THE PUMPKIN PATCH

OUR CUSTOMERS WERE SOME OF THE NICEST PEOPLE!!

AS IT GOT CLOSER TO HALLOWEEN, THE KIDS STARTED DRESSING UP TO COME TO OUR PUMPKIN PATCH! THESE TWO LITTLE GIRLS CAME IN AND OUR PAINTED PUMPKINS MATCHED THEIR COSTUMES PERFECTLY!!

AND THEN ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS ASKED FOR OUR EMAIL ADDRESS, SHE HAD A CUTE PICTURE TO SEND US.......

OF COURSE, WE HAD TO SET UP OUR VERY OWN  PHOTO OPP.......

DOUG GAVE US EACH A "BENNETT'S BEST PUMPKIN" SHIRT.  ONE DAY HE STOPPED BY AND APOLOGIZED FOR NOT SPENDING MORE TIME WITH US....BUT, HE SAID WE WERE "EASY". HE IS VERY HAPPY WITH  THE JOB WE HAVE DONE AND WANTS TO TALK US INTO COMING BACK NEXT YEAR  AND DOING  PUMPKINS  AND CHRISTMAS TREES. HE THINKS HE WILL HAVE SOME CHRISTMAS TREE LOTS OPENING UP.
THE LAST FEW DAYS DOUG SAID WE COULD START DISCOUNTING PUMPKINS. WE WERE SELLING QUITE A FEW, BUT WE HAD A LOT OF PUMPKINS LEFT.

ON THE 29TH  GREG CAME TO WEIGH THE BIG MAC.

IT WEIGHED 114.8 POUNDS!!! WE HAD AN OVERFLOWING BOX WITH ENTRIES AND TWO OF OUR CUSTOMERS GUESSED THE EXACT WEIGHT.  THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER DRAWING ALONG WITH ANY OF THE OTHER LOTS EXACT WEIGHT GUESSES AND ONE WINNER WOULD BE PICKED.
ON HALLOWEEN DAY, WE SOLD THESE TWO BIG MACS FOR  $20  EACH. THIS YOUNG MAN WAS TICKLED.  THEY USUALLY SOLD FROM $65 TO $80.

ON NOVEMBER 1, THE PUMPKINS WENT TO $1 EACH.

THIS MAN COMES EVERY YEAR AND BUYS AS MANY AS HE CAN PUT IN HIS VAN FOR $50.

WE WOULD BE OPEN ONE MORE DAY, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2. IT WAS PRETTY SLOW, DOUG SAID WE COULD CLOSE EARLY, WE CLOSED AT 6:00.
DARRELL STARTED PACKING EVERYTHING UP ON SUNDAY MORNING. I WENT TO THE LAUNDROMAT AND  WASHED CLOTHES,  AND  THEN  TO BRUGGERS FOR MY LAST PUMPKIN BAGEL. WE FOUND A GREAT CLIPS NEARBY,  DARRELL WAS IN NEED OF A HAIRCUT,  AND MAGGIE AND MARLEE NEEDED  DOG FOOD. DOUG CALLED,  HE WANTS TO TAKE US OUT FOR DINNER BEFORE WE LEAVE. WE MADE PLANS FOR MONDAY NIGHT AT THE WOOD RANCH.
DURING THE DAY MONDAY,  WE WERE GOING TO MALIBU BEACH!! IT WAS ONLY 12 MILES FROM AGOURA HILLS.

WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS TUNNEL TO GET THERE.

A VINEYARD  ON THIS HILLSIDE!

THERE ARE MILES OF  VOLLEYBALL NETS SET UP ON THE BEACHES. 

WE TOOK MAGGIE AND MARLEE WITH US, WE WANTED TO WALK ON THE BEACH WITH THEM.

WE WERE SURPRISED THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE.

WE WERE HAVING A GREAT TIME.......... UNTIL.........A LIFEGUARD STOPPED AND TOLD US THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE YOUR DOGS ON  L.A. COUNTY BEACHES.  BUMMER!!  THERE WERE NO SIGNS POSTED, BUT WE HIT THE PAVEMENT.

TO GET BACK TO THE TRUCK WE HAD TO CHEAT A LITTLE BIT.............

