Pumpkin Pickin'

My favorite time of year has officially arrived.  It's impossible to feel anything short of delighted when I am surrounded by orange pumpkins, indian corn, and chrysanthemums.  I love fall.

So....when the local farmer's market offered an outreach to the community last weekend I was quick to announce that family attendance was mandatory.

The hay maze was a big hit with the Strawberry.  This face makes me so sad, and I have no idea how this picture got here, because she was LAUGHING the entire day and barreling through this maze like a scarecrow toward Oz.  My new point and shoot has a terrible delay, so I thought I was getting a picture of the big hay maze smile, but all I really got was the smile aftermath.  Phooey.

The petting zoo was the most popular attraction for our brood.  By this I mean that I myself was glued to the fence chatting it up with the owner of the animals while my kids lavished attention on her barnyard beauties.

I just love animals.  As much as I love fall and pumpkins.

Would you look at the size of this Flemish Giant?  These are typically bred for meat, but their lazy temperaments and luxurious coats make them ideal pets too.  I'd have eight if it wasn't for the very mean Buzzard.

But the show stoppers for me were the baby pot bellied pigs.  Oh.  My.

There was a "no holding" rule, but the owner scooped one up for me and let me snuggle away.  She could probably sense my passion for piglets and presumed that she would never actually get rid of me if she continued to enforce that "no holding" nonsense.

I'm not kidding you.  Sweeter than any dog.  He just curled up against me and.....snuffled.

Buzzard was afraid.  Very afraid.  He immediately went in search of an adirondack chair in the shade to avoid the whole "can we please have a potbelly pig" conversation.

I got the lady's business card, and you KNOW that a very lucky soon to be four year old will be treated to a barnyard birthday compliments of her mother.  I already made the lady promise to bring the pig.

And these chickens.  How could Buzzard look at a chicken this GORGEOUS and not be willing to let me break the city ordinance that prevents backyard chicken coops??

He has all these crazy rules about no rabbits, pigs, OR chickens.

But pumpkins he can do.  He promised the Monkey Bear she could pick out any pumpkin in the patch, so she began to audition them rather seriously.

First there was this cute little multi-colored one.

Hayden tried to persuade her to really cash in.  Go big or go home.

We wandered the pumpkin paths looking for The One meant to be.

Stopping along the way to greet critters here and there....

This one was my clear cut favorite.  But rule #1 of being a kid is never, ever, EVER pick the one your mom wants.  It's like losing the whole game.  

In the end we went with tall and skinny.  I applaud the girl with the artistic bend.  She really, really wanted a warty gourd, but it had a rotten spot on it so we had to move to plan B.  She was determined not to pick a plain, round one.  Dare to be different is Emma's take.

It was decided on the way home that the new pumpkin could NOT stay out on the front patio.  It would be wrong, wrong, wrong to leave it outside so our entry could look inviting like all the other houses on the street.

No.  This is an inside pumpkin.

I don't get to make any of the rules around here.

At least not the ones about pigs or pumpkins.

Happy Fall.