few zucchini and pumpkin plants on piles of compost. So far, they looking alright. I've got to keep them well watered during this heat spell we're having. We're expecting a high of 36ºC today and 40ºC tomorrow. Ugh!

Whew!

Our mornings are cool enough that we can, as I've said, throw open the windows and hope that the cool air chases the heat away. By mid-day it will be hot again and, over the next few days, very hot. They're predicting 40ºC (104ºF) by Monday evening. Yikes! Sleeping is going to be difficult.

The newly planted grape vines are doing well so far.

Meanwhile, the grape vines look like they're loving it. This is the newly planted parcel (the old vines were torn out a few years ago). Workers are busy installing wickets (still) in the new parcel while trimming, plowing, and spraying continue in the established parcels. It's hot work and slow going in the afternoons. Some of the workers start their day around 06h00 to take advantage of the cool morning.

We're lucky to have our deck as a place to be outdoors, especially in the hot evening. It faces east, so it's sheltered from the afternoon sun. Plus, the big trees on the edge of the driveway shade the deck in the morning. I wonder if it was built that way deliberately. I suppose it's impossible to know. 

Summer daze

We've had a little relief from the recent heat, but the forecast is for another heat spell to build in over the weekend. Luckily, we tend to have nice cool mornings. We throw open all of the windows so that cool air can move through the house and push the warm air out. Nature's AC.

The deck on Tuesday morning, before the storm.

Tuesday night, after the storm, we had a few power outages. I woke up at one point to complete silence and dark. No humming of the fridge, no spinning of fan blades, no tiny indicator lights here and there. No power at all, just dark silence. Then suddenly it all came on, startling me. We have a number of lamps around the house that are on timers. All but two are digital. The digital timers have battery back-up so most power outages don't change their clocks or their settings. Nice. However, there are still two analog timers that need to be reset after a power interruption. When I forget to reprogram them, lights go on and off at very odd times. Bother.

La plage

Here's a view of the island in the Cher River at Saint-Aignan. I'm standing on the left bank with St.-Aignan behind me. On the upstream tip of the island is a big park with picnic tables and such, and a sandy beach. On the downstream end is the municipal swimming pool and garden allotments.

Big red block letters spell out "la plage," the beach. It's not quite the Hollywood sign, but what the heck.

Last evening a thunderstorm hit us full on. It didn't last very long, maybe twenty minutes or so, but the sky got dark with thunder and lightning and a downpour and a half of rain. We had a calm night with a couple of short power outages, but nothing serious. This morning there's some residual light rain, but that should be ending as I type this. 

The old bridge

Here's the bridge over the Cher at Saint-Aignan looking downstream. The new passerelle is on the other side; you can't see it from this angle. As you can see from the sign, the autoroute entrance/exit is across the bridge. It's a choke point for heavy traffic.

Very little traffic at this hour on a Saturday. A summer weekday, with tourists heading for the zoo, is another story.

Today is predicted to be a hot one, even hotter than yesterday. Yikes! 

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it

I didn't go all the way across. I parked in the lot and was heading to the market and I wanted to get in and get out before it got too crowded, so I stopped here for a quick look at Saint-Aignan's château. It's built on the high bluff above the river. It was about 08h20, so there were very few pedestrians about.

The château at Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher.

Tasha was a good girl for the groomer and she looks great. I think she's getting used to the new groomer and knows what to expect. Yesterday was the third time with this particular groomer. Still, she was overjoyed to see that Ken and I were still here after it was over. I didn't take any photos, but maybe I'll get one later today.

Another view

Here's another view of the passerelle in Saint-Aignan. Its wooden deck looks pristine; I wonder how it will age. Time will tell.

There's an island in the river with a park and municipal swimming pool. Getting there on foot just got easier.

We're expecting Tasha's groomer this morning. Then she (Tasha, not the groomer) will get a haircut and bath and get all beautified for summer. I'm happy that the groomer makes house calls! 

It's open now

The new passerelle is open! You might remember that a new pedestrian/bike bridge was built adjacent to the existing bridge this spring. The old bridge, still in service, of course, is the only link for crossing the Cher for many kilometers upstream and downstream of Saint-Aignan. Its two lanes and narrow sidewalks handle a large volume of cars, trucks, and buses in addition to pedestrians and bikes. Now the latter are removed to their own bridge, easing the danger a little bit for everyone.

The two bridges' left bank landing in St-Aignan with new bollards and fresh paving. There's a public parking lot behind where I'm standing.

