First Pruning 2014

The sun is out. So is the wind. It is a wonderful Northwest winter day that feels so much like spring. The chance to work  the vines … That’s a happy day.

One bucket full of clippings from the first row pruned

I decided last year to prune with clean tools this is an excellent way to keep the vines clean and prevent the spread of pathogens (fungus, mildew, bacteria, etc.) I used alcohol dips coupled with a flame from my handy-dandy Coleman blow torch… after every cut.While this does effectively prevent the spread of crud and clean even pitted blades, it is labor intensive because the breezy winds keep blowing out the flame. Lots of matches later the job was done.

This year I chose to disinfect my tools another way. I put on plastic gloves which didn’t work… my hands will smell like cleaner for a while. 😦

The basics: tools and a guide.

I ran the hose out to the lower part of the vineyard and  got out the Lysol concentrate to dip a rag in.  After sudsing up my clippers, waiting 5 minutes and thoroughly rinsing them, I was ready for the first cut. (Lysol really stinks and I would never use it in my home.) I found that Lysol is the disinfectant of choice with several growers from different online articles.   A clean vineyard is important. Why shouldn’t it be important here?

Beginning with the uppermost vine (the end of row 1), I cut all laterals and any stubs at the base of the trunk as per Jeff Cox’s advice in From Vines to Wines page 60.

Instead of cleaning  the clippers after every cut, I cleaned them after all cuts were made for each vine. Some may think I’m over the top about cleaning tools but I really think I’ve chosen a doable compromise.

These vines have been in the ground a long time (since 2009) but I am pruning them as if they were first year growth only. In a way they are. They have exactly one year’s healthy growth on them after I cut them all the way to the ground the year before that — Oh, what a heartache that was!

Marechal Foch is supposed to be disease resistant but we have had troubles with shall we call it…non-normal growth events. I call it that because it is difficult to find answers.

This can’t be normal can it?

This year I found darkened bark with long spaces of whitened bark along with white spores and a gray stuff on growth a ways out from the trunk which is usually a sign of powdery mildew.  When cutting away old stubs, I also found evidence of abnormalities beneath the bark — a v-shaped dead wood event — on the number 2 vine in the row. (May the LORD who is the True Vine, heal these vines for his glory. Amen.)

Another reason for treating the vines as though they are one year old is the lack of support waiting for them. All they have right now are end posts and fruiting wires. They need in-line posts and catch wires but that costs money we don’t have right now so it will have to wait. If I had it to do over again and money was no object, I would place every  bit of the trellis up before one plant went into the ground. Oh well. Onward and forward.

My husband, Steve Webster, and I cut down and scraped the bark off each fir tree end post from timber on our own property.

We call this vineyard Weaver’s Hill. Actually it should be called Shoestring Hill. We dove into this project on a shoestring and continue it in the same manner. All monies for vineyard steps have been accomplished with little or no money at all. We invested small amounts as we had extra to put into it. Not so bad for a classroom but also not so great for a wine project.

I suppose we could even go with the moniker – On a wing and a prayer. 🙂

Keeping pruning simple this year allows me to get the fruiting wire straight and the other elements of trellising worked on. Hopefully, I will be able to get that done before bud break in April.

LORD, please grant me more gardening days and resources to bring this vineyard around so that it will honor you. Amen.

P.S. I can trade Crochet lessons or items for Vineyard needs. This is, after all, Weaver’s Hill 🙂  If you are interested, or know someone who might be, contact me @ cjwebster39@aol.com and put Weaver’s Hill in the subject line.  Thank you and God Bless.

Important weather update!

First Frost! We have it.  In 2010, first frost was November 6. In 2011 it arrived November 8. This year its sparkling self blesses us November 10.  Is this only circumstance or should we pay attention to a possible trend?

Severe pruning may now begin at Weaver’s Hill. More on that later.

Enjoy this glorious Saturday, Friends.

~ Christine

Surprise Blessing?

I was so excited when , in April, right on schedule, our vineyard did it’s thing. Bud break was successful. I was even excited when the bamboo shot up and could be cured in time to provide our layered vines with the backing they so deserved. I was excited when those “babies” made height (53 inches — I know it’s not a common choice). I was even excited when a series of bugs showed up that I didn’t know (though now I am extraordinarily annoyed with because I found one to be a moderate enemy -potato leaf hopper-and one to be an absolute fiend – apple leaf hopper) because my vineyard is my classroom and I am a willing student. But this!?!

