Like a bug in a rug.

My constant companion today, well, at least whilst I was pruning one particular Cabernet sauvignon vine, was this ladybird who wandered up, down, in, out and all over the vine's peeling bark.  Totally unconcerned with the fact that I was chopping and snipping with loppers and secateurs close by, this lonesome convergent lady beetle would sometimes find an apparently perfect little nook to snuggle down into.  I checked back a few times over the next couple of hours and the ladybird was still wandering about in a fashion that did not seem to be in the least bit aimless.
However, this ladybird is not alone.  I have noticed a lot of ladybirds in the vineyard the past three days, certainly more than the last 3 or 4 years. Like everything in life, insect population dynamics are cyclical (with increases and decreases due to many and varying factors).  It seems that the Hippodamia convergens population in Vinoland is experiencing an upswing.  Bodes well for pest management.
Pruning is going well, even if it going a little slower than I would like.  My hands hurt, but, unfortunately, it is forecast to rain most of the day tomorrow, so I might be forced to take a day off.  First day of spring, indeed.  Humph!