WE WERE QUICK!! WE DID NOT WANT TO GET A TICKET!

WE DROVE ALL OF MALIBU BEACH TO SANTA MONICA.

I CAN SEE WHY THE "STARS" LIVE HERE!!!

THE CREW CAME TO TAKE AWAY THE PUMPKINS LATER IN THE DAY....IT WAS KIND OF SAD!

THEY HAD A HUGE TRUCK LOAD!!

THEY PUT AWAY THE BOUNCY CASTLES AND PUT UP THE FLAPS ON THE SIDES OF THE TENTS  IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING CHRISTMAS TREE SALES.

THAT EVENING WE HAD A LOVELY DINNER.

 THE BARBEQUE WAS DELICIOUS. GREG AND GERRI WERE THERE ALONG WITH TWO OTHER PUMPKIN LOT MANAGERS.  DOUG AND DEIDRA  MADE IT CLEAR THEY WANT US BACK  NEXT YEAR.  WE TOLD THEM IT DEPENDED ON WHERE WE ENDED UP  FOR THE SUMMER, BUT WE WOULD KEEP IN TOUCH. THEY WERE WONDERFUL TO WORK FOR, THEY TREATED US LIKE FAMILY. WE REALLY  ENJOYED WORKING THE PUMPKINS!!! AGAIN, WE HAD MET SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND HAD MADE A LITTLE MONEY.

BUT, WE WERE ON THE ROAD AGAIN, HEADED FOR SAN ANTONIO AND THE CHRISTMAS TREES!!

THE PUMPKINS ARE HERE!!

THE PUMPKINS ARRIVED AT 2:00.  THE CREW KNEW JUST  WHAT TO DO WITH THEM.

LOTS AND LOTS OF PUMPKINS......

WE GOT 1,083 PUMPKINS TODAY AND WITH WHAT WE GOT YESTERDAY, WE HAD  1,280 PUMPKINS. THEY PUT PUMPKINS IN THE UPPER TENT ALSO. BY THE TIME THEY QUIT BRINGING PUMPKINS WE HAD A GRAND TOTAL OF 1,533 PUMPKINS.

DARRELL TURNED ON THE AIR TO THE BOUNCY CASTLES.

WE FOUND THESE  SCARECROW "PARTS"  IN THE TRAILER AND HE WELCOMED OUR GUESTS!!

EVERYONE SEEMED TO GET A KICK OUT OF HIM!!

DEIDRA BROUGHT BOXES OF MERCHANDISE THAT  WE WOULD SELL AND WE STARTED PUTTING IT ON RACKS AND DISPLAYING IT.

 WE HAD EVERYTHING A PERSON COULD EVER  NEED FOR DECORATING OR LIGHTING A JACK-O-LANTERN.

WE SET UP ONE OF THE BIG MACS SO PEOPLE COULD GUESS  IT'S WEIGHT, IF THEY WERE RIGHT, THEY COULD  WIN A CHRISTMAS TREE.

WE "OFFICIALLY" OPENED WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9TH., DOUG HAD WARNED US THAT THIS WAS HIS NEXT TO SLOWEST PUMPKIN LOT. WE HOPED TO CHANGE THAT.  WE WERE THE BUSIEST ON SATURDAY, WE HAD LOTS OF KIDS JUMPING ON THE BOUNCY CASTLES. DOUG ALSO TOLD US THE BIGGEST SALES WOULD BE THE LAST FIVE DAYS. IT WAS JUST AS DOUG SAID, IT WAS PRETTY SLOW DURING THE WEEK, A LITTLE BUSIER ON THE WEEKEND.
THE KIDS LOVED  PULLING THE WAGONS AROUND, SHOPPING FOR PUMPKINS.

WE BOTH DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THERE ALL THE TIME, SO I WAS FREE TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, WASH CLOTHES, WHATEVER NEEDED TO BE DONE. DARRELL PRETTY MUCH RAN THE PLACE BY HIMSELF.

