It's A Boy! - 1960

It's A Boy! - 1960

I (Martin) graduated from South Haven in 1958 and brother Charles in 1959.  Our mother June was teaching.  Albert "drove truck" and helped Grandpa Bill run the farms.  In the fall of 1959 Chuck and I were both attending MSU.  Monthly, a laundry box containing dirty white shirts would be shipped home.  Mom would wash, starch, iron and ship them back because sweaters over white shirts were what we wore on campus.  One of those boxes contained a 7 page letter.  On page 7 Mom said, "guess what, you are going to have a new brother or sister".

The birth occurred on January 4, 1960.  If Allan Wade Overhiser had not joined the family the fruit farm may not have passed to a 5th generation.  When June returned to teaching, Albert's sister Doris Adkin cared for Allan.  In 1998 that same Aunt Doris helped care for Allan and Kim's quadruplets.  For us older brothers, Allan was like a nephew.  Many of Allan's first cousins were older.  Scott Evans, Judy Brown, Jeff and Ed Overhiser and the Peet girls- Nan and Pam were closer to his age.

Preschool days for the future farmer were filled with farm life, included always having a dog and cats.  As he got older his play things included tractors, ponies and snowmobiles.  At age 12, during the month of July, he was a full time member of Albert's tart cherry shaking crew.    Allan's 8 nieces and nephews joined the family between 1963 and 1971 (Martin and Chuck's children).  They recall Allan being a very easy going young uncle who did not get annoyed when his spaces were invaded or his toys and pets mishandled.

Christmas vacation 1961 Albert, June and the three boys traveled to Kissimmee Florida to visit Grandpa and Grandma Evans.  This was the first family trip with the three boys.  Allan was almost one and talking.  Homer Evans recalled him saying "fix my bottle and put me to bed".  The second extended trip with the three "boys" would have been to the Wisconsin Dells in 1972 to see the Tommy Bartlett Water Show.  This would have included Mom, Dad, Allan, Chuck's family (6) and our family (6).  At the time, Chuck and family lived in Waukegan and we lived in Plymouth, MN.  The third and final Albert and June vacation with the "boys" would be 1989 to Las Vegas to celebrate Albert and June's 50 wedding anniversary.

Enjoy the photos of young Allan. 

At The Farm June 1, 2012

Starting in July the retail building will be open on weekends only and stocked with fruits and vegetables from the farm or neighboring farms.  The petting barn will also be housing animals.  THERE WILL BE NO U-PICK THIS SUMMER.

The April freeze destroyed all the sweet cherries, apples and pears.  A few tart cherries and peaches did survive and these will be sold at the farm as will pumpkins in the fall.  For the Casco area, the freeze was similar to the 1945 freeze but not as bad as the 1906 fall freeze that killed all the fruit trees.  Just like baseball, there is always hope that the crops will be better next year.

Adam, Alex, Kelsy and Kortny have graduated from 8th grade and will join Aaron at the Fennville High School next year.  All the kids are enjoying their sports.  Aaron will be playing summer basketball and is dunking at age 15.

April Freeze - 2012

April Freeze - 2012

It is May Day as I write.  Remember how nice it was in March?  The temperatures were more like May.  Crops were pushed ahead by 3 to 4 weeks.  The sap was running in the maple trees.  Some could see it coming.  Like the receding tide before a tsunami or the calm before the storm.  We most always have frost and freeze in April and early May.  

At the farm, Allan has only bad news to report.  His fruit had survived quite well until last Friday (April 27).  When he got up early that morning it was 24 degrees.  The leaves and buds were frozen solid.  It looks like all the fruit is gone with maybe a very few scattered exceptions.  Orchard and general farm maintenance will continue throughout the summer with or without fruit to harvest.  It is not known at this time weather the retail building and animal barn will be open this summer.

The freeze of 2012 will go down in history along with 1906 and 1945.  All the fruit trees in Michigan were killed as a result of the October 10, 1906 freeze.  The trees had not even started hardening off for winter.  Some later varieties peach trees and many apple trees still had fruit on them.  The fruit farmers who did replant new trees only did so in the most favorable locations such as along Lake Michigan.  The spring freeze of '45 was very similar to this year, warm March and then April freeze.  Allan remembers, when he was a young boy, in the late 1960s that a freeze destroyed much of the fruit.

Allan and Kim do have some crop insurance which will help out financially.  Farm workers and farmers without insurance will experience extreme hardship.  We all will keep these families in our thoughts and prayers. 

Next month we will get a detailed farm update and I will continue the family history.


The farm kids are all still involved in one of more sports (baseball, basketball, softball and soccer).