It's interesting to me that we never saw any notification of the construction of a new bridge. Granted, we don't live in St-Aignan proper, but you'd think the neighboring towns would be in on the project, or at least just be informed of a major construction project like this. Our town council does a quarterly newsletter, but it's not frequent enough, nor informative enough, for that. Our administrative department does a nice glossy magazine every month or so. I usually glance through for local news, but I don't recall any items about the bridge. The newspaper in our area might have talked about it, but we don't subscribe, not even on line. Our bad. 

Sleepless in Saint-Aignan

I'm up at 05h00 this morning. Well, out of bed. I didn't sleep a wink all night. I was up and down, out on the deck watching the stars, and watching for the neighbor's lights to go off (they finally did at 03h00). I think it's a combination of Restless Legs Syndrome and a sprained muscle in my right leg. I took some paracetamol (acetaminophen) yesterday evening, and it helped a little. But no sleep. It may also be my tendency to fall asleep after lunch while watching tennis on tv. I'm sure that doesn't help things.

There should be a picture here. Maybe I'll find one, maybe not. 

I'm planning a trip to the market this morning. We're out of egg rolls. Ah, life in France. In other news, it Today is the Summer Solstice! And also la Fête de la Musique! Fa la la!

Les grappes se forment

A bunch of grapes is called une grappe. A single grape is called un raisin. A raisin is called un raisin sec, "a dried grape." The verb used up in the title is se former which means "to form." The verb fermenter means "to ferment." Confused? It won't matter after a few sips.

The vineyard workers are busy as bees spraying against fungus, weeding, trimming, and otherwise caring for the crop while the weather is hot and dry.

We woke up yesterday to no running water. It happens from time to time. Fortunately, we've learned to keep a few liters of still mineral water in the pantry for taking pills, brushing teeth, making tea or coffee and such. The water came back just before noon.

Oregano

It grows like a weed in the back yard. The original plant escaped from our garden plot and now grows wild in the vicinity of the apple trees. And it's spreading. When we tried our fresh garden oregano, we thought, "meh." It had no flavor whatsoever. But it kept growing and spreading, so we thought, "there must be a use for this." Then we tried it dried. Wow. What a difference.

Five levels of oregano in the dehydrator. Next step: removing the stems.

Now I pick and dry oregano every year and put it away for use all year long. Great stuff! We've also used the dehydrator for drying tomatoes and other things, but it's mostly for oregano. The plants are making flower buds right now, but they're quite edible and are fine dried with the leaves. 

Aromatics

Leeks and bay leaves, ready to go into... uh... something. I forget exactly what it was. But whatever it was, I'm sure it was delicious. The leeks are the green tops that Ken chopped off and froze for using in stocks; we eat the white parts as a salad (cold with vinaigrette), or as a side dish, warm. The bay leaves come from our bay laurel out back. They're the best bay leaves I've ever tasted.

Defrosting leeks on the left, dried bay leaves on the right.

Yesterday I harvested some oregano. It's already beginning to flower. I dried my harvest in the dehydrator. I hope to do another batch today. And maybe take some photos. 

Les asperges

Ken brought home some asparagus from a recent trip to the store. The season is winding down, I think, so it's good to enjoy them while we still can. These are white asparagus. Their spears are buried under soil and not allowed to get sun. That way they don't photosynthesize, preventing them from turning green. The one inconvenience is that the white spears develop a thick skin and need to be peeled before being cooked and eaten. But it's worth the trouble.

Asperges blanches.

I peeled these, of course, and then served them steamed and cooled as a first course salad dressed with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. They are also excellent with mayonnaise or a mayonnaise-based sauce (like Thousand Island). Yum! 

Now what?

I have no new photos. I guess I should get out more often. Here's one that I've posted several times over the years. Some of you have been there. Let me know if you recognize it.

A castle in France. Hmm...

The week ahead is looking like it will be hot. There's lots of outdoor work to do, including another pass with the weed killer. I may even need to mow again.

Caprese salad

This is our first Caprese salad of the season. Since we didn't plant tomatoes this year, these come from the supermarket. We tested two mozzarellas, one made with normal cow's milk and another made with Italian buffalo's milk. The difference in flavor was perceptible, but just barely. Both were good and we ended up mixing them on the salad.

Caprese salad.

 I just looked at my keyboard and it's a mess. Time for a cleaning! I'll add it to the list.

Morning calm

A thunderstorm went through over night. It wasn't very violent and it didn't last very long, but there was a lot of rain for a little while. No more storms are expected today. There's nothing on the radar.

