When we wait for something we anticipate what comes next. We stand restless on the edge of the next thing waiting to rush in with our plans in hand. Patience is more pleasant. It is settling into the situation. Taking stock of what is around you, noticing more. Using your time to prepare further for the next, or adjust based on new information. Patience is equanimity.
There is a saying, “The farmers footsteps are the best fertilizer,” the important take away is that these footsteps wouldn’t occur if the farmer didn’t understand how important it is to be there in the first place.
The essence of farming is making decisions in the face of uncertainty. No one knows exactly what will happen, no one knows exactly what has happened even after we’ve witnessed and measured it.
Is that real? Absolutely, and the comparison is perfect. If I were talking about one of the last three; hot, hotter and hottest vintages alone someone might think that I was just lucky. What about this year? Not an easy year for mildew and botrytis in the vineyards. Conditions were perfect for infections. But, what if I told you I sprayed less this year in the vineyard than last year? What if I told you that we stopped spraying the vineyards in the first week of June?
In much of Washington's growing area we have more control than most of the growing areas in the world. Our soils are naturally barren, and we have essentially no rainfall, or very little rainfall in the main part of the growing season. In a sense, we have a more empty canvas than many vineyards around the world; with that, we can choose to paint the picture we wish to paint.
