Cultivating My Inner Tree

Sunday was a busy day. I did several outdoor exercise/work items. Since we still don’t have the ability to customize “other” categories (hmmm…when’s that coming folks?), I’ll write’m all up here.

 Other #1, In the Garden…I got out in my own garden and did several hours of fall clean up ranging from cutting back Shiloh’s tiny bit of lawn and cleaning up the many fungi sprouting in it to cutting back perennials, pulling out weeds and lightly thinning shrubs so I’ll be able to see my winter blooming plants that hide during the spring and summer.

The entire time I was gardening, my little friend Anna played on the patio with Shiloh. It was very cute, and we all had lots of fun together. Shiloh is so tolerant of the little ones even as they drag her around by the collar and try to force her to drink out of her bowl. Eventually, I filled all of our yard waste containers, so I called that my stopping point in the garden. Now I can see all the winter birds hipp-idy-hopp-idy-ing through the branches…oh and the neighborhood cats trying to catch them.

Other #2, In the Winery…This weekend was a peak point in the wine making season. Saturday the guys pressed several bins of wine that were finished fermenting. Sunday several more tons were crushed and rotated into start their fermintation. And, a surprise call came in that the last grapes of the season, Riesling, were ready and needed to be picked up in E. Washington this weekend. So, another crush is underway this week. This will be the last crush.

Because Sunday was so crazy at the winery, I carved out some time and some energy to go over and help. I spent a couple of hours at the end of the day doing clean up. Sure, its not glamorous, but wearing rain gear and pressure washing is kind of fun.

Workout:

• Type: Other
• Date: 10/28/2007
• Time: 18:00:00
• Total Time: 5:00:00.00

Today I spent most of my day with the Domanico Cellars wine “core” team pressing wine. I don’t have the energy left for details, but let’s just say there were heavy hoses thumping across my shoulders all day, filled with juice, skins, seeds and then juice that would have made Central Services proud….As well, I went to pick up lunch in old town Ballard & came back with said lunch to a immediate, friendly comment of: “You look like you have a huge wound in your throat.” (That was from wine splatter & stains.) Later, I got a good splash back in the face that elicited, ” You look like you just got in a good fight.” Tough knocks in the wine biz. ;).

Okay, my exhausted description is one thing. Photos may help and may come later. But Now?

Now is a big glass of water. Sweats. Some old worn out T-shirt. A puppy to pat. And my old friend the sofa.

Workout:

• Type: Other
• Date: 10/20/2007
• Time: 18:00:00
• Total Time: 8:00:00.00

…the wine hose that is…

Today was our first crush of the season at Domanico Cellars. Each year, the first crush is always a challenge as we work out using new equipment, new teams and new techniques. Today I won’t have time to make it to yoga after working all day & going to evening appointments, so I wonder how much exercising credit I get for lifting an enormous, heavy hose full of crushed merlot to be sure it shot into the bin correctly and how much I get for standing in place kicking a clogged hose. It was quite a workout, and I didn’t even do the majority of the heavy kicking!  I think I need some steel toe boots if kicking is required again. (I don’t think it will be as we’re engineering a new system tonight! Nobody enjoyed the system we had today.)