Ashes to ashes

This is one of the ash cones I've been talking about. You remember. An old vineyard parcel was dug up and the vine trunks were burned. This and another are all that's left.

An ash cone out in the dug-up vineyard parcel.

The weather was spectacular yesterday. The morning dew dried up before noon. We could actually sit out on the deck before evening. I got the mower out and cut the west forty. It feels good to make real progress. I'll try to do more of the same today. The weather should be the same today as yesterday: cloudless blue sky and warm air. The are many patches in the yard that the rider mower can't reach, so they have to be cut by hand. I have a self-propelled walk-behind mower for that. 

Glycine

Wisteria, in English. I did serious surgery on this one a couple of years ago. Nothing but the vertical trunk remained. I think that these are the first flowers that have bloomed since then. I wasn't expecting any at all. I fact, I was going to cut the trunk at ground level. I'm glad I didn't.

We're going to get to work on weeding the gravel path.

We're expecting a high temperature of 24ºC (about 75ºF) this afternoon. I'm planning to cut more grass!

Piles of trunks

This is one of the piles of grape trunks that was dug up over the past couple of weeks. When the digging was done, they set them on fire. Now there are two neat cones of ashes out there. At least, there were the last time Tasha and I walked by.

A pile of trunks before the fire.

Today is a holiday in France (Easter Monday), so it should be a quiet day. We'll be having leftovers for lunch. I may get out and do a chore or two that don't involve motorized tools. The weather is supposed to remain clear and warm for the next few days. Yahoo! 

White asparagus

You've seen it here before. It's a specialty of our region (also down near Bordeaux). It's the same plant as green asparagus, the difference being that green asparagus are allowed to see sunlight while they grown. White asparagus are kept in the dark (buried in soil) until they're harvested. These went into one of our favorite seasonal dishes: asparagus tart with ham and a cheesy egg custard.

White asparagus, peeled (you must), trimmed, and ready to be steamed.

As today is Easter Sunday, there will be no grass cutting. In our town, domestic noise is only permitted between the hours of 10h00 and Noon on Sundays and holidays (Easter Monday is a holiday). Most people don't bother, so it's a quiet day. Yesterday I got another swath of our yard cut. I'll pick it up again next week, depending on the weather.

By the way, we're not having asparagus today. And we're skipping our traditional rabbit meal in favor of a blanquette de veau, a veal stew in white cream sauce. 

Upstate

There's a lot of beautiful countryside in upstate New York. This is part of the Schoharie Valley, not far from where I grew up. 

I'm glad I don't have to cut that grass. Schoharie Valley, Spring 1994.

I took the rider lawnmower out yesterday for the first time this season. I reinstalled the battery (which turned out to be easier than I expected) and, to my happy surprise, it started up! I began to cut some of the grass in the north forty, but it was too wet and I had to stop. It should be dryer today, so I'll give it another go later.

Memories

For lack of new photos, here's another from the NYC World Trade Center collection, May 1994. I'm amazed at how the skyline has changed over the years. I don't know the City very well, but I can pick out (in this photo) the Empire State Building and what was then known as Citicorp Center (now Citigroup Center) in Midtown.

Looking upstream (Hudson River) from lower Manhattan, May 1994.

The weather gurus tell us that some warming, however short lived, is coming, along with a little less rain. We shall see. 

Second try

Here's another attempt to capture the tiny new leaves on the grape vines out back. They become more visible each day. I'm sure the growers are keeping their fingers crossed that there are no freezes over the next few weeks. 

These aren't the chardonnay vines. I don't know what they are.

In domestic news, I've got to go to the pharmacy to refill prescriptions. Tasha goes to the vet for her annual vaccinations next week. I picked up fallen branches in the back yard yesterday. They're from the tilleul (linden tree). Now, if we could get some dry days, I could cut the grass.

Poisson d'avril

Here we are on the first of April! But we're still suffering a stubborn spring. It's so not spring-like that I typed March instead of April. Turns out, I'm the April Fool. Even Tasha was saying, "Huh?"

Blurry grape leaves. The camera focused on the wrong stuff.

