Purple Cow

Anyone ever made a purple cow before? John made one for me tonight with grape juice and milk. It was very good, but a little chunky. Maybe the ratio was wrong?

Halloween Party

Saturday night was our annual Halloween Party. I don't know how everyone else feels, but I know I had a good time. John says I was the most drunk person there. Julie brought straws with jack-o-lanterns on them, and we decided it would be a good idea to drink John's pumpkin beer through these straws. Drinking beer through a straw can make you (me) do one or more (all) of the following:

Try to give your sister in law a makeover without even talking about it beforehand. I'm pretty sure I just looked her, grabbed her hand and lead her to the bathroom where I parted her hair on the side, and pushed her bangs to the side. I thought it was brilliant. I can remember telling her, "See, this is how I do my hair, and this is how you should do your hair too." Right. Sorry Sharon.

Make your friend who Irish dances Irish dance for everyone even though she really doesn't want to, then try to imitate the Irish dancing for what John says was way too long. He says 1 minute of watching me try to Irish dance seemed like an eternity. Sorry Sally.

Decide it's a good idea to wear someone else's Batman mask. It didn't match my German outfit at all, and I probably stretched it out, because I couldn't see or talk with it, so I was constantly manuevering the eye and mouth part. Sorry everyone, especially Sally because it was her mask.

Start a blog for your brother at 1 a.m. then forget what you called the blog, or what the password was. Try to show him and your sister in law how to put pictures on their blog by putting pictures on your own blog. Sorry Matt.

When your sister in law has to go home early because the baby is crying, volunteer your friend to drive your brother home without even asking your friend if that's o.k. Sorry Sara.

If your friend has fake braids in, try to tie them under her chin, and when one falls out, just walk away without trying to help her fix her hair. Sorry Sue.

Talk bad about everyone that was invited to the party that didn't come. Not sorry about this one. The only one who gets pardoned is Bart because he called after I was already buzzed and I gave him a hard time, but forgave him over the phone. The rest of you still suck.

Julie

Eiffel

I'm Going to Love You Like Nobody's Loved You.

Love is....

When your husband puts your wedding song on your ipod without you knowing about it, and titles it "I love you, Elaine."

Cranberries

For the third year in a row, my dad and I have taken a trip to Wisconsin Rapids to buy cranberries to ferment and make wine. We stay with Mary Brazeau Brown in her Stone Cottage at Glacial Lake Cranberries. Her family has owned this land and farmed cranberries for at least a hundred years. She owns 4000 acres, most of it protected, but 300 acres are in cranberries. She is the cranberry ambassador, she has so much energy and it rubs off onto me. I come home every year totally interested in cranberries. It's always a good trip, the colors of the trees up there are always a week before ours, and seem so much more vivid. The reds and yellows really stand out. The cranberries are beautiful too. It's always colder up there too, last year it frosted.

Since the camera was broke this year, I will post some pictures from last year. I shared these pictures with some of you last year via email. The cranberry bogs are flooded, and raked off the plant, and the cranberries float, and they scoop them up on a truck with a conveyor belt, and then ultimately into our bins to make the trek back to Missouri.

cranberries still growing

Cranberries

Fall in Wisconsin

cranberries floating

Ding Dong

the camera is dead. I don't know how this could happen. We spent a lot of money on this camera, and it is less than two years old! I've tried everything, bought a new cord to charge the battery, took it to two stores to get it fixed. I pleaded with the Best Buy Geek Squad guy, "I really like this camera...." I could picture him telling me, "Ma'am, you're going to have to mourn your camera on your own time." Blah.

It's evil, this technology. You spend money on something, thinking you won't have to buy a new (fill in the blank) for years, then you get used to it, addicted to it, accustomed to it, then it breaks. Then they tell you the same (fill in the blank) is worth lots less now (somehow?) and you can fix it for the same amount this (fill in the blank) is now worth, or you can spend the same amount of money you spent less than two years ago to get something bigger and better, and be able to keep up with technology. Yuck.

Looks like I will be purchasing disposable cameras and using our scanner for awhile. Boo. =(

"What have I been doing that keeps me so busy?" you might ask. Ok., maybe you don't care, but amuse me here a moment, you are looking at my blog. I have been doing a lot of this; selling wine, pouring samples, dealing with the public. From my point of view the public likes my wine, but are short on manners. Kudos to Aunt Donna for the picture. (is that how you spell 'kudos?')

I Have Not Forgot You

So busy... I like to be busy, but hate to be this busy. Last week I was physically in my house for 40 hours, and most of it was spent sleeping. I even had to work yesterday. =( We have a lot to do this week, but hope to have lots of time to share some stories. Must get camera fixed by Saturday.

Schwips

In German, "Schwips" means buzzed. Susanne's family makes a wine cooler type drink called "Schwips." I'd call myself right now, "schwips." I just had an awesome night at Hacienda Restaurant, got lots of presents, and was relatively surprised. I would link to Hacienda right now, but that takes too much concentration. Lots of awesome presents, and lots of margaritas were drank. I love all who came, and all who did not come. =) Most everyone had a taste of my bottle of Jagermeister, including Abbey and Tony. YES!

I am hoping someone will send me a picture because the camera is still broken. I bought a new battery thinking this would solve the problem, but it hasn't. Now I predict it's either the cord that recharges the battery or the place on the camera where the cord plugs into. I'm pretty sure the cord is easier to replace than the port where the plug plugs into. I cross my fingers that we don't have to buy a new camera.

Speaking of crossing my fingers, I bought a powerball ticket. That post is for another day. I'm not very good at playing the lottery. I don't do it enough to be nonchalant about it. Actually, I'm not nonchalant about anything.

I have lots of friends who love me and want to spend my 30th birthday with me. That makes me happy.

HappyLaney Day

I'm 30 today. I feel pretty good about being 30. I feel young enough to still be crazy at times, but old enough to make good choices. I feel pretty good at what I have accomplished in 30 years.

The good news is I have a great story to tell, but it's going to take some time to type it all out. The bad news is the camera is broke. With any luck Best Buy can work their magic tonight and my camera will be well again.

This is how we move really big tanks at the winery.

Parade Competition at Charleston

Ghosts, Splinters and Hearing Aids

Just a few highlights from last week:

Friday was the last day of harvest, whew! (make gesture like wiping my forehead.)

I had a splinter go through my fingernail of my thumb, and I dug it out with a knife. I got it on Monday, somehow didn't even feel it happen(?) I got it out on Friday. It looked like a piece of aluminum foil(?) I'm hard core.

John's band competed on Saturday in Charleston. I have pictures, but they are on the camera which is still in the band room.

We are fermenting apple cider, it makes our basement smell really good.

I blew one of my headphones on my ipod already. The sad part, I don't think it is loud enough, I was asking John how to change the volume on the computer so that when we upload songs they can be louder. I am not afraid or too proud for a hearing aid though, when the time is right I will not make you scream at me just to have a conversation. I will instead make you comment on the blog as my main form of communication. Right now when I don't want to hear something, like band kids on a school bus, I can turn up my ipod. Later, I will just turn off my hearing aid. Yes!!

John is obsessed with the ghost at the winery. He says she is helping him put the sheets on the bed for our Bed and Breakfast guests, opening doors and closing them again, and calling for help at 5:30 a.m. I for one count my blessings that I have not personally witnessed any of this.