Sounds like you need some local warming! Sometimes you have to move to the weather.
Winter has been pleasant here, so far. It’s mostly been in the 50’s and 60’s–yes, E. Washington–but has frosted and even snowed in some higher areas. I was driving up the northern section of the Columbia River this weekend and could see good fruit (unpicked for some reason) still hanging on the trees. Entire orchards still had all their green leaves. Some grape vinyards (unpicked for some reason) still looked okay too. I finally stopped and picked some apples…and they were fine. The grapes were a little soft, but tasted okay. I suppose that all may be due to the influence of the nearby river.
The grape harvest is on in earnest here in Essex county Ontario and I suspect up in the Niagara pennisula also. Grapes are left on the vine to freeze so that they can be made into Icewine.
How long does that go on Mark? Not after Christmas eh?
I got my parents some tours at Konzelman and Chateau des Charmes for Christmas… then again it’s a bit of a drive so I doubt they would go until the summer.
It’s not quite as bad here in northern Illinois. When I got up yesterday (at 8:30 a.m.) the wind chill was 0 F. Yesterday we went to the hardware store and got our outdoor cats an insulated rose cone to sit in. I’m just really glad I don’t have to go to school and walk home in this.
Does anyone listen to the Prarie Home Companion on NPR? The last show had a segement on how when the narrator guy was a kid, they turned the heat up instead of putting on a sweater and left the outside doors open. The heating bill was so huge that they had to live in an ice house and eat SPAM on Christmas.
Here in Essex county they have been picking around the clock to get the harvest all in as fast a possible before the temperature starts rising, as it can do here. So if they have been working fast it all can be done now.
