Rioja!

Wine class continues and I have found my favorite country/region so far. I thought the light, delicate crisp wines of Germany made out of the white grapes that grow well in northern climates were going to be my favorite but lo and behold – Portugal, Catalunya and Spain!! Rich red wines high in alcohol content and sweeter than the French Bordeaux and Burgundies so high in tannin that they make my mouth dry. Let me recommend some specific bottles we tried:

alm O di Petit, Terra Alta DO (Catalunya)

Crasto, Douro DOC (Douro [Northern Portugal])

6 Sombreros, Rioja DOCa (Rioja)

Late Bottle Vintage Porto (Douro)

Spain is a relative newcomer to the world wine market, brought there when they joined the EU. Rioja is their most prestigious growing area. They produce many excellent wines ranging from $10 to $20 a bottle and we’ll definitely be exploring them at greater length at our local wine cellar. I highly recommend picking up a bottle, especially if you’ve overlooked them until now!

Next we’re on to two weeks about Italy.

Triangle

Just taking a moment to commemorate the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire that killed 146 mostly immigrant, most of them female, garment workers in New York City today in 1911. The Triangle Fire was the first bit of women’s history that I learned formally and concretely, walked through the steps of class and gender discrimination in an educational setting. It was high school and we had a semester of Women’s Studies. It opened my eyes to a lot of things and I still find the story fascinating. When I went on to Michigan State I had to take a writing test for honors English and we could choose any subject we wished. I wrote about Triangle and was placed in honors English, which later became my degree. I have a minor in Women’s Studies as well.

A moment of silence for the many lives lost to injustice.

 

Lansing Home and Garden Show

This weekend Hubby and I went to the Lansing home and garden show at the MSU Pavilion. It was a very good show. Hubby made appointments with two companies to come take a look at the two garage doors (the overhead and the side door). Ever since he put in a heater a few years ago we’ve both cringed at the heat loss through that overhead. When we got the heater we insulated the attic and put Styrofoam sheets in between all of the plates of the overhead but the overhead is still the greatest source of heat loss out there.

We probably won’t replace it right now but it’s good to get the DL on the cost and process. The side door we probably will replace this year.

There were absolutely magnificent garden displays with waterfalls and rivers and bridges. One place in particular, Outdoor Expressions, contrived an indoor-outdoor garden paradise. It had outdoor banquet seating set up covered in burgundy velvet cushions with suits of armor standing guard nearby. With fences made out of delicately woven wood, rough, wild-looking. They had bits of castles – a two-story pentagonal tower to stand in with flags on top. A path winding through. It was magnificent. Only later at work did I realize that my next door cubey knows the proprietor – her fiancee works at the Home and Garden Show every year across the way from Outdoor Expressions and gets to see his display each year. One year he did a Wizard of Oz theme, another classic cars. He does top-notch, top-dollar work in the area but the home show is his place to p lay and shine.

Our own backyard is looking pretty scraggly. We took out a large, broken bird bath last year and now need to figure out what to do with that space. We’re getting a new lawn care “company” (a neighbor who likes the work and is looking to pick up some customers) this year. His main reference is his own yard. It looks perfect all the time. He’ll be mowing the grass and providing advice. We already fertilize as well but the grass gets just flat out burned out in places. It’s been cut too short for several years with the former company we were using. Our neighbor LawnKing wants to re-seed part of the lawn. We’ll need to sit down and talk with him as we get closer to grass cutting season.

Malcolm X Street Bus

Remember last year when hubby and I attended a Lansing city council meeting to talk about an ordinance requiring residents and businesses to plow their walks? At that time I mentioned a man who stood up during the public comments section to advocate for a statue or a street to memorialize Malcolm X, seeing that his home town is Mason, MI, just  stone’s throw from here. Well, yesterday hubby and I go to turn onto Main St and it now has two street signs, Main St and Malcolm X. Looks like the city council has taken some action! We now have a Malcolm X street here in Lansing.

The End

The post on Nicholas and Mary was the last post in my family history project. No one in the family  has been able to get back any farther than them so for now we  wrap up. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my family. It was a very satisfying experience for me to write about. And now back to regular blogging!