The small vineyard

This is the first year we harvested enough grapes to do more than serve after dinner. Actually, we ended up with enough grapes to make jam. The fruit ripened to a beautiful deep shade of purple. Sweet and juicy, when cooked they released an aroma that was almost intoxicating. We are tickled by the pint jars of jam! They taste heavenly, better than anything Welch's or Smuckers makes.

We're hoping next year's harvest will yield enough to make wine. We're dreaming of vin santo, a table wine whose origin in humble but filled with love. Ah, the things dreams are made of...

But this year we're thankful for our grape jam. We have no doubt that smeared on toast during the long winter months it will remind us that hidden beneath the snow are the vines. Yes, the vines whose roots are buried not in soil, but in optimism.