Things look fresh and green the morning after a storm. The grass has dried out a lot since our recent hot spell started.

Here's a photo, taken this morning, looking out the den window at the south forty. You can see that Ken's been busy cleaning up and organizing the greenhouse. There's still a lot to do. You can also see two of our neighbors' houses across the road. One is lived in full-time and the other is a vacation house that belongs to a Parisian woman. She's comes down a few times each summer and her son comes down for weekends and such through the year.

While I was preparing this post, a bird (female blackbird, I think) flew into the greenhouse (the door is open),  hit the glass ceiling (!) pretty hard, then bounced into that beige bucket you can see on the ground just inside the door. I ran downstairs to shoo it out, but not before closing the door into the house. The bird was sitting in the bucket, stunned and breathing pretty hard. I picked up the bucket, pointed it toward the door, and the bird took off like a shot. Free!

Play ball!

From deep in the archives: a group of guys playing football (soccer in the US) in Vouvray. It dates from before we moved to France. We were staying close by in a vacation rental home.

Is that a football on the ground? Or maybe it's the Football Moon.

I saw the "Strawberry Moon" last night as it rose and again this morning as it set. I'm sure it's being packed up for storage as tonight's "Friday the 13th Moon" is being unpacked. You know, WIWAK (When I was a kid), we had only one moon, with the possible exception of the occasional blue moon (where things only happen once) and the harvest moon. Shine on. Still, I'm sure it was all the same moon.

Nothing new...

...under the sun. We're enjoying a series of beautiful days and I'm almost done cutting the grass. I've also made another pass with the weed killer mix. The forecast for the next few days is "unsettled." Maybe some thunderstorms, warmer temps, then cooler. Who knows. Meanwhile, we're enjoying being out on the deck.

You can't see it in this photo, but the sun umbrella is up, providing shade on the deck.

This morning I'm taking Tasha in for her teeth cleaning. The poor thing doesn't understand why she's not getting her breakfast today. Doctor's orders mean nothing to a dog. I will have to be careful while walking her this morning; she will try to eat "stuff" off the ground (I won't go into any more detail than that). Her appointment is for 08h45, so it will all be over soon enough. 

One more view...

...of the potato patch. It looks so neat and tidy. Now. But it won't last. The weeds will inevitably invade. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my zucchini and pumpkin plants look alright. I have a lot more weeds, but as the squash plants get stronger, they'll do batte with the weeds and should be able to hold their own.

The potato plants are growing well and, so far, the weeds are under control. This is not my garden.

Yesterday I was able to do another pass in the gravel paths and driveway with the weed killer. Remember: I'm using a home-made mix of household vinegar, salt, and dish soap. It's working pretty well, so far. Today I'm planning to cut the grass in the west and south forites, one mow time! 

Caution!

The signs roughly translate to "Automated vehicle in use." It's referring to the vitibot the grower uses to dig up weeds in her vine rows. I expect that it uses GPS to navigate the vineyard. Here's a photo I took last year.

An interesting use of the exclamation point!

I also noticed another activity out back in that newly replanted parcel. I couldn't see well enough to realize what they were doing, but this morning it became clear. They were watering the new vines. Watering is not permitted in AOP vineyards, but I'm guessing that it's ok when establishing a new parcel. The vines aren't producing fruit yet, so there's no impact on the wine. But those little vines need some help to become well established.

Baby vines

The replanted grape vine parcel out back is beginning to show green! Those baby vines are shedding their waxy protective coating and sending out fresh, green leaves. I suspect that a lot of their energy will be devoted to producing deep roots. Fruit will take a couple of years, at least.

Watch out for those weeds!

Today is Pentecost Monday, also known as Whit Monday. It's a holiday here in France, the last of the "spring" holidays and this year's series of long weekends. I think people need a break. After all, the summer holidays are just around the corner!

Mon petit chou ?

I want to say that this is some kind of cabbage, but I'm not at all sure of that. I'll keep my eyes peeled as it grows.

Two rows of potatoes and a row of cabbage-like plants.

It looks like we're in for a warm spell. It'll feel good after this chilly weather we've been having. which has been accompanied by gusty winds. Ugh. 

Guinea fowl savory cake

In case you missed it over on Ken's blog, this is what he did with some leftover roasted pintade (Guinea fow) last week. He folded cubes of the fowl in question into the batter, then added some lardons made from Canadian-style bacon to round out the meats, some re-hydrated dried tomatoes, then some herbs and grated cheese for good flavor. We ate the cake with a crispy green salad and fresh tomatoes. Delicious!

