Pumpkin Patch Failures

Are you tired of me talking about how much I love Fall? Sorry. It runs deep.

Anyhow, one of my VERY favorite Fall activities is getting pumpkins. In part because of the pumpkins...in part because of the photo opportunities.

This year's pumpkin gathering, however, didn't go exactly as hoped.

Attempt number one. Vision. A hayride to pumpkin patch. Charming in concept; disappointing in execution. The day turned out to be exceptionally warm (75!) which meant the girls were in summer clothes which wasn't what I had in mind for the pictures. The second disappointment was that the pumpkins were ever-so-obviously (evidenced by the huge empty box marked pumpkins) planted in the field and were miniature (look at the disappointment on Baby R's face!)- hardly appropriate for carving. Sigh.

Attempt number two. Weather chilly enough to seem more appropriate. Pumpkins large enough to satisfy. But, pumpkin hat forgotten and only 11 minutes at the pumpkin patch on the way to take Dad to the airport.

Result? A beautiful and huge pumpkin...and exactly 11 minutes of great fun with my pumpkins.

The Applesauce Tradition

Piles of apple cores. The smell of cooking apples. The moist sweet-smelling steam of apples simmering. The sticky foodmill.

Simple things with powerful memories.

As a child, throughout my childhood, we made applesauce as a family. We all picked the apples. We all washed and cut the apples. Mom stirred the apples on the stove. Dad cranked (and cranked and cranked and cranked) the food mill. And, for months and months to come we ate the perfectly, naturally sweet and pink (from the peels) applesauce that we stored in our freezer.

Making applesauce is a tradition that I proudly carry on.

This past weekend, my eldest daughter and I set to work to turn 40 lbs of apples into deliciousness. She jumped right in. Grabbed her apron. Washed her hands. Said enthusiastically, "what's my job?"

For the next few hours we talked and took turns cutting apples, stirring the pot, and running the cooked apples through the hand cranked food mill. Half-way through the process she turned to me and said with a huge happy sigh, "I love the smell of apple steam." She's my girl, for sure.

Baby R (when do you think I should stop calling her a baby?) woke up as the first big batch was ready. I put her in her chair and handed her bowl. As if she knew what was coming, she started chanting, "Yum, yum, yum."

Suffice it to say, she liked it.

The OTHER Fair

As you know, I am a huge fan of The Common Ground Fair. A non-motorized, organic fair that celebrates Maine rural living.

But, I'm also a huge fan of tradition.

And, in my family, it is tradition to go to the Cumberland Fair (pronounced Cumberland Fay-eh).

Been doing it most of my life. My sister showed our sheep via 4H there. I've carried around dumb big stuffed animals won there. I have eaten a lot of fair food there. I do believe I developed my dislike for carnival rides there (read: vomiting was involved). Spent lots of money there. (By the way, in case you are reading this aloud, you should be pronouncing "there" as "thay-eh".)

Of course, in recent decades (I couldn't really mean decades?) my attendance has been sporadic. But, this year I decided to go. I went to the fair with my girls, my mom and her boyfriend and my niece.

I had a ball. I let my eldest eat cotton candy. We ate fair food. We checked out the fair entries (ranging from crafts to pickles to home grown veggies). I played a couple of games (and won dumb big stuffed animals that my daughter proudly carried around). I watched with a smile as the carousel twirled about with my daughter and her cousin. And, I witnessed a very intense game of whack-a-mole with my mother holding one of the mallets. I'm still in shock. Let's just say that if you are in my family and you believe in an after life (which I'm not saying I do), you really don't want to come back as a mole.

Apples and Greek Food, Oh My!

In a panic, afraid that I might somehow miss all the apples (which is funny because I usually go MUCH later than this), I insisted that my family, amidst a very hectic weekend schedule, drive to our favorite organic apple picking spot.

Although I'm not sure he was totally into the idea, my husband agreed that it would be a nice way to spend the day (it was September 11th). Step out of our ordinary life and do something high quality with the people we love.

We almost turned around three times due to the whining going on in the back seat. I'm hungry. I'm car sick. I hate apples. Blah, blah, blah.

We kept going. Because sometimes parents just have to do that. Ignore the whining, keep going.

In the little city of Lewiston, Maine, which lots of people gripe about, but we kind of like (at least to drive through), I spotted a little sign that said, "Greek Festival Today". It was a no-brainer - a little Greek food is exactly what we needed. Though we wondered just how good a festival it could be. Did Lewiston have a big Greek community?

With some sleuthing and a map, my husband, my hero, found it. Not an easy feat. We almost turned around several times (picking up on a theme here?). Couldn't be there - a residential community. Sure enough, we landed at a hoppin' Greek festival in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It was quickly evident we'd struck gold.

Yum. We all devoured yummy, yummy Greek food - and, we even had a chat with Senator Snowe -- who apparently goes to church there.

Full and happy, we ventured on.

Rest assured, we had not missed the apples. At Ricker Hill, the organic apples were the most plentiful I'd seen. Gorgeous apples everywhere. In 12 minutes, we picked 40 lbs.

It was a fun-filled day with some unexpected adventures. In my book, that's the best kind of day.

Now, we'd better get cooking applesauce.

Gearing Up for an Supercharged Outdoor Summer

{photos via naturerocks.org}

Like many parents, I am keenly aware that school is letting out (already out in some places!) across the country.

And, frankly, I'm thrilled at the prospect of a break from making sack lunches and fighting the daily "hurry, up you are going to miss the bus" and "you can't wear that" battles. (Oh, and, of course, I'm thrilled about more time with my kid, too!)

But, I'm also aware that I'm entering a new juggling act....how to work without the regular routine of school...how to help my children have a fun and fulfilling summer...how to balance the constant begging for playdates (because, after all, it has been a year of being around kids all the time) and how to make the most of this outdoor season.

I'm pretty excited to put this relatively new online resource to use this summer. Nature Rocks is a national program that aims to inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature. The website has all kinds of tools like a "Find Nature" activity which enables you to search for a variety of natural spots by zipcode; a "Find Activities" feature which helps to figure out an activity appropriate for you (by age of children, duration of time available and location) -- and even a "Connect" feature which helps you connect with others.

For our little family, figuring out how to "be" in nature is second nature. Still, sometimes it is nice to have a little help thinking about what nature-rich activity to do -- and how to make it even more engaging for little ones.

No matter where you live, you'll find something in your area. Go to Nature Rocks and check it out. And, report back on what you did!

And, if you are looking for some related summer reading, why not check out Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods -- the inspiration for Nature Rocks.