pumpkins.

Where we live road side farm stands, pumpkin patches, orchards and farms are everywhere. From the few rows of pumpkins outside of a rural farmhouse to the elaborate production of a farm that caters to the school buses and field trips. It's all here. We have many favorites, and will always stop at more than one spot throughout the season.



We have our favorite carving pumpkins, favorite pie pumpkins, the place with the chatty owner, the place with the friendly cats and some goats, the best hayrides, the place that always has unusual varieties of winter squash, the farm that has the best wagons. And if we can squeak in during quiet times, we visit our favorite farm maze or that spot with excellent caramel apples.



And so it goes, year after year. Boys keep getting bigger, but they still love pulling that wagon. And even if it is only a few miles from home, it is about the whole experience. What park do we have to go to nearby? Do we need a picnic, is the weather perfect? Do we have the right music for the drive? ;)



And only when the farms and road side stands all finally close up, when there are no more signs with arrows scattered along the roadsides, and all of our pie pumpkins have been puréed, does it feel truly like winter is not far behind.

good days.

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.
There are seven million.
~Walt Streightiff

corner view:: out the car window

corner view:: out the car window

I am excited to see the corner view resume for the fall! This week the theme is out the car window. I must admit that I take a lot of photos out the car window...


To visit great views from around the world visit the other corner views::

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, kathryn , lisa, liza, juliette, braja, mulot, anne

We've been waiting...

We've been waiting over six months for this. A whole day of sunshine, blue skies, and t-shirt warm weather. Today was 63º and sunny. Perfect for being OUTSIDE!!

Our friends joined us today for a farm outing - we all packed into our van and headed out to a friends farm for a visit.

The boys got to see the new little chicks and hold them. Verrrry exciting.


They threw sticks for the dogs, and visited the hen house to see if there were any fresh eggs.


We were able to see bees in a box who were getting ready to go into their new hive home. And, they tried on the bee hat/netting and gloves. Can't beat that.


The day was so full of being outside - casting practice, visiting the farm, playing at a park, blowing bubbles, working in the garden, reading books in the sunshine. Tonight, two exhausted boys climbed out of the bathtub, barely able to keep their eyes open. As he was putting on his pajamas, A sighed and said, "I wish every day was like today." Thank you, spring (and Jessie!).

1800s for a day.

Today we had another field trip - a visit to Old World Wisconsin. We have been wanting to go for awhile and this weekend was a great time to visit - it was not crowded and the weather was great.


Old World Wisconsin, as you can probably guess, is a group of period settlements representing rural and town Wisconsin during the late 1800s. Each building was carefully moved from its home in some Wisconsin town and re-constructed on site at OWW. Quite a wonder. Several settler populations from this time period are represented - German, Polish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, African American, and Yankee.


We started in town and visited the shoemaker, blacksmith, church, general store, and the inn (the boys even played croquet!) before heading out to the farms.

The boys had a blast riding the tram from village to village (the entire place is over 600 acres, so while walking is nice, the tram is wonderful). Each farm had something interesting and different - summer kitchens, baking, food preservation, weaving, farm animals, smokehouses - many manned by volunteers in period costume who chatted with us and showed us around as they went about their day. We also visited the one room schoolhouse - the boys liked the school bell. A lot.


Each farm had a large food garden and farm animals - which the boys liked a lot - cows, sheep, pigs, chickens. The chickens liked us too...


In addition to the tram there were many hiking trails connecting the villages - it is so lush and forested there - great place to hike. At the end, we visited the town hall - which had all sorts of games for kids as well as weaving, quilting and spinning.


The boys don't think rural Wisconsinites had it too bad back then - except for the tiny farm houses...but when they heard about the cold Wisconsin winters and keeping everyone warm only via the wood stove, they thought cozy made sense on the farm and having a bed in the main room was a good thing! ;)


What a great day! It is so much fun learning about history through a living museum. It makes it more real, more fun and interesting, and kids take away so much from it. We already have some questions A and G want answered, so we will re-visit some of our Laura Ingalls-Wilder books and have some fun. And I think we will go back for their Autumn Harvest in October - the leaves will be amazing by then!

I took so many pics that I'm posting some at Flickr...

Thursdays.

Thursday is our CSA pickup day. One of the things we really wanted when choosing a CSA was not only organic produce and a nearby location, but also having an on farm pickup. We used to have a wonderful CSA, but the pickup was in someones garage as the farm was pretty far away. I love the convenience, but having a farm that the kids can see and visit and experience is priceless, I think (especially when it is only 12 miles away!). I think of the things I remember from my childhood, and I hope this is one of those things lodged in the memories that make a part of who they become.

It has been pretty hot and sunny recently, so we have just been picking up our boxes, chatting with the boys favorite farm worker for a bit, and perhaps visiting the tractor or stomping in mud before getting back into the car to go home. Today was cloudy and cooler so we were able to get out and walk around.


We first walked out into a field to visit the turkeys. These guys are pastured American Bronze Heritage Turkeys. They get moved around a bit, and today they were at the far reaches of the fields. As we approached they all walked over to look at us. I think having a hundred or so turkeys staring at you en masse all fluffed up is disconcerting.