Doesn't that look tasty!

Our days are still chilly and it rained a lot of the day yesterday. More rain is predicted, or not, depending on which weather service we look at.

Year three

It wouldn't be France without geraniums. This is one of two pots on the deck. They've overwintered twice, both times out on the deck, but pulled back against the house. When spring comes, they send up new stems, leaves, and flowers. This year is the third year that they've made it through winter. I suppose our lack of hard freezes has something to do with their survival.

One of two pots of geraniums on the deck.

Spring cleaning continues. Today I plan to "do" the den. I'll take out all the moveable furniture (I won't try to move the china cabinet that's in there). Chairs, filing cabinets, lamps, plants, and the area rug will come out, as will my computer, scanner, and printer. After that, I want to clean the windows and wash the curtains as well as "shampoo" the area rug (carpet cleaner spray in a can and a vacuum). If it's raining outside (and it's predicted) I may skip the window exteriors for now. Then I'll clean the tile floor. I can't remember the last time I did the floor. It more than needs it.

Lettuce entertain you

The mystery of the stakes in the mystery garden is solved. They are indeed climbing stakes and whoever owns this garden has planted tomatoes at the base of each one. Behind them is a row of salade (lettuce) and a little further down is a partial row of something that looks like cabbage. I still don't know who is planting and tending this garden. It's isolated out among the vineyard parcels. There's no running water there, so that has to be brought in. And there's no fencing to protect the little plants from deer and other dangers.

Potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce, oh my.

Kitchen window boxes

This year's kitchen window is adorned with surfinia (trailing petunias). Last year we had marigolds, but they didn't look so good after a few weeks. I'm hoping for better results with these.

Surfinias from the market in Selles-sur-Cher.

We're expecting rain toward mid-day. Fortunately, I got the north forty and part of the west forty mowed yesterday. That and the strip outside our hedges along the road. My decision this morning is whether to race the rain to get more done, or just bag it until next time. Hmm...

Tasha Tuesday

June will be a big month for Tasha. She's getting her teeth cleaned on the 12th and then the groomer comes on the 23rd. This will be the second time for a teeth cleaning. She gets dental chews three times a week, but that darned tartar still builds up. That reminds me. I need to make an appointment to get my teeth done. Joy.

Looking toward the sunrise on Sunday morning.

The vet told me that her gums are in good shape, so she doesn't need a "deep" cleaning. Maybe those chews are doing something after all. I also just ordered another 12 kg (26 lbs) sack of kibble, her main food source. That should come in later this week.

Foggy morning

This was last Tuesday morning. We were socked in. Sound was muffled, as if the world had pulled a blanket over its head. Very moody.

Foggy morning, in sepia tone.

Forty-two years

Forty-two years ago today, Ken and I took possession of our first apartment together. And they said it wouldn't last. Here are a couple of early memories.

The top photo is from 1986 after our cross-country move to San Francisco taken by our friend Ann from Chicago. I'm on the right, Ken's on the left. The bottom photo is us in Muir Woods, just north of San Fran, around the same time, taken by our friend Peter who was visiting from Washington, DC. I'm in front, Ken's in back.

Matching jackets.

 

 

Les artichauts

This is one of our two artichoke plants. We planted this one (along with three or four others that have since died) many years ago. The second is a volunteer that came up out in the vegetable garden plot a couple of years ago. It looks about the same as this one. I think we should pick one or two of the flower heads and see if they're edible.

Artichoke next to the garden path.

Yesterday was productive. I mixed up ten liters (about 2.5 US gallons) of weed killer (household vinegar, salt, and soap) and sprayed all of gravel paths around the house and the driveway. Ken said he saw signs of death (yikes!) yesterday afternoon. The last time I sprayed this solution, it took a few days to a week for the weeds to die entirely. But die they did.

Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew

Potatoes, eh? See yesterday's post. I always thought they were potatoes, but I never seen a single spud out there since this started, so I abandoned that theory. Oh well. You'd think there would be a few strays lying about after the harvest. But no, I've never seen one. I'll continue to look for pommes de terre out there. Thanks to all for your comments!

 

The little supports remind me of croquet wickets.

Today's photo is all grapes. On the left is an older, established vine parcel. To the right is a newly planted parcel. The wire wickets will serve as supports as the little vines start to grow. After a while, metal stakes and wires will be installed and take over the support job. 

