Capt. Richard N. Jenson: What are you doing there, soldier?

Soldier getting up from floor:  Trying to get some sleep, sir.

Patton: Well, get back down there, son.  You’re the only son of a bitch in this headquarters who knows what he’s trying to do.

Another day in trenches as we are living life in a dream.  John F. Kennedy once said “Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians.” I have seen memes proclaiming that it’s like the Sixties, because gas is cheap and we have been grounded.  Another was stated that we are all becoming like a famous movie character “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski. I am glad that gallows humor is holding up, so that we can find some silver linings in this terrible storm that has engulfed the world.  As for me, I don’t think that I look like The Dude, but it is a close race between Dr. Zorba and Larry Fine, though I am shaving, because I am not Jason Bourne and attempt to cut hair.

We had a wonderful Sunday during the lockdown.  We had an early Brunch.  My Bride made a Ham and Cheddar Souffle with Mimosas.  Then she and one of her girlfriends get together on their phones and watch the same mass on their computers, and her girlfriend even encourages my Bride to sing louder.  Sunday is kind of our day of rest from jobs and projects.  We normally eat dinner around five in the afternoon, but we had an early dinner.  We had Chicken Piccata, Rice Pilaf and Steamed Asparagus and Chocolate Pudding for dessert.  Ever since, she has discovered making a Piccata Sauce with different “proteins” and assorted add-ins for flavor, it has become one of her new favorite dinners to make, and I am not complaining.  We then, had almost three hours of Zoom to catch up with everyone, and I know that my Bride is itching to make a big family dinner, if and whenever the self-appointed Gods deem family gatherings are permissible.

We started off with Mimosas, for those that think that breakfast is a sobering reality.  We use splits of La Marca Prosecco DOC NV probably to the same exact mixing ratios that we discovered out in Las Vegas, where I think Orange Juice is dearer than bubbly.  The wine is named after the La Marca Trevigiana zone in the heart of the Prosecco region of Italy. This wine was listed as being one of the “Top 100 Wines of the Year” by Wine Spectator magazine in 2007. Since this wine is from the Prosecco DOC region it is listed as using the Prosecco varietal, instead of the other name of Glera.  The wine is produced by the Charmat Method, which keeps the cost down in production and it also keeps a few less bubbles rising up in the glass, and it is a bit sweeter by design, but it is a great way to start the day off.  For dinner and for the Zoom party, we opened up a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay 2013.   Chateau Ste. Michelle is the oldest and one of the most prestigious wineries in the State of Washington.  They are known for their Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, but are famed for their Riesling.  It was founded as the American Wine Growers in 1954 by the merger of two that companies that followed the repeal of Prohibition; the National Wine Company and the Pomerelle Wine Company.  The National Wine Company had planted Vitis vinifera grapes in the Columbia Valley, and under the consultation of Andre Tchelistcheff they planted even higher quality grapes in 1967.  These were under the name of Ste. Michelle Vintners and the first wines released were Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Semillon and Grenache.  In 1974 in a blind tasting their Riesling came in first place over Germany and California.  In 1976, they changed the name to Chateau Ste. Michelle.  The wine is aged Sur Lie for six months in a mix of French and American Oak, with ten percent new, and then blended with Chardonnay that was aged in tanks, so that there is a blend of crisp and oaky wine combined.  This wine for being seven years old was still very crisp and had a lot of fruit to offer.  It was an excellent wine to enjoy with the family after dinner and during the Zoom session.