I guess I should pay more attention to the information that my publisher gives to me, but at times, at this point in my life I do not like to be rushed. I tend to try to keep a series of articles lined up, because there are times that the Muse has not tickled my fancy and I do not write. I like some semblance of balance in my life, and something that I do for fun, should not feel like a job or to require a deadline. A couple of articles later I discovered that I had wrote and published nine-hundred articles, the majority of which I am proud of, and some are what I call fluff, but it all depends on my Muse and my mood. In the first year that I started being The Wine Raconteur I wrote an article to be published every day, just to get into the habit, as it had been years since I had been a student and writing was not what I did often enough. Since that first year, I allowed myself some leeway and published an article every other day, and I tried to always have it at the same time. I might also say Blast Daylight Savings Time, which always throws my articles off a couple of times each year, as I do not plan ahead enough.

When I actually realized that I had published nine-hundred articles, even I was amazed and I took the trouble to announce it on Social Media, which for me is Facebook and Twitter, and both of them perplex me at times. I might add that it was one of the highest ranking posts of “likes” that I have ever posted, and I have included the same picture here. On Facebook I went to so far as to create a second page, just for The Wine Raconteur, which I try to keep chaste and only for the announcements of my articles, in hopes of getting more readers. I wish to thank my Bride, some of my cast of characters and even some of my fellow Bloggers have over the years become my “friends.” Of course my main gripe about Facebook is that they keep bothering me daily to pay them a fee, so that they can get me more readers and “likes,” but I have refrained, as through the years of reading and observation, some of the high counts are from individuals that are on some type of payroll of Facebook to “like” certain sites. Thank you, but I will endeavor to slowly grow at the snail’s pace that I have grown.

As I slowly keep trying to retire, along with my Bride, the rules keep changing and we keep plugging along, trying to have as much fun as we can. Lately we were both very busy and today, we ended up with a semi-rushed day, not enjoying the “Sprinter” weather. She decided to make a nice dinner of chicken, macaroni and cheese and broccoli. I decided that instead of one of our usual house wines to grab something more interesting and I must admit that we both enjoyed it. I opened up a bottle of Cru “Appellation Series” Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2011, which I had received from my wine club A Taste of Monterey. Cru Wine Company began in 2003 as Mariposa Wine Company. Arroyo Seco which means Dry Creek is an AVA in the middle of the Salinas Valley in Monterey County and became an AVA in 1983. This particular wine is blended from the fruits of two vineyards; Marks Vineyard and Cobblestone Vineyard. From what I can gather from research, the fruit from Arroyo Seco is quite popular and is purchased by other wineries to blend and alas the wines made get an AVA of a larger designation, so the Arroyo Seco AVA is seldom seen. The notes on this wine claimed five to six years for cellaring and may I say that it was what I look for in a Monterey Chardonnay, more French, than California. Oh well until my next milestone.