There's a section of a vineyard parcel just to our north that is planted in chardonnay. I believe the grapes are used for blending in the winery's sparkling wines. Imagine my surprise when, while walking over there last evening, I noticed that many of the vines already have leaves! Better pictures soon. Happy March April! 

Just so you know: I had two ideas for a post this morning. As I worked on them they sort of merged. When I tried to separate them, this is some of what I got. What a mess. 

Early birds

They start before sun-up. Can you dig it? Changing the clocks made things darker in the morning. The lights on the digger look much more spooky in person than in this photo.

Digger in the dark.

The weather is still a little wintry. Each morning, it seems, the ground is soaked with dew, ready to freeze at any moment. I'm sure the grape growers have their eyes peeled, looking out for frost warnings.

Back end

Here's another shot of the digger that's working out back now. Even from behind thing is huge. I wonder how long it'll be out there. It's far enough from our house that we hear no noise when it's operating.

You almost need an elevator to get up to the cab.

Spring (Easter) vacations start next Saturday for certain regions of the country. In our area, they start on the eleventh. Another two weeks off for the youngsters. 

Bucket

It's almost as tall as I am. Granted, I'm not all that tall. But who's counting? Oh... I am.

Now that's what I call a "digger."

Yesterday's market run was productive. At the produce store I found green asparagus, shiny eggplants, some spicy chorizo (not exactly produce, but that's ok), and a bunch of sweet radishes (called radis roses). The rain stopped, so I stopped at the outdoor market after all. And there was the asparagus and strawberry man. It's too early for strawberries (his,anyway), but he had bunches of white asparagus. Ken made risotto with green asparagus for lunch. Yum!

Grrr

It's humongous! It's the digger they've been using out back this week to pull up spent vines and start preparing the parcel for new ones.

Can you see Tasha up between the treads?

It started raining early this morning. The morning low is much higher than predicted, no where near freezing. My plans are to go to the market for a couple of things. I may just go to the produce store and skip the outdoor market. We want to make a risotto for lunch with either eggplant or asparagus. I'm not even sure if local asparagus is available yet. I can wait another week.

In other news, we turn the clocks ahead tonight. How annoying. 

The old and the new

While we all wait for winter to leave and spring to arrive, work in the vineyards out back continues. In this case, another old parcel is being dug out. I figured that this parcel was doomed when the owners pulled out the guide wires and stakes last fall. Once the vine trunks are pulled up (with the help of this digger), they'll likely get piled up and burned. Then the land will probably lie fallow for a year or three before being replanted with new vines. You can see, to the right of the dirt road, part of the parcel that was replanted last year. The parcel being dug out is on the left.

The digger stays out overnight. Nobody's going to mess with it.

Freezing temperatures were predicted for this morning, but our thermometer registers two degrees above. Of course, the temperature near the house is slightly warmer than the temperature out among the vines. But I don't see any smudge pots out there, so the growers are either taking a chance or they know something we don't. 

New York State of Mind

This is the World Financial Center, seen from the World Trade Center observation deck in 1994. I'm not certain which buildings survived the September 11 attacks in 2001, but many of them did. Much has been built and re-built since then.

Battery Park City in lower Manhattan, May 1994.

 

 

 

The weather has turned. We're enjoying gusty winds and showers once again.

Here's another shot taken from the top of the World Trade Center in New York back in 1994.

No reply

It's been twenty-four hours since I texted the landscape guy. No answer. I think his number works; we texted each other last summer when he came over to do the estimate for some additional work beyond the annual hedge trimming. It's like Roseanne Roseannadanna's father used to say: It's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Tulips in Albany, NY, May (I think) 1994.

 

Le pliage

The folding. That's what they call this step in preparing the grape vines for spring and summer. They've been pruned to one strong cane and each cane will be "folded" to the horizontal and attached to a guide wire. New shoots will grow up from that cane and produce leaves and, eventually, grapes.

You can, hopefully, see the canes (with buds) attached to the horizontal wires.

We're still waiting for the landscape guy to show up for the annual hedge trimming (and other work). I sent him a text message this morning, hoping that he'll reply. It was a hard, wet, winter and I imagine he's backed up with work. But still, too long without a word. Fingers crossed. 

