First there was Justify, and now it’s Rectify, to pacify my sedate life as a stay-at-home retiree. That all changes tomorrow with our flight to Bangkok. In the meantime, I’ve spent a lot of time waiting in traffic, even less constructive than watching T.V., while running errands to get ready for our trip. An hour waiting for a draw bridge and heavy traffic on the way back from Tualatin were the highlights of venturing away from home. Today, it’s a dentist appointment that will vary the routine of my enviable homebody existence.

Yesterday, I helped move some grape vines from my good friends’ home vineyard to a nearby rubbish dump. It was a nice combination of companionship and fresh air to ultimately get free wine. It will probably be the only outdoor labor that I participate in this spring, but will return for picking and crushing later this year. It’s a very ambitious hobby that my friends have developed in their spacious back yard. It has involved education, deep pockets, and hard work over the past ten years. They are fortunate to be in a neighborhood where their neighbors are also grape growers, so there’s a sense of cooperation, shared passion, and resources year after year. My main job is to drink the fruits of their labor, but when it’s “Vine Time,” I’m there to lend some muscle.

March Madness has not been kind to me this year – already. Indiana is sadly in the N.I.T. once again, after failing to make the “Big Dance” for the third straight year. I went through the motions of making my “picks,” but basketball has not been good to me this year. I’ve joined two pools and consider any monetary contributions to be simply for the benefit of the other participants. Someone will win, but chances are it won’t be me, and although I did fill out the my reusable bracket that my wife gave me as a gift, I won’t be around to fill it out. I also probably won’t see much of the action considering the time differences from the U.S. to Thailand. I’ll be back in the states for the Final Four.

With the completion of “Vine Time,” it will be “Wine Time” before I know it. I brought home six bottles yesterday from the crop two years ago, thanks to the generosity of my friends. I’m looking forward to the harvest and another opportunity for everyone to get together five months from now. When I’m done with this six-pack, I will return the bottles to be refilled and work a few more hours to earn it.