Ah, flurries fell today.

A snapshot of the sky in Waukegan, Illinois today Saturday April 16, 2011.


It is a cold, dreary day and at one point flurries fell for an extended period of time. I have a few photos of the clouds to communicate a small slice of today. The temps are at 38 degrees Fahrenheit at the moment in Waukegan, Illinois, the lows will be at 32-33 tonight. Chilly Willy, for sure. The past two days have been nothing but rain, which is great for the local water table. I used to think that it was great for the vines, but I am hearing more from sources that the vines that have to struggle to find groundwater are usually the vines that produce the best fruit. Hence, you get these outfits seeking volcanic soils, etc., and selling out of wines that they are producing, in no time.

This is the year of the Next Generation. It is apparent that successes and lessons from this year will provide the bedrock for how to proceed in the coming years. Whatever varietals take best this summer will more than likely be the predominant wine varietals that I'll be fermenting in the coming 6-9 years. Brilliant!

While I have learned that many of the vineyards in California have experienced bud break, I don't think too many in the central states/Midwest area have been able to report such good news, at least not just as yet. Not surprising considering the differences in climate between the two general areas mentioned. I remember one time talking to an old south side Chicago cop and he said that it is usually safe once you come upon thee first moon in May, that is, to transplant seedlings, etc. I do think his advice is pretty spot on. And that is part of the appeal of spring: it teases us with a few warm days, but its function primarily rests in providing transition to the world. I'll sit tight and be patient.

How about a diversion?

I always look forward to the time when I find Blood Oranges in the supermarket.

Blood Oranges a second time. Lovely tasting, aren't they?

It certainly hasn't been as cold as Duluth, Minnesota, but it is quite chilly. Ken Newhams is the guy behind the always wonderful Duluth Shipping News website. Always a fun one to review.

Feeling a bit like a circus juggler these days

(One of the most popular plants on the block: Rhubarbsky)

Many, many things rolling here in the Logan Square neighborhood. Highlight of the week comes from the returning Rhubarb that I planted last year. Actually, this is a significant moment to celebrate because it is my second attempt at trying to bring Rhubarb through a winter here in Chicago. I suspect it might have been poor planting and care on my part as being the reason for the failure of the initial attempt. Regardless, this Rhubarb started to dance about 10 to 12 - 14 days ago and it prompted a mini-fist pump like Tiger Woods usually does on the golf course after an excellent shot. Now that I have it coming up (and believe me, it was deceptively nice on Tuesday of this week - I was freezing outside as I worked painting a wrought-ironed fence), I can look forward to a repeat of summer pies from this lovely plant.

Also, today as I walked out my front door to move my car (a preventative measure so that I don't need to, once again, donate to the City of Chicago's Department of Revenue), I was greeted by a lovely, lovely sound made by a woodpecker in the tree immediately in front of my apartment. I could actually hear it inside my apartment. Having grown up in St. Louis, we really didn't get too many woodpeckers taking up shop in the area. Once I began to learn the sound of the woodpecker (not a difficult task in the least), whenever I hear a similar sound my memory brings up the file and I have to go out to the place where the sound is being crafted, that's just something I love. I couldn't believe how long this one treated me to the sound. It was amazing. I remained in my apartment for the next few hours (nursing a chest-cold/bronchial something) and later came out to learn that the woodpecker was still in the tree. I took a recording on the trusty old iPod. I'll try to post it on the blogulation when I figure how to do such a thing.

I have encountered a couple of very encouraging pieces in the media as of recent. They are listed below:

Mike Steinberger (Slate.com) recently wrote a great piece about Rhys Vineyards out of California. Part of the writing is chronology and history. It was actually those components that helped a little upstart like what this is make me feel very encouraged.

Click the hyperlink to read said article on slate.com:



Also, learning a bit more about the development of Cadeceus Vineyards out of Arizona. Very exciting and encouraging news out of there as well.