This crazy vine set fruit in AUGUST!! OK, they were allowed to get to stage five in their development which is called, inflorescence. Just so you know, all the vines set fruit back in late may/early June. I plucked every one of them off before bloom because I want the vine to exercise it’s energy on growth and shape and placement. I was only concerned that because, throughout the growing season I have pruned away extra shoots and leaves and that may have been a training and placement mistake. Maybe I should have just let the vines grow as they wanted to.

Here is the kicker. Not only did they fruit a second time, the rascals fruited on this year’s growth. Help me understand. I have read multiple sources that teach us to prune according to the adage — fruiting shoots ONLY come from last year’s wood.

No, these and their buddies did not get to stay but can you imagine if this were a harvest year? I get the distinct impression that the LORD of all creation is blessing us…..but I still want to understand. 🙂

Please leave a comment here or e-mail me if you have more information to share or if you have experienced the same thing in your vineyard.

~ Christine

Talk to the Key

Picture this. An increasingly silver haired, slightly out of shape, fortyish woman bundled up in an old parka, scarf and hat. She is inching her way down a vineyard row riding a bright blue broken-but-reclaimed sled disk which is now in a slightly jagged crescent shape, atop soil moistened by the four-season days of a Northwest spring.

As odd as it makes me look, I’ve no compunctions about using a sled instead of a low chair or foam mat – those things designed for abating gardening stress to one’s body. It’s less expensive. It provides a temperature barrier between me and the earth beneath. It protects my clothing from premature disposal and the thick plastic will last a long time. With gratitude in my heart, I use what someone else flung away as unusable. Neighborhood children abandoned this treasure. It got cracked on basalt boulders lining the easement road through our property and slid off Weaver’s Hill into an adjacent neighbor’s border of briars during the last snowfall.

I couldn’t let it remain there as refuse. One of the few things my Dad taught me before he died was to see potential in people and things; he taught me to find value unashamedly in what others leave behind. So there I am, armed with bright yellow gloves and a weeding claw scooching down the rows on an equally bright blue piece of “garbage” totally enjoying life.

Pressing the tines of my weeding claw as deep as they’d go then angling them up to the surface in a methodical side-to-side motion, up came weeds of various root types. Some had grown thread like tassels, some resembled carrots with long thick tap roots while others could pass for trees turned upside down.

Press. Scrape, scrape. Pull. Slide. …Tink.

Amygdaloidal Basalt

Colorful Gneiss?

The tines hit an obstacle. Grateful for the land’s “production” of rocks (they do seem to rise to the surface more numerous with each passing year), I got ’round their edges and freed the larger ones to serve our vines as winter mulch. During the rest of the year their piles are used as necessary heat unit storehouses piled at the base of individual vines. Smaller ones I’d leave scattered in the row wherever the claw left them. In my vivid imagination of a mature vineyard here, these gifts of the land to Weaver’s Hill eventually become so abundant each row will be full of them. 

Occasionally, up comes a stone so unique in color and/or form it’s set in a place of honor. Finding such a treasure gives me a joy second only to the wonder of bud-break. As time is measured in the vineyard, this is the time when the earth says, “Hello” and we get to know each other. I’m still learning about these rocks and trying to identify each of them. If you already know them, please leave a comment.

Last year during soil exploration the land said, “I have a pH of 6. I put pockets of spice like color wherever I choose. I’ve clothed myself in a variety of textures. I’m anything butboring. I dare you to define me.” This time, like a small child free to choose any candy in the store, my eyes were wide with wonder and excitement. In this visit, the ground whose company I thoroughly enjoyed said, “ I am Glacial Till. See the wonder of Washington.”

With each new revelation, with each new discovery, it seemed as though thousands of years came together for one purpose – my child-like exuberance.

Here on the Key (A local nick-name for the Key Peninsula located in the southern middle portion of what we call the Puget Sound), treasures of the ages were gathered by glaciation – that rolling, slow moving, pressurizing action of mile deep ice sheets Over time, their wealth was dropped off at our door step. The stones I so enthusiastically accepted were partly the result of a glacial land forming event called a Moraine and partly from a glacial melting event called ablation. Moraines are a collection of gathered glacial debris. Since we are situated at the terminal or end of the Vashon sheet’s glacial action, we benefit from the debris both under the ice (basal till) and the accumulations deposited by its melting surface structure (ablation). The ridge forming the uppermost part of Weaver’s Hill – at least as I imagine it being formed – is one huge esker or ridge of glacial debris. Our very own treasure chest of Washington State geology.

Evidence of moraine activity here is confirmed by WSU Puyallup extension  where nearby Key Center is described as a mix of glacial till and outwash, saying, “Sometimes we find a mixture of parent materials in the same profile. This profile has both sandy outwash and compact basal till.”

