Today was a quiet day.  Not too much activity, some – but nothing over the top.  As we waited for Daughter #1’s boyfriend to arrive, we spent some time doing chores in preparation of family arriving on Sunday to celebrate Easter.  That’s what Holy Saturday is for – quiet reflective time in anticipation of a really wonderfully day tomorrow.  Again, nothing over the top – but enough to keep up busy until the appointed hour of arrival.  In many ways doing our outdoor “chores” are fulfilling – a chance to do some good manual labor and even break a sweat.

We chuckled the other day when discussing yard work and how our lives have evolved over the years . . . we deduced it had been over 10 years since we had owned a lawnmower and had to actually get out every week and attack the St. Augustine.  When we moved back to Texas in 2001 we moved to the coast and had over 1.5 acres to mow – and mow we did on our lawn tractor . . . miss those days!  We also had a self propelled mower for the front section of the yard.  When we moved to Kerrville – we sold the lawn tractor  (boy, some fun times with that contraption – had a cart that the girls could sit in as we could tow them around the place) and kept the other mower.  Soon we discovered that the small patch of grass there could be rocked in with the rest of the yard – sold the mower and paid for the rock . . . never mowed or watered grass another day in Kerrville.  Here is San Marcos, we have grass – but no mower . . . easier to hire a lawn service to tend to those needs – but we do some raking and other outdoors tasks just to keep our green thumbs active.  But in many respects miss the yard work!

Tonight’s wine is brought to us by D#1’s boyfriend – and a nice surprise . . . 2009 Flor de Vetus Tinto Toro.  If you’re a Spanish wine freak, like we are, you’ve seen that “Flor de . . . ” name attached to some pretty $$$ expensive bottles in the past, most specifically the “Flor de Pingus”, the second label of a ledendary Ribera del Duero wine, Pingus, whose price tag runs well over $400 – a bottle. Like the Pingus, this Flor de Vetus is the “little” brother of the towering “Vetus”, a 100% Tempranillo from Toro, where the grape is called – by law – “Tinto de Toro”. “Flor” is only “little” as compared to Vetus.

It’s a big, generous,exciting bottle of pure glee that explodes out of the glass, into your nose, and across your palate. Flor is a fairly new wine, so don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard if it . . . but do not miss it if you’re a fan – like we all are – of Spain’s sunny, serious wines.  Deep purple in color, it offers up a combination  of tar, chocolate, espresso, spice box, and assorted black fruits.  Heavy on the palate with layers of fruit, this yummy wine could be laid down for a year or two – bu very drinkable now.  This wine has the perfect combination . . . beautiful color, awesome nose and terrific finish.  We liked this wine from the minute we smelled and tasted it!  A dinner of smoked baby back ribs, fresh green beans and roasted red potatoes was the PERFECT complement to the wine.  An amazing taste of vanilla and blue berry, we were impressed with the ‘end result’!  We will track this one down and partake of again!!

In anticipation of a wonderful day tomorrow both at Mass and around the dinner table – going to call it an early night!  Hope your day went well – see you tomorrow and remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.