Snippets | Dimes2Vines

Boomerang Dog?

Most everyone has heard of boomerang children – but – a boomerang dog?

Well, we have one!

Meet Bob, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Bob was on of Sophie and Scruggs’ puppies and is 2 years old.He belonged to our second oldest son and lived in El Paso. Since our son’s was finding it difficult to spend time with Bob – between girlfriend and work (mostly girlfriend, I think!) – Bob has now come back to his roots.

Bob’s favorite activity? Fetch! He is obsessed with it! Whether it is a small stick or a 3 foot 2′ x 4′ board, he will bring whatever he finds and drop it at your feet.

If you ignore him? He picks it up and drops it again, making a louder sound! If you still do not pick the stick up and throw it, he will go find another and drop it at your feet and repeat the whole process over.

How does Bob like his new home? He loves it! There are 9 people here just to play fetch with him! Then, as if that were not enough, there is Squiggles. They love to play and although she does not understand the fetch game, she races him every time he takes off running, snapping and growling at him. She has finally learned to tease him by grabbing the other end of the stick and they play tug-of war.

Winter in the Vineyard

While many may not see beauty in a vineyard during the winter, I do. Vines which are growing so vibrant and green during the summer, are now brown and gnarly. I’m not sure “gnarly” is a word but it definitely describes the dried, brown, bare vines.

I guess when I look at the vineyard this time of year, I see promise and the hope of things to come.

Or maybe …

I see a vineyard that does not require work right now … ie… a rest period for us!

ICF – Phase 1 Complete!

What will eventually be our basement is now home sweet home. We are all enjoying starting the New Year in our own home. So far we are very pleased with the ICF (insulated concrete forms) walls and are amazed at the insulation value. Our small wood burning stove can quickly cause us to open windows to let out the heat!

Having done all the work ourselves has taken time but certainly saved us a lot of money. As of now, we have spent right at $42,000 and have1500 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath (Yes, 1 bath for 9 people can be challenging at times but there are more to come upstairs!).

We did decide to do some extras since this is hopefully the house we will grow old in. The $42,000 figure includes a $1500 Pelican water softener which has been well worth the expense. We did purchase the larger model to accommodate the remainder of the house. If you live in an area which has hard water, you may be interested in one as it uses no salt but rather a bed of crystals. The crystal bed causes the naturally dissolved minerals in the hard water to form tiny crystals suspended in the water. These tiny crystals are relatively inactive and so the water “feels” soft in the shower, dishwasher and other normal usage. The bed never needs replacing and in just 4 years it will have paid for itself.

John also installed a fire sprinkler system inside, we used beaded board wood for the ceiling, the bathroom is floor to ceiling porcelain tile and the kitchen counter is made of granite tiles (bought on sale).

The exterior door opens into the laundry room which leads into the kitchen.

The kitchen, dining room and family room are really one large room.

It is very conducive to our lifestyle to be able to see what is going on from any room. The bedrooms are off the southwest side of the family room. Complete settling in is happening little by little and hopefully will be completed before the vineyard work really starts.

Phase 2 is planned to begin after this year’s harvest. Extending another 14 feet on 3 sides with the ICF and continuing upward. The 14 foot areas will provide storage, wine cellar, cheese cave and root cellar. The first floor will have 4000 sq ft. with a very large center family room surrounded by a 5 ft wide hall. The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and study will surround the center room and be off the hall.

The roof will be metal of a yet to be determined color. The temporary TPO (Themo Plastic Olefin) roofing, which is now covering what will be the first floors sub-flooring, will be removed once the ICF walls and metal roof are in place. The exposed basement walls will have a stone facade with stucco on the exterior of the upstairs.

Being do-it-yourselfers has provided us many memories, opportunity to learn new skills, and the chance to work together as a family besides having more that we otherwise would have been able to afford. While it has taken time and been a lot of work, it has certainly been worth it!

Now, to be content and wait for phase 2!

Woes of Country Living

I have not posted the last few days because we have no internet! Tonight, we are visiting our oldest son and his family for dinner, so, I am taking a few moments to let you, I am still here.