Other regions in Washington fascinate me. I love Walla Walla. Steve and I have visited at least three times and plan to visit again. I love the vineyards. I love the people. But in terms of geology, their large black cobbles look to me as if the Jolly Green Giant’s pet rodent pooped all over everywhere. That rock “poop” is beneficial to the vineyard ecosystem and helps to define their AVA just as much as our glorious till defines ours.

How many years does it take for a glacier to form, to travel as it grows, to gather its treasures and carve out landscapes? How many years does it take to melt, to clearly reveal certain sections of itself to friends who take the time to say “Hello”?

I felt so happy and important I could hardly contain myself.

Our WSU friends warn, “Evaluate soils like this carefully to determine how best to use them.”

I hear most frequently that good grapes don’t grow in this area. Without malice, proud eastern growers have caused west side growers to despair and some have given up completely. How sad. Wine sales people bolster confidence in the west by saying, “Nothing good comes from that area.” Which they follow up with a snicker and a “knowing” nod. They say our land is only suitable for the throw-away stuff.

The discarded debris from a Canadian glacier in the south sound IS valuable. Through formidable glacial action God created the Key and primed the pump for an excellent classroom, a vineyard – Weaver’s Hill, among others – by depositing a wealth of mineral content and forging water access that is absolutely amazing.

Some folks say awful and ignorant things about “discarded” people too. At this Season of remembering Christ’s death and resurrection, I am reminded what was said of him, “No prophet comes from Nazareth. Check and you will see. Nothing good comes from there.” Those people were wrong about Jesus. Lord willing, these naysayers are wrong about the Key. Those of us growing grapes here are looking for wonderful harvests. Will our Hill produce great wine? I don’t know, but the potential in the root zone is definitely there.

Like the glacier breaks and carries pieces of the terrain on which it flows, so too, the broken pieces of our lives come together. As the protecting shield of ice evaporates, exposing us to conditions of the climate – perhaps in a place far away from the place we began – joyous times of fellowship await those who take the time to pay attention… those with enough child-like adventure in their souls to care.

Go on. Talk to the Key. I dare you to say, “Hello.”

Ugly: Truth Identified

Hands-On Learning: weed roots are outed with careful extraction

There I am, scraping through the soil, encouraging  vine root zones by removing evil weeds when God gave me a bugger of an education. Nothing teaches quite so well as hands-on experience.

Caterpillars look innocent enough.  Some can be beautiful. This cute little tyke was a bright chartreuse green with red, yellow and black dashes forming two tracks along his back.  All I knew was that he didn’t belong by the vines. That concept alone did not warrant his death, so I hurled the cavorting worm beyond the outer border of precious vine rows. Today I know that was a reckless mistake. White lined Sphynx moths will eat – among other things—grapes!

The beetle I found, on the other hand, looked menacing. Pincers, jags on its legs, huge inch long purple iridescent lined armor; pretty but scary. I have heard that some beetles will bore into vines causing damage so friendship  with this guy wasn’t even a consideration. But since I’m trying to be a good care-giver, I set him aside for later identification – into the small metal measuring cup he went so that I could continue weeding.  This determined little bugger found a way out of his metallic confines.  I wasn’t going to stop weeding to find out whether he was friend or foe because I wanted to finish this section ahead of the next downpour. Instead, I took a picture then squashed his fat behind.

Oh my goodness! Purple ground beetles eat slugs.  Scary though he was to the invertebrates in our rows, this guy was good for the eco system of our vineyard. Lord, help me. I killed the good guy! The real threat I whimsically threw to the far side, out of vineyard space proper. Ignorance can be damaging. I’m so ashamed.

Looking back over the years I can describe myself as a slow growing cynic.  With an astounding rate of regularity, people I’ve chosen to trust weren’t worthy of the honor. Recently I’ve pondered the possibility that I simply trusted the wrong people. Perhaps taking time to clearly identify trustworthy people would’ve saved me from the aching pain of betrayal just like killing the right bug would have been better for Weaver’s Hill, saving the fruit.

I can identify with my violet friend. When I try to do what is right in the natural course of this life, at times I get squashed by well intentioned folk who are not able to look beyond perceptions, understand my   actions, realize my value and praise God for the blessing of my existence. Apparently, that’s asking a lot.

Wisdom, knowledge and insight come from the LORD. The one who exists and causes all things to exist already knows the good guys from the bad ones. From the human line of sight, proper identification takes time and a willingness to learn. Once I learn the difference, that knowledge should influence my actions because the end result is at stake. Now I know one bad guy who looks cute and one good guy who looks stylishly wicked and scary. What do I do?

