Felled Trees and the Smell of Earthworms

I know--it is kinda weird, but what else do you call that smell after the Spring rains fall on the now very green grass--which I probably should think about mowing.

It is the "smell" of the earth after the rain--the sweet smell that caresses the land and reminds me of earthworms.

As we were digging in the gardens last week, I was pleased to see that we have a lot of worms grinding up the inorganic matter into fertile nutrients for our plants.

The other day I finally had three dead, but very tall trees felled. They will, by the end of the year, be cut, split, and stacked for firewood. They were just a bit too tall for me to want to deal with--and I wanted them to fall in a certain way so I paid to have them dropped--the guy who did the job for me put them right where I wanted them.

They are wet now, though, after the soaking rains of the past days.

But it is a couple year's worth of wood lying on the ground ready for processing with my chain saw.  And I will get to rent a splitter again, too.



I am beginning to see a lot of new green leaves out my window and the weeping cherry is about to burst forth in bloom as well.  It is the time of year, here, when the flowering trees are putting on a show which rivals the autumn leaves.

"We the People" have Lost

As I wake this morning, I am saddened by the situation in our country.

There is a very real likelihood that we American will wake up tomorrow morning as the laughing stocks of the free world. A country without a budget and without a functioning government hobbled by a shut down. The New York Times article of this morning explains some of the consequences pretty well.

I am sure there are some who will likely be cheering-- but if you think the situation is bad now--a shut down will only exacerbate every bad thing that happens.

Congress has tasks specifically called out in the Constitution Article 1 Section 8 that they are responsible for accomplishing. A government shut down clearly indicates that they are not meeting their Constitutional requirements--one of the most important being to "provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States."

All is not lost--the Congress still has about 18 hours to avert insanity--but it is looking pretty bleak.

And who suffers most for the madness occurring in Washington, DC?

Every American.

Yeah--federal workers get hammered first and most noticeably by furloughs--but tomorrow's Cherry Blossom parade will be canceled, the Smithsonian Institution's gallerys will be closed, national parks also will be closed. And every American who is on Spring Break and spending money on vacation--will also feel the initial impacts of the madness.

But wait, there's more.

There is talk that the Air Traffic Controllers may not be able to work. And what about our favorite travel agency, TSA?

Our government is everywhere and an integral part of our lives in ways we do not even remember: meat inspectors, agricultural inspectors, customs, the IRS, Social Security, and the list goes on and on.

Then consider the loss of value for the dollar on world markets which, will drive the already too high price of oil up even higher sending gas prices at the pump well into the $4 per gallon range.

And prices for imports go up at exactly the same time that they cannot be inspected and brought into the country.

We, people, have lost.

Our representatives are acting irresponsibly--something we need to remember during election season.

Until then--it is going to be a bumpy ride.

Consensus Wine Update--Gold Medal Awarded

I wrote a while ago about the Consensus wine from Keswick Vineyards that Chris and I were able to blend last December.

Well, interestingly enough, the story does not end there.

Turns out, the vineyard entered the Consensus into the recent Finger Lakes International Wine Competition a couple weeks ago.

The wine won a Gold Medal!

I mean, I thought it was good--but I was pretty sure I thought it was good because I had a hand in coming up with the blend.

Not so--it really is good!

We received the following congratulatory note in an email from the vineyard the other day:

Congratulations Robert and Christina!
 

We really do have the best wine club members out there!  Congratulations to all of our members! Your winning Consensus blend from last December was entered into The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and took home a gold.  We couldn't be more proud of it or of you!

If you live in a state where you are lucky enough to be able to have wine shipped to you--I can recommend this wine. Also--the Cabernet Franc, which I tasted at the winery a couple weekends ago is also fabulous--and it won a Gold Medal in the 2011 Virginia Governor's Cup.

The experience of going to the vineyard and creating the wine back in December and watching it as it went through blending, aging, bottling, release and now has become a Gold Medal winner is one that I probably will never be able to repeat--but for me, it truly has brought me to closer to understanding some of the complexities involved in wine making and has been an experience to remember.

Sadly, there were only a limited number of cases produces and I am sure the wine will soon be nothing more than a fond memory--but if I can resist the temptation to drink it all, and save some for a couple of years--this wine will only get better with a little bit of age.

Thunderstorms and Clearing Skies

Yesterday morning, I drove to the club just after a fairly ferocious thunderstorm had passed through the neighborhood. The winds whipped around and the rain fell in buckets--a true springtime storm.

By the time I arrived at the club for my morning dose of racquetball, the rains had stopped and the smells of springtime were again beginning to fill the air.

The smell of newly mounded mulch and decaying plant matter--those earthy, rich odors which make me feel so close to nature, graced my olfactory senses.

As I was coming out of the club after a grueling match, I noted the gathering dawn against the low hanging clouds and the clear air. The rain had stopped, and while the temperatures were still in the 60's, the forecast was calling for a cooling trend. It was in the mid-40's at noon yesterday. And 36 degrees this morning. That is a 25 degree change since yesterday morning--and not for the better!

Monday's warmth was taste of what is to come--just to make us appreciate it that much more. On the other hand, the daffodils and the hyacinths are loving the cool temperatures and are blooming on and on.