Since it is so economical, we have VoIP (voice over internet phone), which means, we also have had no phone this week. Our home has literally been very silent this week (if you disregard the children’s voices, the dogs’ barking, the cat’s meowing and the parakeets cheeps). No telemarketers, no pleasure calls, no ring-a-dings of any type!
Our internet provider is currently working on the problem and I hope to be back full force sometime next week with pics of our new house,the vineyard in the winter, some economical ways to redecorate and add pizazz to your home interior and more.
Have a great weekend!

A White Christmas!

For the first time ever, I woke up to a white Christmas! Now, I would have expected this in Switzerland, but not here in west Texas. I must say, it was beautiful and really added to the festive atmosphere.

The snow clouds hung around all day and we had about two inches of accumulation. The children loved it and I loved the warm cozy fire! The only downside was the mud as it melted and was trampled. I don’t mind the mud outside but it seems to somehow, find its way in the house! I am sure it had nothing to do with the 40 feet and 16 paws going in out (this count includes children, spouses, grandchildren, our 2 dogs and cat, my mother, my sister and their dog)!

Buttercup was definitely easy to spot in the snow covered landscape! She did not seem to mind it at all and kept on doing what cows do – grazing.

The stormy weather did not keep the Canadian geese from continuing their migration – a sight we all enjoy watching especially when they fly low enough to hear their honking.

I hope you all enjoyed a merry Christmas and made wonderful memories!

Traditions

How many of you have family traditions associated with Christmas time? I know we do. Many we may practice for a few years and then try something new. But, we have a couple which never change.

We have a trim the tree party every year. In the days leading up to our tree decorating, Christmas cookies are made – the same year after year – Sugar Cookies, Sand Tarts, Angel Wings, Cocoons, Bourbon Balls and Nut Clusters. The evening of the party, we have a buffet dinner with meats, cheeses, chips and dip, cookies, salmon ball and crackers. Other items appear, but these are the mainstays. After dinner, ornaments are lovingly placed upon the tree until there are almost no empty branches!

The days following are filled with the hustle and bustle of the season … shopping (for those who have not yet finished!), wrapping, baking and cooking. But, we never forget family time which is liberally enjoyed by all.

One of my favorite traditions is the Christmas dinner menu. The girls and I prepare recipes that my mother and grandmother prepared when I was young! You would think the same food, year after year, would become tiresome. But, when a new menu is discussed, it is met with much opposition. Why mess with a good thing, right?

The turkey is usually smoked the night before, after being stuffed of course! Other dishes include Sweet Potato Souffle, Broccoli Nut Casserole, Creamed Onions, Strawberry Pretzel Salad and Cranberry Salad (aka “Fluff”). Pumpkin Pie is always dessert and normally accompanied by Pecan Pie. Now that I have made us all hungry….

I hope if you have not already begun your own family traditions, that you will start this year. Make time for and enjoy your family. Most of all, do not get so busy and forget the reason we are celebrating – it is the time of year, set apart to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Catching Up!

Time leading up to and following harvest has certainly flown! We harvested the Roussanne, Montepulciano and Aglianico successfully and with much help from family and friends. Because of the extreme heat which causes problems with the harvester, harvesting began anywhere from 10pm to 3am. Before dawn there is an amazing beauty in the vineyard. Lit up by the harvester, with the stars shining overhead, it is an atmosphere made for romantics!

Given the hard winter, unusually high summer temperatures and drought, we had very good yields. Praise the Lord for His provision!

Although we began work on the house as soon as the vineyard work slowed, we still found time to glean the vines for our own wine-making fruit! Remember the “I Love Lucy” show when she and Ethel stomped the grapes with their feet? Well, everyone got in on the action:

From children:

To grandchildren:

Everyone wanted their feet to be a part of it:

Note: Every pair of feet which stomped were properly cleaned and disinfected. However, according to our grape consultant, micronutrients provided, whatever the source, actually help the yeast!

