Snow, in Irish Sneachta

 

The last time we saw real snow was years ago. Last night, it came down in giant wet flakes that stuck to everything. They weighed down trees and broke limbs off. There were lots of power outages and accidents. We were without power for 12 hours but again managed to keep our fridge going with the BYD Seal's bidirectional charging. We've had power outages twice in one month after not having had one in years, right after I bought a diesel generator. 

The donkeys are fine but we will shelter them in the new shed from the approaching named storm, Bert. The hay shed is completed and they'll be fine in there for a couple of days while we complete the donkey shed. 

It was beautiful out there today when the sun shone. A true winter wonderland. 

Bitter cold

 

The bitter cold continues. Northern counties got snow. We got a dusting. Croagh Patrick has a white cap. The south is preparing for a major snowfall tonight but we are expected to be fine. The cold is to continue through Friday. Saturday and Sunday and into Monday we are expecting a gale with 50 knot gusts but it will warm up a tad. 

Today, I released two robins from the polytunnel. The poor birds had been there since Monday, when Alex left the door open for ventilation. Lucky for them there are plenty of slugs in the soil and they crawl out at night to eat my lettuce. Hopefully, they will have taken care of a few in their two days of captivity. 

Fun fact: Humans invented alcohol long before they invented the wheel. Although alcohol comes in multiple forms, only ethanol can be safely consumed. 

Arctic blast

We went from 8.0-11.8C on Saturday to 1.2-8.0C degrees yesterday. Today, it's been 2C all day. It's frigid and raw, but the sun came out in the afternoon. The Nephin range was topped with snow mid-day but Croagh Patrick has just a dusting. They say it is snowing properly in Laois and in the North. Maybe because it's such a sudden transition, but it feels colder than we've had in years. Big reset for the environment.

The last of the mild weather

 

The Pinot Noir did not mature. As today is the last of the mild weather, the crop is a failure. The roses are still magnificent and grew about 10 feet tall. The cats are being loving and cuddly as we walk the fields inspecting.

The hay shed for the donkeys is almost done. The digger for the donkey shed is coming this week. It's about time. They are not going to like the coming weather. 

Arctic blast on its way

We've had very mild weather through the first two weeks of November, and only 5.6 mm rain. But that's about to change. A low pressure system will be coming through Monday and it will be very wet, pretty windy, and followed by a cold snap for the rest of the week. It's already cold today compared with what it has been. Through the 15th of November, our average temperature has been 11.8C, exactly what it averaged in October. It was a dark couple of weeks and our solar radiation was very low, producing little electricity from the sunlight.  I have not checked the Pinot Noir vines this week. I'll go up tomorrow and see if there's been any progress, but I doubt it. Not enough light to complement the warmth. 

We're in that time of year when we get beautiful sunsets and we're awake to see them at 4:30 pm. Today we also have the Super Beaver Moon causing astronomically high tides. It was too dark to go out and see as the moon had not risen yet. But we'll have the same in the morning. 

It's a good thing that it will get cold this week as the wasps have still been active and attacking the beehives. Lots of other insects milling about so I am hoping to get a bit of a correction there. Met Eireann is predicting snow and sleet in the hills of the North. I wonder if we'll see a white Croagh Patrick this week. I don't think we saw one day of that last year.

The darkness seems more abrupt and more disturbing this year. 

New US dietary guidelines due in 2025

As we await the release of the revised U.S. dietary guidelines early in 2025, Dr. Laura Catena, vintner and medical doctor, argues recent anti-alcohol messaging is informed by inconclusive science and prohibitionist ideology. In fact, some of the newer studies upon which the WHO proclamation that "no amount of alcohol consumption is safe" were based, were later shown to be conducted by conservative scientists backed by conservative sponsors. 

With the US Republican victory and highly conservative stance on many issues, increased scrutiny of alcohol guidelines is likely, especially given that repeat president Trump is a teetotaler. 

Dr Catena has created an online resource to debunk the misinformation about alcohol with emphasis on wine called In defence of wine. Dr. Catena is a Harvard- and Stanford-trained biologist and physician, author, fourth-generation vintner, and the founder of the Catena Institute of Wine. Dr. Catena was a practising emergency physician in California for 27 years and is now managing director of her family winery in Mendoza, Argentina. She is one of my heroes. 

Migrant workers are key to food and wine security

Donald Trump won a second presidential term and has vowed to deport all illegal migrants. But he doesn't realise that they are essential to the production of food and especially for the harvest of grapes. We know the US has a flawed immigration system. Inside that flawed immigration system are millions of undocumented workers and a verification program that few use. 

A computer-based federal program called E-Verify enables prospective employers to spot and reject unauthorized immigrants seeking jobs. Yet, few use it according to the LA Times. In California, only about 16% of employer establishments are enrolled in E-Verify, which is lower than the national figure of 27%. The program’s low use reflects the reality that many businesses rely on undocumented immigrants. The broader economy will suffer without them, as unemployment is so low that there just aren't enough willing to do the lowest-paying jobs.