Let me start by saying the "anywhere but here" fanciful daydream game you play at home during a pandemic can be life changing. Daydreams turn into Realtor.com downloads, turn into "why not" road trips and well, now we're starting a farm, distillery and blog.We purchased 34 acres in northern Michigan. This was the fourth property (and wow, does a God have a way) with which we fell in love. Three properties before, three heart breaks: financing and two PERC tests. But then it happened. It all came together and Matt and Dawn bought a big plot of land. I say it that way because once we did it and stood in the middle of it, that was really the only thought: "Wow, this is a lot of land." Hat tip to Willie Wonka: "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."Oh I want to kayak, I want to plant trees, I want to build a house and a dock and a barn and a cabin and a blind and a…Trees…hmmmm. It all starts with an idea. We want to plant trees, why not plant trees that produce food…a lot of trees equals a lot of food. We could sell food and make money. But what food trees should we grow? Did you know that Michigan is the #1 chestnut tree growing state in the United States? Neither did I. Did you know we consume a whole lot of chestnuts in the United States? Neither did I. Did you know that USDA hardiness zones are an important consideration when thinking about planning things? Neither did I.Did you know that hazelnut trees are hard to kill? Cool! Oh, you say deer and elk love hazelnuts? That is some very expensive deer and elk food. Keep researching.Sometime ago in our research phase we visited the idea of herbs (Christmas trees were in there too). I really couldn't get lavender out of my head, it kept circling back. Lavender is not trees. We talked about trees. So this morning, the first full day of spring 2021, McCormick Farmz is planning and preparing for its first Lavender planting.