Vineyard of Random Enlightment

Two Mays ago we asked friends one Saturday to come to our then field of dirt and "help" us plant the vines of Malbec. We offered free room, free food and free booze, your choice. A few friends saw through the veil of free and clearly saw WORK. They decided not to come, but those that did come have a common love.

A love of the Earth, the soil, the vines. And maybe the free booze, who knows? A love of working in the dirt, getting your hands dirty. A feeling of accomplishment seeing a row planted and ready to grow. A romantic.

The team of vineyard workers were given their allotment of vines, shovels, a 6 foot stick, and a hardy hi-ho shove out into the field. Each of the 29 rows was deep V-ditched. This allows the planter to take the vinelet (is that a word? it is now)put it in the vee and cover it with dirt. Works pretty well.

The fun part is then the planter takes their calibrated 6' stick and measures from the just-planted vine to the spot where the next vine is to be planted. From the very beginning this is more of an art than a science. With 6 crews, all first timers, me included, performing this task, it became rather.....how you say....random.

It's kind of like when you first build something ever, say like a bookcase. Because you don't know any better you measure the length give or take 1/8", you measure the shelf length give or take 1/8" and before you know it, you have to slice a 1/2" off the top shelf to fit, and force fit the sides together. That's how it is in our vineyard.

As dedicated fellow planter, Mark, coined so eloquently "Your vineyard is Free Spirited, a Vineyard of Random Enlightenment." Yes, so to speak it is. I like that idea because I like to lead my life like randomly with a bit of spontaneity. Of course, it also can pose some issues...also another reflective trait in my life.

As you can see from the photo, the posts take a serpentine path that harmoniously follows a wave of.....something. Maybe some ethereal alien crop row path algorithm. Who knows? In addition, our rows have different spacing. The 8 foot spacing between the rows sometimes is 7' 8" and other times it's 8' 4". Some of the rows have 41 vines in the row, others have 46 plants. There is absolutely nothing rigid, consistent or austere about these vines. And I love it!

Thus, the Vineyard of Random Elightenment was born.

Remember imbibe and enjoy!