One Lucky Duck

I have heard the phrase "your one lucky duck" plenty of times in my day, and frequently from my wife, and I would have to agree with her. Growing up on the farm, and with the friends I did, "lucky duck" wasn't just a phrase it was a lifestyle! There are countless stories that could be share, but one sticks out in my mind specifically, entitle:

"Hoof'n It"

This takes place in the mid to late 80's (I was young enough to not remember exactly) making me anywhere from age 5-7. When you grow up/live on a farm you were expected to pitch in when and where you could.

It was cold morning and we were working cattle, Red Angus to be exact, from the corn stalk to our homestead to feed for the winter. At this point, each cow weighs just over 1,000 lbs. and had completed their fall calving. This left them particularly jumpy and agitated. Imagine trying to wrangle wild cats, not easy.

Red Angus cow and calf

 We use panels pictured below to create a sort of instant pen, to allow us to catch the cattle in the pasture or field. They fit together like Lincoln Logs at best.

So my dad and grandfather were corralling the last of the cattle into the horseshoe shaped pen we constructed and in doing so were spooking the rest of the herd and threatening to tip the pen over. I was sternly instructed by all involved to stay in the safety of the truck, but wanting to be the good son and help out, I climbed on the fence and started mimicking my dad. (hollering and yelling) About that time the fence came a crashing down landing literally on top of me, followed by 12 full grown angry cattle running over the top of me. Somehow, despite the there 48 separate chance to catch a hoof carrying a half of ton, I escaped with nothing more than being scared and GREAT story to tell. Just goes to show you, parents know what they are talking about…most of the time

 

What does this have to do with wine you ask? It is simple really; a friend of ours had found a Riesling that she wanted us to try called “Lucky Duck.” As it turns out it was pretty darn good. It was easy to drink, and not too sweet. The best part was that she picked it up from the local store for under $5.00! Any time I can snag a respectable bottle of wine for under $10 let alone $5 dollars it is okay in my book. I would definitely suggest picking up a bottle of Lucky Duck Riesling next time you are out and about.

Cheers- Brandon

Life in a box

If you have been following my blog, you are aware that we have recently moved into a new home. It has been a long process, but we are officially in and extremely excited to be back in a home of our own. Our journey across the Midwest started in April of 2010.  It was not an easy decision, especially with the state of the housing and jobs market. We pulled the trigger put our house on the market, resumes in the mail, and faith in God and boy did they all three deliver.

Knowing that the sale of the house was up in the air to say the least, we got it on the market ASAP to insure we got it sold before we moved. Little did we know, we would sell our house in less than a week, now what? Well, we packed up our stuff and hauled it to a storage unit in Central Illinois, and moved the three of us (wife, bulldog, and myself) into my grandmother in-law’s two bedroom apartment. Then, we made the move into my wife’s family’s home while we saved and searched for the perfect home. Despite the reactions and probably your immediate thoughts, living with the in-laws was great, although I think we all were ready for some space especially my wife and I. We had gone from our own home and space, to relying on family, and living out of a box.

This was an experience and a half for me. I don’t know that I was “SPOILED” but there was very little that I wanted growing up, and even to date, I have been lucky enough to be able to “get” what I want/need.  Our life in a box started in April 2010 – current date, and well we survived and to be honest it was a little liberating. We found this idea that we dreaded really wasn’t that bad, so I figured I would take a look at another “box” with negative stigma. BOXED WINE! Ahhhhh

There I said it, boxed wine! I know what you are thinking, boxed wine is terrible and is only good for college students and drunks, and I am not saying I disagree but I did find some interesting information on it. First off I found that the packaging in boxed wine is far more environmentally friendly then the current method of glass bottles. Secondly, you eliminate the risk of cork taint and reduce the risk of spoilage due to slow consumption; personally the latter of these is rarely a problem. The minute you open a bottle of wine it begins to oxidize as air fills the space where wine once was, and if you have ever tried a wine that has been open for too long you realize the nastiness that brings. The one down fall of the BOX process is the way they are sealed. Because of this process the actual shelf life is shorter then a bottle. I can’t explain the science but if you care that much, I can send you some links. But as for the wine its self, I have found it to be pretty par for the course in regards to other wines in its price range. Franzia for example is what 10 bucks for dang near a gallon? That is pretty cheap wine, thus the expectations we have for it should match.

I will break the mold and recommend one boxed wine for those who actually enjoy on levels above cheap intoxication; Black Box Cabernet is VERY good. It compares nicely to other $20 bottles I have tried and you get nearly four times as much. Seeing, as I am in to economically friendly wine this is a no brainer! I would highly recommend you put aside the persona try life in the box…you may be surprised!

