Note: This pie party is by invitation only. Apifera Farm is treating the hospice workers affiliated with Kaiser Permanente [and their families and or guests] to a day at the farm to share pie and donkeys. Each year, Apifera selects a group or cause to honor and treat to a free pie party - all through donations and Pino's money bucket.
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
11 am -3pm
A day for invited hospice workers and their guests to get some healing farm energy [with donkeys and pie!].
What will we do at Hospice Celebration Day?
Eat pie! and hug donkeys. Picnic if you like. There will be an area to visit with the donkeys, you can tour the draught tolerant garden [Martyn Dunn is a horticulturist], visit the lavender fields [some of the field will have been harvested at that time, but it still smells nice], and see the sheep and goats. We'll have lavender items and Katherine's art cards available.
Prayer Flags will be handed out to arriving guests.
Hospice workers can write a message or prayer to a former or current client . They might choose to send a wish to other fellow hospice workers, or their families. It is just a small ritual to take a moment and debrief. Non hospice workers who arrive can write messages to hospice workers they admire. We will hang the prayer flags and release the their wishes to the winds. After the event, I'll make some kind of commemorative book for Kaiser.
Some details for people attending:
-We'll have plenty of fresh homemade pie, but feel free to bring one too if you like.
-You are welcome to bring your own picnic food too if you'd like. We'll have some areas to sit, but if you have a family you might want o bring blankets for ground cover.
-Please leave all pets at home.
-There is no smoking on our farm
-Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Please obey any signs you see around animals and fences.
-The donkeys are not afraid of wheelchairs, and we welcome them.
Why are we having a charity pie party?
The goal of all our Pino Pie Parties is to give people a respite, surrounding them with the energy of Apifera. Taking the bounties of the earth and making fresh pie for people is an act of love that we like to share. And when you eat fresh pie surrounded by donkeys, well, you'll really feel good. It's that simple.
It all started when I delivered a fresh homemade pie to a nearby farm with my little donkey Pino at my side. The reaction was pure delight, and it made everyone happy, including me and Pino, so I decided I had to share more pie, with my donkey. But since Pino and I don't have a pie pulling truck, we decided to bring the people to our pie. When we have a Pie Party for the public, we raise money for our selected charity pie events.
Why did we select hospice workers for this year's charity pie party?
For this year's charity pie party, I chose hospice workers because I admire the people that care for the dying and was fortunate to meet a wonderful hospice worker from Kaiser. She talked about the fact that hospice workers often don't have time to really grieve the loss of their clients, as they often move right on to the next dying patient. WHile we all expect and encourage the families of the deceased to take time to grieve, we might not think about the grief a hospice worker has to process. As a caretaker of many animals here at the farm, I know that it is an honor to bring them into the world, and to be with them when they die. Working with any creature that is dying is an important, meaningful act - I also know the hospice worker that was with my own father in his final month's played a vital role for my father, but also for my mother, and for me, as I was unable to be there.
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From Portland:Take I-5 South to 99W. Take 99W to Newberg, 240 to Yamhill
From Forest Grove - Take 47 to Yamhill
From Mac- Take 47 to Yamhill
Once in Yamhill, turn off of the Main Street of the town [also called 47] onto Pike RD.The sign where you turn on to Pike Rd also says Bailey's Nursery. There is a new gas station at the place you turn onto PIKE. It is a good idea to note your mileage as you turn on Pike.
Stay on Pike Rd for 5 miles-When you are Pike Rd, you'll go by Bailey's Nursery, and eventually you go through this little grove of trees and you'll see Rockyford on your left.That means you are almost to Tupper Rd. [Warning: if you miss Tupper Rd, Pike Rd becomes Turner Creek Rd].
Once on Tupper, our house is the 2nd farm on the right . You'll see mailbox with Dunns [14710], and white pasture fence, long driveway and house sits up on hill. The lavender field is in the front as you drive up and you'll see sheep. Drive to house.
