Lives Of The Vines 3

In the vineyard, where the combination of rainfall and 80-degree-plus heat is guaranteed to produce growth that one might swear is actually visible to the casual observer, grape flower clusters are poised to enter the critical period of bloom, during which the size of this year’s crop will be determined. Many of our neighbors have told us that both the size and the number of their clusters seem to be on the high side of normal which is the case in our vineyard as well. Let's hope so after last year's damage from frost. This a photo of what the vineyards looked like on Howell Mountain during the frost last year. Thanks to Jon, our neighbor, for the photo. This week workers will be suckering the vines to remove the vegetative canes with no buds on them to promote growth of the canes with buds.

Smackdown On Main Street In St. Helena

For all of you who don’t know, St. Helena is a small, upscale community at the northern end of the Napa Valley. Many people from there believe it is the very heart of the valley. In St. Helena you will find fine restaurants, chi-chi shops, and artsy galleries. All very fashionable.

The local newspaper, the St. Helena Star, is published every Thursday and contains all the usual articles and then there's the police log...

Last week, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this entry:

1650 - Report of a physical fight between two cooks on Main Street. Officers responded and determined the incident had been "mutual combat" and took a report.

What the ????

This could only happen in the Napa Valley!

Can you imagine any scenarios about why these cooks were duking it out on the sidewalks of this lovely little town?

Like…

My chef knife is bigger and sharper than yours!
You put too much damn salt in the damn soup!
My restaurant is bigger and nicer than yours!
My sous chef quit to work for you?!
Each had a little too much of “the sauce”!

I’d love to hear your comments about what you envision these two fools might have been thinking!

Here's what they looked like after they kissed and made up (read sobered up!)

Hope I made you smile this Monday morning...have a great week!

Thanks to the Star http://sthelenastar.com

Birds Of A Feather

I created this digital scrapbook layout last year when our Crown Sparrows left to migrate in early May. I took this photograph of one of the birds sitting on a blackberry branch in our garden just before they were gone. Hubby and I love to feed the birds so we can watch them flitting around. We also have swallows, titmice, nuthatches, towies, hummingbirds, crows, redwinged blackbirds, blue jays, geese, ducks, redtailed hawks, herons, cedar waxwings, finches, blue birds, owls...Whew! One time we even saw a golden eagle fly across the vineyard! And, now the sparrows are gone until October.

Credits: C.Renee-Ultimate Art Collection, Meadow Ledger ppr-Recollections, Stamps Window & Clock; Jomi van Bekkum-Unknown Kit, Paper 1; NRJ-In Vogue, Paper 5; K.Christensen-Recollections, Pink Flower Paper; IOD-Inked Edge-Oogelie Boogelie, Tag 2; W&W-Roughing It, Peach Journal; Gypsy Chick-Gypsy Flower Overlays, #5-Scribbly Flowers, #3- Recollections, Silk Flower; RME-Nature, Lace; Linda GB-Frosty & Fabulous, Bow-Designer's Pick, Ribbon & Rose 5; CAH-Festivus, Crown; A.Briggs, Whimsy & Style, Stitching; All products from http://scrapartist.com/; Font: Harrington

Lives Of The Vines 2

For the most part, the vineyard is still in the bud break stage. We have two "blocks" of vineyard, the front and back blocks. This picture shows part of the front vineyard and the arrow points to the vine we are following. The back block is almost always ahead of the front block since it is higher in elevation and generally hotter. Some vines in the back are already in the "bloom" stage. When this occurs small flowers appear that will then form into the grapes. This stage in the life of the vine is critical. We can't have any type of inclement weather during this cycle since it would easily ruin the grape crop. Our vine should be in bloom very soon.

Credits: Font = CB Wednesday; Background Digital Paper = Noni Kit by Lie Pfung and available through http://ScrappersGuide.com

Lives Of The Vines

With today's post, I am beginning a new series called the "Lives of the Vines." The idea is to document the growing cycle of our vineyard from bud break to dormancy. Once a week, I plan to photograph the same grapevine to illustrate what's happening in the vineyard. Also, I will give a short summary of the progress being made. To bring you up to speed, the following things have already happened in the vineyard:

• Cover crop planted between rows
• Vines Pre-pruned
• Weed abatement
• Vines Pruned
• Cover crop cultivated.

