In 2012, as a newly engaged couple, we attended the Bayfield Applefest. While visiting one of the orchards during a beautiful fall day, Shawn expressed a romantic and whimsical thought that it would be fun to own an apple orchard someday. Little did we know, this harmless idea planted a seed that would come to bear fruit 8 years later.
The COVID pandemic ended up being the catalyst for us to re-evaluate what we wanted for our family’s future. The more we discerned, the more we were sure we wanted a simpler, happier, back-to-earth way of life. We wanted a place for our boys to run and roam free. And so, we started searching for some land to call our own. An apple orchard was never part of our search criteria, but whether it was divine intervention or pure luck, there IT was. One click of the mouse, and we had found our next chapter.
Here WE are!
But who are WE, you ask? We are Tom and Shawn Wisniowski.
My husband, Tom, is an engineer by degree but a country boy at heart. If there is one way to describe Tom, it is he can never sit still (unless he is watching the Packers). If he is not at his computer learning something new, you will most likely find him in the garage trying to figure out the next thing he can design or fix. He is not afraid of a challenge, and I’ve never seen him more excited to tackle this one. And until recently, I didn’t realize how good he looks on a tractor.
It was my wife, Shawn’s, whimsical thought that planted this seed. My wife is a romantic. Other than our boys and me, there is nothing she loves more than fall (not even the Packers). Although she is a small-town girl, she was a little hesitant to get this far out of town. However, the charm of the apple trees and running an apple orchard was far too appealing for her to turn away. Not only is she embracing the country life, but she is thriving. As we share all of our plans and ideas, she can’t help but smile. This is awesome because her smile is one of the reasons I fell in love with her. As a stay-at-home mom to our three little boys, she is constantly on the go, but somehow she still finds time to dream up ideas for The Happy Earth Orchard. And if you know Kenny Chesney, you know how she feels about my tractor.
It is an understatement to say we are excited about this orchard! More than anything else, it is our boys who inspire us to roll up our sleeves and make The Happy Earth Orchard a success. We want to instill many homegrown values, including hard work, responsibility, family, respect, wonder for the earth God gave us, and finding happiness in the simpler things.