Cheers- Brandon

Its a Monday thing...

Monday, Monday, Monday! Today is by far the black sheep of the calendar week. It is hated and complained about more than any other day I can think of, everybody hates Monday’s well except this guy! I spend the weekends doing what I please my wife pleases. I joke, but seriously, we watch movies, we clean, catch up on honey do’s, and occasionally we will just flat out be lazy. (although that is rarely the case, it does happen)

This particular weekend was one of those weekends that I have learned to take advantage of. My wife and her mother, met up with her aunt in Bolingbrook, IL (did everyone follow that) to do some shopping for our new home. This left me with an entire Saturday of “Man” time. I am pretty sure she wasn’t out the drive way at 9 AM and I was on the phone to my two buddies organizing the day. In true guy fashion although the planning started at 9 we didn’t get around until 12 and our day consisted of a trip to the bike shop, Taco Bell, Xbox, cycling movies, and various beverages from Gatorade to bottles of wines. Days like these call for only one type of wine, Two Buck Chuck! It is the quintessential party wine, good enough to taste early, and cheap enough to not taste late. It was glorious! As night grew closer the group slowly departed just in time for me to make a mad dash and accomplish a few chores to hide the fact I had wasted an entire day. The Mrs. Got home just before 9 PM and made it a point to congratulate me on the fact the house was not a “Cluster Bomb.”

I spent the remainder of the evening with the wife. We rose early the next day to get our lives together before the “big game.” We spent Sunday w/ her folks watching Da Bears lay a stinker and lose to the Pack. Due to the emotional strings attached this topic we are leaving it at that. The highlight was easily the get company we shared along with a surprisingly good bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. This particular wine surprised me with its quality, especially because it erased my preconceived correlations between the quality of a wine, and the fact it has a commercial. I have never been a fan of wine commercials, and I am guessing not many people are judging by the fact that there aren’t many playing, but none the less this one was worth it.

Back to my point, I love Mondays! It is usually my most productive day, and most enjoyable as I reflect on the fun and not so fun activities of the weekend, and start planning for the next making each day one step closer to time with family and friends.

Cheers- Brandon

Trails are snow packed

Wine Enthusiast Magazine

You have got to check this out!!


I received a message from a friend today, with a link to an offer a subscription to Wine Enthusiast Magazine for $35.00 and it got me curious as it retails for near $70. So I did a little research and actually found a year subscription on Amazon for $30 a month year!


I love this magazine and pick it up and thumb through it every chance I get. I have never been able to justify pulling the trigger on subscription at $70 a year, but $30 I can handle. If you were like me and on the fence now is the time to make the jump.
** Remember magazine subscriptions make a great gift.


Cheers- Brandon

Mixing of Sports and State

The Super Bowl is near and the NFL is about wrap up another glorious football season. Cycling on the other hand, is just getting ramped up. If I could tie MLB in here I would be in heaven.I will admit I am a rather passive sports fan. I will rarely sit down on the couch to watch ESPN or even my team play, but I do try keep a apprised of what is going on, especially when major events are going on i.e. Super Bowl, Tour de France, World Series – you get the picture. So naturally I have been paying a little closer attention and to the industry and quite frankly and disgusted with it. This topic has been brewing for quite a while now, but the two incidents that pushed it over the top, was the impending NFL lockout, and yet another attack aimed at Lance Armstrong. The Armstrong thing is a no brainer for me, but I am an avid Lance fan and will be regardless of alleged PED use, so we will leave that one alone due to the authors biased.

Back to the NFL, I was enjoying my honey nut cheerios this morning when ESPN announced that due to the wide gap that still remained between the players union and owners; the players union was requesting Capitol Hill get involved in the negotiations. Are you serious? I understand that money is being made hand over fist, and it’s never more evident than standing in line at the concession stands, but it is really a matter for Capitol Hill?  I can’t help but label the NFL’s issue as GREED! There it is weighed and measured, it’s good ole American greed. I am not sure who is guiltier, nor do I particularly care. If you don’t think you are getting paid enough find another job where you can make more. And, if you think you are paying your employees too much let them go! I will gladly play for league minimum, I am no good but if you want cheap, there it is, in the form of a slow out of shape man. I am sure this issue is not only important but time consuming to those who are involved, so I have to ask, is it worth bringing our high courts and elected officials in to mediate? Well, is it?  

KEEP THE POLITICS OUT OF MY SPORTS! – Signed Concerned Fan

 

Let me know your thoughts on the matter below, thank you.

