Saladino Pilastre and the wheat

I confess that my choice may not make a lot of sense,  but I am running on little sleep.  My oldest dog, Wally, has been sick lately and I was up most of the night just keeping an eye on her.  Thankfully, she is doing better today, but still not her usual spunky self.  

I have been spending some time studying the photos of Ansel Adams.  Everyone knows about his amazing images of Yosemite - and that is where I first became acquainted with him as a young girl.  Our family would spend 2-3 weeks each summer camping in Yosemite Valley, and I hiked and climbed and rafted and sat in awe of the wonders of nature.  I would save up my few pennies every year so that I could buy a card with a photo made by Ansel Adams. 

My mother is an artist.  So for most of my years growing up, my mother did not think that photography was art (which she no longer believes, thankfully).  When I would show her the cards I bought, she would scold me for wasting money.  She didn't share my enthusiasm for the difference between a cheap postcard and Adam's photographic genius.  Perhaps I didn't really understand that well either.  But there was something that always captivated me by his work.  

One of the things I have been reading about is the Zone System (google it if interested) that he and Fred Archer developed during their instruction.  I am still not knowledgeable enough about the technical aspects of photography to really understand it.  

My question to all of your amazing photographers is, do you use the Zone System?  Or has it evolved into something else?  Is it worth studying more and trying to implement?  I realize that it was developed for film photography, but is it applicable to digital?