Day 2

 Picking grapes

In honor of #tbt, I would now like to share the second full day of work that Michelle and I had together at Tenuta Antica. It was Sunday, and it started off with us setting out breakfast for the guests at the agriturismo. Afterwards, we were to clean everything up as well as wash and sort the silverware. In the midst of bussing the tables of the guests, Michelle and I asked Pia about attending Mass that morning. Pia was a bit disappointed that we hadn't asked her sooner so that she could make arrangements for someone else to take our place on kitchen duty, and we told her that we would be sure to plan better for next week. She then explained that if we live a good life, everything will be ok and God will forgive us.

There were a large number of people staying at the agriturismo that morning, and cleanup took a while, especially because the upstairs dishwasher has a two-hour cycle. Michelle and I booked it downstairs to help with lunch prep once we were finished. There were less people for lunch, so Pia thought it would be a good day for us to learn the kitchen routine, but she got caught up in some other work, and we didn't begin making lunch until 12:10. As it turned out, another group of people arrived unexpectedly to eat.

Our host, Mauro, on the day
of the Pinot Noir harvest

Putting it mildly, Pia was frazzled. "It's not your fault, but it would be a lot easier on me if you knew what you were doing in here since we are rushed." Later, she told Michelle, "I wish my husband were here to help me," and Michelle quietly thought that Mauro's presence would be good for all of us. Mauro did eventually arrive to cook the main course, after we had served two sets of appetizers, which consisted of meats, cheeses, and jams.

Mauro "did work," as Michelle put it, in the kitchen. She and I had been doing lunch dishes for about two hours when Pia told me to take the leftover meat to the other WWOOFers for their lunch. I couldn't find them, and she was a little annoyed that I didn't know which of the five eating areas they were occupying that day. Pia and Mauro had words, and then she said, "My husband says not to worry about it, so don't worry about it."

When she left the room, Mauro offered Michelle and I risotto, which we scarfed down between industrial dishwasher cycles. It was 2:30pm, and we had eaten breakfast before setting up for the guests that morning, so we felt hungry. Whenever Pia entered the room, we got back to work immediately. At one point, Mauro walked over to our side of the kitchen with a bottle and said, "Wine?" Then he walked back to the stove saying over his shoulder, "It helps." I've come to believe that this is a true statement.

Michelle and I worked nine straight hours that day with no lunch break, and we were then expected to help set up for the big Mexican dinner that staff had been planning. Of course, we did help. We were certainly not thrilled that our Day of Rest turned into a day of major work, but the margaritas and guacamole really helped patch things up in the end. And good news! We now get Sundays off, as there are enough WWOOFers to have a regular day off each week.

And now for a short clip of us labeling preserves, which was today's task.