Christmas Greetings

At this time of year, we send our greetings to all of special friends and family. We have had a full year. Steve retired from teaching in June,but He never really sits down and relaxes. He loves all of the projects on the farm that continue to keep him busy. Pam stays busy with farm field trips and working with Steve at Summer Camp. We enjoyed a very successful Apple picking and Pumpkin patch season. She continues caring for Emily and Helen and has recently been hired by JC Penney's
Ashley continues her creative role as a photographer,web designer and specialist at The Apple Store. She enjoys crafting and her dog Casey is her best friend. We see her often and love to share all of her special moments.
Nick has been busy this year too. His research has taken him to St.Johns, and Taiwan. He taught a Biology lab and worked as a T.A. this semester at CSUN. He is completing his Thesis and plans to graduate with his Masters in Spring 2010.M He is currently making plans for a PhD program. He should know where he is going by the time he graduates.
We pray that this season is filled with God's richest blessings. Have the Merriest Christmas....

Fall is here

We love the changes in the seasons. The weather is cooling off, the leaves are changing colors and falling. We had over 1500 pumpkin pickers this season and I think we'll have to plant more next year. I have enjoyed spending time with Emily, I spend 3 days a week as her caregiver and I feel so blessed to take care of her. Steve is enjoying his retirement, even though He has worked alot of hours for the District and get's requests from teachers to come in and "sub" for them.
We have become a part of a great home group with friends from Reality Ventura, each Wednesday evening we spend time in God's word and sharing. It has really been a blessing to both of us. This time of year is one of our favorite, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll keep you posted...

It's going to be a Great Summer!

Summer is almost here and we are getting ready for you here on The Farm. Pick your date , fill out the application , mail it in and we'll plug you in. Below are the weeks that are still open and the available spaces in each week:

July 6-10- 11 openings
July 13-17- 18 openings
July 20-24- 18 openings
July 27-31- 15 openings
August 10-14- 20 openings

An Ageless Friendship

My friend Helen and I have been friends for over 25 yrs. She was 45 yrs old when I was born, but we are the best of friends. The two of us can talk about anything and she teaches me daily about living life to the fullest. She retired from teaching 1st grade for Santa Paula Elementary 33 yrs ago and Steve was hired to take her classroom. She will tell you, He took her classroom but didn't take her place. She is a spitfire and her life history is truely amazing. She was born at home in Ada Oklahoma on the family farm. Her father was a farmer and her mother took care of the home and family. She was one of 3 girls to go to Teacher School and got her first teaching job in a one room school house. She and her husband Orville made their way to California in the 1930's. He was an accountant and they had a sweet love affiar that lasted over 65 yrs. Steve and I were with her the night before he died. She has one child, Tom and He and I share in taking care of her. We go to appointments, eat lunch out and bargain shop. I count her as one of my dearest friends...

How does your garden grow?

We revamped our garden in January and Steve built new raised raised, put wire in the bottom of each one. Then we filled them with dirt,horse manure and composting. Time to plant in April. We have tomatoes,cantaloupe,watermelon,lettuce, and Pole beans. The weather has been perfect for the young plants and it seems like they just grow right before your eyes.
We added dirt and mushroom compost to the area where we will plant our Rose Garden. We have designed a plan and the next step will be to transplant the roses we have in the back and add the new roses we have purchased. We are very excited to get started. We both love to garden and it truly is a joint effort. We plan on planting corn,pumpkins and a Sunflower forest before the end of June...

Visiting with Nick using Skype

Nick is 4000 miles away in Moorea, but we are able to visit on the computer. It is really amazing..... There is a 3 hour time difference so we usually talk to him when He is in the lab and before dinner. The weather is beautiful right now and his project is going well. He brought another piece of equipment that helps him record over 300 measurements per day. He then goes back to the lab to record the data . All of the guys on the team are having a facial hair contest. I think Nick looks like "Wolverine", They're having fun with it. Nick is learning more french and we constantly remind hm of how blessed he is to have this opportunity.

Ashley is right at home with Apple

Ashley joined the Apple team in Santa Barbara and couldn't be happier. When she talks about her job, the enthusiasm swells up in her voice and we love hearing every detail. She has met some new friends and the "Apple" company is a perfect fit for her. She will work everyday next week. We are so thrilled for her can't wait for the new store to open.