Washingtonians

[Ogress]

In answer to Ogress' photos, sort of. This was Thursday just before the lights went out, looking off my front porch (the lump of snow lower left is the corner of the railing) into the plum tree that I was going to get rid of anyway. There's more damage now than this picture shows and the big break at the top came down on an already not-great fence corner.

Nice photo! I was hoping the ice storm would shatter my wysteria, but no such luck. I need room for roses and clematis.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Renart, Went to look at your website and the link in your signature took me right back to BYC.

Same for me if I click the link in sig line. If I go to your BYC page and click link it works.

About egg sales!! I would never do that I don't have proper paper work. However we do store our eggs in a "special fridge" out on the front porch and sometimes we notice eggs missing and money in a little box in there.

 

[Ogress]

A few more taken this afternoon. Just a short while ago the snow turned to rain and the temperature is climbing.

Copycat; our most accurate weather forecaster:
(Copy is from a feral colony we adopted, but he/she has become semi-tame and now lives in a heated cat bungalow just outside my door. About 12 hours before any major storm, the cat vanishes (No clue where to) and it returns when the weather improves. Copy vanished on Sunday and returned last night. The cat vanishes before heavy snows or high winds, but not rain.)


The fate of Alder trees in North Bend:



Olivia and the mound that was scooped from the front of my garage:

 

[Ogress]

Snow sliding from the roof and blocking the path to the front door:

 

[Totalcolour]

Does anyone know of anybody in the PNW who raises exhibition quality Pomeranian geese (besides me)?

It is looking like I am going to have to drive to Redding Calif to get new goslings and that is a very long drive. I'd sure like to find some closer to home.

Thanks

Yup - Dave Holderread of Holderread Waterfowl Preservation Cantre - I get my goslings and ducklings form him - he's in Corvallis Or. You can get all grades form him from backyard to show quality.

http://holderreadfarm.com/breeds_list_page/breeds_list.htm

 

[Ogress]

Taken a few moments ago (I found batteries for my old Davis Weather station last night - the weather station itself is toast It got blown over in a 70 MPH gust, tumbled down a hill and fell apart about 5 years ago in that huge storm that destroyed Mt. Rainier NP)

Scary thing is, 56 feels quite warm! Geothermal takes a long, long time to heat up a house!

 

[Ogress]

The good side of being snowed in:

Chickens are snowed in too. I've been getting lots of eggs because the EE's and Americaunas have not been able to hide their eggs!

I'm still back reading old posts between internet crashes. Best news of the week is Broody's clear PET scan; WooHoo!!! I felt so happy when I read that.

Saddest I read is Illia's Shamo.I missed pretty much everything between those and am going back now.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Nice photo! I was hoping the ice storm would shatter my wysteria, but no such luck. I need room for roses and clematis.

The orchard took some hard, hard blows, but the rootstock peach didn't even lose the branch I'e been pulling down hoping it would break! I found my camera battery charger, and am going outside in about twenty minutes to take some more photos.

My wisteria, which died out where I planted it but came to life crawling all over the lawn, is alive. And I don't have to worry about pruning my winter-blooming clematis since the sheep ate all the green growth from that- it's the prime user of the steel trellis which is currently his temporary housing. He's also eaten all of the Quaker Bonnet primrose that grows under it and is working hard to rid the retaining wall of moss.

My husband's work-place may not have electricity until Tuesday, which is a good thing since we can't actually walk to the car right now: the middle third of the driveway is essentially ice floating on liquid mud, which would be a problem even if it weren't a steep slope.

 

[Ogress]

Oh no...in the case of wine grapes, fermentation is usually done & over with in about 7 days if I remeber correctly, then you strain, clarify & bottle.
The aging is what takes time, but the alcohol is already there at 7 days.
I have idiot firneds make wine & found them drinking it at 8 days.........I scolded them to allow it to age & mellow but it did no good.

This is what you do:
Wash, stem & crush, strain out seeds as they can be bitter in the wine.
In the case of reds, skins & juice go in a clean vat & add Campa tabs to kill all other natural yeast, then after that (next day) brix, see how much sugar there is naturally & add if needed...then test acid, if acid is needed add, then the yeast & cover with a cheescloth & stir 2-3x a day.
when it is fermenting it bubbles & smells soooooooooo good !
When fermentation is done, the bubbles all gone, brix test again to see if there is sugars left, if none, that means all sugars have been turned to alcchol (& that can be measured too)
Time to add clarifyer (in whites) and allow the sediment to sink, then sulfites to preserve (must be done) and bottle with as little air injected as possible..all total, a week or week & 1/2 ?




Steel Winery in Lake County one of my hangouts where I sold alot of artwork

Cannot even tell you how wonderful a winery smells!

Do I see WINE???? Do I ever want some! I was supposed to be out with friends last night to celebrate one's 50th. The took a limo to a spa, then Wild Ginger then Lrk. Driveway was not plowed in time, so they took to calling me with updates whenever they could get through on the phone, getting progressively hammered! This A.M. I called them to inquire about their hangovers.

 

[Ogress]

The orchard took some hard, hard blows, but the rootstock peach didn't even lose the branch I'e been pulling down hoping it would break! I found my camera battery charger, and am going outside in about twenty minutes to take some more photos.
My wisteria, which died out where I planted it but came to life crawling all over the lawn, is alive. And I don't have to worry about pruning my winter-blooming clematis since the sheep ate all the green growth from that- it's the prime user of the steel trellis which is currently his temporary housing. He's also eaten all of the Quaker Bonnet primrose that grows under it and is working hard to rid the retaining wall of moss.
My husband's work-place may not have electricity until Tuesday, which is a good thing since we can't actually walk to the car right now: the middle third of the driveway is essentially ice floating on liquid mud, which would be a problem even if it weren't a steep slope.

I have not even made it out to my orchard (itty bitty 15 tree thing) because between here and there is my lawn and under all that snow is a huge tangled mess of all the blackbery vines I ripped out the other week and have not gotten around to burnng yet. Until I can see them, I won't go out there. Same story for my 30 blueberry bushes.