28-29 September

WEEKEND DIARIES

Hello, all! I hope that everyone had a great weekend! The weather was beautiful here, and one afternoon we partook in something that is a Western New York fall tradition... the "pumpkin farm." The concept is a bit foreign to me, both as a WNY transplant and as a country girl by birth, but I must admit that I have been won over. For those who don't know, these farms usually sell a variety of pumpkins and gourds, produce, mums, ready to eat foods, hay rides, corn mazes, children's activities, and possibly even pie eating contests. I think my resistance was due in large part to how commercialized the whole thing seemed - an admission fee, fee for this activity, a fee for that activity, all topped off by the pressure to purchase an overpriced pumpkin (or four) at the day's end.

Well, when my sister in law suggested a farm that was a bit off the beaten path, and just happened to be doing their one weekend a year of "pumpkin farming," we decided to give it a try. I'm so glad that we did. A new family tradition has been born.

Glosser Farm is located about an hour east of Buffalo, amidst rolling hills and corn fields, beneath the bright white turbines of a nearby wind farm. Though there there was a constant flow of people, the working farm wasn't overcrowded. There was no admission fee, the gourd selection was incredibly varied and reasonably priced (less than $1 to $15), as was the homemade veggie chowder and chili. There were two free side by side slides constructed out of hay bales and what I think was maybe very large irrigation pipe. My kids enjoyed those tube slides more than any playground we have ever visited! We also enjoyed a nearly free horse drawn wagon ride, a ramble through a corn maze, and friendly conversation with the owners. It was a good time!

I wish that I could find a website to refer you to, but the owner's father-in-law mentioned that it was under construction. If I find more information (I think they might do maple syrup tours in the winter!), I'll pass it along. Since I've gone on so long about pumpkins and whatnot, there's not space for much else. I also didn't get any pics of what I wore Sunday. I have, however, been wearing this necklace lots. It's just a thin silver chain, with a teardrop piece left over from the creation of this necklace. I have one extra teardrop that I would love to share with a reader. The first person to leave me a comment below regarding the piece can be it's new owner (if you won one of the other pieces, please let someone else have a go at it).