Each year, on Labor Day, our family winery hosts an old-fashioned grape stomp in Old Town, San Diego.  It includes music by a local band, grape stomping in a 120 year old California redwood tank, grape stomping contests throughout the day, and good wine and food.  And each year, I keep the tradition of dressing as “Lucille Ball” from her famous grape stomping episode.  This is one of my favorite of all her shows, with her wide open mouth agap as she stomped the grapes next to a eurupean grape stomping woman who just didn’t see the humor in the situation.  It was a classic.  Being a tall redhead, it isn’t much of a stretch for me to pull off the physical appearance, with my dress that looks like a bavarian pretzel girl outfit.  But the most fun is playing the part of Lucy…on that day, I can BE Lucy…full of energy, making mistakes and laughing at myself, having fun with others…it is completely liberating!  I run around doing the chicken dance, jump in the tanks, conjole people in the audience to join the competitions, and give the stompers some of the best moves that I can create…there is the “sweep the floor…sweep the floor” motions, the military stomp, the spanish flemenco moves, and my personal favorite - the disco duck.   People have a great time watching, and of course, everyone has to have a picture with Lucy.  If one put all the photos together that were taken of me that day, it could definitely serve as evidence that I was just a wee bit crazy!    Everyone should be able to play Lucy (or any other wild television character) for one day a year…it was great therapy and fun!