Bad nitrogen tank

I'm back at work but I wish I could be at home finishing the painting and cleaning. I hate having the house in such disarray. Jason re-primed the upstairs bathroom last night, poor thing. It was so hot upstairs (even with our weird humid/raining weather) and because it took a while it was all he could do last night. I did have to go out and get some paint brushes for him and while I was at the store I got his favorite ice cream as a surprise, which when he found out he was so excited, I think he even jumped up and down. ;) Tonight we will paint the bathrooms and maybe do the trimming. Then on to the bedrooms... whew!

There's another reason I'd like to be at home and not here. The Nitrogen Tank. This tank is the scariest thing ever and it's back in the building I work in. (It was next door all last month after my request to have it moved it over there)

One day last summer I was alone here in my office (which is pretty typical, I may see the owner once or twice a month) when all of a sudden I heard this increasingly loud blast of air and screeching, piercing noise. I honestly though that a plane was crashing into the building. (Planes fly over our tasting room all the time) I jumped up, grabbed my purse, flew down the stairs and ran out of the building and straight to my car. I was shaking and so scared. While I was running out of the building I saw that it was one of the tanks here releasing air so I knew it wasn't something from outside. I called the owner right away to let him know that the building was going to blow up but he wouldn't answer, nor would the cellar master answer his cell phone. So I just waited out in the parking lot. Finally the owner showed up and he explained to me that it was the Nitrogen tank that went off. When it gets too warm it releases air from one of the valves so it won't explode. Well that's just friggin' great.

So because of my scare I will now always be frightened of this tank. It's scarred me for life. So this year the one tank hasn't been to bad, not too loud. But the new tank they just brought in will go off for an hour at a time (but not the screeching, piercing loud, just the air bursting). I came in today and saw that they had brought both tanks over from next door because we were moving wine out of barrels to be bottled. And to make matters worse they were placed right near my office.

Around 10:30 I started noticing that familiar sound and sure enough one of them was starting to get testy. I tried to ignore it for a while but I couldn't handle it so I had to leave. I just drove around Healdsburg for about 20 minutes and then went to the store to get lunch. When I got back it was still going but with less pressure. Finally it stopped. I know it's going to go off again maybe two more times today so I'll have to figure out something to do. Maybe I'll check out a winery I've never been to before (knowing other wineries and their wines are actually part of my job). I know I shouldn't be scared of it because it won't harm me, but because of my initial scare with it my mind thinks otherwise.

Oh, and I'm kind of a freak. While I was driving around today I was thinking about all the things going on this week. My mom and Dawson are going to be in D.C. this weekend so I have to go by and check on their cats. While thinking about all of this I became suddenly giddy because I realized while I was going to be on their side of town I'll be able to go to this little family owned market right across the street from their house. I'm kind of obsessed with going to the grocery store. I love it, especially small organic grocery stores. Every day I go to Whole Foods in Sebastopol even though it takes me a half an hour out of my way of going home. I make fresh salads every night so I want to buy all my produce daily. Plus I love cheese and I like to go and look at all the cheeses they have. Yeah, see I'm a freak!

I took this pic with my cell phone so that's why the image sucks. So that's the temperamental tank there in the middle of the picture and right behind it is the other one... that door leads into the kitchen/lab room and that large barrel in the back is near where the tasting bar is. So I can't even go near there, I walk way around on the other side of the building to get to the front.

Look at this tank... doesn't it look evil?




Okay so I just dared myself to get a little closer so here are the tanks if you are standing down with them... I probably just pissed them off by taking their picture.