We can both fit on the rug, at least for the moment!

Maggie is getting bigger, but still not as big as Mollie.  She weighs 41.5 pounds even though we decreased her food to 2 cups per day.   That means she gained 5 pounds in about two months.  She is going to have to go on a low-carb diet.

Enjoy them while you can!

It's a dark cloudy, rainy North Idaho day here.  It has been pouring rain and I love it!  I probably won't say that after about a week of it, but I love the fresh rain scent especially at night and I love the sound of the raindrops on our metal roof.

I am so glad I have most of my garden "put to bed".  We still haven't had a serious frost and I can't make myself cut down the flowers that are still blooming away!  The Black-eyed Susan's just keep on blooming.  They are an amazing flower.

Yesterday I froze the last 8 pints of green beans.  It was a green bean bonanza.  Then I spent some time in the greenhouse picking the rest of the Red Robin tomatoes and all of the peppers.  Many of the peppers are a beautiful dark red.  I haven't tested them yet to find out if they are really hot.  I am hoping for enough for a batch of red hot pepper jelly.

Sorry, more flowers:

I tasted the first vat of white wine which I started 10 days ago and I think it is time for it to go into a carboy.  That will be on today's list.




And more flowers:  Soon there will be snow and no flowers.  

Bet you're not ready for this!

Strawberry Wine, Watermelon Wine, Elderberry Wine....

 The berries

And the wine in the making

Hello HAL, do you read me, HAL?......

Yesterday we were without Internet for an entire 24 hour period.  It was panic time for Retired Mountain Man.  He does not do well without access to the Internet.  He really doesn't like technology all that much, meaning he really doesn't care how it works or how much it costs for it to work, he just wants it to work.

So...... it was a very very very long 24 hours until it was back up.

If you are a movie fan, you might remember HAL, the computer from the movie, 2001, A Space Odyssey.  This line from the movie, fits here:

HAL: Look Dave or  (Retired Mtn. Man),    I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

The problem with the Internet was due to a malfunction of the Telesat Satellite, Anvik2.  For some reason at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, it went into safe mode, and turned away from earth toward the sun.   It affected about 1/3 of Wildblue Satellite customers, plus TV, phone, ATM's and Internet in Canada.  All I can say is it was pretty stressful here on Cougar Creek Road.  It was a wet, rainy day with nothing to do......There was a lot of moaning and whining and crying.....


And later in the day.... we were lucky enough to be harassed by an automated calling system run amuck.  HAL kept dialing our number and as soon as we answered, the line went dead.  This happened every hour all evening.  By 2:00 a.m. it was a nightmare. When the phone rang, it was the part where Dr. Bowman said, "Open the pod bay doors,Hal", or "Don't call this number again", and HAL would say, "I'm afraid I can't do that Dave, Retired Mtn. Man"... or something like that.

And at 3:00 a.m. -  it rang again....
In the movie, Dave Bowman gets back into the spaceship and begins to disable HAL.... 
HAL I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Retired Mtn Man. My mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid.

And at 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.

HAL Good afternoon. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.
Retired Mtn Man: Yes, I'd like to hear it, HAL. Sing it for me.
HAL: It's called "Daisy."

[sings while slowing down]
HAL: Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two.

Yes, at 8:00 a.m. HAL was finally disabled, stopped singing and dialing...  and yes, I think Retired Mtn. Man is going to be OK but he's been humming the melody to the Blue Danube Waltz all day.

If life gives you lemons......

Or, if you have pears instead of grapes, then you make pear wine.  There are no grapes again this year.

I started the first vat on Monday.  It is pears, peaches and white grapes.   I wish you could smell the aroma of the yeast working on all that sugar.  The aroma fills the whole house.   I have never made wine with peaches but I think it will add a very nice flavor to the wine. 

Yesterday I spent the day steaming the pears from Uncle Jack's place.  How did we pick them?  The easy way.  Jon had Phil drive his Kubota tractor to the orchard and he got in the bucket of the tractor.  He picked three boxes in about 45 minutes.   The pear juice is really sweet and has great flavor.  I have made pear/grape wine the last two years and it turns out to be a very delicate dry white wine.  Very nice.

I plan to start this batch of wine this afternoon.  It will be pears and white grapes. Tomorrow I plan to strip the elderberries from the stems, steam them to get the juice and start the elderberry wine.   I also have a gallon of plum juice that a friend gave me and I think it will be a perfect addition to the elderberry wine.

It takes six months to make a nice dry white wine.  Next April this wine should be ready to bottle and hopefully look something like this.....