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.