# Sorry I've jinxed us!



## Jack on Rainy (Apr 25, 2008)

I did it to my fellow northern MN vintnors. 


I put my snow shovels away last weekend! 
Not smart! Should have waited for mosquitoes to signalthat! Looks like maybe6" of new white for PWP andNWinos. Sorry




*Edited by: Jack on Rainy *


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## NorthernWinos (Apr 25, 2008)

I too have put away all the snow paraphernalia ...shovels, boots and heavy coats....Don't think I am going to take everything back out...Well..... I hope we don't have to.

This spring has sucked.


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## grapeman (Apr 25, 2008)

It took us a long time to get rid of the snow, but the last two weeks have been beautiful- sunny mid seventies to low eighties. We are expecting a cooldown to the 60's for the next week with showers. Oh well, I would just as soon slow things down a tad. I still expect another frost or two and things are coming to life too quickly- could spell disaster.


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## Joanie (Apr 25, 2008)

I was thinking the same thing, appleman! The early warm weather is wonderful but we've also been known to have snow in early May! Our "...untill all danger of frost is passed" is set for May 15th. I hope you are wrong, Jack!
*Edited by: Joan *


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## Jack on Rainy (Apr 25, 2008)

Joan,
We don't have a time when ""...all danger of frost is passed" and I have heard forcasts for the next 24 which include as much as 11" of new white. It is dismal!
On the other hand, Mary has 160 tomato plants sprouting near the three carboysI have going in the project room so she isdetermined to get some good warm days. Doubtless, she has more influence on such things than I...


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## NorthernWinos (Apr 25, 2008)

We had to light a fire in the wood furnace......the tomatoes are up and needing a little warmth. Nice and toasty in the house.

Meanwhile...out in the greenhouse...have 3 250 watt heat lamps going...Think I will turn another one on and maybe bring in the fish house propane heater for a few days. Would hate to loose the peppers, herb seedlings and the perennial flowers....have a bunch of other stuff out there but think they are tougher than that.

We are on the edge of the predicted storm...seems I have lived my life on the edge.

Have a another glass of wine and let time pass.

Life remains good!!!


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## PolishWineP (Apr 25, 2008)

We're banking on the storm going to the east and south of us.



We may get a little snow, but not much. I've seen snow on Memorial Day weekend...




I went to the grocery on the way home today and will have some fun in my kitchen making stew tomorrow. Comfort food time!


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## smurfe (Apr 25, 2008)

I miss the snow personally. While most people move south when they get old. I am planning on moving back north as soon as possible. Probably will be 4-5 years though. Upstate Maine looks good to me. I want small town, no crime, 4 seasons living. Of course life on a Caribbean island where the temps stay in the 70's to low 80's year round with low humidity would probably win out.


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## NorthernWinos (Apr 25, 2008)

A Girlfriend called a few hours ago....she was east of here and was in a snow storm...then she got home...out ran it...soon after it started to snow at her house....

Now it just started snowing here...

Edit: It's now ice pellets.

Think I'll sip some wine....and dream of a purple haze.

*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## moose (Apr 25, 2008)

Yep, what a spring. The ground is white here again! Finish reading "The Chamber" and see what tomorrow brings.


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## whino-wino (Apr 25, 2008)

PolishWineP said:


> We're banking on the storm going to the east and south of us.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




You're hoping it goes East and South. Hmmm. You're in Warren, correct? That means I'm East and South of you. So what you're saying is you hope I get dumped on



Well, you're hopes have been realized:








Jack, I don't think it was you that cursed everyone. I think it was me. I got my golf clubs out.......









*Edited by: whino-wino *


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## Bert (Apr 25, 2008)

There you go, the golf clubs will do it every time.....I think we get what Mother Nature gives us...


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## farmer (Apr 25, 2008)

My son's birthday is on May 23rd and we have had snow on his birthday. This is what keeps it interesting!


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## NorthernWinos (Apr 26, 2008)

Snow on the ground here this morning....





Going to have to have Jim go out to the garage and bring back the snow boots....





Want to go to a garage sale in town this AM....will have to use the 4X4 truck....





I'm going with Smurfe to the tropical islands....


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## PolishWineP (Apr 26, 2008)

Whino-wines, I really didn't mean that I wanted you to get dumped on, I just don't want it. But I'm getting it anyway. Still. And the wind is really moving it around...


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## PolishWineP (Apr 26, 2008)

I think we're almost done getting snow, now the wind is just rearranging it for us. Picture out the front window this morning.


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## joeswine (Apr 26, 2008)

does it ever stop up there!


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## hannabarn (Apr 26, 2008)

I was hoping summer would fall on a Sunday, but it didn't! We've got snow too.