Grape buds

This is what's being protected on cold mornings with fans and smudge pots. There are no fans in the vineyards we live next to, but they have used smudge pots a few times since we've lived here. I haven't seen any this season, yet. There's still about two months of frost danger to go. If the buds freeze, they are likely to die and fall off the vine. Fewer buds equals fewer leaves and, subsequently, fewer grapes.

Buds on the grape vines are growing and new leaves will soon form.

Friday was pizza day

Yesterday, I made a rather simple pizza topped with tomato sauce, mushrooms (sliced and lightly sautéed with oregano from the garden), and grated cheese (comté from eastern France). This time I was more attentive to the process and avoided a repeat of last month's pizza-mageddon. Papa's got his grove back!

We each ate one of these. Tasty!

I'm itchin' to get the mower running and to start cutting sections of the yard. I can't mow before lunch because we get really heavy dew. Mowing wet grass is no fun. By mid-afternoon (after lunch), my motivation wanes, just having had lunch (and maybe some wine). Meanwhile the grass is growing. I go though this every year and somehow it all works out. 

Our hamlet on a bright sunny day

I'm taking a break today. Stuff going on. Enjoy!

With Tasha.

Just for fun

And apropos of nothing, here's a random shot of the East River from the top of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, NYC. I think the date is sometime in May 1994, obviously prior September 2001.

One day I'd like to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

The bridge on the bottom is the Brooklyn Bridge and the bridge on top is the Manhattan Bridge. Outside of the shot to the left is the Williamsburg Bridge. 

At least it's not a snow plow

If I've seen one or two snow plows in the twenty-plus years that we've lived here, that would be a lot. When it's cold and icy around here, our roads get a layer of sand. There just isn't enough snow to justify plowing. So here's an agricultural plow on display in the Artsy Organized Neighbor's collection of curiosities.

I'm assuming that it's a plow and not the claw of some giant medieval beast..

I have to take back what I wrote yesterday about the car. The starter was not the culprit at all. The original diagnosis was correct: bad battery. It's since been replaced and the car starts up as it should. The pros tell us to run the car more frequently to keep the battery in shape. So, today, Ken plans a run to one of his favorite wineries about fifteen minutes from home. That's the spirit! 

The eye of the beholder

Yeah, but is it art? Some more of the Artsy Organized Neighbor's works. Those log piles in the background are not the same ones I posted yesterday.

Is that a wizard's staff leaning against the steel? Can you see it?

So, the car problem turns out not to be the battery after all, but a dead starter motor. The citroën is getting towed to the shop this morning where the transplant will occur. Should be ready by tomorrow.

Logs

Log jam or log preserves? LOL. It wasn't that long ago that the land owners around us harvested a good portion of their woods. The results are stacks of logs here and there. This one, I'm guessing, belongs to the Artsy Organized Neighbor or someone like him (as Ur-spo might say).

Each of these logs is one meter long.

We have a car problem to deal with today. The Citroën's battery has given out and, alas, the poor car won't start. Cold weather may be the culprit. Since cars are Ken's domain, he will do most of the work. That mostly means phoning the rescue folks provided by our insurance company and our local garage for a jump and possibly a new battery. We've been, as you might say, "down this road" before with the other car. I am here for support.

Fans

I woke up this morning to a strangely familiar sound. It sounded like airplanes of the propeller variety, but hovering in one place, like helicopters, not getting any closer, not getting any farther. Then it came to me: vineyard fans. They're used to mix the air on very cold mornings in an attempt to keep newly formed buds from freezing. The temperature is hovering around zero this morning, and I've seen buds in places, so that makes sense.

At woods' edge.

I'll have to try to take some photos of the buds as they become more numerous, not to mention bigger. In the meantime, here's some more moss in the woods out by the Artsy Organized Neighbor's property. 

Moss

All the rain we've had this winter has been heaven for the moss. It's thriving this year.

Moss grows at the base of virtually every tree in the woods around our local vineyard parcels.

I did decide to go out yesterday. It rained most of the day, as predicted. This morning is cold, below 5ºC. But there's no rain in today's forecast.  

The rain is Tess, the fire's Jo

The wind kicked up over night and now it's howlin' out there. It's not so bad, actually, just kind of gusty. It's been worse. But I can hear it. I have an errand to run in town this morning. I don't know if I'll hunker down or venture out. The sun will be up soon (yay!) and I'll reassess then.

