Have you ever been to a wine tasting?

Earlier this year, I made a list of 10 fun activities I wanted to do in Ashe County this summer. Go canoeing and visit the Farmers Market, see a lawn mower race and take a vacation to Pigeon Forge. Stuff like that. Number 8 on that list was to tour some of our local "famous" places, like the cheese factory, art galleries and the winery's. And since our plans for this weekend got cancelled, we decided to spend Saturday at the Thistle Meadow Winery. They offer tours that show how their wine is made and if we go at the right time, we'll even get to help bottle and package it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we get to help!
To complete the tour, we'll get to participate in a wine tasting. I've never been to one, so I'm not sure what to expect. Is it like on tv? Do I swirl it in the glass, study the color, breathe in the scent (and declare it's woodsy with a hint of floral), sip it, swish it around my mouth and then spit it out? Boy, wouldn't that make me feel posh!
I'd much rather just sip it and swallow it.

Othercat's raising Baby Chicks!

I can't believe it! Me, a big city girl, raising 7 adorable baby chicks! It was hard at first because 3 of them died within the first 3 days. I can't tell you how much I cried while I was digging their little graves. I decided no more were going to die, so I researched until I knew everything about chicks. Now I jokingly call myself The Chick Whisperer. Funny as that is, I think I must be doing something right because the 7 that are left are doing great. They're eating so much and growing so fast! They're thriving!

My whole day is devoted to these little guys; making sure they have enough to eat and drink; making sure the temperature around them is perfect; making sure they're safe and comfortable. With how attached I've grown to these 7, I don't think I could bear to lose another one.

So far, we've built them 2 different shelters. John built them a huge chicken coop next to the barn. And I built them a large outside pen they use during the day. I'm hoping it's big enough to hold them until they're old enough for the coop, but I'm not sure.

Well, at least I won't get bored any time soon!