DAY of the GRAPE....

 “Wine had to be grapes first. Diamonds had to be rocks first. Butterflies had to be caterpillars first. Rainbows had to be storms first.”― Matshona Dhliwayo

 The dawned bright and early.  Very early early early........

 Fall in the crisp morning, Grapes underfoot, overhead

 Plopped into bags, sticky with their juices.

 Wasps drunk on grape juice , zooming from bag to bag, grapes to grapes. 

 Stripping and stemming pile after pile.

 Till the arbour was ruined of its former glory.

 “Our feet are grape-squashed in memories..."
                                            ― Sanober Khan, A touch, a tear, a tempest

 And the grapes trundled off to Willow Point Wines to meet their fate.

 Pounds and pounds of grapes.... A few wasps joined us....

 Into the Squisher they went. The Crusher. The Destemmer......

 But you have to watch your hands as the wheel turns, dropping the grapes through.

 It's all turned to mush....

 Then  scooped into the massive juicer.

 What's leftover are the peelings, some stems, a few dead insects and it's saved to go to the local farms to feed pigs.

 Lastly, the juice is poured into carboys, sugar and yeast and other things added. And so it sits.......

We tasted the juice. tart, bright, fresh. In the spring it will be wine. Perfect for giving away as gifts.

Photographs 2019

ALL ROADS LEAD HOME...

"Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again..."-Ziad K. Abdelnour

 Five  young raccoons  on the move.

 They chose the high road. Roly Poly. Poly roly.

 Followed. One by one by one. Pad pad pad.

 Like round little  teddy bears..

 And the jays shrieked and squawked.

 Encouraging shrieks, of course.

 Then  there was a traffic jam.

 On their road home. Waddle.

 (As Spencer watched from a safe distance.)

 In the grey light of a fall morning...

 Twist and turn.

They danced on wooden beams

 Five. Looking for home.

 Their mother hidden, at the other side.

 She made"chir chir chir" sounds. 

 This way. Come this way.Back to the forest above.

  All six as they were. Round and happy. Sleepy from the night. 

Knowing the road that leads to home.......

 “If the road you travel doesn’t give you the beautiful fate you have always dreamed off! Stop and change the road, no matter how difficult it may be!"― Mehmet Murat ildan

Photographs 2019  

SOMETHING........

 One of my favourite poems of fall. I love the feel and mood  and "winter in their cry....", so desolate, the feel of frost hanging in the air...

 SOMETHING TOLD the WILD GEESE .....(Rachel Field 1894-1942 She wrote english lyrics for Schubert's Ave maria used in Disney's fantasia, and this poem has become a song.... She won the  the Newberry award, and is on the Lewis Carroll award list)

 Something told the wild geese it was time to go....

 Though the fields lay golden

 Something whispered "snow"

 Leaves were green and stirring,

 Berries, luster-glossed,

 But beneath warm feathers

 Something cautioned "frost"

 All the sagging orchards

 Steamed with amber spice

 But each wild breast stiffened

 At remembered ice.

 Something told the wild geese it was time to fly.....

 Summer sun was on their wings, Winter in their cry......

                   "Find beauty among these simple things......." -Arden Antony

Photographs 2019