Fall is definitely settling in around here. Or should I say Autumn has arrived?! Have you noticed that Autumn is now a shopping holiday? I can tell because stores are loaded with merchandise monogrammed just for me! It didn't used to be that way. When other kids could find mini license plates or key fobs with their names on them, mine was never there, but now I've hit the jackpot. No key fobs, but plenty of kitchen towels, baskets and useless hanging signs.
To celebrate the arrival of autumn, (yes, I know it's not capitalized, because I got it wrong on my 2nd grade spelling test for that reason), the girls and I went to a pumpkin patch. The day was very overcast, but dry and surprisingly warm, which made for a much better visit than previous years of slogging through the mud and huddling under eaves to get out of the rain. Plus the pumpkins weren't all rotten!
What if pumpkins grew on trees?
I'm afraid it's been several falls since these two grew. But Claire was delighted the other day when someone asked her if she was in college!
This is a goat, way up in the sky.
You may ask the reason, but I don't know why.
Perhaps he thinks he'll be able to fly.
I do hope he won't actually try.
Lost in the corn maze.
Beautiful fall colors.
Claire does the heavy lifting.
But now it's Hailey's turn.
Smile.
A pretty sight.
The real reason we went to the pumpkin patch was for these - cider donuts - warm, tender, and slightly crunchy with cinnamon sugar. Oh, if only I could share with you the amazing aroma! This picture doesn't do them justice at all.
Claire and I stopped at the bookstore the other day to pick up a book for her class. Do you know what my favorite part of big chain bookstores is? The entry, where they have tables with odd little books, like these two:
This is a book of funny country sayings. I bought it to use for Abigail, who is now going to spout goofy country wisdom at every opportunity. I've already tried it out. When the girls were sitting around their messy bedroom the other day, I told them, "You'll sit a long time with your mouth wide open before a roasted chicken flies in." Claire said she was about to do something but I drawled at her, "You're takin' the long way round the barn." She just stared at me, so I said, "You're lookin' at me like a calf at a new gate." I threw in another handful of quips I can't remember until I had cracked myself up enough, and then I left.
And one for the Federal side - a book all about the Irish Brigade in the Civil War!
I was in a store the other day that actually had Christmas decorations up already! When I told this to Claire, she said, "It's never too early to celebrate the birth of Jesus." I replied, "Yes, but it's a bit early for rampant commercialism and elves." What happened to the orderly progression of colors throughout the season? September should be red, yellow and blue, primary colors for Back to School. October, obviously, should stick to orange and black for Halloween. November's colors fill the cornocopia - red, orange, yellow, green, brown - anything fall-ish is fair game. Only after Thanksgiving should the red and green of Christmas be allowed. But red and green before Halloween? That's definitely cutting in line. (And by the way, I just looked up "cutting in line" to see if there is some cute term in use for it. I didn't find one, but I did discover that Wikipedia actually has a whole article on line-cutting. Haha!)
Over the weekend, we visited friends and got to ride in their army jeep, Theodore M-thirty-Seven. Apparently, it's possible to drive this thing under seven feet of water! (With your toes?)
This is a panorama shot, and I moved, which is why I look like a losing boxer or a Picasso model.
Next weekend, Paddy/Claire and I are off to our final final Civil War event of the season, where our Federal unit hangs out in a pumpkin patch waiting for unsuspecting kids to show up for an unexpected history lesson. And they need it. More than a few kids, and one or two adults, told me quite confidently that we beat the British in the Civil War! Last year it rained and hailed, but we still had a blast. This year, the forecast on Saturday is for 70 degrees and sunny. 70 degrees!
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