Kunde Vineyards

The golf course was too wet even for OilMan this morning and there was a dusting of snow on the hills outside our kitchen window, but it was sunny and clear and very cold, so we put on many layers of clothing and set out for a drive down the Sonoma Valley. Snow in this area is quite rare, so we get very excited about it. Alas, the snow was hidden behind a layer of mist, but the Kunde Vineyards, pruned and dormant, looked like a traditional green quilt spread over the hills.

It was cold enough to feel our fingers growing numb in their gloves, which weren't up to the task of keeping them warm in sub freezing temperatures, but we carried on down the paved path* enjoying the sunlight and the crystalline clear air. Ozzie, who has taken to lying on the porch outside the back door, was in his element running up and down the overflowing ditches on either side of the path, proving our theory that he is probably too hot in the house. His double fur coat served him well this morning although he was barefoot!

By the time we drove home, the mist over the hills was clearing but OilMan was already gearing up for an appointment with the dental hygenist and in no mood to stop, so I made do with a hurriedly snapped picture of Hood Mountain, dusted with snow,  and emerging from the mist.**

One would think OilMan is the only person in the world who has to undergo torture in the dental chair when in fact it is a common enough experience. Why he needs to leave an hour early for an appointment which is fifteen minutes away is beyond me, but he always thinks I don't leave early enough. I'd rather have another cup of coffee than wait in the dental office waiting room....As it turns out, he has to get a new crown too. Aren't we lucky...two new crowns in as many months....

The financial pain is far worse than the physical....

Aside from that, it was a spectacular day. By afternoon it was warm enough to go out and cut down all the frozen Cana lilies still standing against the wall outside the living room window.  While I threw slimy, dripping Cana stems and dead leaves into the path and OilMan meticulously plucked leaves out of all the plants on the hill, Blake, who was out on sufferance because of his tendency to pillage the veggie garden did just that. He ate an entire kale plant, the only thing still growing there...


* First extra
**Second Extra