Life on the farm was never dull. March 1, 1990, VST and I became the proud owners of a 40 acre vineyard and the stewards of nearly 17,000 vines. They were geriatric vines of vintage varieties. Mostly Thompson Seedless, there were few antique vines thrown in the mix. Most of them were at least 60 years old and patiently waiting to teach us a thing or two about viticulture.
One such vine was the “Lady Fingers” in Row 101 just behind the house. My dad knew the exact row and vine, watching all year until the grapes were ripe enough to each. “Lady Fingers” weren’t my favorite. Extremely long, sugary sweet, and seeded, they’d been planted by Volga German immigrants long before I was born. These grapes were picked for special occasions and had a taste all their own.
Once we became farmers, time was no longer our own. Our days and nights were controlled by the God’s of What Will Break Next. Duct tape is an awesome tool when in the middle of a prescribed application of pesticides costing upwards of $3,000. A little duct tape placed over a split hose can save the day and the farm. VST and I purchased lots of duct tape throughout our farming years.
It was at the end of those years that we became very weary. Hopping from broken this to failing that, it was hard to keep all the balls in the air as we juggled farming life. The kids had run off in five different directions. Even VST’s parents had jumped ship, one to heaven and the other to a retirement apartment miles away. It was just us, the dogs, and 17,000 demanding vines.
Our farming endeavor didn’t involve wine making. Our grapes were of the Thompson Seedless variety which is juiced and blended with much of the wine produced in California. Our grapes were used for a different purpose. They became Sunmaid Raisins. You know, the dancing kind. Same versatile grape with many different uses. Thompson’s also become the very large green table grapes you buy in the store. The large size is achieved by spraying them with Gibberellic Acid, a growth hormone. Not much is ever printed about this practice, but, that’s one way the large size is achieved. Otherwise, the grapes stay small, sweet, and are used for wine or raisins. In the area I came from, the preferred grape variety was the Thompson Seedless.
On one particularly long Saturday, we’d been preparing for an irrigation. Due to a drought, we’d need to turn on our underground pump, circa 1936. This pump was an antique we used only when county irrigation water wasn’t available. It did work well, even though the large belt on the pump was hand crafted from a strip of leather. I know, because it broke one time, causing us to find an 80 year old pump repairman to create another.
On this particular day, we had a different problem. It seemed the equally old underground pipe had a break of approximately 8″ in diameter. Water gushing from an 8″ hole in a 12″ pipeline is quite a thing to behold. A crazy making event when two people are so worn out they can hardly think. The gusher was turned off as quickly as it had been turned on.
Quietly sitting on a pile of the best soil in the world, VST and I weren’t far from crying. This wasn’t a repair that we could afford in time or money. It wasn’t an easy fix, involving big equipment and worse than that, an extra bill from an outside company that we couldn’t afford. It was then that my little blonde brain kicked into high gear.
Quietly, I went to the orange tree and picked 10 oranges. It had been a bumper crop that year with the fruit being large and sweet. These were vintage oranges with a taste you could only imagine and better than anything you’ve ever eaten.
Returning to VST’s side, I put them on the ground and then went to the shop. The very shop in which vermin and wild creatures wintered, entering through the large cracks in the back wall. Wiping away spider webs and dust, I unwrapped a new roll of duct tape and hurried back to the pipeline. The water had already disappeared into the thirsty soil, leaving a huge hole and the exposed break in the concrete pipe. Perfectly round, there were no spider cracks that we could see.
Without stopping, I sat down and leaned over the edge to touch the pipe which was a good 15″ down. This was a muddy affair. I took the oranges and started plugging the hole with them. The first attempt resulted in the loss of couple oranges that dropped into the pipeline, but once I had three in place, the others fit nicely. The gushing water had washed away the soil around the pipe, giving access to all sides. Once the oranges were tightly packed, eliminating the hole, the duct tape was applied. Around and around we went, stretching the duct tape as tight as we could while using the entire roll.
The entire time, VST was grumbling but also amused at the odd and crafty repair. Six large oranges. One roll of duct tape. Snacking on the leftover oranges, we turned on the pump. Humming nicely, as only a 1936 irrigation pump could do, our patch held. The irrigation proceeded without a leak and luckily, that was the last time we ever needed the pump. Repaired in the spring of 2007, we sold the ranch later that year.
Sometimes, the best memories involve a bunch of oranges and a roll of duct tape. We laughed so many times about our amazing fix. Was it fixed for the ages? Of course not. Did it do the job so that we could continue to the next broken disaster? Yes, it did. Did we sell the ranch that way??? That will remain an eternal secret kept between VST and me. The ranch passed all inspections. Just sayin’.
Farmers have the toughest of jobs. Plants and animals can’t wait around for the perfect weather in which to be born or the sunniest of days to be harvested. Life happens 24/7. It isn’t convenient or planned. Things break when you use them. It matters not if you are in the middle of a roundup of new calves awaiting castration or while inspecting dusty little dancing raisins as they hop away from dirt and dust across a shaker into a waiting bin.
Nature breaks things, too. An ill timed rainstorm can wipe out an entire year’s worth of work in a single night. An illness can rip through a herd of cattle and kill the new crop of calves. A frost or hail can eliminate an entire crop, leaving vines that need care throughout the year, even though there’ll be no profit. Farming is the ultimate gamble. Farmers know this, but continue anyway.
Those days are long gone but the lessons learned helped me to deal with VST’s death. Untimely and the ultimate system failure, duct tape and some oranges wouldn’t fix the problem. Only patience, faith, and acceptance have helped me to get through some mighty tough days. How I wish I could sit with VST once more on that pile of dirt.
“Well, whatcha thinking, Darlin’? How can we fix this?”
“It’ll never be fixed, but time will patch things up until I see you again, VST.”
Have a super day.
More tomorrow.