Reading Books 3-9-2011

I recently picked up Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy from the library.  So far, it's a little like a novelization of Unforgiven, if it had been written by James Joyce.
I also finished reading Decision Points by former U.S. President George W. Bush.  An interesting read, which was very enlightening to see the motivations and convictions of the former president.  It was an interesting read, though it seemed strongly apologetic (defensive).  That probably was his point of writing the book.

Vineyard Hardware Continued

I haven't shared the varieties that we are planning on planting.  We settled on three varieties.  We chose muscat, chenin blanc, and merlot.
After finding that we are planting more vines than originally anticipated, we picked up 26 more poles and trellis brackets.  Some of the brackets have never been used.

Coffee Rant - Yukon

Yukon Gold.  The Yukon gold rush was one of the last great North American gold rushes.  Fifty years after the gold rushes of the California, Oregon, Nevada, etc.  The thick rows of miners ready to explore and prospect for gold in the frozen northland thinned out across the wide expanse of the Yukon.  The great frozen northland took much more planning and preparation to conquer than the relatively temperate climes of the south.  Prospectors heading north in Canada were required to bring a years provisions, and often stripped of firearms.  The Canadian Mounties waited at the tops of passes to make sure the prospectors were in compliance.

Some prospectors found gold, some found silver, and some found very large bears.

Characteristics
Very woody, earthy, with a light dusting of charcoal and soot; like the depths of a gold mine etched into the frozen permafrost.

Snowy Riverboating

We took a quick trip down to the island this weekend. Melissa's family was in town, and we had the opportunity to show them our fun hobby.

We also went for a ride around the river while it was snowing, which was a different experience.  The river boat ride turned out to be really fun, though some of the boaters were starting to ice over.

Another ⅛ of an Acre

We ended up ordering 50 of each variety of vine, instead of 30.  This is due to a volume discount.  It was significantly cheaper to order the 150 vines instead of 90 vines.  As a result, we needed to til and fertilize some more ground.  Melissa rototilled an eighth of an acre.  that brings us to a quarter acre now.
We also put up some poles.  I've decided to rent an auger machine to drill all the holes, as there will be many to be dug.

Wheelbarrow

I recently got a new resident for the island: a wheelbarrow.  Another fine purchase from craigslist.

Coffee Rant - Komodo Dragon

     The sun scorched desert.  Not many things live in the desert.  It's deserted.  Dung beetles, sidewinders, mice... might be here or there.  The inhabitants of the desert are hardy, and have well defined methods of protecting themselves.  Cactus have uninviting spines.  Sidewinders have nasty big pointy teeth.
     The wood in the desert is cracked and dry.  Dwellings left to the desert's devices become parched and sun-bleached.  The conditions of the desert preserve some aspects, and decimate others; embalming the remnants of the once living.

     Generally, the things to eat in the desert are slim pickings.  A bite of cactus spines. A mouthful of dusty sand.  It seems there aren't many flavorful things in the desert, though there might be a rare treat of such things as sugary flowers.  The prickly pear cactus has little flavor; aloe vera the same.
Characteristics:
Strong flavor of charcoal.  A hint of wood: like sucking on a cedar fencepost left in the middle of the Sahara for aproximately 20 years.