Hard Work

It is looking to be a busy couple of months here coming up.  First out of the gate we have the end of June to contend with.  I mean, gardening, birthdays, heat, gardening, prepping for things at the winery, gardening and trying to do some paperwork.  Gardening is one of those things that isn't really all that difficult if you like it, however it will take time to participate in the garden becoming something that produces rather than just kinda grow.  I can't tell you how long one spends building the planter boxes, driving to get the compost to help your little veggies grow, unloading said dirt, cutting the barrels in half and then filling them, going to the store for the seeds, trying unsuccessfully to grow the seeds over the course of four months, buying plants and saying screw the seeds, planting the seeds, setting up the irrigation so that you don't spend two hours a night hand watering...I couldn't tell you that it is shy of a part time job amount of hours.

Then we have a couple of birthdays to attend and plan for.  They aren't all that difficult, but wouldn't you know it that the Fourth of July is just around the corner from them, as is the bottling of our wine at the winery, followed by a weeks worth of camping.  If that isn't enough, then we start getting ready to go to a wedding and another camping trip, followed by another camping trip.  This of course is between our gardening that I mentioned before.  Once those tomatoes and peppers start to turn any shade of color, then we look into the canning of tomatoes for winter sauce, salsa and soup.  The peppers get dehydrated in order to be able to smoke out your behind throughout the cold pepperless winter and spring.

Next comes more bottling at the winery, a short spell of no camping, but that doesn't stop the gardening.  And now that we have ripe tomatoes and the temperature has reached 95* daily, we start turning on the oven to bake lasagna, pizza and other things that are just foolish to be making when the weather is anything above 70*.  Maybe a party should be arranged for August too, you know, just to make sure that there isn't enough on the plate to be done already.  As soon as August comes to a close it is harvesting and winemaking time, so then begins twelve hour days seven days a week.  That is twelve hours of intense, heat driven, sweaty work followed closely by returning home and making sure that you pick the ripe tomatoes of the day.

Then as you are falling asleep on the couch before another day of the same, then begins the doing of paperwork.  Not really the ideal time as you will read the same thing fifteen times and still answer incorrectly, but it is the thought that counts...right?  Then I fall asleep and dream of tomatoes, grapes, hot days, and abruptly wake up only to remember that tomorrow is another day.