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The most wonderful time of the year

I love fall. I love the cooler air. The beautiful leaves. The flavors of fall. Oh, how I love thee, pumpkin. Let me count the ways: coffee, creamer, ice cream, cookies, roll, cake, pie, gobs (or bobbs, as I noticed Giant Eagle called them), seeds, soup, bread. I am surely missing some. Yesterday alone, I had pumpkin creamer in my coffee, pumpkin bobbs (I think I can get down with that), and pumpkin roll.

Fall also means the pumpkin patch. For the past four years, my mom, Jordan, and I have gone to Reeger's in Indiana County. I look forward to it every October, and I am never disappointed, though I must admit nothing has topped our first corn maze experience.

We typically start off at said corn maze, and each year Jordan becomes more and more competitive (hmm, wonder where that comes from), racing to get to the next clue/riddle. This was the muddiest year ever, but still fun.

Here she is, all business about figuring out this riddle
Nonnie and Jordan, with just one clue/riddle to go

Jordan loves, loves, loves, animals, so we have to spend at least 10 minutes in the smelly barn as she does her best animal whisperer imitation. The animals are cute. How could you not be amused by Larry, Curly, and Moe the bunnies, and Toot and Puddles the pigs? I was actually a bit disappointed that Jaspar the donkey would not look our way; he was too busy eating.

Magic and Jordan
Verna the goat (isn't she cute?)

Of course, a big reason to go to the pumpkin patch is to pick out your own pumpkin. I enjoy the hayride over to the field and critiquing at least 20 or 30 pumpkins until Jordan finds just the right one. Unfortunately, this year, the pumpkins were planted in a hilly area, and the pumpkin(s) Jordan loved rolled right down the hill and into the woods. Oh, the tears.

On the hayride
Waiting for the hayride back, with Jordan's third choice for a pumpkin

This year, in addition to the silo slide, Reeger's had a bouncy house and an inflatable obstacle course. Jordan loves those kinds of things. Admittedly, I was looking for a weight limit just in case I could race her in the obstacle course (alas, I could not find a sign). We typically end our day at the kids' area.

Nothing like sliding down a silo. Weee!
Climbing up some inflatable thing

It almost makes me sad when our visit comes to end. But then I am reminded about the two other great things about fall: football and hockey. And so far, the Steelers, Penn State, and the Pens are doing pretty well.

Ah, fall.
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