“What is that?” asked my husband.

Washing the cloak of moist soil from the skin of a green caterpillar… wait…. that sounds too nice. I actually dumped him into the well of an old tire filled with rusty rain water and flipped him around so I could see if it was the same dastardly creature I’d just learned about.

“Oh! It’s a bad guy. See the markings on his back?” Steve bent forward, away from his chopping wood, to get a closer look. Sure enough, there were the tell tale two rows of colorful dash marks forming a road down his back.

“What are you going to do with it?” Steve’s interest was now fully engaged.

“I guess I’ll throw him in the trash can.”

“No. Give him here. Put him on the rocks right here.” I obeyed Stephen’s instructions despite the inner twang I felt to protect living creatures of any kind.

Down came the axe head. Green caterpillar guts squirted and blobbed out in folds to the side of this once viable body. It fell again. More ooze. Flat carcass. Totally dead. Threat of one — GONE!!!!

Now that I know who’s who, I will keep those alive that should live and guiltlessly kill those who shouldn’t.  I praise God for Steve’s bold, decisive move because I am a better wine grower for it. This is one way that we are able to protect the crop we hope for. That is a very good thing.

In my new social adventures I pray that I will slow down enough to properly identify good-at-heart  people and promote their value. I also want to recognize the bad guys; not only till them out of their comfort zone but rid myself of the damage they cause. (You know what they say…. “an ounce of prevention….”)

Yes. Pray. Because God is the only one who knows hearts and he is the only one who can teach me to sort the good from the bad in the vineyard at Weaver’s Hill and in the vineyard of my life.

Good vs.Evil Part 3: Bringing The Fight To You

A new friend of mine recently remarked, “When you encourage someone, you fight for them.”  As I was preparing the rows for winter , busy pulling out weeds, closing up the water wells and gathering rocks around each trunk base, Ben’s words provided an “aha!” moment.

Fighting against weeds encourages the vine.  Keeping the roots free and clear of any other plant with regular attention to detail will keep the rows clear of unwanted ground cover, reduce the incidence of disease contagion, and aid the vine in claiming its rightful place. In essence, my actions have encouraged good by removing evil and things that cause evil. The principle in Romans 12:9 has been activated, “Love must be sincere; hate what is evil, cling to what is good.”

This type of battle, in which the manager never gives up, is evidence of his love for the vine.  When he removes from me either wicked people (those who do evil) or wicked thoughts and desires (things that cause evil and promote sin), he is encouraging me to grow.  So then, this is also true; when you fight for someone, you are, in fact, encouraging them. In our vineyard, ground level battles benefit the vine encouraging the depth and spread of the roots, a principle we find working in Ephesians 3:17, 18.

At Weaver’s hill the rows are weeded but the aisle is not. Strategically focusing weed removal attention on ground close to the vine provides the garden with the symbiotic relationship of weeds to crop just as good and evil …to a degree…co-exist here on earth.  Jesus says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”   So too, I am protecting these vines from evil weeds – those that would introduce and propagate disease, those whose agenda it is to conquer vine space and replace them, those who would damage their heart, their life, their existence.

Let’s say that because I love the vines, that I establish a law that governs vineyard care. Having been through a couple seasons, I decide that one law should be directed at the ground around each vine and read something like: No thorn bushes or invasive vegetation of any variety shall reside within two feet of any vine.  Now what?

Thorns and invaders do not care about my law and they grow wherever they like.  So when the heavy first rains let up and sunshine warms the rows there they are! They continue there unless I enforce the law so the law is amended: “No thorn bushes or invasive vegetation of any variety shall reside within two feet of any vine. Any weeds found shall be removed at regular intervals from around each vine. Furthermore, diseased plants of any variety within the scope of the whole vineyard shall be removed immediately without pity or hesitation by the vineyard manager or those he assigns in a timely manner.” Now action can be taken to ensure protection of the vine.

God removes two types of weeds from his kingdom – those who do evil and things that cause sin(Matthew 13:41). Logical questions begin to flood my mind. What is sin? What is this wrongdoing? How shall we avoid it? Do these rules for living apply to everyone or specific groups or only at specific times… specific places? Must we obey the 10 commandments in Exodus 20 or its revision in Exodus 34? Shall we take as a creed the to-do list of Ezekiel 18 or the abridged version in Micah 6?  Is Jesus’ new law of love the only rule to follow or shall we adhere to the decision of the council at Antioch where they were first called Christians? Do we make up our own list and expect everyone around us to hold diligently to our personal reasoning. Whose list of wrongs or rights is the right one for each person right now? (Tired of thinking through it yet?)

