Get me off of the crazy train, I need to stop and smell the roses!

Ozzy Osbourne sang it
“…I’m going off the rails on a crazy train."

Dear Readers,

Forgive me and my schmaltzy projections. This isn’t all that wine related, but only about the author of the blog. The “author” of this blog lives on adrenalin, but it is a mighty adrenalin and it is about the wine. It’s about the wine, the people who love it and the people who make it. It’s about terroir and it is about a town. There are times she wishes she didn’t have to work a “real” job to pay the mortgage and wishes she didn’t have to sleep. There are days she wishes she could do nothing but walk around the valley and visit with every wine tourist and every wine employee. There are days she wishes she could pack up her little dog and sit in front of the great Pacific Ocean on the Oregon side and watch the waves roll in and out all day. Oh she wishes…

It’s been one hell of a year. It’s been about triumph and loss. It’s been about change and most of all – the last few weeks it’s been about slowing down. My triumph was flying to the North American Wine Bloggers Conference in Napa/Sonoma so I could hear them officially announce the Third Annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference would be held in Walla Walla. My loss was the break-up of an eight-year relationship with a companion who was my best friend and fellow "wine geek" journalist. My recent relationships have been with doctors, but I have little tolerance when they tell me I am sick. Except I do kind of dig my primary physician who reminds me that a glass of red wine every day is good for me and then later reminds himself he is “preaching to the choir.” I am not a good patient. I hate going to the doctor and to the hospital – it’s full of sick people.

In the mean time, my little online wine store is growing. Almost more than one person can handle, but not enough to hire out for help (unless they want to “intern.”). Hell, there are days I need someone to answer all the emails and requests! But then again, the down side is - - meet Ms. Micromanager. Me.

And there is so much on my brain I want to write about that I can’t sleep at night, but too tired to sit up and too tired to put my fingers to the keyboard. There are several great wines I have recently tasted and need to blog about. There’s an interesting story about a local I recently met whose project is to taste a wine from every winery in Walla Walla before the end of the year. I have a soap box rant about the recent FTC ruling this week. Effective December 1, blogs will have to write disclaimers whether or not they purchased or was given the wines they are blogging about. Bloggers who work for little or nothing must do this, but traditional media will not have to. Say what?

So - - Yes Virginia, there is a Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman. She just needs to slow down a bit - - for at least a while. Instead of an average of seven blogs a month, there may be only four - - at least for now. Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year, so perhaps my timing is appropriate. The days are getting shorter and the trees know it is time to rest. I need to rest - - at least for awhile. And I need to stop and smell what roses are left before the cold takes them away. In the mean time if you see me walking about the town with no direction and perhaps a camera in hand - - I’m just taking the time to stop - - and smell and take in whatever sight and sound that is around me.

I’m still here.

C~