Arghhhh!

Have I ever mentioned that much of winery life is not romantic? I suppose every winemaker and wine grape grower has a most dreaded task. For me that would be irrigation repair. For the high desert vineyard, water is life. A broken irrigation system is a lethal threat. A few weeks ago Joan mentioned there was a lake in the upper vineyard. I was not pleased. Three years ago it was an irrigation leak and puddle that attracted the deer to our vineyard and nearly wiped out the 2006 harvest. I hate digging in muddy dirt (actually goopy-stick-to-everything clay around here), fiddling with plastic pipe, cold wind blowing, nothing actually fitting, not having exactly the right pieces, plastic cement setting up too quickly, hoping, praying. I left the hole exposed to be sure the repair would work. So far so good. Another disaster averted. Have I ever mentioned that a lot of winery life is not romantic?