What’s more summertime than lemonade? Not usually Christmas trees. Still, the same theme kept coming up over and over again these last few months. In sports, we made lemonade. Sometimes on the sidelines, sometimes out of conflict. When the beverage wasn't enough, the boys even ate lemons to psych themselves up! In the neighborhood, we made lemonade. Sometimes at stands, and also sometimes out of conflict. Things get stirred up in the mix of twenty kids playing! At the farm, we made lemonade. Sometimes from trees, and sometimes...
It isn’t easy to make lemonade. It takes a lot of effort to collect and squeeze something sour to create something sweet. It takes intentionality of ingredients and a willingness to work together and then share with others. There were moments when we didn’t ask for lemons. But when we stepped back, we understood even lemons take time to grow. Rather than have the fruits of our labor be negative, we were able to take them as they were. We planted during a flooded spring. It didn't seem great at the time; however, those trees are drinking it up and thriving. We came together to make the summer season sweet. Mowing and sheering trees are a full time job. It isn't glamorous. It takes one tree, one acre, one hour at a time to get the work done. The boys developed their trimming and shearing skills. Our farm hand, Porter, and branch manager stayed on top of the also thriving grass and weeds. We had all the ingredients and effort to make the summer sweet. I know we did just that. It's truly a treat to care for so many beautiful trees; we can't wait to share them!
The farm is growing structurally as well. There have been set backs, but we're grateful for the chance to further build our farm in a warm and welcoming way. If it sounds like I'm being vague, well, let's say the lemonade isn't ready yet. We still plan to serve hot chocolate as our main beverage. Not actual lemonade, but maybe you’ll appreciate something else we made.
Add comment
Comments