Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. — John Lubbock

Some Funny Business Goin' On

Martin usually takes an early morning walk around the farm to check on the state of everything. As he headed out the other morning, he found cow plops on the road to the machine shop.

"Why are these here? The cows are in the pasture by my house," he mused.

Going back to the store, there were more cow pies on the front lawn, and the back lawn, and no cows in the pasture behind his house.

Martin received a text message, "The cows are over here by the cabins."

Getting some of their favorite "candy" (grain), he enticed them back to the corral.

Investigating what happened, it appeared that Luna thought she was some kind of princess and didn't like the grass in the pasture. She broke through the electric fence, and the rest of the milk cows followed her, not wanting to miss an adventure.

They made their way through Jeannie's garden, carefully stepping over the gladiolus, passing the sunflowers, and not touching the beautiful lettuces. They stopped for a drink of fresh water at the waterfall and made their way across the grass in front of the store, leaving the obvious signs of their passage.

No more night excursions for you girls. It's the corral now after the evening milking.

A more serious problem presented itself when James and Martin started baling with their new baler. There was a loud noise on a regular cycle coming from the bale chamber. This was not good.

Being purchased from a dealership, the baler was covered by warranty and a serviceman was called to help find the problem. But, he couldn't find it.

Martin did the best thing he could. He asked the Lord for wisdom. He was then shown the issue with the baler and corrected it. Thanking the Lord, he and James finished baling without any more problems.

That problem was the reason the baler was sold for such a good price, but it was easily fixed, and we have a reliable piece of equipment now.

It was put through its paces because the hay crop was exceptional after all the rain in the spring and then the hot weather. We have lots of hay.

Jeannie's garden is lush this year, too. Everything has grown quickly with the sunshine and hot days.

The broiler chicks and turkey poults are doing well. With the various adjustments to accommodations and temperature, they are thriving. The guys are thankful. Too much heat has been a problem for poultry in the past.

And the strawberries are done for another year. We had abundant production and lots of customers, so everyone was pleased. Now it's back to weeding. Anybody want to buy weeds?

With all the rain in the spring and now the hot sunny days, the garden has exploded into a sea of lush greenery.

The Romaine lettuce heads are big and beautiful. The leaf lettuce mix is gorgeous with a wonderful variety of tasty salad greens.

The kale, arugula, and curly endive add robust flavor to your summer meals.

And the herbs are outstanding in quality and flavor. Take your pick or take some of all of them:

Dill

Basil

Chives

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

Tarragon

Oregano

Top all of this with freshly harvested garlic scapes.

Enjoy the bounty!

The Harvest Haven kitchen is always a busy place, especially with making flour tortillas. They're a big hit!

Our customers were telling us that they'd given up trying to find good quality tortillas and were too busy to make their own, as are we.

So, let's mass-produce them and have some for us and everyone else. We were able to purchase a special press and dough divider to make the process easier and quicker. Now, we can make a few hundred at a time. One problem, they are so good, that they sell out quickly.

Harvest Haven Flour Tortillas are made from our fresh-milled whole grain flour, Granderized water, Harvest Haven beef tallow, and a touch of salt. They are thin, pliable, and tasty, making great wraps, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. So versatile!

We carry locally-grown organic products when they are available. One of our customers grows organic dried beans, which they provide to us regularly.

Most organic beans are sourced from China. However, we have reservations about Chinese organic standards and will not carry Chinese food products in our store, choosing to do without instead.

We're thankful to be able to get locally-produced organic beans freshly dried. We have three popular varieties: Pinto beans, Black beans, and Kidney beans.

Beans are good for you! Here are some of the reasons you should eat more of them:

- They contain both soluble and insoluble fiber to keep your digestive system running smoothly.

- The fiber and protein in beans slow the rate of absorption of the carbs, which helps keep your blood sugar steady.

- Being high in iron and a good source of B vitamins make beans a heart-healthy choice.

- Natural substances in beans can play a part in fighting cancer.

There are so many ways to enjoy beans and they are amazingly easy to cook. No excuses.

As most of you have heard, there will be little if any BC stone fruit this year. Harvests for peaches, apricots, nectarines, and plums will be down at least 90 percent. In January there were several days of frigid temperatures (-27 C) in the Okanagan that killed the active buds on the fruit trees and even some of the trees.

However, organic BC blueberries are available. These tasty little berries are low in calories and incredibly healthy, benefiting your heart, brain, and blood sugar. They are an excellent source of several vitamins, beneficial plant compounds, and antioxidants.

