Mack's Apples

The girls and I (and Nana) ended up with some free time today so I gave Flannery the choice of having a crocheting lesson or going to procure pumpkins. Flannery got to choose because this was the second day in two weeks that she did her math without crying or turning surly. She had a difficult time choosing, believe it or not. In order to prompt a decision, I told her if we didn't crochet today, we would do it tomorrow. She took the bait and we all enjoyed a ride down to Londonderry, NH. Mack's Apples is a treasure. There are orchards there, along with pumpkin patches and ducks. We didn't go last year because I couldn't manage a baby carrier and a pumpkin. But this year, Ruby was able to help push the pumpkin wagon around. The way she grunted you would have thought she was doing it all herself. When the girls told her which pumpkin would be hers, she hugged it warmly, then directed me to place it in the wagon so she could pull it. The weather was a bit gloomy for pumpkin shopping, but appropriate in a late Autumn kind of way. We headed home not only with pumpkins, but with honey sticks (favorite treats for the girls), more apples, a make-your-pumpkin-a-lite-brite kit, and a whoopie pie and maple syrup candy to send Aunt Nat.

Funny that we keep the pumpkin carving tradition even though we've kicked Halloween to the curb as a family. Who doesn't love a pumpkin? The seeds, the color, the pies... We will enjoy our October 31st evading the trick or treaters in our favorite book store and Chili's with the Markerts and Aunt Robin. The girls are just as happy to get a new book as to wear a costume. My memories of Halloween are of sweat blinding me as it dripped into my eyes underneath the flammable plastic mask. I have found these New Englanders take Halloween much more seriously than Southerners. I have actually met a self-proclaimed witch since living here. The whole Salem witch trials debacle is still fresh on the psyche of the natives. I fear some of them have only read the first half of the story, not getting the point that the women weren't actually guilty... Anyway, I digress.

A nice day we had... You'll notice the halo effect on the pictures. I realized after the fact there are fingerprints on the lens.

When we got home Bruno came to visit. You'll see him the picture below. He lives across the street and Ruby is absolutely crazy about him.