Certainly one of the many interesting parts of my work is that every now and again I get interviewed for various podcasts, magazines, blogs and news outlets – primarily on my contributions and musings around Cabernet Franc. I enjoy the opportunity to get thoughtful and sometimes geeky about producing Oregon Cabernet Franc – and the best interviews turn into deep and meaningful conversations. It’s an honor to be able to share my thoughts and expertise across all kinds of platforms. My husband jokes with me and tells me when I “retire” I can become a Cabernet Franc pundit.

Recently, I had the opportunity to reflect on more than grapes and wine. My five year old, Iver, interviewed me for an “All About My Mom” exploration. He came up with his own questions. Too fun and cute not to share.

IJ: Mom, do you like Hazel (our cat) or Chicchi (our dog) better?

LJ: Starting with the tough questions! I guess that depends on the moment and which one is behaving! Our pets are feisty, to say the least.

IJ: Why do you love our garden so much?

LJ: I love watching things grow with the seasons; I love the variety of plants we care for; I love how the plants give us nourishing food and medicine; I love the peace in our garden, the calming energy, and how it changes all the time. I love getting to know the plants. I love the beauty in the variety of our plants, especially when some of the plants flower and attract bees. I love the bees!

IJ: What’s your favorite thing to cook?

LJ: Anything I’m cooking with you! It’s fun to be in the kitchen and to solve the mystery of “what are we going to eat?” I like the challenge of cooking when faced with sourcing food in the moment – seeing what’s in the fridge, in the pantry and how to combine flavors for a delicious meal. That’s how I came up with our turmeric, ginger and shallots chicken with garlic broccolini dinner, which is now one of our favorites. I also love cooking with nourishment in mind – if we’re all feeling sluggish or coming down with a cold, I like to pick ingredients that will give us energy or support our immune system. I like cooking with intention.

IJ: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (LOL!!!). So what’s your least favorite thing to cook?

LJ: Leftovers. Unless there’s an opportunity to make it into something new and interesting – and tasty!

IJ: What made you want to make wine for your job?

LJ: It’s kind of like why I love our garden. There are many aspects to it that make it interesting to me. Mostly, I like to work with my hands and create something new each year. I like to be part of an agricultural field; I love that wine goes with food; I love that wine is tied to travel and visiting neat places with beautiful vineyards; and I love how wine connects people.

IJ: When can I drive the forklift?

LJ: When you’re old enough to do so safety. Probably when you have a driver’s license!

IJ: Do you love when you get to drive trucks?

LJ: I knew a truck question was coming. I kind of get stressed out a little when I have to drive the bigger trucks. But, it feels pretty cool driving something so much bigger than my car.

IJ: Do you wish you got to drive the tractor?

LJ: And I knew a tractor question was coming! I don’t mind that I’m not driving a tractor in the vineyard. Since we don’t own a vineyard, I don’t have that responsibility. But it is fun to drive a tractor. I got to drive a small one several years ago.

IJ: Which truck do you like better – the UPS truck or the Amazon truck?

LJ: The UPS truck. We have gotten to know our driver and so it’s nice to see him when he comes by for a wine pick up. Wasn’t it fun to see the picture of his new baby? She’s so cute!

IJ: Do you like sharing an office with dad?

LJ: Yes, because I love that we both get to work from home and be with you most of the time. I really only use my part of the office to store things like my file cabinet and work notebooks. You know I’m mostly working out in the garage.

IJ: If you didn’t make wine what would you do?

LJ: I would keep playing in the garden, focus more on growing medicinal herbs to share with local acupuncturists and herbalists, make more herbal medicines, maybe write some books, continue learning more about things I’m interested in, and maybe teach.

IJ: What are you scared of?

LJ: Not making the most of my time. It’s easy to get so busy all the time that you’re not actually doing the things you love or spending enough time with the people you love.

IJ: That doesn’t sound scary. I mean are you scared of coyotes, wolves, giant spiders, zombies, ghosts, alien monsters or mean dogs?

LJ: I see! Zombies. Definitely zombies. And giant spiders.

I don’t know if this is “all about mom” but I hope this is just the first of many interviews I’ll get to have with my son! He was an excellent interviewer. And kept me in check!