As we saw earlier, all wrongdoing is sin (1 John 5).  Also, everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans 14:23) and all lawlessness is sin (1 John 3:4).

What are those things which cause us to be faithless and lawless? James 1:13-15 answers, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

DESIRE. Evil desire. What do you long for? Why do you crave it? Answer that and you will have your answer to the question, “What causes sin?”  Are you attracted to “wrong” things? That attraction or group of longings becomes a set of weeds around your vine that, for your benefit, must be removed.

For the next set, let’s go to the end and see what “sinners” (those who do evil) look like. People banished from the kingdom listed in Revelation 22 and condemned to die the second death are:

• Those who practice magic arts (in essence, those who rebel against the power of God),

• The sexually immoral (those enacting  wrongs against their own bodies ),

• Murderers (those who act on the blatant disregard for  life’s value in others),
• Idolaters ( those who actively misdirect and skew understanding of the LORD and any worship due him )

• 

  struggling wildly for their place...

  Everyone who loves and practices falsehood (an affront to God’s core nature which is Truth).

Can we love plants in our garden without weeding them? Yes. But over time the garden will lack purpose and eventually loose any semblance to a garden at all being tangled in a maze of aggressive interlopers.

Can I encourage my new and insightful friend, Ben? I pray that God will make it so. Encouragement takes effort and it’s worth fighting for. Fighting to encourage good qualities in Ben – absolutely priceless. …Ben is marrying my daughter in two weeks. Can I rid his life of all evil? No. I weed my vineyard but it is the LORD of Heaven and earth who removes evil weeds from his people, his vineyard.

Have a good heart, my friend.  The battle belongs to the LORD. It is the Lord of heaven and earth who removes evil from our lives for his glory at the time of his choosing. It is his to do and he will do it. Trust him.  (Avoir un bon  couer, mon ami. La bataille appartient à l’Éternel. Il est le Seigneur du ciel et la terre qui supprime le mal de nos vies pour sa gloire au moment de son choix.)

Good vs. Evil: Weeds Part 2

Thistles in the rows?!? Feel the blade. Be gone! (Weapon of choice? Pitchfork and a good pair of leather gloves.)

Gathering an education on one’s own is an adventure! Google “weeds” and you’ll get several people defining them. Don’t miss the “s” or you’ll meet a few pot heads – who, by the way, do have interesting things to say about taking care of plants…..(God teaches us that no one is completely empty and I am finding that to be true. Just sayin’.)

What is a weed? In merriam-webster.com, a weed is described as being a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants. Encarta Dictionary for North America adds that weeds are wild plants, growing where they are not wanted.

Weeds do not belong in vineyard rows, especially young vineyards. Feel free to disagree but here I am managing Weaver’s Hill according to a Biblical schematic. The first pass for weeding rows at Weaver’s Hill began in February. My second pass is ending and the third looms into the far side of July. Whew!  When I close my eyes, I see visions of  Alder (Alnus viridis, Alnus rubra), Shot Weed(Cardamine oligosperma), Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), Musk Thistle(Carduus nutans), Canadian Thistle (Cirsium arvense), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ), Salal (Gaultheria shallon ), and Clover (Trifolium repens).

There are two kinds of weeds and their respective extraction processes are managed differently in the field. Annual weed plants must have their seeding process interrupted. Perennial weed plants are kept at bay by using a sharp garden hand tool. Tilling them under will cause the roots and leaves to fragment, and then each fragment becomes a new “problem” plant in the garden.

What does the Bible say God wants weeded out of his garden – out of his people? Jesus defined weeds as sons of the evil one in Matthew 13. From the Devine perspective, they are thorns [7898], thistles [1863], or cokels [890] springing from the heart (Mark 7:20-22) of men, making men unclean. In 2 Samuel 23:5-7 and Matthew 13 they are to be disposed of properly and in a timely manner.

How? In Matthew 13:41, the Son of Man will send out his angels and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. Hear that? Everything! All! One day, all the weeds will be gone. (Un jour, que toutes les mauvaises herbes aura disparu.) Oh blessed end to earth’s trouble!

Q: What is sin?

A: The schemes of folly (Proverbs 24:9), Things done without faith (Romans 14:23), Deeds of lawlessness (1 John 3:4)

Q:What causes sin?

A: Our own desires (James 1:13-15)

Q: What is evil?

