No Retreat to Oblivion! Progressive Americans Must Continue to Hold that Line from Slipping Back into the Past!

"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country"

I rarely take Ativan and only drink about 3 ounces of wine on occasion in the evenings (I never drink more than a bottle in a week or two) So I was sure 2 Ativan .5s and two 4 oz glasses of wine would make me sleep soundly through the night - my mind needed a rest due to the many stressors of the past few weeks. The election being the least but it was the last hurdle. But did I enjoy that long slumber? Nope. Awoke a little after 2pm (my usual bedtime) bright eyed and bushy tail. So I watched a horror movie and now I enjoying  netflix the queen. That will teach me to go to bed before 11. It was enough though to allow me to think clearly and to plan as I always have - thinking things through, having a plan and standing my ground. This is what progressive Americans must do. We must continue to hold that line against slipping back into the past. At least that. We must continue to persevere towards the future. We must continue to educate our young, support the disenfranchised and extol the virtues we hold dear and stand strong regarding equality for all. 

We are Americans, home of the few and the brave and must stand strong and fight against the monster ideals that threaten her. Those old words my generation used to sing before starting the school day "stand beside her and guide her" played sweetly in my naturally rebellious mind and I knew deep in my heart that when we all awake this morning we can say to one another:

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?" 

And know that is the

 "proof through the night that our flag was still there. 

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?'" 

And this is what we are.  The free and the brave.

 Don't ever forget that we are 

"Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just" 

We have blest this land by our hard work and perseverance - and love for Her. We are the power that made this, our country, and our ancestors entrusted us to preserve Her and conquer ANY threats to her honor and stability whether external or internal. 

So weep if you must but know without you there is no America. There are no United States. 

Most of all remember the words of Woody Guthrie, 

" This land is your land, this land is my land 
  

From California, to the New York Island 
    

From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters 
    

This land was made for you and me"

Most importantly remember the lines from the original that were surpressed and are so astutely relevent in this day and age esp. given the presidential situation: 

"There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me; 

Sign was painted, it said private property; 

But on the back side it didn't say nothing; 

That side was made for you and me. 

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, 

By the relief office I seen my people; 

As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking 

Is this land made for you and me? 

Nobody living can ever stop me, 

As I go walking that freedom highway; 

Nobody living can ever make me turn back 

This land was made for you and me."

Yes, no "body" can ever stop us as we walk that freedom highway....

Benjamin Darnault Minervois Plus 2015

09/16 It is no wonder the ancient Romans sought to control Gaul when the region produces wine such as this that would bring Bacchus himself to his knees! I do believe it was a wine like this that inspired Milton to muse that one sip [of this] will bathe drooping spirits in delight beyond the bliss of dreams. I have tried to write to a review the past two nights but i have enjoyed my nightly glass so much I put it off. This wine is smooth, a lovely deep purple, like velvet it enters the mouth and exits down the throat in the same smooth fashion. Right off It pleases the olfactory senses with a floral scent intertwined with that of fruit orchards and rich oaky woods then delights the tip of the tongue with cherries blooming into blackberries and plums filling the palate with rich slightly tart, almost sweet complex flavors not unlike that of very dark chocolate teasing flavors of smooth vanilla oak on the periphery of the tongue weaving a succulent memory to linger on the palate as it flows down the throat.

I have added some more of this to my basket. Merci beaucoup Monsieur Darnault, you are a master!

Origin: France

99 Barrels Derek Rohlffs Santa Lucia Highlands Rose 2015 by Derek Rohlf

10/5/2016 What a pleasant surprise this lovely Rosé turned out to be! I found it to be quite versatile, and deserving of being sipped slowly to appreciate fully. I decanted it late in the afternoon and placed it in the refrigerator to breath and chill.

I did pour a few ounces out before decanting so the wine would have more room to breathe. I was delighted by the scent of young tart early strawberries, spring raspberries, a hint of vanilla and a delicate floral citrusy scent that I am torn between the heritage yellow tea roses that grew in my grandparents garden or the white  magnolias that fleetingly waft by the porch on a warm southern spring evening. It is springtime in a bottle which elicited images of this gorgeous strawberry colored wine served with a spring meal of lamb with an au jus rosemary gravy made from the cooked juices of the lamb along with a touch of “new” Chianti wine accompanied by light and colorful seasonal vegetables.

 For my first “tasting” I prepared a meal of tender Portobello mushrooms and shallots sautéed in butter to which I added a reduced chicken stock just before serving, over grain-free linguini and topped with a dusting of fresh ground ancho pepper.  Prior to preparing the evening’s repast, I poured out about five ounces of this lovely light-bodied Rosé through an aerator into the stemware to breath a bit more and develop the flavors. And what wonderful flavors, surpassing the lovely scents that promised a delicious wine!

The very moment the wine hits the tip of the tongue it bursts with the flavor of tart Blakemore strawberries blended with early raspberries which lend a pleasant medium amount of acidity but is also reminiscent of the almost sweet pink grapefruit that delights with a dulcet lingering on the palate. The touch of sweetness creates a smooth, refreshing, and complex elixir over the tongue but also on the sides leaving a pleasant and slightly dry aftertaste.

This is definitely a wine to enjoy with dinner but also with dessert and complimented the small bowl of sweet strawberries drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate I ended dinner with.

For me, this is a wine to share with friends and for special occasion dinners as I found that by day three it lost some of its complexity as a simple sipping wine - which is how I prefer my wine.  This wine needs to be consumed within a day or two of opening to enjoy its full bouquet and flavor.  I usually drink one glass in the evening, either with my meal or after meals as it takes me 3 to 4 days to finish a bottle so this I would reserve for special occasions. It has a beautiful festive color and a wonderful complexity which, to me, makes it a perfect special occasion wine. 

Origin:  California USA