News From the Farm July 12, 2008
 

Hi Folks,

 

UUUUGGGHHHH!   Rain, a Software CRASH, and Restaurant woes.  THIS has been one of the roughest weeks in all my 52 years…   IN the past week, I spent countless hours (that I didn’t have) re-entering all of our financial data in order to resolve a BIG issue we have been having with our winery point of sale and financial accounting systems - only to find out that THAT data was fine - and the real problem was a software bug.  I had the phone to my head (Literally.  I never hung up - I’m not kidding) from 9am this morning to 3:45 pm - with a tech support wizard in New Delhi (that’s in India) as he rooted through and untangled the problem.  I would have hugged Manik Shah’s neck and not ever let him go if I could have at 3:45 this afternoon when he declared the problem resolved and said good bye to me.  (So I sent his supervisors a GLOWING email about my experience with their tech and their company)  THIS - plus trying to put out about 1 million fires in the aftermath of our Chef leaving us abruptly (six days ago almost to the minute of this writing)

 

The good news is that in the last 24 hours - ALL of the bad yucky stuff has been fixed, resolved, or has gone away (except for the mess that all the rains have made of the gardens and through the leaky roof over the bedroom ceiling in the farmhouse.  THAT was a fun thing to wake up to…)

 

Rain Rain - Go AWAY.  Please come back (to Washington Park and all the OTHER places that are bone dry…) another day!  Oh-OH.   Here it comes…   (Quick - someone call a waambulance - cause I’m about to unload…)  I’m sorry - but for much of this season now I have tried to smooze Mother “N” or whoever/whatever is in charge of the elements - with platitudes and niceness, worked really hard to remain sunny and optimistic - resisted the urge to whine, stamp my feet, shake my fist, and have kept a stiff upper lip week after week - and gosh darn it - my face hurts!  I’ve had it!  Whoever is in charge needs to adjust the clouds and send some of this wet stuff to the folks who AREN’T GETTING ANY!  K?  My gardens look like rice paddies already!  The tomatoes - which were finally beginning to rebound and show signs of fresh new growth two weeks ago - are now literally on their stringy green knees begging for mercy.  The carrots (the 3rd and fourth plantings mind you) - that DIDN’T get washed away before they had a chance to germinate have been hand-weeded three times now - but are again starting to disappear in yet another flush of nut grass and morning glories.  The eggplant and pepper plant blossoms are simply falling off, and the blue-green tops of the leeks are just barely visible above gloating pigweed.   DAMN weeds…  All shapes and sizes  of weeds. Standing tall, robust, and triumphant.  I swear they look “smirky” as I wade through them in search of the seedlings and vegetables smothering under their weight and within their mass. As I pass through them they drench me from the waist down, needle me and tear at my hair and clothes with thorns and spines that I swear compete with each other to untie my boot laces…  And then there’s the grass. Neil’s nephew Sammy spent 30 1/2 hours last week just mowing around the farm and vineyard so that we could get TO them and the chickens, and the cows without getting sopping wet  - and this afternoon it looks like nothing has been mowed in weeks! I’VE HAD ENOOUGH!  HMMP!

 

(OK… I feel better now.)  

 

Don’t worry folks. We’re not giving up.  (Been through this before and will go through it again.  That you can bet on.)  This rainy spell will pass.  We’ll wait for things to dry out  - then replant and go with the flow.  That’s just what we do.  (But thanks for letting me rant a bit.  It does help to say what’s really on your mind sometimes - you know?) 

 

So here’s the REST of the News (the good, the not so good, and the happy endings too! )

 

Tomorrow we will be delivering to the Food Guild Members…
Tomatoes, Sweet peppers, Green beans, and SQUASH.  (there may be some other items but these are a sure bet)

 

We Will Have Veggies to Sell off the truck on Reynolda Rd Tomorrow (Thursday) from 4:30 to 6 PM.
The location is the corner of Robinhood and Reynolda - in the parking lot of Rebecca and Co.

 

The Big Woods Restaurant has temporarily closed … 

The winery tasting room is open for tastings daily from noon to 6pm - we just won’t have food service available for walk-in traffic for a couple of weeks.  But there is good news… Although I can’t reveal the individual’s name just yet,  I can tell you that we have a new Chef coming on board just as soon as is humanly possible  (we are shooting for September 3rd) and that we are pinching ourselves hourly to be sure that our good fortune to have connected with this individual - isn’t a dream!  You know that old saying - something about when a door slams shut, another one (or a window or something) opens up?  Well that sums up what has happened here perfectly…

As soon as I can - I will fill you in on ALL the glorious details - menu and ALL!

 

Sanders Ridge Wines earn FOUR more Medals…
Our 2008 Muscat Canelli earned a Silver, and both our 2007 Round Hill and Carlos Muscadine earned Bronze medals at the 2009 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition.  That makes 14 medals (5 silver!) so far - for our first two vintages.

 

That’s all the news for now.  It’s time for beddy bye (well first a little Captain Morgan nite-cap - and then beddy-bye…)

I’ll have some photos posted for you soon.