A: According to Strong’s exhaustive concordance [7451], evil: ra’ – bad, disagreeable, inferior in quality; by extension, evil, wicked in ethical quality; what is disagreeable to God is ethically evil; God’s actions of judgment are disagreeable to the wicked but are not ethically evil.

Q:Who does evil?

A: Evildoers are those who act upon their evil thoughts.

So defining “evil” could vary from person to person.  God decides the standard and he has a list in Proverbs 6:16-19…

¹⁶ There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Weeds in the garden I can see and deal with. Weeds in my life –Now that is entirely different! Whom do I trust? Whom do I listen to, avoid or just get rid of? Everyone looks so good.

There have been times in my life that I felt choked out, invaded…harmed. I kept hoping that the difficult people in my life would leave and let me breathe. Some left. Some STAYED!( The perennial little buggers.) They behaved continuously the same: happy, thriving and prolific. In the vineyard, weeds are disease resistant, hardly ever wilt in summer heat or freeze in winter they seem to be problem free.

I see weeds in my life, my row and inside I feel conflicted. One day I want them annihilated. The next day I have an incredibly strong desire to be like them. Asaph had the same problem of heart in Psalm 73:12-26 , a beautiful passage saying in effect that he wanted to be like them until he saw their end.

When he did, he realized the insanity of such a longing. From my vantage point, it would be like a vine wanting to be a weed. The sheer insanity of exchanging the glory of a fruitful, useful vine to be a carefree, invasive, prickly pipsqueak of a plant is beyond insane. Asaph says when he thought such a thought he was like a brute beast before the LORD. Yup…that’s how it feels. And I do NOT want to be a weed. I want to enjoy being a vine. J

One comforting thought is that vines don’t weed themselves, the gardener does that job. He uses an impartial standard—His own. Not ours or the neighbor guy’s. God, our gardener, our vineyard manager is able to do it. “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment” 2 Peter 2:9.

That is so comforting. I LOVE it! I will not grieve the death of weeds – though never rejoicing in the death of any plant. I choose instead to rejoice that the LORD shows his love for me, a vine in his care, by removing the wild and unwanted in my life. ..attitudes in my heart, inferior quality of tasks I perform or happily wild people choking out my existence to ensure their own agenda.

Blessed be the Name of the LORD who gets those damned weeds out.

No. I’m not swearing. Read Good vs. Evil : Weeds Part 3 to find out who the damned are and learn to love weeding too…maybe even laugh a little as you pull, shake and toss. May God grant us all a heart of courage for the task – to weed and be weeded. (Dieu nous accorder un coeur de courage pour la tâche.)

Good vs. Evil: Weeds Part 1

The task takes time. Have Courage. Avoir a bon Coeur!

The difference a little effort makes.

Complain about weeding if you want to but I ENJOY it. The benefits of weeding go beyond the physical and the practical into the spiritual.  God includes this topic when he talks about vineyards.

Both weeds and vines want to live, to grow, and reproduce. Growing is good. Right?

Why, then, is the man who has a vineyard covered with thorns and weeds despised in Proverbs 24? (I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds…) What did the sluggard lack aside from motivation?

He had no heart. The Hebrew word leb, (translated as “judgment” in the NIV or as “understanding “ in the KJV version, literally translates as “heart””(…past the vineyard of the man who lacks heart”.  This “heart”, may be considered the inner person, self, the seat of thought and emotion: conscience, courage, mind, or understanding.  It follows then that if you have heart, your vineyard is not overgrown with weeds. Si vous avez à coeur, votre vignoble n’est pas envahi par les mauvaises herbes.

Recently at Benziger winery in Sonoma, California our tasting room educator spoke of it this way. Vines need water, light, soil and heart…the heart of those who tend them and the heart of those making wine from them. To succeed at this project, to free our personal vineyards ( our people) of weeds, we need lb. We cannot know what should be done

Today, well meaning, merciful and compassionate people propagate the philosophy that if you coddle all living things you are a good person and if you don’t you are heartless, cold and cruel. If you take the time and effort necessary to weed out certain ideas, practices, motives or…dare I say it…people, you become the bad guy. Really?!? NOT according to the Bible. (Romans 12:9; Proverbs 10:20; Matthew 13:38) And weeds are, let’s face it, a particular breed of evil.

It takes a heart of courage to communicate the truth that good is good and evil, as disgusting as it is, really does exist. Though the items may be different for me than for you, there are some evils everyone’s heart cries out against: Oppression, extortion, child pornography, the rampant annihilation and torture of one’s own people.

