Monday, October 20, 2003
Small(ish) town life...
I love L.A. I really do. Though there are certain things about the city that I would love to see changed (traffic for one), I'm pretty happy there. If I wanted to leave L.A. for any reason, I'd want to move someplace like San Francisco or Chicago or maybe near New York City. I'm just a big city, coastal kind of girl. (Maybe it has something to do with growing up in the Navy.)
Still, there are things about Tucson that are sorta superior to L.A:
* The breathtaking sunset over Saguaro National Park
* The Biosphere
* Looking at the vast starfield at night without the interference of city lights
* Going to "pick-'em-yourself" farms
A few years ago this really-big-city girl was taken to such a farm by BestFriend and BFHubby (this was before BFDaughter was born). Aside from a small garden I once had where I did pick my own tomatoes and herbs, I'd never really picked my own veggies or fruit for eating. Even though it was hot and dusty and hard work, it was also a lot of fun. And, for the first time ever, I was very close to a cow that was running free. It actually scared me a little. That big an animal, just an orchard row away? Holy criminy! Still, I had a great time.
As I did today. BFHubby asked me today when was the last time I'd been pumpkin picking. I replied that, growing up, pumpkin picking entailed driving to the supermarket and picking out a pumpkin.
"The supermarket or a roadside stand or...?" he asked.
"Nope," I replied, "just the supemarket." His eyes practically bugged out in disbelief. He assured me that I would have fun today. He was right.
We took the scenic route to the pumpkin patch, through the Saguaro National Park, about a forty minute drive. The four of us were joined by one of their friends and her two sons, the oldest of which is a good friend of BFDaughter (he's also three). We hopped on a horse drawn cart, were taken to a part of the huge pumpkin patch, and let loose to find our pumpkins. We found some wonderful ones and, as everyone gathered to wait for the cart, I stopped to stare at a huge grasshopper that had hopped in my path. Or maybe it was a cricket. All I knew was that it was a dull green with interesting black markings on its legs. It was absolutely fascinating to me. And these crickets/grasshoppers were everywhere. No matter which way I turned my head I saw one of those things hopping here and there. BestFriend and BFHubby hypothesized that it was probably due to the heat. I think it was about ninety degrees here today.
(In mid-October. Yes, I know. But it's the desert, what do you expect?)
After riding the horse-drawn cart back and paying for the pumpkins, the kids rode tractors and ponies. It's always so much fun seeing the world through a child's eyes. I try to keep a certain amount of wonder about the world, but it's so easy to lose it with living in the high-speed world of day-to-day life. Watching BFDaughter so excited about the horses and the ponies and the pumpkins was such a delight.
After all that their friends went home and we went back to BFHouse, had a little lunch and, as BFHubby went off to work, BestFriend and I talked a little, tried to get BFDaughter down for her nap - no dice - played TV Trivial Pursuit (I won - came close to trouncing BestFriend with my supremely trivial mind but she came from behind to make it close) and carved the pumpkin that I picked with the help of BFDaughter. We've got a lovely cat pumpkin.
Now everyone else is in bed again, fast asleep and getting ready for the work and school day ahead and by 7pm today I'll be back in my apartment, wondering where the weekend went.
I'll be glad to be back home, giving my kitties scratches behind the ears and apologizing profusely for being away (my dear friend ModelGirl is checking on them everyday while I'm away, so they're not devoid of human companionship).
Still, much as I love my hometown, it would have been nice to be away for a few more days.
I think I'll be back sooner than another ten months. I miss these wonderful people already.
Still, there are things about Tucson that are sorta superior to L.A:
* The breathtaking sunset over Saguaro National Park
* The Biosphere
* Looking at the vast starfield at night without the interference of city lights
* Going to "pick-'em-yourself" farms
A few years ago this really-big-city girl was taken to such a farm by BestFriend and BFHubby (this was before BFDaughter was born). Aside from a small garden I once had where I did pick my own tomatoes and herbs, I'd never really picked my own veggies or fruit for eating. Even though it was hot and dusty and hard work, it was also a lot of fun. And, for the first time ever, I was very close to a cow that was running free. It actually scared me a little. That big an animal, just an orchard row away? Holy criminy! Still, I had a great time.
As I did today. BFHubby asked me today when was the last time I'd been pumpkin picking. I replied that, growing up, pumpkin picking entailed driving to the supermarket and picking out a pumpkin.
"The supermarket or a roadside stand or...?" he asked.
"Nope," I replied, "just the supemarket." His eyes practically bugged out in disbelief. He assured me that I would have fun today. He was right.
We took the scenic route to the pumpkin patch, through the Saguaro National Park, about a forty minute drive. The four of us were joined by one of their friends and her two sons, the oldest of which is a good friend of BFDaughter (he's also three). We hopped on a horse drawn cart, were taken to a part of the huge pumpkin patch, and let loose to find our pumpkins. We found some wonderful ones and, as everyone gathered to wait for the cart, I stopped to stare at a huge grasshopper that had hopped in my path. Or maybe it was a cricket. All I knew was that it was a dull green with interesting black markings on its legs. It was absolutely fascinating to me. And these crickets/grasshoppers were everywhere. No matter which way I turned my head I saw one of those things hopping here and there. BestFriend and BFHubby hypothesized that it was probably due to the heat. I think it was about ninety degrees here today.
(In mid-October. Yes, I know. But it's the desert, what do you expect?)
After riding the horse-drawn cart back and paying for the pumpkins, the kids rode tractors and ponies. It's always so much fun seeing the world through a child's eyes. I try to keep a certain amount of wonder about the world, but it's so easy to lose it with living in the high-speed world of day-to-day life. Watching BFDaughter so excited about the horses and the ponies and the pumpkins was such a delight.
After all that their friends went home and we went back to BFHouse, had a little lunch and, as BFHubby went off to work, BestFriend and I talked a little, tried to get BFDaughter down for her nap - no dice - played TV Trivial Pursuit (I won - came close to trouncing BestFriend with my supremely trivial mind but she came from behind to make it close) and carved the pumpkin that I picked with the help of BFDaughter. We've got a lovely cat pumpkin.
Now everyone else is in bed again, fast asleep and getting ready for the work and school day ahead and by 7pm today I'll be back in my apartment, wondering where the weekend went.
I'll be glad to be back home, giving my kitties scratches behind the ears and apologizing profusely for being away (my dear friend ModelGirl is checking on them everyday while I'm away, so they're not devoid of human companionship).
Still, much as I love my hometown, it would have been nice to be away for a few more days.
I think I'll be back sooner than another ten months. I miss these wonderful people already.
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