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## Wade E (Apr 26, 2008)

I feel for you guys up there. It was a beautiful day here and I spent most of it doing yard work and the other half finishing making equipment to brew beer.


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## whino-wino (Apr 26, 2008)

It's still snowing here. Hasn't stopped all day, although it seems to be finally lightening up a bit.






It's just after 8pm now. According to our overpaid weather forcasters I was only supposed to get 6-12 inches at most and it was supposed to stop snowing at 1 pm. Then it was supposed to turn into rain during the afternoon. It never turned into rain. It just kept snowing, and snowing and snowing and snowing and it's still snowing....I just stepped outside a few minutes ago and the snow is over my knees. I'm 6'3 if that gives you any idea. I figure we've got about 24-28 inches here. And to think that yesterday morning there wasn't any snow to be found.....


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## whino-wino (Apr 26, 2008)

It finally stopped snowing about 1/2 hour ago. The day was not a total waste, in fact I got quite a bit done inside. I finished de-gassing the Black Currantand Pineapple wines and added Super Kleer to both of them today. Checked the Elderberry wine in the primary and it was at 1.015. Close enough. So that's in the secondary now.


I got a present from a friend at work yesterday. He is also a winemaker and a few years ago had attempted to make sparkling wine. He didn't like it so he gave me all of his stoppers and wires. I have about 15 champagne bottles sitting around so I figured I'd set aside a couple of gallons of the pineapple for that purpose. After de-gassing and adding super kleer, I racked some into a 3 gallon carboy and treated that with K-Meta and K-Sorbate. The rest I separated into 2 one gallon jugs and left untreated. These I will use toattempt to make sparkling wine.









Elderberry on the far left (bubbling like crazy), WE Vintner's Reserve Red Zinfandel in center (SG at .998 today and a bubble every 20 seconds or so) Black Currant on the right:








I also cleaned out the refridgerator (that is not a fun job), did all of the dishes, washed all of the countertops, cleaned the stove (also not fun)and hauled the garbage to the dumpster (and got the truck stuck twice, once on the way there and once on the way back - now that's fun



). It took me 45 minutes to go 2 miles and dump the garbage.


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## Jack on Rainy (Apr 28, 2008)

What a recovery Whino! A post a few hours ago mentioningover two feet of snow and no mention of it in the last post. Good adjustment! I wish I could do as well. 
We are blanketed with thick white and iced over again so I am whining. We drove over to Warroad Saturday in the blizzard. Saw some fishermen camping in what turned into about 18" of snow at their location! Warroad had 14" or so of heavy wet stuff for theirHigh School Prom. What a mess! The kids didn't seem to let it get to them at all, though. Good times at their ages.I got more exercise over there than planned



!


*Edited by: Jack on Rainy *


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## NorthernWinos (Apr 28, 2008)

The kids might remember a snow prom....hope they do.

Edit:
Trying not to let the white stuff get to me either...anymore. Melting fast....beautiful sunny day.

Keeping busy transplanting kole crops downstairs today and planting more seeds....

Did venture out on the blizzard day and brought some most valuable plants in from the greenhouse, trays covered under one arm and snow over my knees in one drift....Brought a couple more flats in yesterday as the temps were damn cold last night...Just don't trust the heat lamps...sometimes when they burn out they break the circuit...I am running off of two circuits just incase....The propane heater was off this morning and the greenhouse was filled with stinky gas...Guess we had it on too low. Everything out there is okay......Will move all the flats back out in a couple days...I hope....

Life goes on.

*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## grapeman (Apr 28, 2008)

Good luck to everyone hit by these snows. May it melt quickly!


NW, the gas heater probably robbed all the oxygen and put itself out. That's the problem with small airtight greenhouses- they don't really have enough oxygen to sustain the flames, especially when they get sealed up with a blanket of snow. If you use it again, crack the door a half inch to let an air supply in without too much cold. The problem there is if it goes out, you still have that air crack letting in cold air with no heat generated. 


I feel guilty, we had beautiful weather over the weekend(and the last 2 weeks for that matter). Today is miserable, raining-.36 inches so far today. Temps are cool being under 50 all day today. This should slow things back down where they belong for a while.


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## NorthernWinos (Apr 28, 2008)

There is usually a crack under the door, guess that was plugged with
snow...never really thought about it being air tight....There was no
wind last night either, usually a wind whistling through there, so you are probably right about it running out
of oxygen.



Sunny and bright here, warm and water is running...Seems the snow melted faster yesterday...it will be gone soon...rain by Thursday, not conducive for planting field crops nor gardens....Poor spinach seed is out there...under a little hoop tent flanked with snow.


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## JWMINNESOTA (Apr 28, 2008)

I looked at my golf clubs this past weekend, knew better than to actually pick them up!


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