C'est quoi, ça ?

That is the question. Here's that plant I was talking about a couple days ago. Whoever is cultivating it is doing a nice job. The rows are weeded and looking good. I still don't know what it is. Maybe some of you will.

At first I thought these might be potatoes, but I don't think that any more.

Tasha and I got out early today, just after sunrise. The fog was as thick as sea poop, as they say, but we had no wind and the air felt quite mild. The weather people are predicting a summer-like weekend with temps in the high twenties and low thirties. That's the high eighties, low nineties for the Fahrenheit folks. What a change that will be.

If you recognize these, feel free to let me know in the comments section.

Today's the Ascension  holiday. Our walk was virtually silent except for the wildlife. Lots of bird song and even a barking deer. I heard one car in the distance.

Ten years ago, yesterday

I took this photo ten years ago. One of the roads near our house had just been repaved, and this sign went up to warn people that vehicles can kick up loose gravel. Can you tell that I've run out of new photos?

I think that sign has since been removed.

We're working on spring cleaning, both inside and out. Outside work has slowed as it's been quite chilly lately. No fun in that. As for indoor work, the windows are wanting to be washed. But... wait! That's also an outside job, at least for the outsides. I can procrastinate!

A curiosity

For the past several years, someone has been plowing and planting this small parcel that was once planted in vines. Each summer, the plants flourish. Then, in the fall, they're harvested. I have no idea what they are. I see no signs of potatoes or any other vegetable or fruit. Could it be for the leaves? And now, just this past week, this odd-looking alignment of wooden posts showed up on the far end. Climbing stakes? Another agricultural mystery.

Old vines on the right, mystery plants on the left.

The other end of this parcel, where the stakes are, stops at a paved road. Perhaps I'll take a detour over there one morning and see what I can see. And maybe I'll take a closer-up photo of the plants.

Perish the thought

Did this grape vine skip summer? Them looks like fall colors to me. Pretty, but let's not rush things.

A gnarly old grape vine sporting a fall yellow in May.

Here we are in the last week of May, coming up on the last May holiday. This Thursday is Ascension Day, another May day off work for many.

Sunday morning in the vines

A weather system is moving through today. Some rain is predicted, but it's not raining yet. The sky is overcast, the wind light.

Today just after sunrise, looking toward the northeast.

I noticed yesterday that one of our neighbors was having trouble with his riding mower. He's got the same one we have, sold under another brand. I could hear the engine surging and then almost stalling before surging again. It sounded like it might be a carburetor problem; that happened to me a while back with the walk-behind mower. The neighbor worked on his machine for two or three hours, part of the time with a friend, so the problem must have been more complicated than a clogged carburetor. I felt bad, but couldn't keep from thinking "it's not just me." He got the engine running normally in time to cut most of his yard before evening.

A closer look

Here's a closer view of the newly planted grape vines out back. I'm pretty sure that they are sauvignon (blanc), as that's the principal white grape grown in our region and one that is AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) designated.

Newly planted grape vines with their protective waxy coating. That will disappear as the vines grow.

Growers in our area have been replacing older vineyard parcels with sauvignon since that happened. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are two of the more well-known of the region's sauvignon blanc wines.

A new vineyard parcel

So, this happened yesterday. That empty field out back was planted with new grape vines. It's a semi-automatic process. A tractor pulls a contraption (for lack of a better word) that carries a supply of new vines up and down the rows and a machine pushes them into the ground in neat rows, equally spaced. A couple of workers ride on the tractor to ensure the grapevines are going where they should and to fix any anomalies as they occur. It goes very quickly but, still, it took the whole day. It's a fairly large piece of land.

The new vines look like spears of red asparagus.

The young vines are little more than sticks at this point. After a few days, their red waxy protective covers will melt away and leaves will begin to grow. I think the next step is to put stakes and guide wires in, but I'm not sure when that will happen.

It was nice while it lasted

Our weather has gone from clear and sunny to overcast and chilly over the past couple of days. There's no significant rain in the forecast, but tomorrow's low temperature is predicted to be about 8ºC (46ºF).

Monday's sunrise over the vineyards. And Tasha.

I didn't take any pictures, but yesterday's pizza was delicious. We had two kinds of chorizo in the fridge, one of which wasn't very good on its own (my opinion) so we combined the two on pizza. Once cooked, it was hard to tell the two chorizos apart. The sauce was a tomato puree, and we used grated gouda cheese, black olives, and some leftover cilantro as additional garnishes. Success!