Bud break began around April 15. Now that the tender leaves are sprouting, we hope there will be no more frosty nights. Last year we lost half our crop to frost.

Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, I hope we can all implement changes that will lessen our impact on our lovely blue planet. Several years ago, there was a challenge on a digital scrapbooking site I frequented to create a layout about Earth Day. The image above is the layout I created in response. Loyal (DH) and I were lucky enough to visit Kona Village on the Big Island several times and just loved it. We enjoyed snorkling in the beautiful bay at the resort and swimming with the sea turtles. At one time, the turtles were disappearing; however, I am happy to report that they are making a great rebound! I took all of the photos of the turtles shown in the layout. The funny looking tracks on the right side were made by a turtle that came up on the beach to rest. I created the Hawaiian looking texture on the top with inks and stamping tools (Clearsnap) on watercolor paper and then scanned it into Photoshop CS3. The map and logos are from memorabilia brought home from our trips and also scanned. Here's hoping the wonderful story of the sea turtles will inspire us all to be kind and gentle when leaving an imprint on our beautiful world.

By the way, did you know that Stampington and Company (Somerset Studio, Take Ten, etc.) has announced that it will release its new magazine, Green Craft Magazine, on August 1, 2009? The theme will be recycled artwork! Also, until April 29th, you can get free shipping and $2.00 off the cover price if you preorder. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Bloomin' Spring!

What a wonderful, beautiful, gorgeous spring day! It’s just about as perfect as you can get. Couldn't wait to get outside and do some spring cleaning in the garden. We have so many flowers blooming now it looks like a big ole florist shop! We have daffodils, tulips, muscari, mock orange, freesias, lilacs, peonies and more right outside our door. It’s a bloomin’ wonderland.

!I love spring!!I love spring!

Build A Better Blog

I have been taking a free course called 31 Days to Build a Better Blog from http://www.problogger.net/. Each day we are given a task to complete which should help to increase traffic to and comments on our blog pages. We are on day 8 and I must admit that it is working so far!

Day 1: Create an “elevator pitch” for your blog
Day 2: Create a “list” post for your blog
Day 3: Promote a specific post rather than your whole blog
Day 4: Analyze a successful blog in your area of interest
Day 5: Email a new reader of your blog
Day 6: Learn from successful bloggers about blogging

(reading list)
Day 7: Write a “link post”
Day 8: Interlink posts within your blog

I am very pleased with the results:

1. Learned a whole lot about blogging

2. Actually found focus by writing down my elevator pitch

3. The list post was fun to write and seems to have

generated more traffic and comments than I anticipated

4. Visited many blogs with similar interests I may never have found

5. Sent and received email from readers

Five Ways to Boost Your Creativity

I've been reading an interesting book The New Creative Artist, a Guide to Developing Your Creative Spirit by Nita Leland. Here are some tips from her...


1. Get To Know Your Creative Self
· What do you love to do most?
· Where are you most creative?
· When are you most productive during the day?
· What most motivates you to undertake a creative
challenge?

2. Prepare Your Environment for Creative Activities
· Create an atmosphere that energizes you
· Music can bring you into a creative mood
· Gather and organize all your supplies for projects
· Schedule time each day to work on a creative project

3. Get Going With What Materials You Already Have
· Don’t worry about completing a finished project
· Scribble, doodle, draw or paint with what’s at hand
· Use pieces of colorful magazine pages to make collages
· You don’t need art materials to get started, just get started

4. Start An Artistic Sketchbook/Journal
· Write notes, lists of ideas and projects
· Doodle and draw
· Never erase to tear out a page
· Date every entry

5. Try New Things On A Regular Basis
· Drive a different route to work
· Change your lip color
· Wear a necklace instead of a scarf
· Change up a recipe with a different spice


(As paraphrased from the New Creative Artist by Nita Leland)

Thanks to All the Lovely Ladies at SITS!

I am sooo new at all this blogging stuff! Didn't think to look at my "dashboard" to see if there were any comments. Needless to say, I was wonderfully surprised to see so many "unmoderated" comments lurking there! Thanks so much for taking the time to make me feel welcome. It's very much appreciated, indeed.

By the way, just wanted to let you know how impressed I am with all your wonderful, funny, touching, beautiful blogs. Kudos to all!