OCTOBER: goblins, ghosts, harvests, cool fresh air, beautiful colors, change of seasons, World Series, Homecomings, etc.I've always loved October. For a sports fan it doesn't get much better. The playoffs are in full swing in the majors (GO Indians!!!), (Cubs go home), the NFL is a quarter of the way through the season and teams are solidifying themselves, the leaves are changing, high schools are preparing for homecomings, the air is cool, and for those that enjoy it, the NBA gets started in camp.
Having lived nearly all my life in the great cheeselands of WI, I especially have love for the farmers who harvest much of their efforts in late Sept. early Oct. Now living in CA, the same is true. Wineries/Vineyards have trimmed the fruit from the vines in preparation for this years vintage....possibly a great one! Peaches, apples, walnuts, sunflowers, all strongly represented here in the valleys are picked processed and prepared for our liking and purchase.
We Skogen's began celebrating the fall season yesterday at a VERY COOL place called Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, CA. What a great place!!! $8 for parking (sounds crazy expensive I know...BUT)....there's no other admission fees and there's plenty to do for kids that doesn't cost a dime (pig races, 30 minute show, jungle gym like contraptions to climb on/over/through, classic tractors to climb on and pretend to ride, petting areas (goats, pigs, cows, donkey, etc), corn maze, and of course a hay ride through the pumpkin patch....where, mind you, every pumpkin is as big or bigger than the one pictured above! NO LIE!)
Also offered for a fee (nominal really) is a train ride (real train, tracks, and sites to see), pony rides (we'll do that next time, the line never seemed to move), and the harvest bakery which smelled like I can only hope heaven does should I make it there. They make all of the baked goods with the home grown goods on site. The pumpkin pie was amazing, apple/pumpkin muffins (I just swallowed one now...and another one is within reach), fresh squeezed lemonade, literally squeezed in front of you, in your cup, roasted sweet corn, and an October tradition, Carmel apples!!!
Anyone close to this area must visit this attraction. Frankly, Wheatland doesn't offer anything else, but this place is a gem for all to enjoy. I would STRONGLY recommend this place to anyone.
All this talk of fall, food, and crsip air must yield some football chatter too. The Badgers dropped a game to Illinois yesterday (literally dropped). Two bad INT's, a missed FG, and continued bad coaching on the "D" side of the ball cost the Badgers a top 3 bid. Someone please explain to me how Bret B was such a "D" genius last year, and with 9 returning starters he cannot stop ANYTHING at all??? Two weeks in a row one play beat UW. Last week against MSU it was the swing pass to the flat (RB or WR). This week it was Illinois option from the shotgun, split formation. This is football 101 kids...not just I, but may a couch coaches across the US could have made that adjustment. Bret B fails to make this happen and it bit him in the pumpkin this week....maybe costing UW a shot at the big one.
4 teams in the NFL remain undefeated, and all should stay that way in week 5. The Packers have the toughest test, but I am confident that they will win....and that they are just plain BETTER than CHICAGO on BOTH sides of the ball. That's right...forget stats/rankings, etc...the Packer's "D" has been better. My only fear is that the Pack will allow Hester to touch the ball on Special Teams. My advice to coach, DO NOT KICK TO HESTER!!!
Lastly...I must praise the D-Back of MLB....they did what I predicted they would do and rid the playoffs of the unworthy Cubs. Don't take this all to be bitter banter over the Brewers choking down the stretch (actually the Mets choked WOW, the Crew just phased out), I just didn't believe that any team from the NL Central belonged in the playoffs. The Cubs are not a good baseball team, and this will bode true again next year when the Brewers and Cards battle it out.
Enough for today....I am gearing up to watch my new favorite player (Vince Young) take on the Falcons. Don't sleep on this one kids...I see Atlanta covering the 7.5 point spread today, that new style is good for them, they cannot beat anyone in the trenches.
GO PACKERS!!!!!
1 comment:
Good post.
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