Vineyard

Vineyard - Ground planted with cultivated grapevines.

August 12, 2009

My grapes are coming along nicely. That is the best thing about this time of year, my favorite time of year, to see the literal fruits of our labors. I am not big on the concept of delayed gratification, and growing a garden is the ultimate exercise in delayed gratification. I love my nightly walks in the yard with Lane while he carefully waters every single plant, including the grapes and the trees, and that one stupid dry spot on the lawn that never, ever seems to green up. I love when the nights start to cool off, and then in the middle of September when I look up on the mountains and start to see the very first hint of the leaves changing colors. I think that's why I enjoy the annual canning. All that standing around, stiring, blanching, peeling, mixing, sterlizing . . . it gives good time to reflect on the bounty of God's blessings and on the miracle that turns a tiny little seed into a whole tomato plant that has flopped over from the weight of all its fruit. It's the best time of year to sum up the year that has passed so far. 3/4 of the year is gone, but it's still not to late to make good on any (all) discarded New Year's Resolutions.

And speaking of resolutions, I don't like to exercise. Somehow I keep thinking that I will learn to like it, and so far - nothin'. In my next life, I want to be one of those people who spring out of bed at sunrise with a smile on her face ready to take on the day. I did manage to drag my big, fat, you-know-what out of bed early this morning to get my exercising done. I grumbled about it out loud, even though there was no one to hear me. Funny thing though, it made a huge difference in my evening to know that that nasty little task wasn't hanging over my head, waiting to be done. Maybe that will give me the motivation to get up tomorrow morning, and the morning after that . . .