When the children were little, we lived in an area where several farms were a short drive away. There was the traditional farm tour where we petted animals and fed calves. The festivals we went to were also held on farms and had all kinds of fun things to do. We rode a cow train, slid down huge slides, played in dried corn, shot pumpkins from a cannon, made our way through corn mazes, went on hayrides, and of course chose a pumpkin or two.
As much fun as all that was, I loved apple picking. We would always go on a weekday, which all but ensured we would be one of only a few families there. After some child-lifting, tree-climbing, and limb-shaking, my favorite moment would happen as we headed home. I'd look back to see all three children holding their bags of apples while munching the one they had chosen as the best.
In the days that followed, we'd make all kinds of apple recipes, and someone was always asking if they could have an apple at snack time. For some reason, fruit that they had picked themselves was much more appealing than what I brought home from the grocery store.
As they got older and we moved to an area that didn't have many farms nearby, we started visiting farm stands and pumpkin patches, where we could choose pumpkins, gourds, and mums. For the past eight falls, I kept thinking it was the year that they would no longer be interested. I haven't brought it up yet, but as of last year, the boys were quick to say yes to the farm stand. Even at ages seventeen and twelve, they took choosing a pumpkin quite seriously.
I am not sure if they did so because they truly wanted to find the perfect pumpkin, or if it was because they knew it made me happy. Either way, I'll take it! In a few weeks, I'll be asking them again. Considering my eighteen-year-old's new job, it might be down to just the youngest. But that's okay! The fall fun will continue, nonetheless.
No comments:
Post a Comment