A Sincere Pumpkin Patch

Fall is my favorite season. I enjoy the foggy mornings that morph into cool, crisp, sunny afternoons, the red, yellow, and orange of the leaves as they begin to fall, and the change from shorts and tank tops to jeans and sweaters. As the days shorten, and the dusk of evening falls earlier, the bright orange orbs of a sincere pumpkin patch begin to beckon me.

We began our traditional October pumpkin patch pilgrimage when Gabe was a baby. The rules are simple:

· It’s all about the stem, long and with a curl.

· You must be able to carry your own pumpkin.

· We will probably look at every pumpkin before choosing the “best” one.

· FUN is required!

Each year our family finds a sincere farm to harvest our pumpkins from. This year we chose Brosi Orchards and Farm along with Gabe and Sarah and our friends Denise and Bethany. A few rules were broken:

· Zoe and I couldn’t choose “just one” pumpkin.

· A pumpkin came home without a stem.

We did, however, look at every pumpkin in the whole patch, and everyone carried their pumpkins to the car. Noah chose the largest, and Gabe chose a tiny pumpkin for baby Bandelman. Each of us was sure we had chosen the “best” pumpkin!

Sunny, cloudy, or drizzly it really doesn’t matter. I have to be flexible, but I still love my traditions. This year I missed having Brian and Brie with us, but walking across the damp field of pumpkins, hearing the calls and laughter of Noah and Zoe mixed with Gabe’s excitement over his tiny pumpkin and Sarah giggle because we chose so many; I couldn’t help but count my blessings!