Just deserts

Once again, I'm searching for photos to post. I haven't taken the camera out much recently because of the rain. This image is from the desert in southern California, Joshua Tree if I'm not mistaken, in the late 90s. We could use a little desert weather right now. But wait... what's that in the picture? Patches of snow on the ground? I should be careful what I wish for.

Rocks at Joshua Tree. Digitized color slide, September 1997.

I got up around 06h15 and it was raining. Again. Still. Lots of outdoor chores are not getting done. The grass is getting higher again. It's too cold to wash windows or the deck. So, on my list for today is to make some progress on the French tax return, which is due at the end of the month. Yippee!

Wood that it were

Our dogs enjoyed walking through these woods on our daily outings. Callie, and now Tasha, especially. We wore a track through the undergrowth (well, the deer did that; we deepened it). It gave us a little variety in our walks through the adjacent vineyards and a respite from the sun on hot summer days.

A section of the woods we liked to walk through.

Last fall, I think it was, the grower that owns those vines strung an electric fence around the woods to help keep the deer out of the vineyard parcels. They like to munch on the emerging leaves and grape buds in spring. I can't blame them (neither the deer nor the growers) for that, but that fence cut off our access to the path through the woods. Tasha is small enough that she can slip beneath the fence without getting shocked. I, however, cannot. It's not a heavy shock, but I can feel it. The fence is "powered" by a car battery. So, it's been a while since we've been able to walk through these woods. Yesterday, we went in (where there's no fence) and then turned around and retraced our steps to exit. Not really satisfying, but it's better than nothing.

A snowball's chance

I've been trying to get a photo of our neighbors' snowball bush for about a week. When the sun's out, there's too much contrast. When it's been cloudy, it's also been windy and there's too much motion. Yesterday was a day of rain without wind, so I was able to get this view from the kitchen window. The falling rain gives the image a little blur (le flou artistique), but it's not too bad.

A dark and rainy Saturday. The view from the kitchen window.

I had a fire in the wood stove most of the day. The temperature was around 10ºC (about 50ºF) and it rained most of the day. The house felt chilly, so the fire helped to take the chill off. We're very nearly out of wood (but not out of the woods) and I really don't want to have to order more (and stack it) until later in the year when it's warmer and dryer. Come on. spring!

Alien invasion?

Nope. Just farm machinery. You'll recognize the blue vehicle as the driverless tractor from earlier in the week. The yellow one is a sprayer for applying an anti-fungus treatment to the grape leaves. That one needs a driver... and there he is! I think he was taking a break to ensure that the driverless thing was working correctly. Shortly after I took the photo, the guy got back in the cab are started spraying again.

Take me to your leader.

Friday morning was nice. That is, sunny and dry. It didn't last past noon, but it was enough for me to get my market errands done without getting wet. We now have eight tomato plants, three eggplant plants, and three bell pepper plants in the greenhouse ready to plant in the garden plot. If it ever stops raining long enough to till it up.

To market, to market

Just a quick post today so I can get myself together and out to Montrichard's Friday market. The town is about fifteen/twenty minutes away and I like to get there early to beat the crowds (such as they are).

Looking northeasterly, a view of our hamlet from out among the vines.

I noticed yesterday that all the pliage is done in the vineyard parcels out back. I've seen tractors spraying (there's one in this photo, it's yellow/orange in color) to reduce the risk of leaf mold. It's been pretty damp of late.

Ready to grow

Some warmer weather would really help these grape vines to take off. But they're not doing badly. The pliage is nearly done; I see just a few rows yet to be done out there.

The vineyards are turning green.

I have until the end of the month to get the French tax return done. I've started, but haven't got very far, yet. Yesterday was rainy most of the day, but I didn't use the time indoors for taxes. Oh well. It'll get done one of these days. I'm planning to head over to the market in Montrichard on Friday morning to get some plants for the vegetable garden. Tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers are on my list. On the way home, I want to stop at local wine co-op. We're running low.

There's a sign for that

Just before the testing of the driverless vineyard tractor on Monday, the crew set up a couple of signs. They said, essentially, "Driverless vehicle in use." The exclamation point is the French (European?) road sign for a warning that doesn't have its own sign: "Attention ahead!"

I think these signs should mean "Surprise!"

Today is May Day, la fête du travail (Labor Day) here in France. It's a major holiday and a day off for school kids and many others. As I mentioned yesterday, it's the first of a string of May holidays. I notice that the weather is predicted to be cool and wet all day. Again. Clearly, Spring has the day off, too.