Enjoy them fresh, with cream and sugar, in your favorite dessert or muffin recipe, sprinkled on pancakes, or in cereal. They are super easy to freeze for a pleasant reminder of summer when fresh isn't available.

If you want more than one or two 5-lb boxes, let us know and we can order them for you.

Harvest Haven Pasture Raised Top Sirloin Steak – This boneless steak is flavorful, versatile, and juicy. Serve barbecued, pan-fried, broiled, roasted, stir-fried, or in a tasty sauce.

Harvest Haven Flour Tortillas, 6 pack – These have become very popular with our customers. And here's why. Made from our fresh-milled whole grain flour, Granderized water, Harvest Haven beef tallow, and a touch of salt, they are thin, tender, and tasty. Because they are very soft and don't break when rolled, they make great wraps, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. So versatile!

Organic Pinto Beans, 500 g – These locally grown organic dried beans are excellent, fresh, and flavorful. Most organic beans are sourced from China, but we have reservations about Chinese organic standards. We know the farmer who grows these beans, and we appreciate his products.

L'Ancetre Organic Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 325 g – A classic Canadian cheese! Made from organic unpasteurized milk and aged for a minimum of 10 months, it is gluten-free and lactose-free. This pale yellow, slightly brittle cheese has a smooth, creamy, melting texture and sometimes contains a few crystals. Its nutty flavor and fruity finish make it a delicious addition to any cheese platter and a wonderful blend with all sorts of cooked dishes.

Organic BC Blueberries – Here's to summer with all the beautiful fresh fruit! Blueberries are a must for fresh eating, incorporating into muffins, sprinkling on pancakes, blending into a smoothie, or stirring into yogurt.

Avalon Organic Sour Cream, 500 mL – With its rich texture and tangy taste, this Organic Sour Cream is perfect for chips, nachos, or a 7-layer dip. It's also great on tacos, with a baked potato, or as an ingredient in your favorite recipe.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

Firing Customers

We love our customers and will do whatever we can to see that their needs are met. But, it seems that summer brings out some of the worst customers. We've had a few experiences recently where these people crossed the line.

The following is just such an encounter.

Hello, this is Martin Van Popta, and I'm writing to you all to discuss the behaviour and attitudes of Terry and Coby Vande Griend. My wife, Jeannie, and I both attended Immanuel Christian but never had either of them as a teacher. I'm not writing this because of a negative experience in high school. I don't believe I ever spoke with either of them while attending Immanuel. I'm writing this because of our experiences with them in the past years and months.

I've been the manager of Harvest Haven, an 80-acre organic farm just outside Lethbridge for the past 10 years. Our grocery store is open to the public 5 days a week.

During that time, we've been witness to the Vande Griend's presumption, disrespect, rudeness, and contempt.

Upon opening our new grocery store, Terry felt free to wander around the building and our property and into the yard of our private residence before finally entering the grocery store through the back door.

Then a few days later, his son Jon did the same thing and I had to tell him that my yard was not free for the touring. Jon made no apology. He only said that it looked nice, so he wanted to look. I somehow doubt he'd accept that as an excuse if someone was snooping around his property. I think he bought a loaf of bread and then never returned. It was an obvious case of just being nosy and presumptuous.

We tolerated it and made no significant fuss, though we didn't enjoy it.

Then, over the years, there were several uncomfortable experiences with them.

Terry and Coby would come to the till and instead of waiting for us to clear the customer at the till, they would just start placing their groceries on the wrong side of the till creating confusion and ruining the conversations being had with the customer being dealt with. This once led to me charging them twice for the same loaf of bread. I apologized and made things right, but it was clear they delighted in finding fault and took no responsibility for creating confusion or showed any kindness or understanding that you'd expect from "good Christian folk". Those two live to make people feel inferior.

A few months ago, Terry, knowing full well that we don't celebrate Easter and Christmas, said "Happy Easter" to me just as he was leaving the building. I told him, "Terri, you know we don't celebrate those holidays". He said, "I just wanted to see what you'd say", or something to that effect. So, I answered him according to our conviction as I had done in times past, and he just ignored me like I was wasting his time and cut me off telling me that Coby was waiting in the car. Contemptuous and rude.

Tell me, how does that line up with what the Scriptures teach? What kind of godly man would wish his neighbour a Happy Easter, knowing full well that Easter is against his neighbor's conscience? Even admitting that it was just to get a reaction? Why is Terry provoking me to stumble and sin against my conscience?

