I noticed a slight layer of frost coating some of the lawns and rooftops this morning. Definitely a sign of colder weather to come. But it also means that those pesky fall allergies and bugs should almost be over with soon.

With the coming of frost, I expect the grape leaves to start curling in earnest. I have quite a bit of work to do in the vineyard this fall. Among the tasks I need to accomplish:

• rid the vineyard of gophers
• hill up mulch around the base of the three new Marquette vines
• clean up stray grape clusters
• decide what to do with the Valiants
• restore dead/dying plants with cuttings?
• replace them with another variety - Marquette or Sabrevois?

That should do for now…