A Two Front War

I know it’s Earth Day this Friday, but Mother Nature and I are not having a very good week.  Since my last post a week ago, I have killed two mice in my garage, and I’m sure that number will continue to rise. 

Meanwhile, the buds on my vines are just beginning to swell, as the long winter’s hibernation finally comes to an end.  Few things bring greater joy to the vine grower than the first sign of life in the vineyard on a warm Spring day.  And few things will elicit a greater desire to kill than discovering half a dozen beetles eating your buds right before your eyes.  The photo here shows a beautiful Corot Noir bud days before bursting, and a giant hole on the right where one of these blue beasts procured his lunch. 

Dead bug walking.

And thus I find myself in a two front war against nature.  Yesterday I applied insecticide to my vines for the first time, a process that caused months of consternation, hours of preparation, and seconds of application.  The few beetles I managed to catch I crushed in between my fingers, hoping to teach a lesson to his brothers that managed to flee.  I didn’t ask for this fight, but I promise you I won’t back down from it. 

Happy Earth Day everyone!