If we had to pick a word of the summer, it'd be wholesome. The whole summer was, well, wholesome-r than we ever could have hoped. In all of the kids' activities - from baseball to golf to swimming lessons; in all our play at the farm - catching frogs, climbing dirt piles, splashing in puddles; in our precious time at home - including kickball, night games, campfires, and bike rides. It truly was wholesome.
When Dan and I sat on the back porch listening to the laughter of all the kids and watching them drink out of the hose, he first described the summer this way. Since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Repeating the word in my mind almost as much as I've said it in this blog. Each season brings change and growth for us and the farm; though this summer it felt like if we didn't go back in time, we at least froze time in this sweet and innocent phase. We are enriched, and we are exhausted!
People often ask us what we do at the tree farm in the summer. Aside from the days of selling trees and perhaps planting trees, it's the busiest time of year! It may sound strange that a Christmas tree farm is bustling with activity in June, July, and August; however, between our family, friends, neighbors, our branch manager, and our hunting experts Mike, Hunter, and Colton the summer was filled with activity. I spent much of my time shearing trees to be deserving of your living rooms. Don't worry, they still have character and many look/are totally natural. Thankfully shearing only occurs once a year. After I shape a tree I can walk away wishing it luck with an "ASANAYA" (Always Stay As Nice As You Are; could this be a spoiler for my other summer project?!).
Dan's projects at the farm might be the most obvious and award-winning. He dedicated countless hours to grinding the stumps throughout the farm. It's amazing the difference it makes! The farm appears vast and peaceful with the stumps cleared. We hope your photos out at the farm capture this beautiful change. Dan also built a pavilion we've affectionately named "The Mess Hall" where we can gather, eat, play, or store items. He even hung some of Grandpa Dan's original tools in the peaks. The area near the pavilion has some fun additions that are Meyer-boy tested and approved. We look forward to sharing this play area with customers in future years. Of course, none of this work would have been possible without our branch manager turned professional lawn mower. Jack spent more time mowing the farm than any of us, and it allowed us time to work on the trees, stumps, and other projects. He also, believe it or not, gave us the gift of rest when we didn't have to hustle out to the farm at the same pace the grass was growing. The rainy spring and summer helped everything grow! We owe a great deal to Jack for defending our saplings against the grass and weeds.
Our fall blog is already writing itself and will include more details for selling season. Looking back, it was most definitely a full summer at home and the farm. I mean, a whole summer. A wholesome whole summer.
Alright that's more than enough, you get the idea.
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