lummi island wine tasting may 5 ’17
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Sorry, no bread this week
Janice, our Stalwart Baker, is away this week, so there is no bread pickup this week. Those of you on the bread order email list should hear from her next Sunday or Monday with the details of next week’s offerings.
Our Next Sunday Concert May 21!
Singer/songwriter/therapist (and Lummi Island familiar) Rob Hutchings has played his music in the wine shop numerous times over the past year, where many of us have enjoyed his expressive and emotive style: “With these songs of awareness, we celebrate our creative connection with an intention of healing.” For this concert Rob is teaming up with bluegrass mandolin/guitarist Perry Welsh, who brings his dynamic picking/strumming patterns to this musical collaboration in which unique rhythms frame the narrative elements of Rob’s songs. It’s gonna be fun!
Btw, for those of you who are musicians, Artisan Wine Gallery offers free wine tastings to anyone who volunteers for a fifteen-minute gig in the shop during our regular open hours! Acoustic music sounds great in our space, no amps necessary…all you have to do is show up!
Music from 4-6pm. Suggested donation is $15. Wine by the glass.
Space is limited, so please email us to reserve space.
Back Porch Robins Week 2
Until a week ago we had not had a close-up experience with wild bird nesting and nurturing hatchlings. So it has been fascinating to watch this archetypal scene unfold right outside our bathroom window. Last week we reported that two chicks had just hatched. Turns out we were wrong about that– there are now three chicks clearly visible in the nest, and they are growing FAST! Assuming these babies are just over a week old, within a week or so they will each take their first “flight,” which will essentially mean a one-way trip from the makeshift nest constructed for their birth to the Ground, where for another week or so they will be easy pickings for all kinds of Predators. Which seems, you know, like a pretty poor design. Then again, maybe that’s the reason for three chicks…a better chance that at least one will survive.
All of this reminds me of a time several years ago when I noticed our dog Cooper on the back deck making a strange sound. Closer examination revealed that he had a tiny bird that fit almost entirely into his mouth, and it was cheeping. He was a very gentle dog, and easily gave up his find. We took the bird to our neighbor Tammy, who for a long time had her own aviary, for rehab.
All of which is to say, OMG, in the next week these little birds are going to launch themselves out of their safe (but increasingly crowded each day), elevated, and predator-hidden nest to the Ground, where Life is Really Scary for that Long Week until you are strong enough to fly away from Danger. Wow…it IS a Jungle Out There!
The Dark Horse of the Apocolypse: 100 Days In
It’s Weird, you have to admit. Am I Right? Of course I’m Right. Even Fake News knows I’m Right. Believe me. I Know What I’m Talking about. Don’t I? Of course I do, Everybody Knows That.
The Really Weird Thing that is happening that No One is talking about is here we are at Day One Hundred, and, pretty much, Life has Gone On as Before. The Craziest Stuff so far hasn’t been Crazy Enough for some Republicans, and Too Crazy for many others, while both groups claim the Mantle of “Real Conservativism.”
By most definitions, controlling the White House, the Senate, the House, and more or less the Supreme Court would give any hypothetical Party some kind of Complete Control over Life, the Universe, and Everything. But the evidence so far suggests that the Obliviousness and/or Incompetence of the “Administration,” the philosophical conflicts between the Ultra-Right and the Extreme Right, and/or the ongoing Meltdown at Fox “News” are all signs that The Right has become too diverse a constituency to be able to Govern. Or, as Charles De Gaulle observed in 1962: “Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?”
You can click the link for the translation, but the basic, and somewhat comforting message of the moment is that though we are in a Dark Period ruled by Orcs and Goblins, they know Precious Little about managing the System they now “Control.”
This week’s wine tasting
Jardin Unoaked Chardonnay ’13 South Africa $15
Alluring aromas of ripe pears and honey lead to a bright, crisp palate of fresh lemon, honey, and a touch of quinine. Delicious!
Chapoutier Belleruche Rosé ’16 France $13
The Grenache in this food-friendly Provencal-style rosé adds bright red stone fruit flavors; the Cinsault brings its delicate strawberry aroma; and the Syrah adds body, making for a great pairing even with the intense flavors of seafood.
Chevaliere du Clos Cote de Roussillon ’08
Dark and rich, with notes of cherry, plum, and fig with a hint of spice; complex and round, and full bodied on the palate with fully developed tannins; a great value red.
Finca el Tesso Tempranillo Spain $11
100% tempranillo from clay and limestone soil in western Spain at 600 meters above sea level, providing cool nights and long growing season where the wines develop a rich, alluring complexity.
Finca el Tesso Crianza’13 Spain $15
87% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano, 5% Cab Sauv from 50 year-old vines; Bright and polished with enticing aromas of chocolate, baking spices, licorice, and sweet flowers, with lush notes of black raspberry.
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2072 Granger Way