Sometimes, it’s the Simplest Things

July days in Door County are the epiphany of summer. The water is sparkling and inviting, the towns are buzzing with the sounds of seasonal visitors, and the flora and fauna are in their fullest glory. 

One sight to behold in particular is the cherry orchards. Rows upon rows of trees with their branches drooping under the weight of their ruby red fruit are waiting to be picked for pies, crumbles, and jams. 

The orchard on Wildflower Lane is no different. It’s a bit of work, but Doug and I make it fun: amidst the sweet chatter of our chickens and a perpetual chorus of field crickets and birds, we chat about the nothings of the world, giggle as we reminisce about the past, and come up with grandiose ideas for future projects.


During this year’s harvest, I recalled a story that my father once told me. It was the tale of how my grandfather had saved the day on a trip to pick Door County cherries. 

The Trip

With a car loaded with buckets waiting to be filled with cherries and a packed lunch of sandwiches and lemonade, my grandfather, my father, and my uncle set out on a day trip from their Central Wisconsin dairy farm to the orchards of Door County. 

The morning was filled with singing and happy banter as they traveled through the cow-dotted countryside, filled with soft rolling hills and lush green fields.



It was the perfect day until…the car broke down.



In the 1950s, expeditious help to fix a car was hard to come by in rural areas. But for my grandfather, there was only one solution.


Trudging through the tall grasses of a ditch, he proceeded to the edge of a fenced-in field and, with a pair of wire cutters, “borrowed” a small amount of wire from one of the posts. Once back at the disabled car, he made his fixes, and they were back on the road to their final destination.

That evening, buckets overflowing with sweet and beautiful Door County cherries, the trio, full of song and more happy banter, made their way home in a car held together with the little bit of “borrowed” wire that saved the day.

  • The Main Characters: Archie, Kenny, and Orville

    This family photo is of the Leick family. The first boy to the left is my father, Kenny. Sitting in the second chair to the left is my grandfather, Archie. My Uncle Orville is the furthest to the right.