Oh, Deere me! Part 2.

Not content with his new John Deere 35G Compact Excavator, Vinomaker (VM) decided he needed something with a little more muscle: his new 50G arrived this morning.  Vinoland's newer John Deere will assume the 35G's sobriquet of Digger Deere (DD). Thankfully, VM is not keeping both excavators.  Phew!
As Vinodog 2 and I were leaving for our morning perambulation, I heard VM saying to Mr. Papé Machinery, who was cheerfully unloading DD's extra buckets and accessories from the bed of his pickup truck, "You can never have too much power. You can always throttle back, but..."
Hmm, I wonder what will turn up next.

Oh, Deere me!

Vinomaker (VM) took delivery of a new toy yesterday, a John Deere 35G Compact Excavator.  More rolling stock in Vinoland, oh joy!
About two weeks ago, VM decided that his full-sized New Holland excavator was just too big for most jobs around Vinoland.  My husband works quickly; he found what he wanted (although he said, needed) at Papé Machinery up in Rohnert Park and ordered it.  Within minutes of the delivery of the new John Deere, the old New Holland (which we affectionately referred to as Jumbo), was unceremoniously loaded onto a lowboy trailer and driven off by the new owner. I must admit, I was a little teary-eyed.  Sigh.
As I sit here typing this post, I can hear VM outside playing with his new toy - a machine that henceforth will be known as Digger Deere (or just DD) - the back-up alarm blithely beeping away.  Boys!  

The grass is greener.

Deere, John:
The 1.75 inches of rain that fell on me last weekend (I always take it personally), when paired with five days of ample sunshine with temperatures in the mid to high 70°s, have produced a distinct green haze of sprouting grasses and weed-seedlings all over Vinoland. Like magic, opportunistic r-selection plants have taken full advantage of the combination of rain and sun and have begun the process of turning California's rolling, golden hills and the vineyard floors of the Napa Valley into velvety-verdant vistas.  Then, a little time later, and after subsequent rain events, everywhere will have to be mowed.  Cycles.
Love, Vinogirl.

New tractie.

Not content with the three John Deere tractors we already owned, Vinomaker recently decided we needed something more powerful.  So Big Deer (BD) was sold; Medium Deer (MD) was traded in; which left us with only Little Deer (LD)...until today when BD II arrived.  New, shiny tractors are so pretty, aren't they?  Just as pretty as, erm, a new Paul Smith handbag (hint).
BD II is a welcome addition to Vinoland's accumulation of rolling stock which, amongst other things, includes a backhoe, a log-splitter and a wood-chipper.  Don't worry, our neighbours love us...they even like the sound of the duelling banjos that waft uphill from Vinoland.  Yee haw!

Nothing runs like a...cake?

Now, that's what I call a cake!
Keeping up with my family's love affair - on both sides of the Atlantic - with all things John Deere, it is only fitting that my Nephew OTW's birthday cake is a fetching-confection of John Deere green.  With yellow trim, of course.
Happy 2nd birthday little one, Auntie Vinogirl loves you very much.

The boy's toys.

I eventually made it home to England after surviving being served a loathsome glass of 2002 Lanson Gold Label Brut on my transatlantic flight, and a tortuous 5 1/2 hour layover in Frankfurt...phew!  It's good to be finally home; familiar faces, places and foods.  

The main purpose for this trip was the celebration of my nephew's first birthday.  Baby Thud has been walking for four months now and those little feet must've been getting tired, so something peddle-powered was just what the boy needed.  And, on the off chance that I was feeling a tad homesick for Napa, Thud provided a smattering of a familiarly distinctive, green and yellow hardware about the courtyard.

Cheers, John Deeres all round!