The Birth of a Name: Giving Tree Family Farm

Oliver has been sick now for several weeks.  He has moments of feeling good, then the fever returns and he becomes a very different child.  Oli has been tested for everything and has been on a course of antibiotics for the past five days.  Nothing helps.  Oliver's symptoms are worse during meal times.

Flo and Harry have been invited to the table to make meals more enjoyable.

Oliver is tired of being away from his friends at school.  The only activities keeping him happy are spending time at his Grammy and Pop's house and being in our new apple orchard.  

Glenn has always dreamed of having an orchard.  My mom became friends with our retired neighbors who just happen to have an unkempt apple orchard.  My mom saw a match made in heaven and set us up.  Now we spend weekends at the orchard playing, pruning and relaxing.  Oliver and Pearl have been a big help to their dad.

When not helping Glenn prune, the kids enjoy the trees.  This morning I watched Oliver swing from the branches, throw apples, and climb.  I watched pearl dig in the dirt, put tiny apples in her pockets and eat every mushy apple she could find.  I became immensely grateful for the apple trees for bringing a smile back to Oliver's face.

Then it hit me.  This reminds me of "The Giving Tree," one of the best books of all time.  We have been searching for a name for our family farm for the past couple of months.  I ran over to Glenn and said, "What about 'The Giving Tree Farm'?"  We walked to my parents' house and shared the name.  We made a collective decision to name our farm "Giving Tree Family Farm."  So there you have it; the birth of our farm name.  Now if only I could solve this fever issue!