BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN...

Yesterday, the Captain and I had an old-fashioned,

 relaxing,

 just plain fun,

 day.

We went to the Bishop Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. 

 It's about one hour away from us, and their 42nd fall season, but we've never been there before. 

 We went on a Monday, on purpose, to miss the weekend crowds and that worked out very well.

  The parking was free, the admission was free, the food and rides were very reasonably priced, and the pumpkins were sold according to their size 

so you could spend very little on a nice size pumpkin.

The farm planted 90 acres of pumpkins this year. 

 They have a huge selection in all shapes and sizes,

 ranging from 1/2 pound to 200 pounds,

 along with fifty varieties of gourds and winter squash.

Some of the attractions featured at the farm are:

A scaled down railroad that travels all around the property...

Pony rides for the kids...

A corn maze and sunflower field..

Porko Arena where you can see a pig race..

An apple orchard where birthday parties can be held...

A zip line...

Numerous antique trucks and tractors dot the farmscape...

A puppet theatre, barns and outbuildings

 where the kids can climb on haybales and pretend they are farmers...

...and they supply 'equal opportunity' restrooms where all are welcome.

The Weeland Farm Animal Display.

As advertised, "the animals have taken over this town 

and they have elected a mayor".

I think it's safe to say 

 this must be

 the Honorable Mayor Guy.

They have quite a few small animals in Weeland

 but the goats are the most entertaining.

This little guy carried this ice cream cone around for quite awhile...

...until finally a bigger 'kid' took it away.

OMG!! Thank heavens we human mamas don't have to go through this:

What doesn't show in the photo
 is that this baby takes his head and butts his mama every time he latches on.
  At one point he actually lifted her back feet off the ground! 
 The whole while she just contentedly stands there 
and takes it!

This is Abilene, a Texas Longhorn.
  They say she is gentle and likes to be scratched behind the ears! 
 You are a beauty, Abilene,
 but I think I'll pass!

Now for the real reason we went to the Farm and where this post got it's title...

Do you remember my post two years ago, at Christmas (here)
 where I talked about my first job as a teen-ager back in 1957? 
 I was an elf at Santa's Village and that is where this carousel began its life. 
 I must have spent many hours riding these same horses back then.

After Santa's Village closed in 1979, the carousel sat neglected on the grounds until 1985.
  It was then purchased by the Balboa Fun Zone of Newport Beach,  CA. 
 It was restored and took its place there in 1986. 
 It remained in operation until 2011 when the property lease was not renewed.
  It was then disassembled in September of 2011 and stored in a barn near Lake Elsinore.
  Financing fell through to keep the carousel in Orange County and, 
now, two years later,
 the Bishop Pumpkin Farm rescued the carousel and re-constructed it on their property.

So, here is the old gal 
back in the saddle
 along with her sidekick.

  It was really a treat to hear that unforgettable merry-go-round music again and a very pleasant surprise to remember the bell that rings every time the carousel starts up.
  But, I do have to add: 
 The horses seem a lot taller
 and a person has to lift their leg a lot higher,
 than they did
 57 years ago!

It was a great day and such fun to watch all the families enjoying their time there with their children.
  We did a lot of people watching while we enjoyed our 
hot dogs and ice cream cones...

...and like all great days it included a little shopping in the gift shop.

I added this colorful picture on a burlap canvas, 
and a couple of small pumpkins,
 to tuck into the harvest display,
 into my shopping cart. 

This beautiful Porcelain Doll pink pumpkin was part of the bounty too
 and $1.25 from the sale was donated to local and national breast cancer charities.
  Doesn't she have a wonderful shape?

Shhhh...Tami is getting this one.

And last, 
but not least,
this sweet little Boy Boo 
came home with me too.


...Judy...

Doesn't he have the most amazing eyes?


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SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES...

We have found a little out of the way eatery that has very good hamburgers, among other things.  

Since the two of us, in our opinion, are hamburger authorities, we frequent it quite a bit.

It is located just outside of town

 on a beautiful, scenic country road.

The land is owned and worked by a longtime, local family. 

