Where Has the Summer Gone?

Hi, all!  Whew, this has been the fastest summer ever!  At least it sure feels like it now that I am down the the last week of my break.  Where did it go, and where have I been?  In case you maybe thought my blogging absence was due to me taking some far away, exotic trip with little to no internet connection, you would be wrong.  I was in no such location – it was a wonderful little day dream I just had about it though.  No, no traveling except for the daily drives to the family property for goat sitting and grape picking, plus the daily drives to and fro taking my boy to work, and back and forth throughout the county.  That is the real reason I have been away, and I have been far too busy for much of anything.

I am home today though, for the whole day, which is a first in about two weeks.  It is wonderful!  Nowhere to be, and I am not ashamed to admit as I sit here right now, I am still wearing my pajamas.  My hair is a mess and I haven’t even washed my face yet.  I am enjoying every minute of not having to be somewhere, for once.

Like I mentioned, summer break is winding down.  I just purchased my last essential school books for the year, tomorrow my boy gets his hair cut and any final school supplies, then it’s back to teaching, grading, and spreadsheets for me.  I am a little bit looking forward to it though.  I really enjoy being on a schedule, I feel like I can get a lot done that way, and I do better personally with being organized during the school year.  I tend to be a lot more laid back with my daily chores during the summer.  It’s been a struggle to keep myself up to date with everything I need to do around my place lately.

Enough of all this back to school talk, now let me show you a little bit of what I have been doing.  Leave it to my handy dandy sidekick, a camera of some kind, to make sure and document all that I have been up to…

It all started about two weeks ago.  The boy and I were on farm duty.  The last couple of years around this time, we end up farm-sitting, and this year was no exception.  There were goats, chickens, cats, dogs, and a duck.  Needless to say our mornings were busy.  Once the animals were all fed and cared for, it was off to take care of grapes.

Our muscadine harvest started last Friday.  We are off to a good start, and learning as we go.  I’ve been doing a good amount of reading as pertaining to how to grow and care for muscadines.  There’s a lot to learn when you are starting with no knowledge about any of it.

There is one thing I have some knowledge on though, making wine.  Most of my ‘grape’ related knowledge has been coming from leaning about the wine making process.  (Perhaps I have been a little ahead of myself.)  I started this 3 gallon batch of summer blackberry wine a week and a half ago.  It’s been the fastest working wine I’ve made yet.

We were also entertaining a special visitor.  Romeo the cousin poodle spent some time with us.  We had a few more than usual relaxing evenings on the back deck giving the dogs a chance to run around and play with each other.  Unfortunately, Yuki isn’t very hospitable.

The boy and I have been making sure to get in our daily dose of exercise, even despite the extra running around and really hot days.  We pass by Parker’s Crossroads daily when we are tending to animals and picking grapes, so what started as me dragging my boy out of the air conditioned car for a quick walk, has turned into him asking me if we are going to stop.  It’s not everyday you get to walk in a battle field.  Secretly I think he’s just doing it for the handstand practice.  P.S. – There weren’t any keep off or no touching signs, by the way.

That is about all I have to say regarding the last couple of weeks.  I won’t be gone as long as I was last time, and soon enough I will be back on here with more pictures and more things to say about my life as I know it.  Until then, I hope you all enjoy your week!  I plan to.