While At Home: October 2021

The first several days of October still felt like the summer with lingering smoke in the air and continued worry about additional wildfires. Then we had rain and everything changed. Fresh air, fully contained Calder Fire, cooler temperatures, and fall color. October 2020 we had zero rainfall but this October we had a total of 8.82 spread over nine days of the month. One of those storms was an atmospheric river that dumped 5.49 inches in a 24-hour period. 

On October 2, my friend Chaz and I participated in the Women's March for Reproductive Rights in Folsom. One year after RBG's death there is still a large hole. We miss her and "We are Ruth Less."

We had a week mid month in southwest Texas. Texas seems like a poor choice of a travel destination for someone who just participated in the Women’s March for Reproductive Rights, but Dan was jonzing because it had been a several weeks since our last travels. So off to El Paso which was a blue county in the 2020 election. We did have a great week hiking, exploring, and seeing a place where a border wall cannot possibly be built.

On the 30th Dan and I drove 81 miles east to Esparto to attend the last 2021 Art and Ag event in Yolo County. This one at Grindstone Vineyards (so named because the patriarch told his kids to keep their noses to the grindstone). The skies were filled with beautiful clouds which is something we have been missing. We ended the morning event tasting wines.

A pomegranate tree near the tasting room. A new vine vineyard and the coast range are in the background.

The vines closest to the tasting room are young and still green because of their ongoing irrigation. Vineyards farther away and unirrigated have turned a rusty bronze color heading into fall.

To capture a reflection, I clomped my way through mud to a flooded (due to the recent rains) part of the winery. I wish I had been wearing hiking boots.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Griffin

Pain Elemental and Doom Slayers

And, Syd and Pandora in October

At the end of October, El Dorado County had a cumulative total of 15,849 positive Covid-19 cases and 155 deaths (10 of those deaths were fully-vaccinated persons). That is an increase of 910 positive cases and another 17 people dead. Fourteen percent of the total positive cases and 84% of the total deaths were those 65+. Very slowly our vaccination rate has creeped up to almost 55%.

The 2021 Brush Pile soon to be chipped