We are planting a vineyard, part 10 – Harmony with nature

Apparently, the desert Bedouins have a saying: “If something happens to you once, you can rest assured that it will never happen again. But if it happens to you a second time, you can be sure that you will experience it a third time.”

Even though it’s a long way from the desert, I’ve been experiencing it firsthand for a week now. First, the soil turns out to be as acidic as lemon water, requiring a massive dose of limestone. Then, contrary to the forecast, rain falls, halting the excavator’s work. And now that the rain has stopped and the soil is relatively dry, the excavator is breaking down, as if to spite me.

I’m tempted to add a sentence to this sand-walker proverb: “And if something happens to you a third time, rest assured it will continue forever.” Because in our case, not only have we all caught colds and been in a bad mood for a week, but frost will be arriving any day now, possibly along with snow, and we still have so much to do. Yes, I know, I’ve written before that working the land is a complete surrender to nature, a harmony with nature. And now I’ll just say one thing: “Fuck!”