Pumpkin Patch

Even though Halloween has come and gone, there are still lots of pumpkins to pick, to play with, to cook with, to sit on. Along Highway 1 going north from Santa Cruz, there are a few pumpkin patches that attracted the kids from going straight home yesterday after our visit to Davenport beach.


We stopped at the smaller pumpkin patch, thinking that we didn't have the time to get too lost in all the pumpkins before lunch time. We were the only ones there, literally. There was no sign of anybody taking care of the property, or anyone else interested in the patch. Several hand written signs notified us of the honor system they have for the customers. There were some signs telling us what each of the pumpkins or squashes were called, but for many of the strange looking gourds, one could only guess what they were looking at.


There is something about big pumpkins, small pumpkins, and hay bales that kids love. Is it the color, I wonder? I must say, there is something intriguing about the deep orange of the pumpkin against the deep blue of the autumnal sky. Complimentary color schemes at work on the young minds, I guess.


Half way through our visit, Claire cried out, "Mommy, what is that?" It took me a little bit to find what she was referring to. Amidst all the hay and grass, on the ground in the middle of the field were three tiny baby mice. They were not alive, mind you, but they sure looked cute. With some reservation, I sat down next to her and started explaining to her about life and death. "They are not alive anymore, but they will be okay." I said. Of course it didn't take long for Momo to join us for the important lesson. Surprisingly, they didn't have too many why questions. There were just the "Can we take them home, Mommy?" and "Can we stay with them for a while?" As a closure to the lesson, I decided that we should dig a little hole, put the mice in there, tuck them in, and put a pretty mustard flower on top. We all said goodbye to the mice and dispersed to find some more pumpkins and squashes to take home. Phew!


Claire and Momo did return to see the fresh grave one more time. Hand in hand, of course. Then we paid for our butternut squashes and pumpkins using an envelope provided before Jim inserted it into a mystery slot. We returned home happy, but tired from the busy morning.