Mid-August, 2011

The vineyard has been growing by leaps and bounds -- as have other projects around the place.  We now have a completed septic system and a functional bathroom, including hot water.  The shower only needs the shower door to be installed.  Son Dan did the tile floor in the bathroom, and it is beautiful!  Dan and Greg helped install our Ikea kitchenette.  The microwave we purchased almost a year ago that's still in the box is too big for the microwave shelf.  Anyone need a stainless steel, brand-new microwave?  As soon as the kitchen sink is functional, it will almost be like being at home when we are staying down there.  The electrician should be finished hooking up all the outlets and lights by the end of this week.

My friend HT helped me weed the north side of the barn for many hours one day last week.  We had planted ferns, some hostas, and some wild violets, all of which were buried in weeds.  We decided to order 10 yards of mulch from a local pallet company and have the north side pretty much mulched now.  It looks good!  We'll take photos and include them next time, along with some photos of the inside of the living quarters.

I'm excited about what we are going to plant on the west side of the barn (pole shed) where the septic system is.  Part of it will be native grasses -- a mixture of buffalo grass and blue grama grass, neither of which needs to be mowed.  The other part will be a naturalized prairie with wild flowers and grasses.  Like a vineyard, the wildflowers take 3-5 years or more to get established.  These will be our "test" areas for both the native grasses and the naturalized prairie flowers.  If all goes well, we will put in more of both as time goes on.

Here are some photos from the past several weeks--  (By the way, I'm still waiting for you to forward photos you took on May 14th when we were planting, so I can include some of them here on the blog.)

Dan tiling the bathroom floor

Greg supervising...

Alicia and Lily rest on Lady, Dan's lab

Part of Con's vegetable garden in foreground.  Our road out to 670th Street in background.  Field of alfalfa between.

Michael tying a vine to the rebar

Alicia playing in the vineyard

Lily and Grandma tying vines

Greg enjoyed mowing the vineyard

Greg

Michael staining the living quarters floor



Oh, yeah, the vines are doing well, too!

Dave removing grow tubes





A gravity system down to the drainfield...

The septic system is in.  Posts will eventually be cut off and won't be visible




Lily is a great gardener!

Alicia with a recently-removed grow tube.  We needed to remove the grow tubes so the vines can harden-off before the winter cold sets in.  They will need to be put back on for Year Two.

Greg with watermelon earrings (tablecloth weights)

Happy fourth birthday, Alicia!  August 14th, 2011





Notice anything different?  (The grow tubes are gone!)

July 10, 2011

Most of our vines (725) were planted eight weeks ago.  The following week, Michael and I added about 35 vines.  Things are looking great -- see the photos below.  We even have labels on the rows to indicate what's planted there! 

Also, progress is rapidly being made in the "living quarters" of the pole shed.  This past Thursday, closed cell insulation was blown onto the walls (It is now hard as a rock and makes the room really sealed from bugs, mice, and noise, not to mention the heat or cold outside.)  The fluffy, pink kind of insulation (R-50) was blown in above the ceiling.  On Friday and Saturday, the whole space was sheetrocked.  This coming week the guy will be doing the taping and mudding.

Fertilizing the vineyard with the spreader

Closeup of the spreader

Michael attaching the new row markers

Interior of the living space prior to application of closed cell insulation

Close-up of the insulation

Adding insulation batts to interior walls of bathroom

Almost every vine is now outside its grow tube!

Happy vines

A view down rows 16 and 17 (Louise Swenson vines)



This one is past the wire!

Oh, yes...  I forgot to mention that lightning struck in the vineyard a few weeks ago.  Neighbors on two sides said they either saw or heard the bolt.  One rebar pole was struck.  Instead of the top edge being "cut," as it was originally, it is now "domed."  The wire broke at the rebar, and the hog ring is now welded to the rebar.  How's the vine, you ask?  Completely unharmed!

The hog ring and wire welded to the rebar--  Cool, huh?

Domed top of the piece of rebar that was struck by lightning

Connie and Hank tending the vegetable garden.



Close-up of a six-week old vine

Six Weeks Since Planting

On May 14th, 2011, with absolutely no cooperation from Mother Nature, 32 friends and family members helped us plant about 730 vines.  (The following weekend we added another 30 for a grand total of 760.)  As of last weekend, 758 vines had leaves and over half of those have green tumbling out of the grow tubes!  Only two vines look like they aren't going to make it.  You did well, planters!


Michael checks out the vines that arrived from New York.



                                                                        Tom, Kathy, and Kate flagging the vine locations.

                                          In spite of the cold and rain, the crew gets started.

                                           Cathy and Joan came dressed for the weather!

                                                         


Connie's friend HT planting the raspberries



                                                 Newly planted raspberry patch.

Ed placing a grow tube around a newly-planted vine.

Greg playing in the mud--



David installing the rebar




Tom checking over a completed vine




Peter distributed rebar



Cathy and Joan take a break to enjoy a good meal!




Son Dan putting a hog ring on Greg as Greg's wife Connie approves



                                  Giving the vines a good drink of water after planting was finished

Connie and Vineyard Mascot, Hank.

Hank is usually filthy after a day in the vineyard...

The watering tank after planting is completed.