Pruning as I have said before is the process of making thousands of decisions very quickly with the hope and faith that most of these decisions are correct. Not all can be correct, we will make mistakes like correcting a child, and sometimes we will wish we were less harsh or more lenient.
My great grandfather and great grandmother were Native American and believed that family is the most important element of life; they went to great lengths to protect family and to promote family. My great grandfather was a viticulturist and vintner and he treated the vines as family. He believed the vines should be treated with respect and manipulated on a minimal basis. I think he believed that nature should not be circumvented, let the bees, yellow jackets, birds have what they need to survive. There will be enough for the wine remaining, because we respect them……
I enjoy working the vines with my son, we do not engage in copious verbal communication, we rely on non-verbal communication as my great grandfather, grandfather, and father would have understood. The vines understand our purpose and forgive our transgressions; the vines understand they are a means to an end, not an end unto themselves.
I truly respect the vines and the land, like harvesting a deer or rabbit I consider the bounty sacred and not to be wasted or taken for granted.
When pruning I’m not in a hurry, time stands still for me. The ‘oxen is slow but the earth is patient’ has meaning for me. I don’t think of the 10,000, I concentrate on the one in front of me and then move on to number two.
I respect the land and the land gives back to me its bounty……..
