I’m remembering how foggy it was yesterday. We normally wake up at 6:00am. We realized that the fog was low in the vineyard when the sun was almost ready to rise. Around 7:20am, a big cloud suddenly showed up and covered the sky and the thick fog took over the vineyard! That’s the first photo you see.

We had a question from an Instagram follower, “Does the fog affect your grapes?” That’s a good question. As a grape grower, we're always concerned about mold and mildew during the summer, which can often cause a problem with developing grapes. But the during the winter dormancy, the vines are not active so there is no chance of these problems.

Also, the mist from the fog helps bring moisture into the soil. That’s the reason we disc the vineyard before the winter rain comes, so that the root of the vines can get a good amount of the water to grow in the coming year.

Speaking of rain, it looks like we have a good start to rainfall this season. According to the Paso Robles Daily News, the season total of the rainfall has measured 4.02 inches so far. It seems like an average for this area looking at the chart of the rainfall cumulative total for last few years, but we as a grape grower always appreciate more rain during the winter.

As a person who takes care of farm animals, it’s a little challenging to feed them and clean their area after the rain. I walk to the cow feeder carrying a few flakes of hay and fill their water trough in the forest twice a day.

Walking on the muddy ground is a little hard. The soil gets sticky and slippery after the rain and my boots sink up to the ankles every time I try to step forward. But I don’t complain, because we all need the water to survive and we appreciate what Mother Nature provides us. And most importantly, I want to pet our Jersey cows every day!