The Pumpkin Patch :: 2011

Our Radio Flyer filled with out Autumnal goodies!

This weekend Hubs and I headed out on a pumpkin hunt! We learned the recipe for a delicious pumpkin and pork stew at a recent Williams-Sonoma class and I needed some pumpkin to make it! [You can look for the full report Saturday 10.29.2011!] I was also itching to take part in my favorite autumn tradition of heading to the pumpkin patch! Since moving to Southern California I have realized the east coast spoiled me in many ways. We grew up going to tree farms and cutting down our Christmas trees just like every year we went to an actual farm and picked out our pumpkins. Out here in SoCal, I have found most “pumpkin patches” are in parking lots or grocery stores (the HORROR!) so I was pleased enough when we found one off the side of the road in neither!

Hay bales with pumpkins and a curious cat to boot!

There is something about pumpkin patches: the smell, the ambiance, the chill in the air… oh, wait. It was pleasantly in the 70′s as we made our way through the pumpkins looking for the perfect ones. The smell was mostly of the hay, but they surely got the ambiance down! The even had cupcakes and caramel apples for sale, as well as cider – although there was more a need for ice than for it to be warm! The best part of autumn decorating is you can get so many wonderful things, for a pretty decent price right at your pumpkin patch!

It's like the big pumpkins had baby pumpkins!

Baby pumpkins are just about my favorite thing! They are inexpensive and can be placed all throughout your home to bring Autumn into it! We picked some out to place on our mantle to get us through the Thanksgiving season! Oh, and baby pumpkins aren’t the only great thing to be found at the patch! We also got some gourds!

Gorgeous Gourds!

I just picked up a few to put in our cornucopia, but at the price you could very easily pick up several to place in decorative bowls on a coffee table, book-case, or to use as a centerpiece on your table! We also, of course, picked out small pumpkins for our stew and the hunt began for our big boys!

There were rows and rows of pumpkins lined for you to take a look at and pick your favorite. The pumpkin has to speak to you! We looked for about a half hour before we decided on the perfect ones to bring home and make a part of our autumn decor.

Big Boy number one!

Hubs picked out this good lookin’ fella’ and we took him to our wagon! The hunt for his perfect counterpart was a little more difficult, but we finally found him:

Big Boy number two!

I assure you this is not how we would have normally dressed to head to the pumpkin patch, but we thought we were heading to a nice restaurant for their champagne brunch buffet… it was a champagne lunch (which was delicious) but an hour after we were expecting! We filled our time picking pumpkins!

With our big fella’s, our stew pumpkins and our decorations, we were ready to call it a day! We came home with quite the brood! Poor Jonesie does not like the big boys, and we had to immediately move them to the outside from inside… any tips from “scaredy cat-dog” owners? We tried introducing him to the pumpkins and everything… no dice!

Can you believe Halloween is this coming weekend? The season seems to be moving too fastly and getting away from us, even with our wonderful trip back home for some great autumn weather! Have you been to your pumpkin patch? I plan on enjoying our goodies for quite some time to come, and might pick up another little one for more stew to freeze!

When The Lights Went Out In Fallbrook!

I heard we made the 11 o’clock news in Norfolk, on the night the lights went out in Fallbrook. I was in the middle of a movie when the lights flickered and slowly faded out. I thought nothing of it other than it must have been the heat. I tried to call Hubs and was unsuccessful. Anyone who knows me knows I am a panic person. The longer he did not answer my page, the more worried I became.

Soon, word came from the gal next door that the base was locked down. Not much later CNN was reporting about a terrorist attack and with no power to verify I relied on words from a friend that helicopters were flying back to base and preparing. My husband got home from deployment, off the ship, and in the last two days his life has been at risk? WHAT? 

Still no word from Hubs.

We were just talking about how we needed to build a little Emergency Center in the house which I have begun calling “The Fallout Shelter”. We have yet to start. I was able to meet the Marines across the street and one of the wives (as there are three Marines, two are married, living across the street). One of the fellows just got off base, so obviously they weren’t locked down. *Sigh of relief!* We chatted, and I returned home. Then I just sat and waited.

I booked the dogs for Dogtopia in the event we still did not have power today, and then I sat thinking about blogging, tweeting, facebook and MFP! What in the world did we do before the internet?

My phone because usable for emergencies only, as I assume the networks were crazy busy. Hubs got home shortly after midnight from dealing with hospital stuff. I laid in the dark, in bed with a busy mind: after I drop the dogs off I would have Chick-Fil-A for breakfast (as Temecula did not lose power!). Would I head back up there for lunch? Maybe Panera so I could use wi-fi and get some blogging done! Would the two pounds of shredded cheese in the fridge go bad? I just went grocery shopping!

Late into the night, around 1 am our power was restored. The dishwasher (which was half way through when we lost power) kicked on. I felt the fan above us create a cool breeze. The sounds of home alarm systems began to blare throughout the neighborhood. We closed up shop and turned all the lights off. A calm fell over me and I fell into a peaceful sleep. I don’t think I will soon forget the night the lights were out in San Diego County, and most of Southern California, Arizona, and Tijuana!

Backyard Shenanigans with Barry {the} White {Rabbit}

This last week has been overly interesting in our backyard. Fefe (the next door neighbor’s tiny chihuahua) has been a regular over here. Saturday morning we were violently awaken with Fiona going bat sh- crazy at the patio door in our bedroom. I jumped out of bed, and there in the yard, along our back fence, was a fluffy white rabbit. Here we go again!

I know nothing about rabbits except for the fact that the young couple next door have one. We secured the dogs in the house and went to investigate. You could tell the rabbit was a pet as it came right to me and allowed me to pick it up. I couldn’t very well allow a pet rabbit to be eaten by my dogs, could I? We got our old dog kennel and Hubs brought it out to me. We placed Barry inside and put him in the garage on top of the washing machine. (because yes, our washer and dryer are in the garage)

Me and Barry {the} White {Rabbit}

We called the next door neighbors, who were gone for the day out on the lake. We brought Barry inside when we went for lunch and some shopping and when we got back, we let the dogs get used to him. HOURS had gone by and we didn’t hear from the people next door. I called the animal shelter because I was pretty sure it was theirs, but I didn’t know what to feed it or if it would drink water out of the bowl we put water in for it.

After being reassured the baby carrots I had fed it were sufficient and that yes, he would drink water from a bowl, I felt better.

It was not until after 9pm the neighbors came home and I went over to ask them about their rabbit. Sure enough, Barry was theirs and she came over to get him. Bosco has now gotten attached to Fefe and Barry and is usually sad for a few hours after they go home.

This morning, they were both in our yard. Hopefully they get that fence fixed before I have to bury a dead bunny. I don’t think the dogs like him that much!