The Hunt Begins.......

Pumpkin Hunters Come In All Sizes....... I truly miss the days that Dan and I would load up the troops (our kids) and head out in search of that special squash that would be molded and carved into a Halloween treasure. As we set out on our adventure the chatter would get heated with debates on what makes the best Halloween pumpkin....should it be tall, fat, lopsided or small and squishy. So many creative ideas were bouncing all over the place. Once we arrived to the patch the kids would scatter like leaves in a wind, each on a mission to find the perfect pumpkin that would fit the vision in their heads. Dan joined in this adventure with his own wild eyed abandonment like a woman at a half off sale at Macy's! Of course I maintained a calm of sanity as I tried to divide myself to go into three directions at the same time following the kids. A bit smarter than the average pumpkin hunter I grabbed a wagon....remembering past pumpkin hunts and knowing full well that I am a woman and not a pack horse! This one particular year I decided that the kids would all wear bright orange stocking caps so I could easily find them in the mass acreage of orange orbs. Well, I guess all the other mothers had the same idea since there seemed to be as many orange orbs moving in the field as there were on the ground! After exhausting my voice calling out names to deaf ears I picked up on the shrieks of delight that only could come from the Gracia clan and towed my wagon in that direction! Success! I saw the sparkle in their eyes and could hear the humm of the wheels turning in their wee brains as they plotted their design while staring at their prize. Once the massive orbs were loaded onto my wagon we trudged toward the exit. All three kids felt the need to adopt pumpkins that not one could lift so the back end of our car was weighted down with the magic only a trip to a pumpkin patch could yield. After waiting sometime and consuming a mountain of warm cider and applesauce donuts the four of us noticed that Dad was not among our group....of course no one thought to say anything till after the last donut was consumed!.....Okay where's Dan? After about 30 minutes of cursing and trudging through pumpkin laden fields we found him with his chosen victim....a lop-sided orange mass that if it was turned the right way almost looked like a pumpkin. Now, of course Dan envisioned a Halloween masterpiece emerging from said orange mass, so onward we went to purchase this future work of art! There truly is something to be said about these family outings....the memories last forever and can't be duplicated. The smiles and laughter is worth its weight in gold alone and I am a richer person for having had those moments with my family....Ahhh to do it again, maybe with my grandkids someday..... but I think the wagon will be for me instead of the pumpkins!