O's and Rolling Along

April 4, 2011 Opening Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

We are only four games into the 2011 baseball season and already O's fans are loving it. The O's are 4-0, tying their 1997 start and bringing back visions of the World Series winning team of 1970 when they started 5-0 with a series sweep on the road against Cleveland and then won 2 of 3 against the Detroit Tigers at home during the second series of the year.

Now in 2011, the O's are playing the Detroit Tigers at home for the second series of the year. They started the season by sweeping Tampa on the road.

Isn't baseball great. After only four games of a 162 game season, O's fans are already drawing comparisons to the history making World Series champion teams of the past.

Yesterday at the park, it was a sea of orange and black such as I have not seen in a long time. The crowd was electric and the players responded with a crisp 5-1 win, highlighted by Brian Roberts second three-run homer of the year.

The day was glorious and warm. The skies were fair and the fan base made a rare sold-out stadium appearance.

I have attended a lot of games over the past years where sometimes there are more opposition fans than Orioles fans--but not today. I actually spied only one Tiger fan and of course there was a Yankee fan wearing his team's colors and I wondered if he took a wrong turn on I-95 on his way to NYC.

But it was the Orioles and their young pitching staff that stole the show. Hanging on until the offense came around and holding the opposition to only one run, for the fourth time.

And ESPN still will not even acknowledge that the Orioles exist.  It is a credibility deep hole that they are crawling out of.  Game by game.

I love baseball--win or lose and everyone knows that I have been a staunch Orioles fan through every one of the 13 consecutive losing seasons--but this year there is at least hope.

I was astounded when the team was introduced at the size of the cheers for the manager--Buck Showalter. I wonder how many managers get that kind of reception during the opening day introductions. But, Buck has so far turned this team around. They have a solid winning record since he took over last August.

The hopes of all true Orioles fans are rising every day.

Any questions?

Opening Day 2011 Scoreboard in Center Field

High 70's and the crowd is streaming in. It is an awesome afternoon in Charm City.

Spirits are high as the Orioles open the home part of the season against the Detroit Tigers.

From the Frontlines on Opening Day



In front of Pickle's Bar on Russell Street in Baltimore on April 4, 2011

 It is here. The 3-0 Orioles are coming home today atop the AL East. This is the crowd two hours before game-time outside the stadium.

The day is almost hot--and it is early April.

The beer is flowing freely and there is a celebration atmosphere in the crowd, almost as if something special is about to happen--the likes of which we have not seen since 1997.

Monday Musings - April 4, 2011

.
1. Home Opening Day for the undefeated and alone atop the American East Division Orioles and the weather forecast has changed from low 50's and rain to upper 70's and fantastic! What a great way to start the season. Reality will likely set in sometime soon--but it is fun to enjoy the ride while we can. The last time the Orioles started a season with a three-game sweep, was 1997, when they started 4-0 and led the American League East every day from Opening Day until the end of the season.

2. Heard in church yesterday: When you were born, everyone else cheered while you cried. Live your life so that when you die everyone else will cry while you cheer.

3. There is something really therapeutic about getting my hands covered with dirt while planting and cleaning the gardens. It reconnects me with my roots and with the earth. Springtime is such a season of hope and planning.

4. Also heard in church yesterday: If we don't cry over the people we lose, maybe we never really loved them.

5. About the protests and killings of UN workers in Afghanistan. Can the church in Florida that burned the Koran be charged with murder? It has been reported that 21 people have been killed as a result of their Constitutionally-protected but irresponsible action.

6. We had an impressive thunder storm last evening as we went to bed--the sky was lit with lightening on numerous occasions as the skies watered the plants we had planted earlier in the day. Springtime is definitely upon us.

7. And so another week begins--the first full week of April--wow, the year sure is slipping by at a fantastic rate. Just yesterday, it seems, it was new Year's morning.

Projects and Saturdays

We have a project list.

A list of 20 (well now 19) items to work off when we have a chance.

The idea is that when we have time--or need something to do, we will go to one of the items on the list and complete it. Yesterday, we cleaned out a closet and installed a rack to hold wine. So we have a true wine cellar, so to speak.

It was a project.

Some are not so simple--like crown molding in a couple of rooms.

But it is a plan.

There are so many things to do around here it seems. It will be hard to keep up with them all. And of course there is the expense of funding some of the projects.

But we have a plan--and it keeps us busy in our spare time.

Basking in the Glow of a Win

Baseball season is officially underway for the O's. I always love this time of the season when i can call them the AL East Division leaders. Yeah, they're tied with the Yankees and the Blue Jays with one win each--but it still sounds good.

I had a good evening out at a local establishment with Jeremy, Mike and few other friends watching the game, eating some munchies and of course drinking some beer.

Baseball brings us together, it seems. It gives us something to cheer for, talk about and commiserate about when they fall short. 

And dream about being in the World Series or the playoffs?

Maybe not this year. But we are expecting a winning season to break the 13 years 

I have my tickets for the home opener on Monday and am looking forward to partying with 40,000 of my closest friends in person. The weatherman is even helping--we are now looking at 75 degrees and only light showers possible, up form low 50's and heavy rain.

The sun will be shining though at 2:30 pm as the 2011 Orioles are introduced to the home crowd.

Regardless--

The promise is still alive as the just underway baseball season gets off to a start. One down and only 161 to go.