Farm: Mon-Sat 8AM-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM
Maze: Sat 10AM-10PM, Sun 1-6PM, Pumpkins are here!
Winery: Sat 12-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM
You can’t control everything, but you can do this.
Hello from the farm!
My sister and our maze designer Dave; both live in California. Both had to evacuate because the area around them was in flames. I have farm friends deluged with rain from hurricanes in the deep South. I’d love to take my wife out to dinner, but we’re all stuck. My friend Rob called it “operating with a cloud over your head.”
I walked outside this morning. It was early and cool. The sun was hidden behind some high clouds, but it was peaceful. I realized I was spending hours each day overlooking the incredible good fortune to be alive and well in crazy times like this. I was safe and free to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise.
I like Chris Wits’ Morning Devotions podcast. In it, he reminded me of an idea, “No need to worry about things you can control because you can take action. No need to worry about things you cannot control, because no action can make a difference.”
So, I cannot change the world from this little farm in Pennsylvania. Some geopolitical and health crisis items are just beyond my control. I can control every interaction with my staff and guests to encourage people and fill the world with as much positive energy as possible.
I can’t control the weather, so I might as well get ready to host people on this beautiful weekend, knowing I can’t stop a rainy day that might come in the future.
I can’t control the virus, but I can make sure we’re sanitizing, masking, distancing, offering timed tickets to limit attendance, and treating people as well as we can to keep them safe on the farm.
I can’t control the restrictions on business operations. I can open my orchards for families to get outside and enjoy the fresh, healthy country air.
I can’t afford TV commercials, but I can write to my guests and friends through email!
What has been worrying you? Is it something you can control, or is it beyond your control? You might not be able to do the things you used to do, but what new things can you do together or with your family or friends? How can you use your time to create positive energy?
The last quote I’ll share is “The universe rewards action.” This has been a guiding principle in my life.
Waiting passively for the right thing to happen, for someone else to solve your problems, for your lottery ticket to win, for circumstances to be perfect is a recipe for disappointment.
If you want to meet the right person, you have to go meet people.
If you want to build a business, you need to hustle every day.
If you want to get better, you need to start practicing the skills you need. It was 1997 when I first took a wild chance, long before ‘agritourism’ was even a word. It was a dream to build something that would matter, right here on my home farm, something that could be my way back.
Since then, it has taken millions of individual actions, decisions, and chances to get to this 2020 Fall Harvest season. The circumstances have NEVER been right!
The key is “doing what we can do, with what we have, where we are.” (That was Teddy Roosevelt, sorry bonus quote!)
So maybe you can’t do the things you thought you would do, but what can you do right now?
The farm is open with nearly unlimited space, a zillion apples, 100,000 pumpkins, eight kinds of wine, and acres of attractions for FUN.
Winter will eventually arrive. You might as well get outside and enjoy the weather this weekend!
Take action while the sun is shining. You can do this.
See you soon on the farm,
Farmer Hugh
APPLES: Get Honeycrisp in the Farm Market, JonaGold, Mutsu, Smoothee Golds, Red Chief, Jonees, Stayman, and Empire Apples u-pick this weekend.
Pick-your-own is our favorite way for our apples to find a home, and you can get the #1 varieties while supplies last in the orchards.
- Just $24/half bu, just $20 if you pick 2 or more bags.
- Remember that we’ll be selling these as pick-your-own in our one-time-use plastic 1/2 bushel picking bags so you can safely take the apples home after picking. Please, no containers from home.
Pumpkin Patch Opens this weekend!
Bring your mask for shopping indoors, riding the wagon and interacting with our staff, then enjoy mask-free picking as you can easily social distance in the gigantic pumpkin patch
Pumpkins are just $.75 per pound, but NO pumpkin costs more than $15 – no matter how big.
