Page 12 of Love's Harvest
“I want waffles,” said Emily.
“Okay,” said Sarah.“And we’ll put fresh fruit on the side.”She liked to balance treats with something healthier.
The girls chattered as they climbed up into their seats at the kitchen table.
“I like Aaron,” said Emily matter-of-factly.
“And his dogs,” added Mia.“How many apples can we pick?”
“We’ll see,” said Sarah, popping frozen waffles into the toaster.Sundays were days for lazy breakfasts.
“We’re going to get a lot of apples today,” said Mia.
“Lots of them,” agreed Emily.
Sarah was grateful the girls were excited about their plans.Even if cooking all the apples in varying ways became a chore, picking apples was fun for all of them.She could already envision frozen apple pies, applesauce, and apple butter.
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The girls were waiting, faces pressed up against the front window when Aaron pulled his silver truck into the driveway.The girls jumped off the couch and ran to the front door waiting like excited puppies as he got out of his truck and walked toward them.
“Hi, there,” Aaron said, patting the girls on the back as they rushed forward and clutched his legs with excitement.“Are we ready for adventure?The sun is shining on us, a good sign.”
“We want apples,” said Emily.
“Lots of them,” added Mia.
Chuckling, Aaron looked at Sarah.“Their enthusiasm is contagious.”
Sarah laughed.“I’ve had to deal with it all morning.But I have the girls ready.We just need to grab a few things.I have a small cooler with water, along with some pretzels, and sunscreen, of course.”
“After we pick apples, I’ll treat you all to lunch,” said Aaron.
He and Sarah loaded their things into the truck and worked together to install the safety booster seats Sarah had taken out of her car.
Aaron was a patient man, but Sarah could see he was finally ready to take off.
They drove to a well-known orchard outside of Londonderry.It delighted Sarah that her daughters were now visiting one of her favorite places from her childhood.
The Orchard, as it was called, contained trees holding three different kinds of apples and some pear trees.At Halloween, people could come to pick out pumpkins.
Aaron pulled into a parking space, and while he got out of the car with the cooler, Sarah spread sunscreen on the girls’ faces and arms.They wore long pants and sturdy sneakers as the website suggested.Cute, pink, Red Sox baseball caps sat atop their blond heads.
Sarah whipped out her phone and snapped a few pictures just as an older couple walking by stopped.“Are they twins?They look exactly alike.So adorable.”
“Yes,” said Sarah.“Thank you.Come, girls.”
They joined Aaron inside the main building, where he handed them plastic U-pick bags that the orchard provided.
“Ready?Let’s go.I thought we’d start with the Cortland apples,” said Aaron.“That’s the closest station.Then, later, we can go to the Macoun apple station.”
“Sounds perfect,” said Sarah, satisfied he’d thought things through.
They headed out.
Sarah and Aaron walked together, pulling a wagon with their cooler while the girls skipped and ran ahead of them.
The plan for The Orchard was well thought out and carefully developed after the original site was established in the late 1700s.Even with all the added tourist attractions, The Orchard buzzed with insects and came alive with the cries of birds.
