Pumpkin Hunt

Support your local ..... produce stand!

We've gone to a variety of sources for our jack-o-lantern victims over the years. Sometimes we've walked in a field to choose them. Other times, we've crawled over a heap at the local supermarket.

This year, a produce shop--it's really more than just a stand-- opened up near the Haven. The grower is local, so the fruits and vegetables are going to be fresh, no doubt. So instead of driving all over to find who has good pumpkins, we kept it close. And I'm glad we did. I think the kids were glad too, because it took Alyssa less than 10 seconds to pick her pumpkin. She literally got out of the Suburban, walked 5 feet over to it, and said, "This is it! I've got mine!"

Emma found one that was just her size:

Todd was a little more selective, and not intimidated by the buffalo inflatable. (He actually picked out a second pumpkin for Emma that would be a likelier carving candidate.

And that was before he actually made it over to Pumpkin Alley.

I loved the table of assorted squashes. I'm kind of more interested in squash for it's aesthetice value as a decorating option, than its nutritional value or the actual TASTE of it. Not a big squash fan here.

Brandon gave Emma a ride while Todd checked out some of the other fresh produce available.

And thankfully, they had a wagon for those of us who buy over 100 pounds worth of pumpkins. (Mine is the WHITE one! YAY!!!)

And Darcie did the honors of transportation:

I'm happy to leave these babies intact and decorative on our shady front porch until closer to Halloween. We'll have a mad carving weekend, I'm sure!

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The thing about a blog, is that it's YOURS. And since this blog is MINE, and I can say what I want, here comes my opinion. You may not agree with me, and that's ok. But this is MY forum.




So later that morning, Darcie and I did some other shopping on our own. We stopped by the Halloween store, got grossed out by the spook alley-type displays, and I promised myself that we'd not be bringing Emma into that store. I don't need 3-year-old nightmares on my hands.


We moved on to the mall. Went to a womens' accessory kind of store, where I got totally angry with a total stranger. While we were there, a young mother brought her daughter in to have her ears pierced. The daughter looked to be about 5 years old. I assume the girl wanted her ears pierced. At least, she thought she did. When confronted with the actual experience, she had a reversal of thought! Poor kid was screaming and thrashing. (Not exactly a pleasant experience for the rest of us in the store at the time, either.)


I thought they were trying to get her to sit still for the Hole in the Second Ear. But as I made my way through the shop (closer to the piercing station), I overheard the actual conversation. The mother asked the store manager, "Can't you just re-do it if I hold her down?" (I admit, my eyes bugged out at that comment.) Since I happen to know this store manager, she told me a few minutes later that when they'd pierced the 2nd ear, the girl was squirming so much that the piercing hole was off by a fraction of an inch. And the mom wasn't satisfied with that, and wanted it re-done. After taking the child out of the store for a few minutes, the mother-with-an-attitude returned and informed the manager that she was "just going to have to leave for the day." Then she proceeded to drag the child by the arm out into the mall, obviously in a huff because the situation hadn't happened to her liking.


Let me just say for the record, that I have pierced ears. One hole, per ear. I had it done when I was 18, while gone to college. (When I went home for Christmas, my mother labeled me a Gypsy, and I wasn't even wearing hoop earrings! HA!) My two older daughters also have pierced ears. One hole, per ear. We had it done when Alys was 12, and Darcie was 10. I would have waited 2 more years for Darcie, but it ended up being Dad that took them for The Deed. And that was fine, too.


But I am not one of those people who have their baby's ears pierced "so people can tell that she's a girl". I am of the opinion that the pierce-ee should be old enough to make an informed decision for themselves as to whether or not they want a hole in their flesh. And a five-year-old is NOT old enough for that. But I got the distinct impression that the piercing was the mom's idea, not hers.


And I'm not a fan of multiple piercings, or piercings in other locations ..... like up the earlobe, noses, eyebrows, lips, tongues, belly buttons, or what have you. Call me conservative. And I'll agree with that.(And I'll leave the tattoo topic for another time!) If it's your style, I hope you like it. I also hope that it doesn't affect how you're treated in your life for the worse. I hope you don't lose a job or a job opportunity over it, because some employer has different taste than you do.


My heart went out to this little girl. And I shot nasty looks to the back of the mother's head. She wouldn't look anyone in the eye at all.


--Me