Cheers- Brandon

Theology and Aquinas Chardonnay

As I walked through the local wine shop, I randomly picked up a bottle of Aquinas Chardonnay, 2006. My overall rating includes the following: overall taste, atmosphere, creativity (both the wine and the marketing) and where the wine takes me mentally. This wine intrigued me on a couple levels, and I hope it does the same for you.

The most thought provoking aspect of this wine for me was the name itself. Being raised Catholic, the name took me back to grade school religion class where we learned about St. Thomas Aquinas. Although I learned about Aquinas in grade school, I decided to brush up my knowledge of this man. 

He was an Italian Priest, often referred to Doctor Angelicas and was a proponent of natural theology. His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy was conceived as a reaction against, or as an agreement with his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law and political theory (Wikipedia).

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas believed the goal of human existence is union and eternal fellowship with God. He believed this goal was achieved through an event in which a person experiences perfect, unending happiness by seeing the very essence of God. This vision was considered a gift from God given to those who have experienced salvation and redemption through Christ while living on earth. In less words, he believed and taught the concept of Heaven being the reward for a life well lived. To me, this is the fundamentals of Christianity.

Aquinas Chardonnay

Now that we have completed our brief theology class, we will get to the wine itself. Overall, I liked the wine; however, it was nothing special. It was fairly light, very clear, and the smell was pleasant. The first sip was crisp and refreshing. The following sips revealed lemon peel and a strong taste of apple.  I would recommend this wine on a trial basis. It wasn’t a BOMB but far from my favorite. If you are wanting some theology with your wine this would hit the spot. Let me know your thoughts!
 

Cheers- Brandon

Good Folk

Here i will talk about a feel good wine that reminds me of home

The moving incentive

Happy weekend to all! So this weekend is a particularly important one for myself and my wife, we are officially making the move into our new house. It has been a long time coming and many hours spent scrubbing, painting and swearing but it is all coming together. I could not and won’t be able to get this task complete this weekend were it not for all the help that has been so graciously provided! I hope someday to be able to pay it back and help everyone else on an as needed basis, assuming I am not out of town on business. HA! 

I did however start to ponder the appropriate form of “Thank you,” is it as simple as the words? It would be in all sincerity, or do I owe something more. First off, moving is never fun, there are moves that are less crappy then others, but overall they all stink! Secondly I have a lot of JUNK! I haven't reached hoarder status but I have a tough throwing away perfectly good stuff. It isn't that it means so much to me but it is worth more then trash. I know, I know stage 1) Denial 

Anyway back to the point. What would you appreciate most as a “Thank you” for helping out a friend or family member?

I am open to suggestions, leave me some ideas in the comments- Have a great weekend folks

Cheers- Brandon

Whats for dinner? Pasta

"What's for dinner?" is a high anxiety question in our house, neither one of us want to make the call, thus reserving the right to complain about the outcome. It is a constant volley back and forth, but the one constant is the ability to select a wine to match up with our menu. There are endless sites that will make suggestions and I have found that depending on what link you click they all are different. This post is to give you my personal suggestion that have been tried and true by the life and wines crew.

As the title implies we are going to take a look at pasta’s; I live the tried and true method of matching sauce/main course with the color of wine. For instance red sauce calls for a red wine and white cream based sauce calls for a white, you can keep it as basic as that and I am confident you will be satisfied. Now let’s break it down a step further, pasta with a tomato based marinara sauce. My first choice is Chianti, like it fruity plum and tart cherry flavors countered with hints of orange peel. These flavors contrast nicely with the acidity of a tomato based sauce. I do however make it a point to use what I have on hand, which is most often a Merlot due to its versatility.  As for an alfredo sauce my personal favorite is a Pinot Grigio. It is a medium bodied wine often pulling together flavors of green apple, honey, and vanilla. Oregon is currently making a splash with this varietal, I highly recommend giving an Oregon Pinot Grigio (Gris) a shot, step outside the Napa box. HA, I said box that evil word in the wine world boxed wine evil…or is it? We will save that for another day

Cheers- Brandon

Ahh Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's
For those of you who are unaware of store I am speaking about, I am here to tell you, you are missing out. Trader Joe's is a unique store in all aspects, but especially in the products they carry. They carry products that are: Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, low sodium, and kosher meals. So not your typical Kroger or Price Chopper. Most store that carry "specialty" foods sell them at a premium, Trader Joe's however strives to offer the best value as calculated TJ (quality product + good price = Value)

TJ also happens to be one of my favorite stores to find HV (high value) wines, the most well known of these has to be Charles Shaw, otherwise known as 'Two Buck Chuck.' This earn its name by the unique price point they sell the wines for, approximately $2. Although this is easily on of their most popular wines, I wont go into great detail as it has its own sort of cult following. As you can see from the picture above, they have a descent wine selection. If you are ever near a TJ's do yourself a favor and stop in, especially if you are like me, and always looking for the next great deal.


