The cotton is coming up!

   It has been wonder-full to watch the Valley come back to life this Spring. Over the last few weeks the vineyards have been growing flush with the green leaves. As I drive along I can see over the tops of the vineyards bristling with new life.

   It has been so warm the cotton has come boiling out of the ground. I think we beat our previous best by a day. It might have been even better, but we took last Sunday off. That may have been a mistake. The cotton almost came through the cap before we could get to it.
   It's going to be a long season and there is still plenty of time to screw things up. But, it is nice to be off to a good start. There are years when it turned cold after planting that it would take three weeks to get the cotton out of the ground and then it was sick and the roots rotted. This is a lot more fun.

   Here was a surprise this morning when the dogs took me for my walk.

This weekend is the Kerman Rely for Life. I think they were launching the balloons as part of that event.
All I know is Indy wanted to protect me from the balloons and barked until they were out of sight.
My hero.

The Importance of Quality in a Global Marketplace

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright April, 2012

                It wasn’t until I was in a little café in Verona, Italy that I finally understood the importance of quality in a global market.

                It was late afternoon. We had been at meetings and on tours all day. Sheryl and I went to the café for some coffee in those depressingly small, but cute little coffee cups. With the coffee, our server brought out a little copper tray with some black, burnt things on it. Since many of the Italians we met were serious smokers I assumed it was an ash tray. Since I don’t smoke I ignored it. After a while I realized it wasn’t an ash tray. Those burnt nubbins were roasted pistachios!

                Good land, there wasn’t one bigger than pencil eraser.  They wouldn’t know what to think about a full-sized, fresh California pistachio  like the ones grown by my neighbors on the Westside.

                At that moment I understood the importance of quality in a global market. I don’ t know where those pistachios in the café were grown, but if people have a choice between those little burnt nubbins and California pistachios they will pick ours every day. The good news is it is not just pistachios- California’s farm products are known all over the world for their quality. And, you and I get to enjoy even fresher because they are grown here in the Valley.

You can find the audio link at
http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68

I hope you have a fabulous week.

P