A familiar view.

Yesterday's fog cleared pretty quickly and we enjoyed some sun. But it's still pretty chilly out there, made a little more so by the wind. 

Going down

Temperatures. Back to single digits. It's 6.1ºC out there this morning. About 43ºF. Brr. No danger of freezing. But, as temperatures continue to fall, there could be frost. Historically, France's frost danger ends around the middle of May, so we have a while to go.

An artichoke in the back yard. Way past time to remove the old flowers.

We're also socked in this morning. Gray and wet and cold. Lovely. I'm wearing long-johns again on our morning walks.

One lump or two?

While Ken enjoys a couple of cuppas (tea) in the morning, I drink coffee made in a "French press." We both drank coffee for a while from an automatic drip machine but, for some reason, we tired of that. Ken went back to tea and I started up again with coffee. And one lump of sugar. Actually, it's a half-lump.

One of our two-cup French press coffee pots.

It's raining this morning. I suppose that means there's no chance of seeing the landscaper today. Ugh. 

All clear

Did I tell you about our little scare with Tasha? I think Ken blogged about it, but here it is in a nutshell. About a month ago, we noticed that Tasha was drinking a lot of water, way more than she normally does. One of our neighbors, also a dog person, said that could be a sign of diabetes. That was nerve wracking. So Ken stopped by the vet's office while out running errands and made an appointment for that afternoon. The vet took a blood sample and a urine sample (he said it could also be a urinary tract infection) and prescribed a course of antibiotics. Both tests were negative. Nonetheless, we noticed that Tasha has cut down on her water intake. So we feel good about that. The vet said to let her run the full course of antibiotics just for good measure. That will be over in a few days.

We're still waiting for the landscape guy. I'm starting to wonder if he'll get the work done before summer. Bother. This view of our hamlet is toward the northeast. The yellow spot is our forsythia.

A detour through the woods

As the ground starts to dry, Tasha and I are able to vary our walks by taking paths through the woods and the vineyard parcels. This is a familiar sight: the Artsy Organized Neighbor's property and a few of his "works."

Sunrise on a clear morning.

The weather is about to change. That high pressure system that was keeping us clear and dry is moving on. That means the door will be open to lower temperatures and more rain systems. Joy. 

Gâteau renversé à l'ananas

Thanks for all of your comments about the mail issue between France and the US. I'm getting the impression that letters are supposed to be ok and that there's just some postal software issue that hasn't been dealt with yet. Tax season might not be affected because returns can be filed through the internet. But voting is another issue. I haven't seen any chatter on how Americans in France will be able to cast their ballots if not by mail.

With a sticky and sweet pineapple/caramel glaze. Yum!

Here's the dessert we made for Ken's birthday. It's a pineapple upside-down yogurt cake! I could have fancied it up a bit with cherries or some other colorful garnish. But I didn't. 

Forsythia 3

It won't be long before these flowers fade and leaves appear on the forsythia. Then we're done for another year. 

Forsythia in the back yard.

I went to the post office yesterday to mail something to the US. To my surprise, the postal clerk told me that France doesn't send mail (like letters) to the US any more. Since August. I asked if it was because of the war(s) in the Middle East and he said no, it has something to do with customs and duties tied to US tariffs. There are interruptions because of the war, but this is something else. I don't recall seeing anything in the news about this. Some internet sites say that letters and post cards are exempt (they're not heavy and they're not merchandise) and can be posted, but they weren't able to at the two post offices I went to yesterday. The clerk at one of the post offices insisted that I could send my letters, but the computer would not allow her to print the postage. She was as puzzled as I was.

Forsythia 2

Or should I say "Five-sythia?" This is the same bush that I posted yesterday, just from a different angle. It was either last year or the year before that I pruned it way back. It gets very big and unruly if I let it grow. I should probably plan some more pruning this year in an attempt to shape it more.

The forsythia is at its peak right now.

 

We're still waiting, and hoping (and wishin', and prayin'), for the landscape guy to show up. He usually does, right about the time I give up on him.

Forsythia

The forsythia is blooming all over the place, including in our back yard. The yellow is so vibrant that it almost feels warm.