If you remember, we had begun an insulated concrete form (ICF) house. Working on the house which overlooks the vineyard consumed our time once vineyard work was finished. Each morning we packed lunch and dinner to take with us. We even carried school work to the new house and studied in our bedroom which had become the makeshift dining room. Naps were taken in the boy’s bedroom on a rug with blankets. Doing all the work ourselves not only saved quite a bit of money, but has also provided many learning experiences, as well as, great memories.

During this period, I have had a very difficult time physically. My rheumatoid arthritis decided to rear its ugly head. It was aggravated by two plus days of texturing all the walls with sheet rock mud to give a stucco look. Anyway, I am excited about dietary changes that have made an amazing difference and look forward to sharing them with you in the new year.

We moved into the new house the weekend after Thanksgiving (I will be posting pictures soon). Slowly and surely, we are getting settled. Everyone is looking forward to our first Christmas here. Our traditional trim the tree party was a success and our tree appropriately trimmed!

Buttercup handled the move without a problem. The chickens on the other hand have dropped their egg production by half. Squiggles and now our new dog, Bob, are also glad to be here on a permanent basis and not have the 1/2 mile walk one way to work everyday!

Moving Toward Harvest

With temperatures over 100F for most of June and July, we expected the grapes to shut down. Thankfully, that has not occurred. Instead they are thriving and it appears that harvest for us will be a month earlier than last year. This means that we will begin as early as Thursday!

Having drought conditions this entire year, we have had the water on daily since February. The underground drip tape that we have between the rows is a very efficient way of watering – we lose no water to evaporation and it does not encourage weed growth as above ground irrigation would. The drought has not hurt us as it has other farmers. In fact, without rain there has been no need to spray for fungus or molds and no weeds means no hoeing! I prefer to get my upper body workout another way. Another concern with the storms here in west Texas is the threat of hail. Invariably the rain has hail with it which can devastate a vineyard as well as other crops.

How do we know harvest is near? First, the appearance of the grape, they change color. Then the amount of sugar in the grapes is tested. This is called the Brix. Brix is tested by taking a random sampling of grapes, crushing them to extract the juice and then either a hydrometer or a refractometer is used.

Wineries like a balance of sugar content and pH. We will be shooting for a Brix of 23 -24 on each of our varieties this year. Our Roussanne is at 22 and the Montepulciano is around 17. The Montepulciano was a test of only purple, ripe looking berries – so it was not precise but gives an idea. The Aglianico is a bit further behind the Montepulciano so we have not yet checked it.

Normally, as the Brix increase so does the pH which can present a problem for the wineries. Acidity is needed in wine for it to be stable. To balance the pH and obtain the proper acidity, the wineries add tartaric acid. There is, however, a legal limit to the amount of tartaric acid that may be added. If the acidity is too high and can not be controlled by tartaric acid, the wine is again unstable. This year however, the sugar content is gaining much faster than the pH, which is great!

Tired of Grapes?

Guess what is being carried and stored in the blue shirt.

I think they look guilty of something!

You might assume that with 20 acres of grapes and working in the vineyard every day, we would be tired of eating grapes.

Nope, no way.

In fact, I am convinced that our yields are going to be low because we eat so many!

John reminds me of the verse in Deuteronomy 25:4 “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.”

Now, we are not oxen and we are working in the vineyard and not threshing but the principle holds. Besides, those grapes sure are good!

Playtime!

While our days are mainly filled with vineyard work for now, we do take time to play. The following shows a glimpse of the lightheartedness of our boys. They have a healthy (I hope!) competitive spirit amongst them. I must admit though, sometimes they are a bit too daring for my mother’s heart.

In our backyard, John hung a rope swing that is 35 – 40 feet high from a pecan tree branch. Swinging is one thing but they decided to climb all the way to the top. Having been called outside to watch the performance, I had to laugh as they each had to outdo their younger brother.

Starting with the youngest son, a simple halfway up the rope climb was sufficient.

Then, all the way to the top for the next oldest.

Wait, I can climb without using my legs!

Finally, how about an upside down climb – all the way to the top!

And, not to be left out, our youngest daughter … well, she was content to just swing.