After consulting the forecast for Friday, I decided Wednesday evening to visit Wildcat Bluff Thursday morning instead of Friday. The forecast was correct and it rained Friday morning and into the afternoon. I needed to change oil and sharpen blades of all three mowers so I took advantage of the rain and got that taken care of. Although we only accumulated half an inch, it was a slow soaker and, coming on top of last weekend’s rain plus the cool and overcast weather, it was a beneficial amount. This week I hope to mow the place for the last time this season.
Chris rented a power washer and went over the playhouse with it Saturday. I asked him to do that because I want to apply a preservative stain. Joyce and I power washed it last September when we did the chicken house but never got around to applying the stain. Chris worked very hard at using the power washer to remove the loose paint he applied several years ago. It didn’t stick very well and much of it peeled off but the stain will do much better. The chicken house still looks like it did last year after we stained it.
Jill and friend Constance Munge entered a mini-triathlon recently, one where the entrants have so much time for each event and are measured by how far they get during that time, I believe. There is a nice picture of Jill and Constance on Jill’s face book page. Mr. Wylie and Mr. Munge are lucky men.
Abigail went to Jubador (sp?) Friday night. That’s one of those things were the girls go to dance and the boys go to avoid dancing. Doesn’t seem as though the species has evolved much since I was that age.
Monday Joyce and I harvested the grapes. We only got 40 pounds. Contrast that with the last harvest in 2012 where we collected 117 pounds. Sixteen pounds of grapes roughly equals one gallon of juice and that means I would be far short of filling a five gallon carboy, which is what I shoot for. I started to go to the wine supply store and buy one of their wine kits to augment my meager harvest. Then I decided I would rather go with what I had since it would be all SA product. A gallon of wine makes five bottles of wine so the 2014 vintage will be limited to 10 bottles or so. Quality over quantity.
Joyce and li’l r harvested apples later in the week. The apples are small but quite tasty and Joyce has been busy cutting up and drying the blemished ones. The nice ones she will keep for eating and sharing with others. The tree is only three years old, I think. We planted another one a year or so after the first one but it hasn’t started producing yet. As with the grapes, the birds were doing their best to get their share. We surmise that the increased moisture this year over the last several has resulted in more insects, which has resulted in more birds.