Apples and scarecrows. It’s an addiction that I can’t entirely explain. When we were in Texas we found our way to organic apple orchards as frequently as possible. It was a nice reprieve from the sparse fields of cotton and generally treeless landscapes that populated most of our vision in that part of the state. What were we to do? The organic apple orchard gave our vision (and, incidentally, our taste buds) a thrilling sensation unfelt in other aspects of our life there. Now that we’ve moved back to more fertile ground we’ve found ourselves more frequently trekking to outdoor areas for fun and relaxation. As autumn is (I think quite honestly) our favorite season, it has been easy to find our way out of the house recently. As luck would have it, a new job has made it possible to do that during some of the day hours instead of very nearly (or often after) dark. The organic apple orchard has been one of those frequent stops.
Aside from being a really pleasant experience just being outside, we’re able to see tractors, take a long walk, do a corn maze, play with bean bags, sit on a bench, view some chickens and goats and other animals, and — yes — see scarecrows. The scarecrow has, in a relatively short period of time, become our sons favorite doll-like thing. He now has a scarecrow doll and talks about scarecrows all the time. Just this past weekend we were talking a walk where the scarecrows are at the apple orchard and we found ourselves giving the scarecrows high fives at the request of our son. We took pictures with the scarecrows and helped them put on their hats (that had probably fallen off from the elements). Apples and scarecrows have invaded our lives… for the better.