Making Memories

Maybe it's all about making memories.  Today was a day for that.  After a delicious brunch with friends of Paul and Paula, we all went out to the Peacock Road Family Farm, 20 minutes away, to cut this year's Christmas Tree.  The drive took us out into the countryside, twisting and turning past fields and farms, until we ended on Peacock Road, a wet dirt road.  Turning into the farm, we saw that we weren't the only people who had this idea.  The big parking lot was full!  Not to worry, the Farm was very well organized to handle the crowds.  As one fellow said to me, "Of course, it's crowded, it's a Sunday and 40 degrees.  It won't be this warm again before Christmas."  We got into a big wagon pulled by a tractor and rode out into their fields of Christmas trees.  The trees of all different sizes were tagged, $10 a foot, so a 6 foot tree was $60.  The tractor came to a stop and we got off, picked up a saw and began the search.  The girls ran ahead, excited to choose their tree.  They were very discriminating carefully considering the advantages and disadvantages of each tree.  We walked through the fields of neatly trimmed fir trees following the sound of the girls' excited voices.  Finally, near the farthest limit of the field they selected a tree.  It took much discussion to be sure this particular tree was the right one.  During the long discussion, I became intrigued by the beauty of milkweed seed pods exploding silky seeds with pure white parachutes.  I decorated a tree with the silky bits as if they were Christmas ornaments.  We all watched in awe as Paula got on her knees and began sawing at the base of the chosen tree.  We all cheered when the final cut was made!  Paul, then, picked up the tree and carried it back to the drop off station where there was a roaring fire with white plastic lawn chairs around it, inviting us to warm up as we waited for the next tractor.  Back at the headquarters, our tree was prepared for us to take home (shaken to remove the dead needles, the end sawed off, and put into netting).  We wandered off following the girls to the various activities on the farm.  We visited the "Sugar Shack" where we could buy iced sugar cookies to decorate with green and red colored sugar and freshly made donuts.  We found a shed full of seed corn for the kids to play in (rather like styrofoam, but natural); a wagon with a high platform to jump off into huge piles of hay; and a maze.  There was also a gift shop we managed to avoid.  The farm was well done and visitor friendly.  I thought about how the whole experience and what a very special activity it is.  Our granddaughters are most fortunate to have this as a tradition.  It will be a treasured memory, more so as the years go by.  It was our great pleasure to experience it with them this year.

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