One of my former students came by a few years ago, to get some apples. I had just planted a new block of apple trees and he looked at me and said "You must be awfully optimistic to do this at your age!" I guess I am, for I am even older now and have just completed another block of peaches and apples. But this time I have some younger help - Sasha.

I've known Sasha since he was a child as his family have picked apples for the Nashville Farmers Market on Thursday for several years. They and we also work together to make apple cider. They are organic farmers in Metcalfe County. Many years they have had interns who have come to learn the organic method and they have come from all over the world! They also have come on Thursday to pick apples and press cider and Sasha and I have met people from Australia to Austria.

Since Sasha has been around apples since a child, I thought it only natural that I talk to him at the ripe old age of thirteen to see if he had interest in the apples and peaches. When I told him that I would plant him twenty-five peach trees to pick and care for, his response was "Is that all?" My answer was let's begin with thirty and see how you like it - we can always plant more. So, I actually purchased thirty peaches and fifteen apples for him. Those have been planted and with good luck should be producing in three to five years. Now let's see in three years with average of our two ages will be 43 - not too old to be optimistic!!