THE HOURS WERE LONG......9 TO 9. DARRELL WOULD GO OUT IN THE MORNINGS, I WOULD STAY IN THE RV AND TIDY UP, WHILE HE TIDIED UP THE PUMPKIN LOT.  I WOULD COOK OUR BIG MEAL AT NOON, RUN  ERRANDS,TAKE CARE OF MAGGIE AND MARLEE. IN THE EVENINGS I WOULD JOIN HIM   OUT IN THE TENT.

SOMETIMES MAGGIE AND MARLEE WOULD JOIN US IN THE TENT.

  WE WERE ONLY 12 MILES FROM MALIBU BEACH,  WHERE THE "STARS" LIVE. TOM SELLECK BUYS HIS CHRISTMAS TREES FROM OUR LOT. YOU COULDN'T BEAT THE WEATHER, SUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL ALL THE TIME. IT COOLED OFF IN THE EVENINGS.
DARRELL HAD GONE OVER TO THE "DO IT BEST" HARDWARE STORE AND  EXPLAINED TO THEM THE PROBLEMS WE WERE HAVING SLEEPING, THEY SAID THEY WOULD TURN DOWN THE MUSIC.  THEY TURNED IT OFF FOR TWO WEEKS, AND THEN THE MUSIC PLAYED ON.  WE JUST ENDURED. I  COVERED OUR BEDROOM WINDOW WITH DARK MATERIAL, WHICH TOOK CARE OF THAT PROBLEM. THIS WAS "THE CULPRIT".

WE DID FEEL SAFE!  ONE DAY DOUG BROUGHT US CORN STALKS AND SAID WE COULD HAVE ALL THE CORN THAT WAS LEFT ON THEM.

I FILLED OUR FREEZER WITH CORN AND THEN WE DECORATED THE PLACE!!

WE SOLD CORN STALKS, STRAW BALES, PUMPKINS, SQUASH, AND  GOURDS, THESE WERE ALL CONSIDERED "FOOD" EXCEPT THE GHORDS. WE HAD CINDERELLA PUMPKINS.......MY FAVORITE!!

CHEESE WHEEL PUMPKINS.......

PEANUT SQUASH.......

THE GOURDS.......

ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS WERE SO FRIENDLY TO US!! DEIDRA WOULD COME A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK TO BRING US STUFF WE NEEDED, DOUG CALLED PRETTY OFTEN. WE SAW GREG THE MOST, HE STOPPED BY TO GET THE MONEY. WE MADE AND ATE POPCORN ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT.....IT WAS GOOD POPCORN!  EVEN BETTER THAN THEATRE POPCORN. DOUG SAID WE COULD HAVE ALL WE WANTED!! IT WAS FREE TO OUR CUSTOMERS.

AFTERNOONS WERE SPENT SITTING ON LAWN CHAIRS IN THE SUN.

SOMETIMES WE WOULD HAVE LUNCH OUTSIDE.

WE MADE SURE MAGGIE AND MARLEE WERE OUT WITH US IN THE AFTERNOONS.

OR, AS IT GOT CLOSER TO HALLOWEEN, WE STARTED PAINTING PUMPKINS....

CARVING PUMPKINS.......

PUTTING STICKERS ON PUMPKINS......

TEETH IN PUMPKINS.....

WE HAD MORE FUN!! HERE IS SOME OF OUR HANDIWORK........

THE KIDS SEEMED TO ENJOY SEEING WHAT ALL YOU COULD DO WITH THE "STUFF" WE WERE SELLING. DEIDRA ENCOURAGED US TO DO THIS IN HOPES OF SELLING MORE, AS THIS HAD ALWAYS BEEN A SLOW SALES IN THE MERCHANDISE. WE SOLD ALOT OF TEETH!!

OR IN THE AFTERNOONS ONE OF US  WOULD WALK OVER TO THIS ITALIAN BAKERY THAT WAS IN THE  PARKING LOT SHOPPING CENTER AND HAVE ONE OF THESE DELECTIBLE DESSERTS!!

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND A BAGEL SHOP AND ON SUNDAY MORNINGS I WOULD  GO HAVE A BAGEL, USUALLY A PUMPKIN ONE!! DELICIOUS.

IT WAS A TOUGH JOB.......BUT SOMEONE "HAD"  TO DO IT!!!!