Our backyard forsythia is in fine form this year.

Rain showers are back in the weather forecast through to the weekend, and the temperatures are lower than they have been. Boo! 

Flowering cherry

The annual show is on! There seem to be more flowers than usual this season. Probably something to do with all the water we got during the winter. Now it's time for things to dry out a little so we can work in the yard. Yesterday, I heard lawn mowers here and there. I'm not quite ready to take mine out. The ground feels too soft for that, but I may get to run the mower before the end of March.

Flowering (no fruit) cherry.

I'm liking the earlier sunrises. Tasha and I can get out for our walks before other folks are about, namely other dog walkers and vineyard workers (along with tractors and such). Speaking of which, it's time for me to go! Ta ta!

It's Boo-Kay

So insists Hyacinth Bucket in the popular British sit-com, "Keeping Up Appearances." This is all that's left of the jacinthes in this patch. There's a larger patch of white hyacinths way out back. I haven't really paid attention to them in a long while, but it's always nice to catch a glimpse of them this time of year.

Hyacinths among the daffodils. Looks like spring!

 Tasha gave us a bit of a scare. A few weeks ago she started drinking a lot of water, more than seems normal or healthy. We talked to some friends and consulted the gurus of the internet. Her excessive drinking could be an indicator of diabetes. Yikes! Yesterday she saw the vet and a simple blood test ruled that out. Thank goodness. The vet thinks it might be a U.T.I. (urinary tract infection) and is testing for that. Meanwhile, Tasha's on a brief run of antibiotics. She's already more or less back to normal and we're happy about that. We'll get the test results in a few days.

Daffodils again?

I know you've seen these before, but what the heck. You can't have too many daffodils. Can you? This is the same patch of jonquils that Ken and I have been posting this past week or so.

These grow just outside of the greenhouse. I don't know if they'll get dug up with the landscape work or not. We shall see.

We're still waiting for the landscape guy to get to us. It's been a lousy winter for outdoor work and I'm sure his schedule is all messed up because of it. I just have to be patient and wait for him to show up. Meanwhile, there are a few little things that I can do to prepare. 

Early bloomer

Can you see the tree covered in white blossoms? That's the plum tree that Ken planted from a pit oh so many years ago. It's in the far corner of the yard and it's one of the early blooming trees in the neighborhood. Our next door neighbor also has one. Hers is older than ours and is much taller.

Ken's plum is among the early bloomers in our hamlet.

It's Ken's birthday month and we're planning a yummy meal for him. It's bœuf à la Bourguignonne (Burgundy style beef stew, also called Beef Burgundy). He went to the butcher shop yesterday and ordered some joues de bœuf (beef cheeks) for the dish. I'm sure there will be photos. Stay tuned!

Running late

We were invited over the road last evening for drinks and got back a little late. I got up this morning a little later than usual and haven't yet done a post for the day. And it's my morning to walk with Tasha. This will have to do until I get outside with the camera. Happy Saturday! And the last day of February!

Tasha's photobomb

I was crouching down to take pictures of the daffodils. Maybe she thought I had some treats in my pocket. I didn't.

Tasha's ready for her close up!

Trees are in bloom all over the neighborhood. I'll have to take some photos the next time I'm out and about. 

It's not spring yet

Wednesday felt like a mild spring day, even if we're still just under a month from the equinox. Toward the end of the week, the weather gurus have predicted another drop in temperatures back into the single digits, celsius of course. As I've said, snow in March is not unheard of where we live.

They resemble columns and arches inside a gothic cathedral. I wonder how old these trees are.

But enough about the weather! This is a typical sight in France and other parts of Europe: pollarded trees. Pollarding refers to the style of severe pruning that you see here. These are planted on the quay along the river in Saint-Aignan. There are more lining the street that heads out of town toward the south.

Daffy

These narcissus (daffodils) have been coming up in this spot since before we bought the house. We look forward to seeing them every year.

A patch of daffodils enjoys this spot on the southwestern corner of the house.

Our temperatures are on the mild side right now. Thank goodness. We had a mostly sunny day yesterday. Thank goodness again. And the prediction for today is a high of 20ºC (68ºF). We'll take it, thank you very much.

