TomatoMANIA

Owner Scott Daigre of Tomatomania is headed back up North with over 300 tomato varieties! They'll be at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma Valley for one weekend and then head further North to Geyserville and will be at Trione Winery on April 30th.

Scott has been coming up North for years now and helping hundreds of folks find the best variety to plant in their gardens. He comes with a full crew to answer any questions you may have, T-shorts, and his AMAZING cookbook (see recipe featured here). I personally have made half of the recipes in here but one of my all time favorites is Sams tomato Sourdough. It's so delicious!! For a list of places to buy the book online, click here.

You can count on detailed information from Scott when you buy. Write down your questions about planting and bring them with you. Scott lists his tips here too.

EVENTS FOR TOMATOMANIA: 

April 23-24: CornerStone Gardens: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,  23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma.

April 30: Trione Vineyards and Winery: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 19550 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville.

Trione Winery will also be having a fun event during Tomatomania for those who would like to partake in wine tasting: 2015 Rose of Pinot Noir release party from 1-4pm with a couple of small "brunch like bites" from Peloton Catering , a sample of Rose, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. It's $15 for the public and then they're offering a 10% discount on wine purchases!!

Here's to kicking off Spring in wine country!

Visit the Moxie Lady Blog for information on events, recipes, and general lifestyle stuff! 

Going to the Steelhead Festival? Need a room??

Going to the Steelhead Festival?

We have a Steel of a Deal!!

 February 6^th  thru 10^th

Book a two night stay in an available room &

Snag a 50% saving on your stay

Must stay two nights.

 In Geyserville, conveniently located near Lake Sonoma. 

The delightful Downtown Geyserville boasts award winning wines at 5 smart  tasting rooms,  great food establishments offering  brick oven pizzas, a ten layer lasagna, a deliciously warm  hot chocolate to go with your  yummy pastry

Explore shops with antiques, western ware and, even “Fishing Gear”.

Book now while rooms are still available!

Participating lodgings are:

Alexander Valley Lodge              alexandervalleylodge.com

Climbing Rose                             cameliainn.com

Hope-Merrill House                    hope-inns.com        

  

Geyserville High

GEYSERVILLE HIGH’S CLASS OF ‘63 It has been 50 years since the class of ’63 graduated from Geyserville High School. And what a class it was! I am proud to say I was part of that class and I share in its glory. It is a little known fact that the GHS Class of ’63 has done more for the beautification of Geyserville than any class before or since. The absence of trash in our streets and the sparkle of our village can be attributed to that special class of a half century ago. Now there will be nitpickers who will say that all of the beautification was done by one sole member of that class, namely Pete Stone. Nasty nitpickers will say that much of what Pete has cleaned up was created by his very classmates. However, might I ask you to put that pettiness aside and celebrate our beautiful village and the awesome Class of ’63! By Joe P.

This is why we love Geyserville...

The parade of lights last year: a tractor parade. The video is courtesy of Richard Stilwell. Check it out by clicking here!!

SHARE THE ROAD

You may have noticed those “Share the Road” signs on Geyserville Avenue on both ends of town.  Back in the 50s, what is now Geyserville Avenue was the two lane Highway 101.  It was also a time that local lumber mills were booming.  The 101 through town was a nightmare, lots of traffic and a parade of aggressive 18 wheelers hauling logs and lumber.  There wasn’t much complaining by locals; lumbering was an important part of the local economy. We shared the road and if there had been any signs on each end of town, the truck drivers would have put up “Get Outta the Way” signs, certainly not “Share the Road.”

                More recently, with nary a complaint, we’ve learned to live with slow moving tractors, grape trucks and mechanical harvesters.  Like logs and lumber, grapes and wine are good for the economy.  I also suspect that sharing the road with 18 wheelers and tractors is not really a choice.  No signs needed. So the “Share the Road” signs must be about those healthy folks from somewhere else that ride their expensive bicycles through town in large numbers.  Like lumber trucks and tractors, they’re often a nuisance.  Unlike lumber trucks and tractors, they generate a considerable amount of grumbling from sedentary locals. 

Yep, those bikers can be a bother and a few of them can be downright rude.  However, might I suggest that local businesses have probably noticed most of them have a checkbook tucked into their Spandex shorts. These pedaling tight bodies in gaudy shirts just might be good for the local economy. 

-          Mickey Bitsko

COCKROACHES & COYOTES

A few years ago, we were having coyote problems on our property. We suspected they had a den in a ravine at the back of our property and they were chewing on irrigation lines and coming too close to the house, and our feral cats, for comfort. So we contacted the county trapper--no not Clem. (Be sure to Read Jessie Poshepny Vallery's post "What Would Clem Say?")

Some folks from Geyserville may recognize the name Fred Radtkey. He lived in Geyserville for awhile and has family in the area. And he still collects his mail at our post office, though he is now retired and lives on the family sheep ranch out near Annapolis, I believe. Fred held the the job of county hunter for many years, after Clem, I guess. And he was the one who came to our rescue when we were having problems with the coyotes.

Fred and his dogs made several trips to the ranch and he would stop by the house each time and fill us in on the latest. He was eventually able to alleviate the problem and the coyotes moved on to friendlier territory. But we learned a lot about the critters from Fred. Did you know that they were originally native to the southwest United States, but are now found in every state of the union, all the way up through Canada to Alaska, and throughout Mexico and Central America and into South America. They are quite opportunistic creatures and survival specialists. On one of his visits, Fred summed it up as only he could. In his easy-going, slow and deliberate way he told us, "When the world comes to an end... the only things left... will be... cockroaches and coyotes."

It's hard not to admire the survival instincts and love of the wild that Bryan Tedrick's sculpture of the Coyote symbolizes. Perhaps the residents of Geyserville, like Clem and Fred, identify a bit with that ol' Coyote. And maybe that's why everyone seems to love him.