The pooch on the left is Blake's sister, Miranda. She has been serving as a 'comfort dog' at the district attorney's office, calming witnesses and prosecutors alike. She is now nine years old and has decided that she needs a rest, so she is retiring and Darla, on the right is taking over the job. She was also trained at Paws as Loving Support in Forrestville where Blake and Miranda and the rest of their litter were trained as service dogs. Blake decided the same thing as Miranda a long time ago, which is why he became Dana and Jim's family pet.

Somebody was weed whacking in the field around the bunker house above us at 6:30 this morning...At least they started on the other side of the house from us. Whether this was out of respect for us for the early start on a Saturday morning, to avoid the heat of the day, or just general cluelessness, I don't know, but it was a lot quieter than the beeping on the other side, which is silenced for the moment. 

Grapes are often harvested at night, ensuring that all the grapes are the same temperature and therefore the same sugar content, Cooler conditions for the pickers and  lower energy costs are also considerations. We were advised by our realtor not to consider buying a house next door to a winery for this reason. We weren't tempted by the house which is just as well because and it and the Soda Rock Winery next door burned down in the Kinkaid fire in 2019.

So it's a good thing we didn't move to the country for the quiet, because it really isn't. But as my brother, who moved from a big house in Fallbrook CA to a 7th floor condo on a busy street in downtown San Diego, 'you can get used to anything...' He's right, but admits that like the construction vehicle beeping here, the sirens of emergency vehicles on their street still bug him. Of course they are designed, not to be ignored ...

Greeted by chilly fog and feeling a bit grumpy and lazy this morning, we decided not to go to the Farmer's Market but we did enjoy a visit from Dana, Jim and Blake. Jim and Dana had things to do, but Blake hung out with us while they did them and they brought us a lovely big bunch of spinach which I will make into a salad for dinner after wine and cheese with Ann and Paul down the street. 

Life does have a way of settling into a routine, but it's a pretty good one....