I sit here thinking what I can share with you today and a few things come to mind. One being how fast the month of August has slipped by us. It’s hard to believe fall is fast approaching. I love this time of year when I can decorate with pumpkins and gourds and gourd scarecrows around the winery. My friend tells me it’s going to be a good year for pumpkins and gourds, so, come visit and see what new ideas I come up with this year!

The vineyard is so beautiful with all of the grapes hanging and in their final stages before being harvested. When I look out my kitchen window, I can see rows of vines loaded with beautiful dark red grapes. It’s a sight that is peaceful to ones eye. Harvest is fast approaching, we plan to start picking at the end of next week. This is a busy time for us with days of stress and decisions, but in the end, we all have a good time and love it.

Have you seen "Joey"? Look closely next time you visit us in the cave. He is usually sitting by the water or on the rock. When I took this picture he was on the path, he was fortunate the shuttle didn’t end his life!

Family will be here this holiday weekend . Who knows, maybe I can talk S-I-L into frying bacon for BLT's again like last week-end. The picture gives you a hint which SIL I'm talking about. Love them all.........

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Gone...

Buttercup is missing. She was our little beagle with a warm cuddly personality. She would sit with me on the porch swing in the evenings as content as I was. She was a good dog - with one bad habit. She had learned how to climb into open car windows and help herself to whatever picnic food she could find. This was not good! I knew we would have to find a new home, so Marty's cousin came to the rescue and took her to his house. Well, she ran away! I guess she missed Norton and Tram (and me). Marty assured me that she would come back to us in three days (his cousin doesn't live too many miles away.) As the days passed and still no signs of her I knew this was not going to happen. I can only think where she might be and hope that she has found another family who will care for her. I only hope that they keep their car windows up!

My bees are gone as well. (what next?) checking my hive one day I was surprised to find not a single bee in the hive. Unfortunately, that means no honey for sale this year in the tasting room. I started beekeeping 10 years ago and enjoy this rewarding hobby, but over the years it has become a challenge to keep the bees alive. So, I have decided to hang up my bee suit fo a while. Maybe down the road I will take beekeeping up again.

In the vineyard, the grapes are ripening. Oh what a beautiful sight to see! We expect to start harvesting in about 3 weeks. Then the fun times begin!!