See what I mean? So I suggested that A sing them a song. He happily crooned and sang to them, and sure enough, at several key points to the song, in perfect unison, ALL of the turkeys spontaneously gabah-gabah-gabah'd along! Too fun.


From there we visited the hoop houses to see tomatoes, basil, peppers and drying onions. On the way home we stopped by a few farm stands as well to pick up some more goodies - and so the boys got to socialize a bit more before coming home. Always a good afternoon.

Tomorrow afternoon we are headed out to pickup a bushel (53#) of canning tomatoes and then to pickup our eggs. More fun - and lots of kitchen work this weekend to make sauces, salsas and other goodies with all the tomatoes. Yum!

Local foods at their best.

It is that time of year. Gardens and farms are bursting with life, and we are picking, canning, freezing, baking and cooking. The boys love all aspects of this part of our summer. The weekly drive to the farm for our CSA share pickup, the morning rituals of visiting the garden to pick and water and gaze, the stops at our favorite farm stands to get just picked sweet corn or melons. The mountains of produce in our dining room and kitchen which need to be cleaned and cut and prepped. All reminding us where our food comes from, and that we are a part of this cycle.


The table in the very top photo is from yesterday. We picked up our CSA share and visited two farms on the way home - both with awesome farm stands. The first stop was for sweet corn and apples. This farmer came out to chat with the boys and let the them walk around and pet his groundhog, donkeys and goats. Our second stop was to a beautifully organized organic farm where we picked up some amazing mushrooms, beans, onions, and flowers.. The boys looked around and climbed some rocks as we chatted a bit with the farmer there before heading home.


The table also has what we picked yesterday - TONS of cucumbers, tomatoes and beans. We have been getting at least a basket full from the garden each day. The boys love walking through and picking, taking turns holding the basket, peeking for the hidden treasures. That is the best time to bird watch too, as our feathered friends are not so worried about our presence, and swoop, drink, eat and sing to us as we walk our tiny yard.

Each time we visit a farm the boys want to stay. They know each place we visit by identifying landmarks - this barn, that sign, this stream, those trees, and know what to expect at each place. I do think it is a lot of fun, but I also imagine it weaving invisible threads from the fields and farms and garden to their minds and hearts. And while they may not want to eat all of the goodies we buy or pick, they have a sense of what it requires, where it came from, and the people and places necessary to make it all happen. And those threads, I think, are what will keep us connected to all that which sustain us!

Farm Day.

Today was chicken day at a friends farm. While there, the boys were able to run and play, visit the laying chickens and ducks (and experience their first broody hens!), see the pigs, and chat with the cows over a neighbors fence. They love it there - they can run and play and roam and breathe and see the animals and would spend all day in the hen house if they could! It was even more fun because a friend was there at the same time we were - three boys, three times the fun.


After awhile we went next door to the organic farm for a farm tour. The farm is on beautiful land surrounded by rolling hills, prairie and lots of trees. The farmer took us for a tour of the different beds and hoop houses, letting the boys pick some strawberries on their way by. We then walked up the hill to see everything from asparagus and rhubarb to tomatoes, broccoli, snap peas, beets and kohlrabi.


I am always amazed at how much food can be produced in so little space and how healthy and natural organic farms feel. I love walking through fields and down rows and smelling the earth and seeing so much life and growth. We all had a nice time being out walking around the farm and learning about the processes used there.


On the way back down, the farmer said he had a surprise for the boys, and zipped down the hill as we waited. He had turned on the well pump for the irrigation system (usually needed only a few times each season), and the boys knelt down to feel the coldness enter the pipes along the ground, and then we watched as the sprinklers slowly pressurized and began to spray. It was just starting to get really hot, so the cool mist felt great. Well, it did to the adults. The boys, funny enough, went very close to see the water, so when the lines pressurized and the water burst out, the mist covered them. You would think that a giant misty sprinkler on a hot day would be a blast, but those little guys ran at breakneck speed all the way back to us, the three year old making a face the whole way! Funny!


We all walked back to the cars, and the boys played some more as we all chatted. We picked up a huge bag of fresh herbs to go with the chicken - so much that I put some in the dehydrator tonight to dry. The whole house is filled with the smell of drying herbs. Mmmm. A great end to a nice day!

The Chickens and the Eggs.

Today we visited the farm of a friend to see the new chicks and visit the hens. The boys were in heaven - fresh air, animals, and room to roam!

A was the first to wander into the hen house and look in to discover that there were fresh eggs just sitting there ready to collect!


Once G saw them too he was soooo excited. They gathered the eggs and placed them in a bucket...


A was so excited about the fresh eggs, in fact, that he kept checking to see if the hens who were busy laying were done yet...and was so interested and excited that even the clucking of the hen that he was petting (while busily laying) didn't phase him. He said he "didn't know they needed privacy!"

Both boys were so happy - both loved stomping in the mud, seeing the new chicks, visiting the hen house, and being outside with the animals. A said he wanted to stay...forever. :) What a fun time (thanks J!).


A wants to look up the different breeds of laying hens again, so he can compare our photos to see who was what. So many beautifully feathered chickens of every color!