TREE HUGGERS and ecologists have a rule of thumb:  For every tree you cut down, you must plant 35,000 more.

Zorro couldn’t care less about that rule or any other.  But Lewis Billy was contemplating the notion while brushing his teeth last week.

“We have exactly 35,000 fruit trees ready to plant in the spring,” he mused.  “Can’t we apply that credit to one Xmas tree?”

Brilliant work, LewBill!  You eased our Yuletide guilt.  So, the gang fanned out and went hunting for the perfect evergreen.

Just a homely troupe of farmers on the slow slog of democracy.  How many votes for that tree?  How many for this one?

Partisan bickering blinded the collective to the most perfect specimen of all.  But before long a Christmas compromise was in the works.

Nobody delights in a watered-down solution so much as The Reaper.  He will have his tree, and all parties will accept vanilla.

A few sparkles raised everyone’s spirits, though Balto fretted about pine needles mussing the rug.  You know the type.

Extra lights spilled onto the tractor and a new tradition was born.  The Tall Boy is lit for the winter and says, “We’re Open.”

That’s right, the farm stand is open daily in self-serve mode.  We’ll have fresh apple cider and assorted premium apples for the next few months.

Order 4+ gallons at (607) 793-3560 for only $5 a gallon.  We even have apple sauce growing on trees—stick a spoon right into these old mushballs.

On slow news days, we like to feature the work of our friends.  Last time we reported on a fresh crop of paintings.  This week, a new book.

Ithaca author Brad Edmondson has written “the riveting story of one of the world’s most iconic mission-driven companies” with ties to Ithaca.

Ice Cream Social is available now on Amazon, and you can see Brad’s new site for supplemental material not found in the book.

Ice Cream Social makes a great gift for friends interested in sustainability and social justice in food production and business management.  Happy New Year’s Eve from all of us at The ‘Creek.