On Sunday evening the 17th at around 530pm I was sadly in HUGE car accident. My first and (fingers crossed) hopefully my last car accident. I was driving about 55 miles an hour in my mothers white suburban when a big red truck pulled left right in front of my vehicle. I had no time to break or react and I smashed into his truck at this painful speed. For some odd reason, my airbag did not deploy so I hit my head and sternum very hard on the steering wheel and was knocked out briefly(my first concussion). The wind was knocked out of my lungs and I couldn't catch my breath for many minutes. The whole thing was absolutely terrifying and as I write this story my eyes are welling up with tears because I have never hurt so badly in my whole life. I hadn't ever had a Cat-Scan, MRI or spent any time in an Emergency Department as a patient before. I have never hurt so badly in all my 38 years and my entire skin surface from about my knees to the chest is one big purple bruise with many cuts from the glass exploding on me. I look like I have an organic full body tattoo. I am a believer and by some miracle of God, I didn't die and this blows my mind. My mother explains that this intersection has been deadly to others but I was spared. The older gentlemen who turned into me wasn't hurt badly at all and didn't need to go to the hospital. I pray that he is doing well and is recovering from this tragedy. Life is short, life is fragile and I am grateful to be alive.
One of my favorite sounds is the rhythmic pulsing of the water flowing through our irrigation pipes sharing a drink with our thirsty trees on the farm. We have over 50+ acres and we run our water for 12 hour sets changing them morning and night. Water is crucial to being a farmer and this sound is very comforting to me because it is the sound of sustainability for our trees and farm. When I was a kid, I helped to change these pipes with my older sister for one of our summer jobs. I have such fond memories changing pipes with her laughing till I would almost pee and having water fights. Growing up on a farm as a kid is absolute bliss!
Good news our amazing contractors have started work on our Cider processing area this week so we can sell unpasteurized apple cider again at our fruit stand. The above photo will be the place where we press all of our fresh pressed apple cider and start the fermentation process to make Hard Apple Cider!!!! Fresh pressed apple cider is one of my favorite things on the planet. Total Nectar from Heaven! (High pitched Scream) One day we will have a tasting room as well in the future if all this goes as planned. From our orchard into your glass! Farm to table at its finest!
Look at these tender pumpkin seedling shooting up for our Mt. View Orchards Pumpkin Patch in the Fall of 2015! Grow babies grow!!! I am so excited to have a pumpkin patch to invite you all to this fall. What could be better than bright round pumpkins, fresh picked sweet corn, fresh pressed apple cider, u-picking our apples/pears and eating our autumn cookies at our fruit stand? Absolutely Nothing!!
I adore strawberries. Berry season is always such a highlight of Summer and last weekend I was having some cabin fever from spending so much time in my bed recovery from my unexpected wreck that I talked my mother into driving me into the Willamette Valley to get some fresh picked Oregon Strawberries. I realize I may be biased as a life long Oregonian but Oregon strawberries are the sweetest around. We went in for 1 flat and came home with 9!!! If you know my mother Ruthie at all you know that bigger is better and the more the merrier! So that next day we made Strawberry freezer and cooked jam all day long. The house smelled absolutely amazing and we filled out mouths with strawberries until we could not fill them any longer. I am so grateful for berry farmers in the Willamette Valley. Strawberries are a very difficult crop to grow and at one point my grandfather had around 20 acres of strawberry fields. My mom has many memories of hoeing these fields for days in the hot summer sun. Picking strawberries for my grandfather Lew was my very first job. I am certain that I ate more strawberries than I put in my bucket at the age of 7.
A HUGE thank you to all my friends and family who have been praying for my come back and recovery. I am feeling like my body is healing slowly but surely. I am hopeful for my body to heal all the way(body, mind and spirit). I am a mere mortal this wreck has me hugging everyone a bit tighter and compelling me to share how much I love and appreciate my people every time that I see them. I know that we all die one day but I am indeed thankful that I didn't and I get to be a farmer here another year. I am grateful to be alive and well and farming here at Mt. View Orchards. xoxox your very purple but grateful farmer.