For me, it takes knowledge and courage to begin reading scripture to my children when their demeanor is less than willing to listen, to accept, or to interact with God’s words.  It takes courage for me to set boundaries with loved ones that define my personal space. It takes a patient heart to be silent when I want desperately to burst out and share knowledge that will meet a known need. It takes courage to seek out what is good for me and the people around me , then hold to it with everything I have – wavering for no one. It takes courage of the thoughtful, understanding kind to rebuke an errant child face to face. What keeps me engaging these activities when the pressure to abandon them comes at me from all directions? Simply the knowledge of the alternative —  a garden – a people overrun by invasive, nutrient stealing thieves  is an unacceptable evil.

I can hear one weed representative persuasively ramble on, “Don’t hate me because I’m a weed. I am valuable for medicine. I seed on my own and I’m practically care-free. My flowers make beautiful household decorations when freshly cut or dried. I didn’t ask to be in your yard… God must have put me here just for your own personal enjoyment. I bring beneficial insects to your garden and hold the soil in place when it rains. I prevent disease from attacking your precious vines by diminishing soil splash. So I actually help your garden to flourish. Yes. Without a doubt I AM valuable. I don’t want to die. Please….pretty please… let me live.” Hear the good sounding argument here? When people talk like this it makes my stomach flip like a cultivated clod.

Facts are facts. Diligent gardeners all over everywhere wage war on weeds — pulling them, tilling them under and in many cases burning them. The Gardener’s intent or purpose for the land is important. The extras that come his way are…well… expendable. Whether the planted area is valuable because of its beautiful character or its crop production, the purpose of the gardener must prevail. If you want to farm Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ), go ahead. But to get to a crop worth a profit from dandelions, the property must be focused on dandelions not kale (Brassica oleracea).

Have a heart. Man up. Have the courage to call a weed, a weed. Be focused; Be profitable. Get those damned weeds OUT!

What weeds? Read Good vs. Evil: Weeds–Part 2 next. And PLEASE… have a good heart (Avoir un bon Coeur!).

Bud Break: the birth of a fruitful word

Of the three varietals in "E" block, this lady is, without a doubt, the most beautiful

Buds are the birth of the harvest. What do our words give birth to? Thought? Emotion? Action? Death? Life? Praise? The words we choose affect the very centers of the people who hear them. When I read a book, watch a movie, or listen to a speaker, words impact me. Words impact you. Words produce a response whether good or bad (Ecclesiates 10:12-14,20). Sometimes those responses change lives.

James 1: 16-18 — “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” Truth is a good thing. Think of it like a vine transforming terroir … nutrients and water into a plant producing good fruit… great wine grapes.

In vineyard culture buds give birth to fruiting shoots. They are the first sign of the season’s growth. Before the buds swell, remnants of last year’s growth look dead but when the buds finally break out it is so exciting! Inside each bud there is a compact version of the entire shoot, its leaves and fruit.

Watching bud break creates a physiological response – an exuberance too wonderful to contain… a joy, a hope.  Where a tight bud was, now a leaf waves a cheerful hello and my whole body wants to dance… to jump up and down for joy.

This Red Vine of “E” block is an early riser

“Hallelujah! It’s alive! It’s going to grow!” My soul is totally thrilled. “Harvest is coming!” That must be what the angels feel when the Bible talks about all heaven rejoicing when one sinner repents. I can hear them bursting out, “He chose life! She chose life!” I can see them watching, listening, waiting for that one right word — that one pivotal moment of turning from dormancy to fullness, then jumping up and down, clapping their hands and turning around to share a smile with Jesus when truth breaks through.

Like the buds on the vine, our words give birth to the harvest in our lives… thoughts, emotions, actions. Those may bring about life like God’s word does or death like our evil desires do. In James 1:13-15 it says, “When tempted no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown gives birth to death.” Do they poison listeners to the core like words of gossip in Proverbs 18 and 26?

John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Dear God: As the word of Truth swells in us, may obedience break forth and heaven rejoice. Thank you for the complete joy that bud break creates in me. Amen.

Grow well, "E" Block's Lady in Green. May wisdom be on your lips and in your heart so that your harvest may be plentiful

Assistant Managing: Getting water to the roots

 I keep several plastic cartons hanging in the shed to celebrate Mondays. Last spring, Mondays meant spending two glorious morning hours watering Weaver’s Hill. This spring will be different.

To facilitate deep watering, hence deep root growth, last year I dug out soak holes just uphill of each planted vine. It sounds weird but it works! Planted vines got one gallon once a week. Potted vines got half a gallon on Mondays and half a gallon on Wednesdays. I filled each precious carton from the hose, set them in the wheel barrow and lugged them to individual vines. My arms got stronger – Woo-Hoo!

