An Oregon October

Every once in awhile I forget why Oregon has such a vice grip over my soul. Usually on days when the cold and drizzle and cabin fever have set in, because I have fair-weather fan tendencies of discontentment, (currently applying to my Fantasy Football team as well), and the complaining begins. 

Note to self: When the complaining begins, read this. And the Bible. That's probably a better choice. 

Ok, picture it. The summer heat wave is fading and that inevitable bitingly crisp air rolls through. For a moment it's panic mode. Not the "it's snowing!" level of panic mode on the Oregonian scale, but close. We light candles. Make soup. Dig out the wools socks and beep up the thermostat arrow. Up up up. 

And it's ok. This is what happens. The army boot/legging/chambray combo is always a good choice, especially in Portland. Plus, Trader Joes begins stockpiling pumpkin flavored everything on all the shelves.  From October-December I'm habitually flipping pumpkin spice pancakes on the stove at least twice a week in a programed consumerism daze.  

Then one morning, instead of a dim 8am light alarm through the bedroom window it's full on sun power beams. 2pm light at 8am. Enough to take the edge off the lack of coffee in the house. Almost. 

Feels like Summer and looks like Fall. 

There's fire-colored leaves scattering our walk into town for that "almost not needed, but who are we kidding as parents of a two year old, we totally need"  caffeine 

and even a couple minutes to splash tiny toes in the freeeeeeezing river. 

We just might never leave. 

...

P.S. Do you Love where you Live? 

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

Bauman Farms

   Like most of the general public, (general public=on Instagram or in Oregon), we went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend. Not just any pumpkin patch though. THE patch of all patches, (p of all p's=Bauman Farms), basically: Oregon Disneyland.

   Want to know how distractingly fun Oregon Disneyland (Bauman Farms) was?
   We didn't even buy a pumpkin. 
(Unsolved mystery: Does the patch of all patches have the pumpkin of all pumpkins?)

   The baby farm animals, apple tasting, apple cider donuts, apple cider, apple slingshot, apple cannon, did I mention APPLES, bug train, swings, tractors, mazes, and slides, pleasantly distracted us all morning long. (Grabbed a $.48 pumpkin at the grocery store afterwards, because, I'm a consumer who can't let it be October without an orange squash rotting in my house).

   All of us were hot, sticky, sugar glazed, and tired as we made our way back to the car. Just in time to see an enormous crane hoist up two gigantic pumpkins, release to the crowd's 3-2-1 countdown, and smash down through the roof of a beat-up van target.

   Three days later, and the Bean is still talking about it.
"The crane! The pumpkin! And the car! Ka-boooooom!"

   (If he needs therapy later in life for an irrational fear of either cranes, pumpkins, or cars, we know why)

Happy October Traditions! 'Merica!

xoxo

{Bon Bon}