Foliage

Karry and Dempsey with driver Scott Harmon
delivering the White House Christmas tree. 

Word has come down from the housepets: FarmWife and the humans have a noble fir in their living room. Neither the dogs nor I know why they have it. It's dead (though it doesn't look it—they have it propped up in water like a great big flower). It's covered in toys and lights and strings of cranberries, which would be delicious if they weren't made of painted wood. It's ten feet high.

FarmWife says she will put it in the paddock after she is done having it in the house, which struck me as strange until she reminded me that goats will eat ANYTHING. The tree is organic. FarmWife says this is one of the many advantages of living in Whatcom County—here, you can get a certified organic Christmas tree of any size and shape for a flat fee of $25. (www.mistymeadowsfarm.com)

FarmWife used to have a plastic tree, which didn't look nearly so delicious. Then, after moving to Wickersham, she came around to this perspective: trees, like vegetables, can provide a farmer's livelihood. They keep the land in agricultural use. She'd rather see families growing, cutting, selling, and replanting Christmas trees than selling to developers.

I sort of wish she had used her $25 to support her local carrot farmer.

Ears,
Fen