Pumpkin Patch

Linus: On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises from his pumpkin
  patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys to all the
  children.
 

Today we went to the pumpkin patch. Luckily the clouds separated just long enough to enjoy the festivities. When we first arrived it was nice to see that it was not too crowded, do doubt the less than desirable weather was a big help. Walking in I was immediately drawn to the pony rides. The little ponies were so wet from all the rain, yet appeared to be enjoying the attention they were receiving from little children riding them and on lookers as well. I then walked over to the corn maze, although I had no desire to enter the maze, it was a nice opportunity to take a few pictures, as well as take the moment to think about how they can possibly design this huge maze and the work that went into it. We then went over to some old tractors and admired the humor of pumpkins sitting on the tractors, no doubt just waiting for someone to take their picture. I found several areas around the barn that were inviting me to make my camera useful. After visiting the harvest market, which there was a bountiful amount of all types of squash, pumpkins, and harvest seasonings, I made my way to the petting zoo. Although I had no desire to go into the zoo, it was fun to stand by the fence and watch the children and animals mingle together. There was a very cute little goat, which wanted everyone’s full attention.  I also found a rooster and a couple chickens that decided to befriend us and follow us for a while. Over the trees and across the bridge the inevitable was awaiting me, the great pumpkin patch. As I made my way to the field full of every size and color of pumpkins, I took the opportunity to watch the kiddy train pass by. Full of smiling children and parents pretending to enjoy themselves, I was brought back to a time when my kids were little, and they enjoyed participating in such opportunities as well. We finally made it to the pumpkins, as I watched eager children pick out their prize pumpkins, I heard a lady behind me tell her kids that the rule was that if they picked a pumpkin better than hers then they had to give their pumpkin to her. Not really a fair rule if you ask me. My rule at the pumpkin patch was to always be sure to pick a pumpkin that was not too heavy for you to carry back to the car yourself, as I was not going to hall your pumpkin for you. Once I realized that I did not really want a pumpkin of my own, but more to just enjoy the festivities of the pumpkin patch, I decided to start the journey back to the car through the kids train trail, over the bridge, past the barn, stopped to see the ducks, one last look at the animals, gazed across the lawn to the harvest store one last time. I then recognized the aroma that was enticing the air. Kettle Corn! We stopped briefly to get some kettle corn, and slowly walked back to the car reflecting on all that we saw. It was a great day, and I truly enjoyed my time at the pumpkin patch today.

A Different Type of Expression

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

I have a passion for photography. Still being new to this, I will try my best to show my results. I am not all that great at it and I have an old camera, but I so enjoy taking photos of whatever I find interesting. It does not matter if it is beautiful or meaningful, small or large, living or not; photography is a great way of remembering times, expressing feelings, and showing your personality. If I could make a living of it, I certainly would. I truly believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the material that I photo may not interest everyone, but if it interests even one person, that is all that really matters to me. With such a wide range of likes and dislikes, I can not say that I have any particular style, however I truly find more beauty in nature than any other areas. Please feel free to comment or give advice to any photos of mine that you may take the time to look at.

Winnie-the-Pooh

“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

Winnie-the-Pooh, is published on this day October 14th in 1926

Winnie-The-Pooh is by far, my favorite character ever. He leads such a simple life, and keeps his true friends close to him at all times. Pooh puts much thought into the world around him, he appreciates the small things and although he has become quite famous, he remains quite humble. As far back as I can remember, I always had Pooh Bear by my side as a child. If it were socially acceptable, I would still have Pooh by my side today, along with his friends from the 100 acre woods.

Jelly Beans

“You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by the way he eats jelly beans.”

Ronald Regan

I was beginning to think that I have already started to fail at my blogging journey, as my mind has been blank for 2 days as to what I should write about. I now believe that I have been trying to hard to think of something that people would enjoy reading and not find boring. I then remembered that I am not trying to impress anyone; I simply want to put my thoughts down so I can look back at a later time and reflect. Therefore I should be writing about what I am thinking about, rather than what I feel others would want to read.

A few days ago I went to Costco with the sole purpose of purchasing a big jug of Jelly Belly's. I saw someone else with a jar, so I thought I wanted a jar too. Now that I stop and look back to that day, I realize I made a bad decision. I don't even like Jelly Beans! This jar that consists of 49 different flavors, only has 5 flavors, that I even consider semi good tasting. If I were so set on purchasing Jelly Beans, and knowing I don't like them, would it not have been better for me to simply go to the grocery store and purchase a small package of only the flavors I like?

Just a thought that has crossed my mind this evening…

A Special Friend

"Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same."

I have been blessed to have a special friend in my life. For his privacy, I will call him "Robert". I met Robert via a friend of mine. I have had the opportunity recently to get to know Robert better as he has been living next door to me. Robert was born with special needs, however due to my own feelings of awkwardness, I have never taken the time to ask his parents what exactly has caused Robert to be so special. When I first met him a couple years ago, Robert was a very shy and quiet boy around me. I took it upon myself to not allow this to keep me from approaching him; socializing with him, and making him feel welcome around me whenever he was in my presence. As time has gone by, Robert has opened up to me. He follows me around, sits and has in-depth conversations with me, tells me funny jokes, and now I consider him a good friend. As I watch Robert daily, I have learned of so many things in life that I take for granted. Robert enjoys the simplicity of life and he has no real worries. He recently celebrated his 14th birthday. While watching him open up his presents, which mostly consisted of Lego’s, his eyes lit up with excitement, and I could see the wheels in his head spinning while he was dreaming of the possibilities he could design with his new toys. With Robert living next door to me, it has been fun watching him interact with my dogs and cats. Bella follows him around all day with a Frisbee in her mouth just waiting for him to throw it for her and pet her. Bella does not care how poorly the Frisbee is thrown for her, she is just happy to have such a caring friend to play with. Mo, my cat that likes no one and prefers people stay away from him has taken such a liking to Robert. He walks up to him and rubs against his legs purring, and strangely enough he allows Robert to pick him up and hull him around the yard for hours. Mo does not even allow me to pick him up. I can't help but think that Robert is such a special boy. I believe that animals have a keen sense of whom they can trust and whom they can love. I know my pets really love the young boy who has come into their life as a stranger and became their friend. Robert moved away today. Although I will of course miss his siblings and parents in my life daily, more than anything, I will miss going out and seeing Roberts always smiling face, funny stories, and the special twinkle in his eyes that I feel only special children like him can truly create.  

New to this...

*We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.*

I will try to remember to post a few times a week for those who may be interested. I am so excited about fall. I have already been to a fall festival and enjoyed walking in the rain, people watching, and trying to imagine the reason why those who came to sell their products do so... how do they make these products, do they do this because they want to, or is this their only source of income? How do they find inspiration for their designs, and why do I not have any talents? LOL After walking around for a couple hours I did manage to pick a few unique items for Christmas gifts, though there was a lot of things I wanted, there was very few things that I really needed. Left the festival with sore feet, sore back, and a bag of kettle corn tucked safely under my arm. I think it was a good day.