 It consists of acres of peach, pear and apple trees and garden plots full of vegetables and other fruits. 

 They are well known for their delicious, homemade peach and apple pies.

You have your choice of seating inside

 in the quaint knotty pine dining room with its green and white checked curtains and a cozy corner fireplace

 or outside, on the wood deck overlooking the apple orchard.  

There are also picnic tables on the lawn under the walnut trees.

However, on our last visit, there were no takers for the pretty outside locations.

  The smoke from the fires going on around this area was getting a little heavier with each passing day. 

 On Tuesday, the Air Quality Index reached well over 500 - at the high end of the hazardous range. 

 Schools were closed and respirator masks were distributed to city workers on outdoor crews.

This is the picture I showed you in my post from last week...

...this is what the same view from our front porch looks like today.

  You can see that the trees in the background are not visible at all.

This was the view we saw

 as we were on the way 

for the Captain to walk the dogs at the shelter.

This was the view from my office car window.

Actually, we are blessed to have only smoke.

  Our neighbors have lost so much more. 
 Not only is the land they love changed for years to come,
 but for many, their homes and belongings that they worked so hard to acquire
 are gone
 and can never be replaced.

To think that a human being
 could be so callous and unfeeling
 to set something like this in motion
 is just unfathomable.

After spending a few days with this smoke and feeling the consequences of breathing it,
 we know that the men and women who are fighting on the front lines,
 risking their lives every day,
 trying to keep us safe from this devastation,
 are truly our heroes
 and we owe them so much.

...Judy...

Strangely enough, these clouds were so beautiful. 
 They looked like someone had piled up a bunch of snowballs.
 In reality, they are called a pyrocumulus cloud, or fire cloud. 
 They are similar to the classic cauliflower - topped cumulus clouds,
 but the heat that forces the updraft, which leads to cooling and condensation of water vapor
 comes from fires or volcanic activity, instead of sun-warmed ground.

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FINALLY...FALL..

"Come said the wind to

the leaves one day,

Come o're the meadows

and we will play.

Put on your dresses

Scarlet and gold,

for summer is gone

and the days grow cold."

A Children's Song of the 1880's

It's finally here...

...the year has turned another corner...

...and Autumn is leaving her calling card...

...a bouquet of autumn colors especially for you.

Happy Fall to All..

...Judy...

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AN UNEVENTFUL WEEK...

Jake at 10 months of age

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself,

 than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

Henry David Thoreau

I  picked up a couple of velvet pumpkins

cushions

 in case you change your mind.

A few small projects accomplished...

I made a wreath to welcome Autumn

 when it truly arrives...

...and whipped up a little something

 for the well dressed witch.

Before                                                                   After

Repainted this chest with Shabby Paints

 and finally figured out 

how to get it white!

This little piece was a robin's egg blue

 (sorry, I forgot to get a 'before' picture).

  You can still see some of that color peeking through. 

 I tried to come up with something fun and masculine, so decided on this scheme. 

 This is intended for the Captain's library, and he likes it,

 so that is the important outcome.

(The bottom drawer is actually dark green and shows up true but in photo blends in with the black body.)

Picked up this pretty fern at Home Depot...

and that concludes an uneventful week.

I am actually so thankful for this uneventful week around here

 as a neighboring county has another raging fire going on

 and homes and property are being lost. 

 We have lots of smoke but nothing worse.

  I'll take uneventful over that any day.

Remember Lucy,

 one of the little cats that adopted us,

 and the one that had many!! male suitors?...

...well, no surprise, she ended up pregnant.

  Since she is technically a stray, the animal shelter put her into foster care

 until the kittens were born 

and then had her spayed..

 and would have put the babies up for adoption except...

...unfortunately,

 all three of them were stillborn.

  The experts seem to think she might not have even been 6 months old herself

 and just too young

 for it to go well.

We brought her back home and so far she seems pretty contented here...

I hope she stays.  She is already earning her keep here.

 She caught a mole yesterday

 that has been outsmarting the Captain for quite some time.  

She certainly has not had

 an uneventful time.

...Judy...

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