1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 292: Is being skillful with your hands useful when farming?

As Ronan hurried downstairs, he recalled what Pierre had said a few months earlier.

The heavy rains during the September harvest season served as a wake-up call for Pierre, who said that it was essential to take warnings about severe weather seriously.

After that, he used several connections to get to know the staff at the 'Carpunk Weather Station'.

The other party assured him that he would be notified immediately in case of any severe weather.

Today is the day 'Carpunk Weather Station' is published. Could Pierre have gotten some advance notice?
Ronan picked up the phone and asked in a low voice:
"What happened?"

Pierre's words were very concise, just a few words:
"There might be a cold snap next week, so hurry up and 'bury' the grapevines."

He also needed to notify other farmers, and hung up the phone before Ronan could reply.

Although Pierre said "maybe," Ronan didn't waste a second and immediately ran upstairs to get dressed.

Provence has a Mediterranean climate, and the lowest winter temperatures in coastal cities are still above zero degrees Celsius.

However, since Luberon is a mountainous region, the temperature is lower than in lower-lying areas, but it usually doesn't drop below -8 degrees Celsius.

Normally, grape-growing regions where winter temperatures drop below -15 degrees Celsius take 'winter protection' measures before winter. However, Luberon does not meet this condition, so farmers can simply prune the vines and retain water after winter sets in.

But a cold wave would be a different story.

Cold waves are usually accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature, strong winds, and rain or snow.

The terrain around Lourmaran is open and unprotected by buildings, making it easy for cold winds to create downdrafts that could kill the grapevines even if they don't freeze.

Provence has only experienced two major cold waves, in 1956 and 1976, and the 1956 cold wave was followed by the biggest frost in a century.

This is no longer a simple matter of an 8-acre vineyard; if the vineyard is gone, the value of Ronan's house will also drop.

This is a huge deal, worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of francs!
"God, this is only my first year of farming, why do I have to suffer so much?" Ronan frantically pulled pieces of clothing over his head.

In 1987, agriculture in Provence was not yet highly developed, and many anti-freezing devices were not yet widely available.

Farmers will use more traditional physical methods to combat the impending strong winds and temperature drop, while Pierre's "burying the vines" refers to the "burying method," which is the most practical insulation measure Ronan can think of under the current conditions.

However, this method of cold resistance requires a grooving machine.

Ronan didn't have a grooving machine, but since Pierre had called to ask him to 'bury' the vines, he would definitely consider it. So after Ronan went out, he first straightened the grapevines one by one, while anxiously waiting for the grooving machine to arrive.

Moreover, Ronan learned his lesson this time. Last time he encountered trouble, he only knew how to work hard in silence, almost exhausting himself to death from overwork, sunburn, and anxiety.

As soon as it was light, he called everyone who might be able to help, not only his old friends Louis, Freddie, and Alain, but also his new friends Thomas and Batty, and even Marini.

Everyone was more enthusiastic than Ronan had expected, and they all said they would come to his field as soon as they finished what they were doing.

“Pierre said the cold wave might arrive next week, but with so many people coming to help, we’ll definitely make it in time,” Ronan reassured himself as he worked.

Because they arrived outdoors around 5 a.m., Ronan ran into the postman Tracy when he visited.

Tracy said solemnly:
"You already know? I was thinking of letting you know if you were home."

Ronan shook the dirt off his hands, walked over to take the newspaper and weather forecast:
What does the weather forecast from 'Carpunk Weather Station' say?

Tracy shook his head, his expression grave:

"The weather forecast doesn't tell you anything. I heard the news from the farmers. Along the way, there were people and machines in many fields such as vineyards, olive groves, strawberry farms, and orange orchards."

Ronan, exasperated, cursed:
"Technology is no match for people. The Provençal Ministry of Agriculture really needs to reflect on this, damn it!"

Although natural disasters are not something that can be avoided by human intervention, Provence lacks a corresponding intelligent monitoring system.

With so much money invested in tourism, why not upgrade the accuracy of weather forecasts?
Is that called a weather forecast?
This is so unreliable!

Ronan decided that the next time he saw his "good sister" Juliet, he had to express his grievances as a citizen.

He angrily opened the weather forecast and saw that the weather for the next week was all sunny and cloudy, which was consistent with Ronan's own observations. There would be no rain or snow visiting Provence for some time, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

However, according to the temperature chart, the lowest temperature started at -8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, followed by -9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The accuracy of the temperature drops after that is not so high, but it still stays around -8 degrees Celsius.

Ronan let out a heavy sigh.

Even if Pierre hadn't made that phone call beforehand, Ronan would still have been worried about the risk of a cold wave coming from just this weather forecast, so burying the vines was imperative.

Just after 7 a.m., Pierre drove a tractor to Ronan's house, towing a grooving machine behind it.

Without any pleasantries, he drove the tractor straight into the field, shouting loudly to Ronan:
"I'll demonstrate two columns for you; you'll have to open the rest yourself. I have other things to do!"

The first step of the 'burying method' is to dig a trench 30-40 centimeters deep next to each row of grapevines, into which the grapevines will be placed later.

Amidst the deafening roar of the tractor, Ronan asked him:

"Have all the people been notified?"

Pierre's expression was even more somber than when he fought the 'Battle of Time' a few months earlier:

"Everyone's getting to work, do you have enough manpower?"

Ronan shouted:

"That's enough. What's your estimate of the probability of a cold wave?"

Due to the lack of more accurate forecasts, we are currently only relying on experience to judge that there is a risk of a cold wave.