And now for the finale. Terry and Coby stopped by in the last week or so to pick up two chickens.

Again, they pushed the property boundaries and parked their car around the side of our building by our service entrance, because they wanted shade for their car during their ten-minute grocery trip. It may seem a small matter, but their behaviour consistently demonstrates a total lack of boundaries and respect for their neighbor's person and property. They are the only customers we've ever had that consistently treat our property as though it's theirs.

Again, we groaned at their presumption and said nothing.

My 16-year-old daughter, Konstantijn, is just learning to run our till so I told her to take care of them while Jeannie and I finished our coffee in the back. I warned her that the Vande Griends always pay with cash and to double-check her math before giving change.

She was very careful and gave them proper change. I thought the transaction was over with until Terry came back in the building, marched right up to my daughter at the till, and said, "you overcharged me!"

Think about that. He doesn't say, "I think there might be a mistake", or "I think I may have been overcharged." Or "just so you know, your freezer price isn't the same as your till price." There are thousands of polite, considerate, helpful options. Instead, he deliberately chose to intimidate a young girl. Not that it's justifiable to treat anyone that way. How ugly is that?

If you've ever been in retail, you've met these kinds of people. It's amazing how many of them are professing Christians.

My daughter tried to get to the bottom of it and found out that Terry's issue was that the price listed on our freezer shelf was $0.30/lb lower than what he was charged on the sales receipt.

Konstantijn leaned into the back room and asked us what was going on. It was a simple mistake. We had just finished selling out of our last batch of chickens and started selling the new inventory, so the price went up in the till and the freezer but, evidently, we missed changing the whole chicken price.

So Konstantijn assured Terry that he wasn't overcharged, but that we just missed changing all the display prices.

Terry responds, "Well then, I want a refund!"

Konstantijn was so disturbed by his aggressive countenance that she thought Terry wanted to return the chickens, so she sheepishly told him that he'd have to bring the chickens back before she could give him his money back. She didn't understand that he was making this big deal over a three-dollar adjustment and wishing to keep his purchase.

Terry said, "Well, I expect to pay the price listed on the shelf!"

That's when I couldn't take it anymore, came out from the back office and confronted him.

I told him, "Terry, you are an unbelievably unpleasant human being."

To which he responded, "So, it was just a mistake then?"

I said, "Yes, Terry, it was just a mistake."

He said, "Okay, we'll just leave it at that," turned around, and left the store.

Why wasn't it that simple when Konstantijn told him? Because Terry is a predator. He lives to manipulate emotional responses out of people, feeds on their pain, and then trots off on his high horse acting like he's innocent because he keeps his cool. It's downright abusive!

Imagine, the teacher turns out to be the bully, and like all bullies, Terry is a coward. You all know it's true. I'm not the first to say it.

So, maybe some of you will think this is gossip, or the "airing of dirty laundry", but I don't care. Sure, you could blame it on us for not running a faultless farm store. But ask yourselves this! Do Christians treat people this way? Do they disregard private property and boundaries? Do they mock their neighbors' convictions? Do they mercilessly extract every possible penny from a small local business run by students who graduated from their own school and socially abuse their children?

Where is the understanding? Where is the friendship? Where is basic civility and decency? Where did the Vande Griends get the idea that the world was theirs for the abusing? Did we commit some kind of evil against them, that we can't be forgiven a minor error? Are we his alumni, or Walmart, where "the customer is always right?"

Who are they to come treat us like shit and then prance on back to church wiping the blood off their hands only moments before raising them up to "worship" Jesus Christ?

And let me be clear. I'm not even against honoring a shelf price over the till price when we make an error. I've done it before. We don't have a problem fixing our mistakes. But in this case, I couldn't tolerate it. Terry and his wife are selfish, entitled brats, and you don't get anywhere giving brats their way. There is no love of God or man in them. They worship themselves and delight in the misery and humiliation of their neighbors. They are cruel people, hiding behind their rotting visage of "Christian" posture.

I know I'm not the only one to notice how overtly offensive they are. They reek of condescension and presumed superiority. The Lord sees it and it angers Him.

I'm sending this letter to everyone associated with Immanuel Christian and any others that come to mind. Maybe y'all don't think it's your business and don't want to get involved, but this couple is marring your community's reputation and the Lord's reputation. Isn't that your business? Will any of you take responsibility for dealing with them?

Their son is a teacher now and he's made in their image. Will he defend his parent's behaviour? Will God approve if he does?

The Lord is tired of it, and we are tired of it with Him.