Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

This year rather than purchase a Christmas tree from a lot, we decided to visit a farm Haynie's Farm in Burleson since it is right down the road from my sister.


The farm is located at the end of a winding country road only minutes from town. As we approached a gas drilling site, I saw some fir trees in the distance. My immediate thought was, "please don't let this be it." Of course that was the place. We pulled in the gate and drove uphill to a large open pasture area where my sister and I, and the kids, parked. We walked across the gravel drive to the red barn where some of the pre cut trees are located. The house, far away in the corner, appears aged and one can see that the land had been used for some group of animals at one time. This place still has farm qualities from not so long ago, but is now updated to deal with today's modern annoyances which most of our culture calls progress.

We hopped on a trailer loaded with hay, pulled by an older model tractor, to check out the tree field. As we bounced along on our dusty ride on the once tree filled path, I began to notice things that saddened me so much I forgot to shoot photos of the tree field. Power lines cut a harsh geometrical pattern right through the center of the property. The huge century old trees that sacrificed their lives so we humans can live a more comfortable life with the help of nuclear power, lay dead and gray along our path. The photos I did snap are covered in dust as proof of the state of this land. There are no tree roots to keep the land from eroding so, grain by grain, it is blowing away every second of everyday.

Further down our powdered path, I got an up-close and personal view of the drilling equipment. It was massive. What was worse than the massive equipment? The land they cleared for the equipment. What was worse than the greediness of the gas drilling company taking more land than necessary? The fact that when this family purchased this land, it was full of beautiful trees and pastures. Now, only a few years later, companies have destroyed this family's land because they can. Eminent domain. There seems to be nothing we can do to stop it.
Sacrifice the few for the many.
It's called progress.
We have to have these power lines and these drills.

I don't believe any of those statements. I don't think we should sacrifice anyone. I don't believe what we are doing to our earth and the humans that inhabit it is progressive, AT ALL!
What about solar power? Does anyone ever wonder why our government promotes nuclear power while Europe provides subsidies for solar power?

I was deeply saddened, overwhelmed with grief, overcome by tears, and extremely frustrated and aggravated by what I witnessed on the tree farm Friday. If the only difference I make is to teach my children to value our world and all that is natural in it, @ least that is something.

I will support this tree farm until it no longer produces trees even though we just planted some fir trees on our east Texas property. I believe I was so emotional about this farm bc, that could just as easily have been my family. I hope I am never witness to the raping of our family property. I am debating writing to the Fort Worth Star Telegram since that is where I found this tree farm. I cannot believe I have never read about this farm before.

I hope I can make some difference.