Crop Conspiracy Theory

Okay, something or someone is clearly conspiring against my farming success. It’s bad enough that we’re having what seems like the coldest summer in 25 years. Well, that could go either way. On the upside, the longer, slower ripening might allow us to make a mellower, lower alcohol wine — more like the French Rhônes we’re trying to emulate than a typical...

The Almost Foolproof Betting System for ...

If you were the betting type — and you had the right system — there is lots of money to be made at the County Fair. That is if you could bet on the outcome of the livestock shows. Unfortunately, it’s looking like the only legal betting is on the horse racing. But just in case they extend their rules, or you can find the illegal bookie taking bets on the sheep...

What’s Growing On?

I’m getting that first terrible inkling that organic farming is not going to be as easy as I thought it would be. And I didn’t go into this naively. I bought the books, I attended gardening seminars at the local nurseries, I almost gave it up because it all sounded so complicated. Then I took the plunge and just planted some stuff. Easy stuff, like tomatoes, corn, peppers...

Varmint Shock and Awe

People ask me if I’m ever afraid living part time in Sonoma surrounded by wildlife. “Ha!”, I say, “the dangerous animals are in the City!” Yes, we had another raccoon stand-off. Yes, it again involved Oscar, our youngest terrier. And this time it took Andy, our carpenter friend Dino, San Francisco Animal Control, and assorted power tools to bring everyone...

Night of the Living Foxes

There is a scary event that is becoming a disturbing ritual around here. The barn, with its sleeping loft, is down at the more forested part of the property. So we see lots of wildlife — most of it in the evening and most of it staying a healthy distance away from the smell of terriers. But despite Oscar’s daily attempts to mark a wide circumference around the barn as his...

Dog Vomit Slime Mold!

Ha! Made you look. Because there is no way you can hear that name and not say, “Whaaaaat?” Then once you discover it, Dog Vomit Slime Mold quickly becomes a part of your vocabulary. Is there any string of curse words you can think of that would have the sheer visual impact of Dog Vomit Slime Mold? And there is a visual impact. Because there is a real Dog Vomit Slime Mold....