Pierre shook his head:
"It's hard to say. I don't have much of an impression of the cold wave in 1956, but the cold wave in 1976 was also accompanied by a lot of extreme weather, such as floods, which is a bit similar to this year. This year has really been too turbulent."

The prolonged rainy season, abundant rainfall, and a month-long northwest wind – are all signs from nature?
Ronan said in a self-deceptive tone:
"There is enough time; we have sufficient time to respond."

In fact, even burying the grapevines in the soil to keep them warm cannot guarantee that they will survive the winter. The outcome will only be known after they are dug up again in the spring.

So for the next two months, no farmer in Lourmaran is destined to get a good night's sleep.

But most importantly—I hope it's all just a misunderstanding, and that a cold wave doesn't come.

After opening two rows of grooves, Pierre jumped off the tractor and demonstrated to Ronan how to bury the vines:

“Dig another trench under the vine, parallel to this deep trench, then pick the vine. The next step requires some skill; you need to twist the vine into its ‘alignment’ so it’s easier to bend down.” In Lourmarin, there are very few opportunities to protect the grapevines from the cold.

Many young farmers don't know how to do the 'burying method'.

So Pierre explained it to Ronan in great detail.

However, while he was still twisting the vine, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Ronan suddenly lowered his body.

Pierre turned his head to look, and although things were now extremely urgent, he couldn't help but let out a gasp:
"Is being skillful really that useful when farming?"

God, Ronan has made that winding main vine lie in the groove like a good baby.

As Ronan followed the lead, he said seriously:
"Don't worry about me, go and see the others."

Pierre has been quite busy this week.

Next, Pierre instructed Ronan on the next steps: after bending down all the vines and covering them with soil, call him and Pierre would send Ronan a 'vine-burying machine' to shake the ground again. After that, Ronan's task was to reinforce the exposed roots with soil or insulating material.

Only after repeatedly confirming that Ronan knew all the subsequent steps and that there were enough people available did the conscientious Pierre leave with peace of mind.

“A few months ago, you were the one I worried about the most, but now you make me feel incredibly at ease.” Pierre patted Ronan on the shoulder, drove the tractor away from the vineyard, and said, “I’m going to check on other people. Don’t rush to return the trenching machine; I still have one.”

Pierre's destination wasn't Theo's house, because he knew Theo had enough manpower.

Moreover, his family has everything they need, from tractors to grooving machines, so there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

However, when Pierre left Ronan's house and passed by Theo's vineyard, he found it empty.

His temper flared up immediately.

You've only been diligent for a few days, and you've already become lazy again?
He notified Theo a few hours ago.

Pierre pounded on the door a few times, wishing he could break it down and yell at him:
Now is not the time to be lazy, wake up!

Rebecca opened the door for Pierre, and as soon as Pierre stepped inside, he heard Theo's anxious voice, seemingly on the phone:
"Roberto can't come to Lourmaran either? Damn it, Brown and Grondin are busy too. But I can't bury all the land by myself, the cold wave might be coming next week."

Pierre immediately looked at Rebecca with a searching gaze.

Rebecca clutched her clothes and whispered:

"Things happened a bit suddenly. The cousins ​​who used to help Theo harvest grapes have all run into trouble. Theo is looking for them."

Pierre immediately turned and left:
"Tell Theo not to worry, I'll go find someone for him."

The farmers were all busy, and Pierre's target was the men in the village who didn't farm and did other jobs.

Most of these people make a living by delivering goods by car, and occasionally they wait at the entrance of the village for people who need a ride.

Perhaps due to the weather, Pierre only saw two trucks at the entrance of the village.

He went over and asked the two drivers:
"Do you have time to help out at the Special Olympics field? It might get colder next week."

The driver's tone was somewhat conflicted; they also had things to do:

"Could you wait a moment? I'll go this afternoon."

Pierre then looked at another person:

"Can you go there now? Theo has all kinds of machines."

The other person's tone was also hesitant:

"Ask other people too. If I can't find anyone to hitch a ride, I'll go over there. I swear."

Pierre sighed, but there was nothing he could do.

He was just a farmer's leader and couldn't rally the other villagers.

Pierre wanted to ask around elsewhere, but when he turned his head, he saw an old Vietnamese car slowly come to a stop.

Lucas rolled down the car window and said in a teasing tone:
"How old are you? Why are you rushing around like that?"

Pierre said anxiously:
"Of course I'm in a hurry, I'm looking for someone for Theo."

Lucas's smile vanished instantly.

What happened to Theo?

Pierre briefly explained the current situation to Lucas, speaking in a comforting tone:
"Don't worry, I'm sure I can find someone. Go and collect truffles."

He saw Margaret lying on the back seat of the car and knew that Lucas was going out of the village to make money.

"Bah-"

With a rapid screech of tires, Lucas turned the car around, indicating he was heading back to the village.
“I’ll go and find him a few farmers who are good at their work.”

Pierre said to Lucas:

"Going to the village won't help you. Right now, all the farmers in Lourmaran, no, all the farmers in Luberon, are busy fighting the cold."

Lucas floored the accelerator, and Pierre could only see the rear of the car:
“You don’t need to worry about Theo. The farmers in Luberon are all busy. I’ll go find some farmers for him outside of Luberon.”

Pierre looked horrified.

Should we go to other villages to ask for help?
The statement that it was "outside of Luberon" could only come from Lucas.

But Pierre believed Lucas had the ability.

The two drivers muttered in a sour tone.

"I really envy Theo. Having such an amazing older brother must give him a great sense of security."

"Of course, that's Lucas!"

(End of this chapter)