May Flowers Bring June Showers...

Or is it April showers bring May flowers? Today it is April showers in the month of June. It is wet out there! What is going on with the weather? The valley has had so much rain and then one crazy week of high 90 degree weather. This isn't normal for our valley.

In typical Walla Walla fashion, these rainy days bring out the same two-sentence conversations. You will not only hear it, but catch yourself speaking them to store clerks and bank tellers. It will become part of your vocabulary when running unexpectedly into friends and acquaintances. It is the same two lines we have been using now in the valley for over a 100 years:

"Can you believe all this rain?"

"No, but it should make the wheat farmers happy."

Yes. So, the wheat farmers are happy but what about the wine grapes? We don't need no stinkin' juicy plump grapes! What about the strawberries? This is the time of the year for our valley berries to be harvested. I think about Kirk Klicker and his famous Klicker Strawberries. School ends next week and there are many kids who are depending on picking berries for their summer earnings. What about the Walla Walla Sweet Onions? Will they turn into water-logged spherical objects? We need those crispy sweet globes of goodness for our grilled burgers and famous onion sandwiches!

It's the depletion of the ozone layer! I am willing to take a little bit of the responsibility. However, for the good of the earth I quit using the aerosol can hair-spray and gave up my Marlo Thomas-That-Girl-Flip on April 22, 1970. That particular day was the first recognized Earth Day and I wanted to do my part to save the environment. So I traded in my crunchy-helmet-do for a more natural look like Yoko and Gracie Slick.

Rain or sunshine, Summer will leave just as quick as it came. For the month of June I am going to be busy. First of all, we have a couple of birthdays - me and my son's. A couple of weekends will be absorbed with working at the winery and a few proctor gigs at the college. One of these June weekends, we want to go camping up at our family's private camp-site on the Touchet River by Ski Bluewood. We take camping to a different level. We pack good wines, good food and I sleep well in my mauve and taupe colored designer tent that sleeps four - - well, until I get my queen-size blow-up mattress in there. I believe in roughing it.

Somehow I will find the time to do some "wine blogging." There is a lot going on and I have many wine stained notes sitting at my desk. I have a couple of restaurants to report on, several new wines to blog, a new winery/tasting room to write about, besides a recipe, and a "cherry pick" wine suggestion. The national "Wine Blog Wednesday #22" is coming up and this month's proposal is to blog about a red wine that is 12.5% in alcohol. In Walla Walla? Hahahahahaha - don't make me laugh! Seriously, if you know of a local red wine that is low in alcohol, send me an email - quick! I will even blog about one from the Prosser/Yakima/Tri-City areas.

Jill at Couvillion Cellars called me this afternoon. She ran out of her Merlot! She has sold half of the Hoobie Sauvignon Blanc and the Cabernet Sauvignon is moving steady. This was Jill's first Spring Release, her first year in business and she is happy! I am not surprised about the Merlot moving out the door - - a very rich and silky Merlot priced at $15.00! This is great news! Last weekend I worked at the winery and we were busy with out-of-towners in spite of the over cast and rain drizzles.

So maybe it isn't just the wheat farmers that are happy about the rain. The rain does not seem to be hurting the area's wineries, as every weekend they are packed with visitors. One hardly notices the rain and clouds if they are out spending the afternoon tasting good wines. Cheers!