Vines have basic needs: soil, water, air, and light. Resources must be managed to meet basic needs. Moisture management is just as important in relatively wet areas as it is in dry areas but requires a different strategy. Western Washington is world famous for moisture because of our rainfall and marine influence. Correct handling of moisture on this side of the mountains will nourish and stimulate vine growth as well as protect vines from mildew and other moisture related evil.

Here is what we have so far at Weaver’s Hill in inches.  In January 2011 our monthly precipitation was 5.9.  with averages of 7.5 for past years (-1.6) In February, area rainfall calculated below our average 6.8 coming in at 4.5 (-2.3)  So far in March we have “enjoyed” almost 10 inches, exceeding the expected average of 5.9 (up almost 4) … and our rainy season isn’t over yet! These fluctuations interest me because I want to understand my part in all of it. I am responsible for vineyard care… at least in the eyes of my community.

Reality is that there are some resources beyond anyone’s ability to control. What happens when two managers — the human and the Devine –water Weaver’s Hill? Inevitably one must defer to the other. Since I cannot be master of the weather, I must accept the choices of the One who is…the One who can.

Last year, my decision was negated by God’s. Throughout spring and summer I managed water rations to each vine. The water wells, carefully positioned to accept this necessary offering, worked.  Vines took what they needed of the water offered and the slope drained away the remainder. How wonderful it felt to manage this…to be the vineyard’s provider and be confident in both the quality and quantity of the provision – offering the maximum amount then letting the soil, slope and roots sort out the rest.  Just when I stopped watering in late September, the rains began and Heaven watered Weaver’s Hill. 

In my defense, I began a watering regimen to establish newly transplanted vines. I stopped watering vines so the shoots would have ample time to harden off before winter and be healthy for the next season of growth. I chose the timing based on advice to cease water one month before frost. Would our vines suffer because of my choice? Should I have stopped watering sooner? Lack of knowledge, second guessing my choices, and the general state of not knowing what God was doing brought on serious anxiety because the outcome was and is extremely important to me.

A few days of heavy rain and I was suddenly donning jacket and garden tools to create deep, sloshy mud channels, effectively wrecking my cherished watering holes. Weaver’s Hill was under different management. Now was the time for me to prevent long soaking in the root zone where once loved water holes became potentially lethal cisterns, all the while thanking God that our vineyard is on a slope, however slight, so that this seasonal adjustment could be made.

Is this negating a trust in God? No. Is this a test of my resolve? Perhaps.  Is God teaching me to be a better manager? Absolutely!

In God’s vineyard management, heaven and earth work harmoniously with the vine to give it the water it needs. I can work harmoniously with God in this vineyard. All I need to do is to measure the water each vine receives from me, from heaven and from both of us then engage my mind, learning from what is recorded.  I am looking forward to working with the LORD.

Peering through droplets decorating topsy-turvy glasses, looking from jeans splattered with mud to four rows of the stuff, a management lesson knocked me over with typhoon-like force; solutions that work with one’s environment are better choices.   Every solution I come up with will change seasonally according to changing needs of the vine, the rise and the fall of light, soil conditions, air movement and yes, moisture accumulations.

Looking forward with readiness and calm assurance for each new season is essential to great management. (En regardant de l’avant avec la préparation et l’assurance de calme pour chaque nouvelle saison est essentielle à la gestion des grands.) To be confident in such a way I need to figure out what the Master Vineyard Manager is doing. He does not outline it for me or wait for me to understand before he makes his move. He just does it expecting me to just-do-it , just like him ( I get the picture of a four year old working the vineyard with his papa).

 Measuring and observing the work of God is important so that I may learn from the Master Vinedresser how best to operate in the environment, the life,  he has planted me in.

Dr. Jantz of the Center for counseling and health resources (www.aplaceforhope.com) maintains that humans have three basic needs: to be understood (listened to, not just heard), to be accepted (taken seriously for what they feel and perceive as a person) and to be affirmed (Genuinely needed to play an important contributing role in the lives of others).  Just like the vine has four basic needs, I believe people have four as well. The one I add to Dr. Jantz’s list is truth. We all crave to know the truth even though what we choose to do with it is as varied as we are.

Jesus says, “I am the Vine. You are the branches” (John 15) Vines are vascular plants_ they accept and transform resources. At the root zone, water is one of those resources. We will call water, “Truth”. In Chapter 14, Jesus says, “ I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” This analogy holds power all the way to the juice in ripe fruit at harvest and all the way to from birth to judgment day.

May we be watered well and water others well for the glory of the LORD, Maker of Heaven and Earth. Amen.