**Spoiler Alert** It was a bust.

I generally have pretty good fortune when it comes to procrastination working in my favor, and thought the trend may continue when I saw the forecast for this past weekend at around 50 degrees (more than unseasonably warm for Minnesota) and learned that there was a tree farm just 10 minutes or so from our cabin. You see, I needed to accomplish two things this weekend: (1) get a Christmas tree and (2) get material for this week’s (which is now today’s) “Leisure” post. I mean, what is more leisurely and photo-worthy than a family cutting down their own tree at a delightful little farm? Keep reading to see how our day progressed. (This picture below is not the tree farm, but rather a photo I took out the window as we drove away from the tree farm.)

One of my favorite things about starting the blog has been how it gets us out doing more things as a family. During the week our days are often a scramble – to get to school, work, the gym, extracurricular activities, etc. – so when the weekend rolls around we tend to stay close to home and revel in a bit of down time. And, to be honest, sometimes Trevor and I both grumble at the thought of getting out of our PJs and heading out to, say, a tree farm. Especially when the 50 degree weather was not sunny and delightful (as I had imagined it would be) but instead was accompanied by crazy dense fog, mud from the melting snow and a constant threat of rain. But I pushed and reminded him that we are always so happy that we actually put in the effort once we just get up and going. We’d see live reindeer, pick out a gorgeous Fraser fir, have a little cider, and all have a genuinely great time.

About 4 minutes into our drive the threat of drizzle turned to a reality of rain. I realized we would all be distracted from any pretty fog hanging over the tree tops by the muddy mess at our feet. Ella said she was tired. Taylor said he was hungry. I knew that the trip would infringe on her naptime, but was somewhat surprised that I had completely flaked on feeding them lunch. I found a box of Cheddar Bunnies at my feet from the drive to the cabin the night before and we were good to go. We arrived at the tree farm to find…

Not even Charlie Brown would want these trees. That isn’t a knock on the farm. It’s a knock on going to the farm on December 13th. And I imagine if we weren’t in such a hurry to avoid getting soaked, there would have been more trees further into the property.  But with the rain and the mud we changed gears and decided we would just visit the reindeer.
Not exactly what we had in mind. This poor guy has seen better days. Ella took one look and said, “Dat reindeer not soft. I don’t like him” and walked away.  That was it for our reindeer visit.
For the Christmas shot, we had the kids nestle into discarded trees against a fence. It kind of looks like they are in a forest, right? They were good sports. They mildly asked why weren’t getting a Christmas tree as we hustled to the car through the mud and the muck, but that was the extent of their confusion or frustration over the botched tree farm visit.

I, on the other hand, was a little bummed about how the day had turned out – no Leisure post to be had, and certainly worse – still no Christmas tree. I felt bad that I rushed the kids, skipped lunch, compromised Ella’s ability to take her usual whopper 4 hour nap, and took Trevor away from the football game. I started to fret about how to accomplish either of my  goals for the weekend…perhaps I could get a tree over a lunch hour this week? Perhaps it’s not too early to repurpose some summer photos for a “Reminiscing about Summer” Leisure post? I headed back into town to the grocery store after the kids were settled at the cabin and was irritated that the weather and fog not only ruined the plans for the day, but also was making the drive a bear. But then I realized how pretty it looked and serene it felt. No traffic. No kids. No pressure to get anywhere by a certain time. I stopped the car near a park at a nearby lake and took a couple of pictures with my phone. Looking back over the photos (included below) on Sunday night, I realized that was my “Leisure” for the day. Leisure doesn’t need to involve a new outfit or outing. It can be about, and certainly was this past Sunday, taking time to be alone. To be quiet. And to appreciate what is around you.
Reality Check. This entire post.

Print Friendly