{"id":4434,"date":"2011-03-26T16:43:01","date_gmt":"2011-03-26T20:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=4434"},"modified":"2011-03-26T16:43:01","modified_gmt":"2011-03-26T20:43:01","slug":"planting-more-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/planting-more-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Planting More Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

One Thanksgiving, I accepted an invitation to have dinner with a group of relatives I didn\u2019t know very well. The host was my cousin Ray who had followed in his family\u2019s tradition of owning and operating a farm in southern Minnesota that raised corn and soybeans.<\/p>\n

Shortly after dinner was over, he came over to visit with me. Two years earlier he had turned several acres of his farm into a vineyard, a rather unusual crop in that part of the world.<\/p>\n

Of course, I was curious about how he\u2019d decided to do so. He told me he\u2019d spent a couple of years doing his homework, talking to other vineyard owners, traveling to seminars and consulting with the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n

In his second year of production, his crop outperformed all expectations. He was excited about selling his grapes to a vintner, but said he had plans to eventually produce his own wine and, perhaps, build a tasting room that would also be a place for weddings and other community events.<\/p>\n

On my drive home that day, I could stop thinking about Ray\u2019s passion. New visions, new learnings, new adventures have a way of awakening creativity and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

I made several visits to Winterhaven Vineyards<\/a> before I moved from Minnesota. Ray was always delighted to share his progress. The vineyards were beautiful and Ray seemed proud and a little surprised to see what he was bringing to life.<\/p>\n

A mere six years later, the vision that Ray shared with me on that Thanksgiving day has come to life. The winery<\/a> is buzzing with activity and has, as my sister Margaret said, breathed new life into the little town whence I come. There’s live music, a restaurant, class reunions, and other lively gatherings.<\/p>\n

Ray has created a collection of profit centers all rooted in his new passion.<\/p>\n

Last week, they were awarded the Farm Family of the Year for their county. Their California relatives were jumping for joy at the news.<\/p>\n

Watching Ray\u2019s vision come to life has been a powerful reminder that when we are going down a new path that excites us, our imagination awakens in ways that can surprise and delight us.<\/p>\n

He also reminds me that we can make money withou<\/em>t the fun, as he did all those years growing corn and soybeans.<\/p>\n

Happily, he discovered that money without the fun is only a partial payment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One Thanksgiving, I accepted an invitation to have dinner with a group of relatives I didn\u2019t know very well. The host was my cousin Ray who had followed in his family\u2019s tradition of owning and operating a farm in southern Minnesota that raised corn and soybeans. Shortly after dinner was over, he came over to…<\/p>\n

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