October Means Overcoming Obstacles

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There are a lot of different ways to say it. In A Mood. Cranky. Difficult. Needs A Nap (sign me up, please!). By the end of October, we are all tired. And tired people are…cranky, to pick one of those phrases. This year, with twice the normal rainfall and a serious deficit of sunshine, everyone is cranky. Customers, staff, even the bees are cranky right now.

We should have planted rice this year. There was a bumper crop of squirrels, foxes, raccoons, crows, and mice this year. Produce did not keep as well because of all the rain. The squirrels destroyed a lot of pears and pumpkins. Sudden and serious illnesses wreaked havoc among the staff, causing extra work for everyone else.  

So now it is time for the pep talks to keep us going and keep us smiling. How do we do that?

One of our core values is we take care of each other, including staff, families, customers, friends, and community. When one becomes sick, everyone steps up and covers that person’s work. When a customer became ill at the store recently, an employee drove him home and stayed with his wife until an ambulance came (and the customer has recovered, we are happy to hear). Knowing that everyone is ready to help as needed makes me very grateful for our community, and gratitude goes a long way towards getting rid of crankiness.

We know that the weather is beyond everyone’s control. So we are very excited to be starting a new greenhouse project which will increase productivity, reduce work stress, and provide fantastic produce for our customers—all without having to deal with weather extremes! Looking forward to this is a great way to move moodiness out.

And for the last day of October, the weather is moderate, the sun is shining, and there are plenty of mums to visit, so perhaps the bees will be a little less cranky. It is now only three weeks till Thanksgiving when all will be complete chaos with fresh turkeys, fresh pies, and all the trimmings. We look at all those orders and are happy that so many families are able to come together and give thanks. And we are grateful that our customers think of Highland Orchards as their source for great food to feed their families and friends.

So, we jump from 85 degrees to 55 degrees, deal with the wildlife, eat a cider donut when it rains, and we are grateful for our customers, our employees, our friends, and our families. I feel better, don’t you?

Happy and safe Halloween to all!

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