Snoop Lion/Snoop Dogg – Wednesday Night Musings

I love my newly adopted (six months now) hometown, Brookneal, Virginia. One drawback, due to its remoteness, is product availability is not what we enjoyed in the Fredericksburg area. We enjoy a nice glass of wine with our meals.
This evening I prepared Penne with Two kinds of cheese for my bride and me. Though I would have preferred a fine Virginia Meritage, My local Food Lion offers the full range of “Nineteen Crimes” wines. We are particular fans of the “Cali Red,” which features a portrait of Snoop Dogg. I would say it holds up well against any of the fine Virginia Meritage wines such as Trump's New World Reserve or Barboursville Octagon, and even some Left bank Bordeaux. So... the “Nineteen Crimes –Cali Red” was this evening’s pair. It was very good. I very much enjoy Snoop Dogg’s marketing interactions with Martha Stewart. (I do think she was railroaded for no apparent reason). “Nineteen Crimes” also markets, a “Martha Stewart Chardonnay.” It's buttery smooth. However, I prefer my whites to be a little crisp, like Sauvignon Blancs, probably why I have become such a fan of the Virginia Viogniers. This led me to enter “Snoop Dogg” in my search engine. I never knew he explored becoming a Rastafarian. Very cool. He made a little documentary and album introspective. I like him even more after viewing it. I was born into, have lived, and enforced “Not on My Watch. Not on My Ship. Not in My Navy.” I wonder how His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie, a good Christian man, felt about being deified?

I’m still daydreaming about beginning my own backyard vineyard. My local winemakers recommend I begin with Petit Verdot and Petit Manseng, which are currently growing well in Central Virginia. I eventually want to get some Viognier vines in the ground. It will be a challenge but I really enjoy my Virginia Viogniers.





































C

 

Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo
Sippin' on Verdot and Manseng, laid back
With my mind on my money
And my money on my mind

 

Wine and those wine coolers start turning in my stomach after about 3 drinks. I can drink any beer or shots of anything. Whiskey is one of my favs too.

Gin, well, after I got so drunk, I slept in my own vomit. That was the one thing I never drank again. So for me, it was rolling down the street, Sippin' on Vodka and juice. Hehe.

 

And doubtless, we could find you any day, floating in Vat 69, "taking stock!"

 

After 40-odd years of enjoying drinking - occasionally far too much - I suddenly decided to quit when I was around 61. I think drinking is fine for most people, but it looked like there might be danger signs for me. I was retired -if I wanted a drink at 7a.m I could have one - or four, maybe. So - remove the danger.

I quit smoking back in '77 and always regretted I hadn't set the cigarette money aside and saved it. It would be in six figures today. Smokes were 80 cents a pack here, when I quit and I hear they're $13 today! So, when I quit drinking, in 2004, I wasn't going to repeat that mistake. Booze is expensive here, so my 2 German beers every day - plus the odd nip of something stronger was costing me $30 a week. So ever since, I put that money away religiously - that is, as religiously as an Atheist can. What I put away, from that single habit change, amounts to about $27,000 now -but it's actually considerably more, these days; I had some luck investing it.

I was a bourbon drinker mainly, for about three decades, but not after I retired in 1993. Too expensive here. I'm still interested in reading about it, but that's all. I was surprised to see that several varieties are now distilled in Mississippi - one of my favourite Blues states. That's new!

I admire Charles' passion for viticulture. Growing almost anything, but especially wine-grapes, brings out the love in a person.