Why So Quiet Group?

Hello, You're right, it has been quiet. I'm not sure why. I can only speak for myself - its been extremely busy around my house. I check in almost every day around here, but I haven't posted in quite some time. I have not taken on any challenging adventures in making wines. I have been busy concocting some new fruit wines with what's left in my freezer. Should be interesting, but not something I haven't tried in some form before. The only surprise will be how they taste, and that I won't really know for quite awhile. Good-luck with all your wines. Darlene Wisconsin

Hi Darlene, nice to hear back from you. It was starting to get a bit like that bit in 'War Games' / 'War Of The Worlds' where everyone is waiting for the stations to check in! Glad it's all plain sailing, if a little hectic at your end of the world.

Best wishes, Jim

myself - its been extremely busy around my

some time. I have not taken on any

fruit wines with what's left in my

form before. The only surprise will be how

has been quieter than a quiet thing

sailing at the moment or are you all out in

some yellow scum towards the middle of

some kind in the can, it was yellow like

the rim and on the straining bag. None is

the most vigorous phase.

forward to reading more questions and

I to have been busy. I filtered my first ever batch of mead and my concord/blackberry wine yesterday. Other than that busy, busy, busy.(and cold, cold, cold)

8-)

Walter (also from WI)

Walter, I'm from the southeastern part of the state, just north of Milwaukee. It has been sort of cold around here, but you sound a bit colder than us. Any snow? I have not made mead, but the Concord/blackberry sounds good. Darlene

Snow? What's Snow? Is Snow the first 12" from the storm, followed up by the 18" storm, and then the 12" storm later on in the day? Or is it the ice that's polished to a sheen now that it's been scraped 4x in a row.

Heh.

I've been sulking since my reds went south. I'll be more active when I have more issues or ideas ...

Jason

Rochester, NY. Home of the slide-thru-the-intersection-at-10-mph ice dome! :)

I have a sort of funny story about the rodent.

I was once a Biomedical Field Service Engineer and was working at Punxsutawney Hospital. It was a long tedious day. Every human I met that day started the conversation with "Did you see the groundhog yet?" followed by "Have you seen Groundhog Day?" Seriously, every conversation included those topics. I was just packing up to head back to Pittsburgh on dark roads traveled by horse drawn black carts with no reflectors when another nurse asked the same questions and my mouth engaged before my brain. I replied I was from Pittsburgh and we shoot groundhogs down there. I have never, ever said anything that stupid in front of a customer since then. I felt microscopic upon seeing the look of horror in her face. That's probably where I got the phrase "I'm an idiot" from.

It's so cold down here the water I had bottles soaking in froze on top. Not as bad a Rochester though.

Joe

Believe it or not, that's aline from the movie-

"I had the groundhog for lunch. Tasted like chicken" - Bill Murray

Did you know my wife *refuses* to watch the movie with me anymore? It has been my absolute favorite- and I can quote far too much about it. Somehow recently the disc disappeared... and I'm without.

The cold here is really pretty rough. This morning it was about -10F, and it got progressively colder as the wind picked up. Mind you we're NO WHERE near as bad off as some the counties (Ottawa) that recieved over 10' of snow- at least I could get OUT my doors (even if they were

1/4 covered). I live in a natural 'drift' zone. So it's very humorous to go south by about 500' and see the snow taper off by 75% or more.

I've been designing bottling equipment in the basement. Anyone interested in an 8 bottle washer/sterilizer (using iodophor) for about

45$ ?

Jas> > Didn't that rodent from PA say we'd get an early spring? I think our local

Yeah, and he was playing a Pittsburgh weatherman. I felt so bad about ruining her evening (she really was appalled, it was unrecoverable) I did go out and rent the movie. It's very funny, especially if you ever worked in Punsutawaney. There is no 'nice' hotel in town; the Pantall Hotel isn't quite like what he woke up in, cold showers or not.

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful area and people were nice; it was just a bad day that got progressively worse with no end in sight, kind of like the movie...

I'm thinking of bottling some zin this weekend but the wine room is

40F, I would have to underfill the bottles because it's so cold. It may wait.

Joe

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

Mark Twain

Was there yesterday, 68 degrees and beautiful. It'll be in the 70's this weekend, but come August..