Evening at Delp Christmas Tree Farm - St. John, Kansas
what i'm up to
Last Updated: July 11, 2026
day to day
- For the past month, I've been in Kansas, helping on the family Christmas Tree Farm. My brother is in charge, but I help when I am able. This summer, we sheared (shaped) several thousand trees using hand shears. This is an annual event.
- In addition to Christmas Trees, my brother has an orchard of about 400 peach trees and 400 apple trees -- with a few pawpaws, persimmons, pears, and blueberries for good measure. It is a lot. It's been a great year for peaches, so we did a lot of picking.
- We lost my mother-in-law this week. She was 84 years old. Saying goodbye is never an easy thing. She was always great to me and made THE BEST chocolate chip cookies!
currently reading
- And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle - Jon Meacham
- The Bullet Swallower - Elizabeth Gonzales James
recently read
- Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy
- Incident at Big Sky - Johhny France, Malcom McConnell
- Everything is Tuberculosis - John Green
recent adventures
- Kansas travels -- shearing Christmas trees, picking peaches, and swatting mosquitoes