Now well into our third year of production, I feel like I am finally finding my groove in almost every part of our adventure. What really made me realize this is driving the tractor. In the beginning, I was terrified of driving the tractor. Really, it doesn't seem like such a big deal, a small tractor almost 10 years older than I am, shouldn't be that hard to master. But, in reality, it's not that easy. In order to push in either the clutch or the brakes, I have to practically stand up and put all of my weight on the pedals! The first few times I tried to turn the thing, I thought I was going to flip
over. Luckily, my dear husband, Matt, had much more experience than I did (His grandfather was a farmer and he spent his summers helping him out).
My biggest fear though, was spraying. The sprayer on the back of the tractor filled 3/4s full is quite a bit of weight for our little tractor, and it makes the front end pretty light when going up the little drive to the vineyard. The first year, every time, we went down to spray, something went wrong; one of the arms on the 3-point hitch broke, we couldn't figure out how to turn the mixer on, we didn't properly clean out the sprayer and it clogged up terribly. Every time it was stressful and it took twice as long as it should have. Then, when it was my turn to spray for awhile, I felt like I was on a bucking bronco and a roller coaster all at the same time! You see, a tractor from 1962 has no power steering, so it's quite a handful when you are trying to turn, and even when you apply the brakes, it just keeps on speeding forward until you remember to push the clutch in! Tractors also have a lever that you can disengage which separates the right brake from the left brake to help you turn really tightly. Matt showed this to me telling me that when I want to turn left I jam down the the inner (or the left brake pedal) as hard as I can and crank the steering wheel so that I magically can turn on a dime at the end of the row instead of having to stop back up a bit and complete the turn. I watched him do this a few times, and thought for sure I could do it, but holy cow is it scary when you're actually trying to pull it off. Scary for the vine that is at the end of the row and directly in your path if you don't make it, that is. I'm sorry to say that a couple got completely run over, which is something I can't bear to think about!! So, it took me awhile, and at first it took me twice as long as it did Matt to spray the same surface area because I never could quite make the turn, so I had to throw it in reverse and back up before being able to complete the turn without taking out a vine...
The other thing that is very scary on a vineyard tractor is uneven terrain. Our tractor's wheels are set very close together so that it can fit between the rows, which makes it feel really tippy when the ground isn't perfectly flat. On the border of one of our vineyards there is a spot where we have erosion each time it rains and it's on a slight descent, to boot. Slight is really the word, but I cannot explain the terrible feeling in my stomach going down this little descent, one side of the tractor higher than the other, with the sprayer on the back. It really feels like the whole thing is going to tip over and I haven't mention going down the steep drive that leads from the vineyard to the road. I put the 
tractor in the lowest gear and inch down, all the while knowing that this very well might be the end...
Well, now 3 years into it, I have finally reached a point where I feel more comfortable on the tractor and with the sprayer. Right before we left for San Francisco, we had to treat the vineyards. It's been an unusually moist year here, and there is a lot of mildew, so copper (bouillie bordelaise) is essential. It was in the middle of the week and Matt was super busy with work, so I had to do it, I had to go spray all 4,5 hectares on my own!!! You know what? I did it!! All by myself. I was exhausted at the end, but I managed to do it. This week, I did it again, all by myself. It's quite a feeling of accomplishment. Now I can step on that brake pedal and turn on a dime just like Matt does. Going down that little hill on uneven terrain is still quite scary, to the point that this week, I let out a little scream, thinking I was really going over this time, but in the end I made it.
I suppose the worst part about it is, that now, Matt knows I can do it. Now I'm stuck!!! If he's too busy, I have to do it!! Why is it that we always figure these things out afterwards!!! Oh well, too late, I'm sure I'll still be able to convince Matt to spray from time to time...
You go girl!
Posted by: Bri | July 10, 2007 at 08:42 AM
Now, Amy, you know why I never learned how to start the lawn mower. I thought I had taught you better!
Posted by: Your mother! | July 11, 2007 at 03:00 AM
Salutations d'un confrère de Chateauneuf du Pape. Très bon blog !
Posted by: Beatrice | July 13, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Hello!
I am contacting you because I am working with the authors of a book about blogs, and I'd like to request permission to use the photograph you have posted in this book. Please contact me at matt@wefeelfine.org, and I'd be happy to give you more information about the project. Please paste a link to your blog in the subject field. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Matt
Posted by: Matt | June 02, 2008 at 09:58 PM
Hello!
I am contacting you because I am working with the authors of a book about blogs, and I'd like to request permission to use the photograph you have posted in this book. Please contact me at matt@wefeelfine.org, and I'd be happy to give you more information about the project. Please paste a link to your blog in the subject field. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Matt
Posted by: Matt | June 02, 2008 at 09:59 PM