Oh...and for the beer lovers following, they have a wide selection of craft brews. Delicious!


Cheers-
Brandon

2009 Old Moon [old vine] Zinfandel

(Review of wine mentioned in the previous post) 

So I was walking through the store with the sole intention of grabbing a bottle of wine. My only criteria tonight was a Zinfandel in my price range.(tonight $10)I decided on a bottle of Old Moon 2009 [old vine] Zinfandel from Trader Joe’s. I have had extraordinary good luck recently finding solid wines here for under $10. 

So I grabbed my bottle and hoofed it across the parking lot back to the hotel only to realize i had no cork screw. So, not only was I forced to drink out of a thin plastic cup, I had to get creative in opening the bottle. A friend of mine once opened a bottle by wrapping the bottom of the bottle in a towel and hitting the butt end on a tree. I gave it a whirl tonight, and although slow and loud it worked pretty well. I imagine that the front desk could have helped out, but where is the fun in that?

Anyway back to the tasting. The wine was dark, deep purple in color and very clear. It was hard to get a good whiff as I am sure you can understand given the vessel I am drinking from. This wine came on strong and then just disappeared through the middle and end but did not over power, it was actually really smooth. Right off the bat I picked up the strong spices and raisin along with hints of blueberry and cherry. Old Moon overall was worth the $6 American dollars, and would buy it again given the chance. What wines under $10 have you found and enjoyed?

Cheers-

Brandon

You said how much?

Day of travel...

Yesterday I embarked on the start of a three day training adventure for work. I departed at 5:00AM cst and headed into the darkness with a car full of supplies. I have added a few of the pictures that I was able to snap from my phone while on the trip. Enjoy…

Sunrise- I had been on the road for 2 hours at this point

 



Evening sunset, I have seen some crazy ones, but this was particularly awesome!







Canton Chinese Cuisine and Old Moon Zin









You know it is a guy night when… dinner was made up of Cheap wine and expensive Chinese – I too was astounded by the parody that took place tonight, it was a mere accident I assure you. I had a hanckering for Chinese food and found the nearest whole in the wall and ordered my usual General Tso’s this particular batch was different but tasty (Canton Chinese Cuisine, West Des Moines)

I will have a more on the wine as I get through the bottle…

Cheers-

Brandon

Inception *Spoiler Alert*

Tonight was a sort of day off for my wife and I. She watched football and I reprogrammed the garage door, exciting I know, but She warmed up some hot chocolate and I grabbed a glass of '08 Bogle Old Zinfandel poured through the aerator due to my impatience.  It was dark in color and semi-transparent. This glass was quick and firm on my nose with lots of black cherry and peppercorn. It had a big, jammy flavor up front and finished up with soft fruits spices. I am a fan of this wine overall in its price range. It is nothing too special but worth the $11 I paid for it. I will admit that the experience of the wine was only enhanced by the movie my wife and I were re-watching...Inception!

This makes two separate times that we have sat through and analyzed the movie, plot, and ending and we are yet to come to a consensus on the whole story. I see now that the beginning is the ending but I have yet to figure out if he was dreaming when he saw his kids again at the end. I believe it he is in what I define as reality, but his totem "top" is spinning for an extremely long time as far as tops go. I understand the purpose of the cliff hanger at the end, as it has led me to write about it now, but I need access to the rest of the story. If anyone has a take on the outcome and the meaning, I can argue both ways, and would love to chat.

Cheers- 

Brandon

draft

This past week I have spent on the road with work. As my travels take me across the great states of Wisconsin and norther Illinois I find my self with more then enough time to ponder the idea of being an "Adult." The thought of growing up is a little intimidating at this point, I am quickly realizing that now is the time to take action. Although I realize I am far from "old" I am becoming more conscious of the fact that I am running out of time to "do it when I grow up."

In three days I will turn 27 and I couldn't help but reflect on where I have been, where I thought I would be, and where I am going. I have a wonderful wife who can appreciate my quirks and a loving and supporting family that has pushed me to be the best that I can despite my best efforts. It is time for me to get off the proverbial pot and do today what I would normally put off till tomorrow. What have you been putting off?

Be productive.

Peace and Love- B