Sunday, January 03, 2021

Gimme a break!


At first glance, the weather forecast looked like a complete wash-out for the first week of January. At closer inspection, it looks like there are breaks in the rain every other day; I can handle that!

Today was one of those breaks. Poppy got her exercise in early, running the fence with Minnie, the neighbor's female with whom she has an across-fence rivalry (they are fine together when they are on the same side):
After she was ready to come back inside and relax, I turned the ewes out and exercised both horses.

Lance and I came upon a surprising scene as we walked down the lane to pick up yesterday's mail:

On our way back, the owner of the vineyard had walked down to survey the damage while one of the winery workers took photos (followed shortly by a sheriff's deputy), so I asked what happened. Apparently (as witnessed by several winery patrons) a visitor to one of the homes past us (not the winery) was departing at a high rate of speed, and lost control of her vehicle just an hour before. Incredibly, her SUV didn't roll or flip (the bank from the road down to the vineyard is deep and steep); I think the trellis might have kept it upright. Between the damage to the vehicle, the vines, and the trellis, methinks her insurance claim is going to be high!

That's it for now from . . .

8 comments:

Retired Knitter said...

Wow, I was thinking about those grape vines too. You just can’t easily replace those without years of growing. You are right about the cost to insurance.

Mama Pea said...

Good grief. Was the road slippery when that accident happened or was the driver simply going waaaay too fast and lost control? Poor vineyard owners never dreamed any of their vines would suffer that kind of damage. What a great way for Poppy to get lots of exercise. For her doggie pal, too.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Not the way to start a new year. Looks like somebody was dealing with some anger and being less than careful. I hope no one was hurt.

Michelle said...

Elaine, the owner told me that the damaged vines were some of the oldest in the vineyard. I know that even quality rootstock is expensive....

No, the road was just as you see it when it happened, Mama Pea. However, as I look at my photo again, I wonder if she swerved to avoid that puddle and put her right tire(s) on or over the edge of the bank, which would have sucked her right off the road Either that, or maybe she looked down at her phone? That's terrifyingly common these days....

Sue, the driver wasn't hurt and walked back to the winery after trying to drive her car out of her predicament. Yep, anger could have played a part in what happened!

A :-) said...

Wow - that looks like a mess with that car, and yes, a hefty insurance claim . . .

Snowdrops?! It's January!!! I think you don't really get winter like we do in Chicagoland.

Michelle said...

No, we definitely don't get Chicagoland winters, A! We don't even get snow every year! But the Cascade Mountains are close by for a winter snow fix if one so desires. 😉

Mary Ann said...

I'm so glad no one was hurt.

Susan said...

Poor Minnie can't keep up with Poppy's long legs! We have a real deficit of sunshine here. I'm not complaining (much) since we are at least on a break from snow and/or rain. But a little more sun would be lovely.