Water, water, everywhere

The rain has slacked off and water levels are decreasing. The river is probably a lot lower than it was when I took this photo of the upstream end of the island at Saint-Aignan. Ken's planning to go out this morning, so he'll see what the condition is at the bridge.

The sign says "Prohibited." It's meant for river traffic. I'm assuming the graphic means "no entry" but I'm not at all certain. Any sailors out there?

I noticed yesterday that our daffs are starting to flower. Come on, spring! 

Joyeux anniversaire, Natasha

Today is Tasha's 9th birthday! Woof!

A photo from last December.

In France, they expect that dogs, especially those with "papers," to be given a name that starts with a certain letter of the alphabet. When Tasha was born, the official initial (chuckle) for 2017 was "N." We wracked our brains for several days to come up with a name that works both in French and in English* and finally landed on "Natasha". She actually gets called "Tasha" (or just "Tash") most of the time, but her registered name begins with an "N." We joke that we named her after a Star Trek character.

It helps to say the name out loud and imagine yourself calling that name in public.

Sleepy town

Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher is a sleepy town. It's lost a lot of its commerce over the years since we moved nearby. After covid, the town moved it's weekly market out of the center and into a larger place. But some vendors never came back. We're left with banks, insurance companies, and real estate agencies. It's kind of sad, but that's the reality in so many rural places.

A street leading up to the center of town from the river.

The house feels cold while outdoor temperatures creep up. Come on, spring! 

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it

Or not. This is the Saint-Aignan/Noyers bridge on Thursday. It was closed with temporary signs set up at the approach. I'm guessing that it was closed so that crews could dislodge tree branches that got stuck under the roadway. That helps the water to flow better. Otherwise, I think, the debris in the water can form a kind of dam beneath the bridge that backs up more and more water as more and more debris gets caught. The road over the bridge is closed so that heavy equipment can work safely and unimpeded.

If you zoom in and look under the red truck, you can see tree branches stuck in the water.

Meanwhile, the rains have more or less stopped (the wind, too, thankfully). Temperatures are rising, too. We're expecting a high of 14ºC (approaching 60ºF) this afternoon. Yay!

Hell or high water

So far, it's just high water. I stopped down on the quay in Saint-Aignan yesterday after a quick trip to the supermarket. There was some action at the bridge. I think some fallen tree branches floated down river and got caught under the bridge. It's happened before. I saw signs that said the bridge was closed and there was a crew working to clear the trees. The closure didn't affect me; I didn't need to cross the river.

These trees and party pavilions are on the tip of the island in the river. Now they're under water.

I'm glad we're not close to the Atlantic. Cities and towns over on the coast are dealing with very high winds and abundant rain. And where there's rain, there's flooding. And erosion that threatens buildings that are too close to the beaches. What a mess. It makes our local wind and rain events seem like no big deal. We can be thankful for that.

It was a dark and stormy night

The wind howled. Rain squalls pounded the roof. It's supposed to calm down this morning and I'm looking forward to that. Today's photo is from last weekend's snow. I know, I'm milking it. Regular readers will recognize the west forty to the right of the garden path. The tilleul (linden tree) is one of the trees that will be pruned before spring, weather permitting. Stupid weather.

I'd rather have snow than this pounding rain and wind we're getting. Stupid weather.

I'm planning a trip to the supermarket this morning. Weather permitting. Stupid weather. We need a few things and want a few others. 

Snowbody's business but our own

The snow is long gone. Temperatures have risen out of the freezing zone. The rain is back and is expected to continue all day today. This is a view from the deck/terrace with a couple neighboring houses visible.

The orange-red color on the railing is the reflected light from the deck light and from inside the house.

The snow is pretty and, for a short time, it lifted our spirits out of the dreary on-and-off of the rain and the over all soggy state we're in.

Snow in the 'hood

One of a few snapshots I took as snow fell Sunday morning. You can see that this was a light snowfall, nothing serious. But it was pretty in places. This is the view from our terrace across the road to a neighbor's property.

Not much snow stuck in the gravel driveway. It did accumulate a little in the grassy sections.

The snow is all gone now. It's not unheard of to have snow in March. We'll see in a few weeks' time what the end of winter has in store.