Hi Emily, thanks for the note - yes, we are in Northport. If you and your husband are ever in the area, direct message me or get ahold of me through this site - www.mytwohandsorchard.com. Happy to hear from you!
I’m so happy to have found this Substack. Am I correct in learning that you’re based in Northport? My family has been vacationing there almost every year since I was a child. The Leelanau peninsula is such a special place. And your essays from your childhood remind me of my husbands experiences with his family in the UP. Happy to be a subscriber!
Just to put things in perspective, Jeff said he still had delusions of youthfulness at 64. Meanwhile, he has been readying his garden, turning over the compost, building a new compost bin (which looks like it could hold enough compost for the remainder of our lives), tilling, etc. He has an electrified system (5 lines surrounding the perimeter) to dissuade varmints of various sizes and heights. It mostly works, unless a bear decides he sees something he wants, then all bets are off and repairs are in order. It’s humorous to watch the fawn test it with their lips while mother knowingly watches from afar. The voles and pocket gophers bring their own challenges. The greatest challenge, though is growing at altitude. With our yo-yo temps and higher altitude it seems things don’t begin to flourish until well into July.
Yet, Jeff persists. Why? I suppose because you can take the boy away from the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of his heart.
The vast majority of people have no appreciation for how hard you and Mary work. We do.
There's just something about planting, watching it grow and harvesting that never gets old. We'll take all nature can throw at us, and cheerfully start again next year. Tell Jeff Hi and thanks for the comment!
Coming from a continent that was old when the world was still young, I envy you your plentiful water and deep soils - although the deer, mice, and freezing temperatures sound less enticing.
(Your access to multiple nurseries with more than a perfunctory assortment of fruit trees also sounds like a benevolent fairytale, but I'll take your word for it that places like that do actually exist...)
This made me laugh, thanks. I have to spray again this morning as we have more rain tonight. With our plentiful rain comes plentiful pests, large and microscopic!
Meanwhile here, lack of rain brings kangaroos seeking a bite of something green - so I guess growing things anywhere has it's own specific set of challenges. :-)
Hi Emily, thanks for the note - yes, we are in Northport. If you and your husband are ever in the area, direct message me or get ahold of me through this site - www.mytwohandsorchard.com. Happy to hear from you!
I’m so happy to have found this Substack. Am I correct in learning that you’re based in Northport? My family has been vacationing there almost every year since I was a child. The Leelanau peninsula is such a special place. And your essays from your childhood remind me of my husbands experiences with his family in the UP. Happy to be a subscriber!
Loved this, Tom!
Just to put things in perspective, Jeff said he still had delusions of youthfulness at 64. Meanwhile, he has been readying his garden, turning over the compost, building a new compost bin (which looks like it could hold enough compost for the remainder of our lives), tilling, etc. He has an electrified system (5 lines surrounding the perimeter) to dissuade varmints of various sizes and heights. It mostly works, unless a bear decides he sees something he wants, then all bets are off and repairs are in order. It’s humorous to watch the fawn test it with their lips while mother knowingly watches from afar. The voles and pocket gophers bring their own challenges. The greatest challenge, though is growing at altitude. With our yo-yo temps and higher altitude it seems things don’t begin to flourish until well into July.
Yet, Jeff persists. Why? I suppose because you can take the boy away from the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of his heart.
The vast majority of people have no appreciation for how hard you and Mary work. We do.
There's just something about planting, watching it grow and harvesting that never gets old. We'll take all nature can throw at us, and cheerfully start again next year. Tell Jeff Hi and thanks for the comment!
More farm updates please!
Coming from a continent that was old when the world was still young, I envy you your plentiful water and deep soils - although the deer, mice, and freezing temperatures sound less enticing.
(Your access to multiple nurseries with more than a perfunctory assortment of fruit trees also sounds like a benevolent fairytale, but I'll take your word for it that places like that do actually exist...)
This made me laugh, thanks. I have to spray again this morning as we have more rain tonight. With our plentiful rain comes plentiful pests, large and microscopic!
Meanwhile here, lack of rain brings kangaroos seeking a bite of something green - so I guess growing things anywhere has it's own specific set of challenges. :-)