Spring is again in the air at Lost Creek Hippies Vineyard!

We again had a lot milder Winter this year, with not much snow and warmer temps. We could easily get used to this! As usual, keeping up with pruning the apple trees, fertilizing, disease spraying, and mowing is keeping us busy. Our orchard has grown to 35 trees, 4 of which are producing apples which we donate to the Pepin Schools for a Fall community event.

Our 2 giant MacIntosh apple trees appear to be on their last legs, but they have an incredible ability to produce “water sprouts” ( vertical shoots which produce no apples), and pruning them is no small task, and reaching up to prune atop a 12 foot ladder seems higher every year! Our fenced in orchard has 34 Honeycrisp trees, 1-4 years old, and a few will produce some apples this year, so we’re excited.

We are already looking forward to our 10th Annual Fun(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 13, starting at 1 pm. This will again be a fun-filled afternoon of spirited yard games, drinks of all kinds, appetizers, and interesting conversations with so many people as nice as you! At about 5 pm we’re serving a dinner… it’s been pork stew in the past, but we’ll see what we come up with this year, followed by desserts of many types. Last year neither Trio Tipo (fantastic and mellow Latin infusion music) nor Dirk and Ben of the Loons (John Prine inspired Folk, Rock, and Blues) were able to make it, but we’re hopeful that they or some other group may be able to attend (Brandi Carlile or Todd Snider or Mark Knopfler ?)… all their music is so Good!

We continue to have a supply of our Altered States Apple Wine (which is aging beautifully) for each who attend to take home as our way of saying thank you for helping our human neighbors near and far in need of a hand, with your donation to one or all of our 3 charities.

We again this March made an annual Spring donation of $1000 to each or our 3 charities ( see their receipts posted in our Financial Section ) as our way of remembering and thanking all of you who labored with us on a Spring planting or a Fall harvesting of our now happily retired apple orchard… those times, as well as endless days of pruning, spraying, hedging, and netting are now a gently receding memory. It didn’t kill us, but came close! Thank you, each and everyone… our memories of those experiences together are not forgotten!

Eventually, we hope to have a Fall Harvest event, we will see. We are challenged horticulturally but our enthusiasm remains undaunted!

Most importantly, each of our three charities continue with their missions, and we our proud that you join us in being a part of their success:

• Hope Coalition: Providing advocacy for women and their children in need of help with resources to achieve safe and affordable housing, daycare, healthcare, and employment assistance, leading to a future of safety and success.
• Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Helping lower income individuals and families acquire and own quality affordable housing throughout Minnesota, thus setting them on a track for better lives, while also stabilizing and improving the quality of their communities.
• Central Asia Institute: Helping girls and women in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan thrive thru education and employment skill training, spreading their success to others in their communities, and ultimately contributing to permanent improvements in their societies. The challenges are many and difficult, but giving up is not an option for CAI, and we marvel at their successes. Click on the link to their website and read their most recent Journey of Hope… it’s inspiring!

We have this website and hold these fund raising events because we can, and we can because or society, culture, and parents created an environment where we live in safe places and were able to achieve financial success. Knowing that we can’t take it with us to the “beyond”, we are excited to be able to help make our Human Family just a bit better, and have a great time enjoying your company while doing this!

We met an organization in Key West, Florida - One Human Family – that has inspired us with a message that has appeared all over the world and inspired gatherings supporting this idea ( 1 month ago in Davenport, Iowa was latest ). Their motto has been adopted by the City of Key West in 2000, and we believe it to be true and important to reflect on:

• • Like fingers on a hand….
  • We are all different and unique.
  • We are all of equal value.
  • We are all created to work together.
  • And although we appear separate, we are linked to, and a part of, each other.

Our world today can seem suffused with strife and challenges to our core principles of justice and respect for the value of each human being. We answer this by noting that philosophers have debated these issues for 3000 plus years. These thoughts help us cope when things seem difficult:

• Two things fill my mind with ever increasing wonder and awe: the starry heavens above me, and the moral law within me. Immanuel Kant.
• This is my simple religion: There is no need for temples od complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple, and the philosophy is kindness.  The Dalai Lama.

If your Summer travels take you down to Pepin, Wisconsin / Lake Pepin area, Do Not Hesitate to stop by and chat, as we love the interruptions… just give us a call, as we’re not there every day: 763-354-0880