Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Perseverance


We three took on Bates Nut Farm on our own this year. Gorgeous day with the all the usual festivities, save the ponies. They were there, but Nate said he was done with them; he only rides horses now, thank you very much.





After the tractor ride, rock climbing, frisbee painting, and tri tip eating; finally, it was time to choose our squash.


The rule is always the same, you can choose any pumpkin, as long as you can pick it up and put it into the wheelbarrow.


And so began our journey across the picked through patch.


It turned out to be a longer than usual afternoon.


Complete with a lost and later (thankfully) found cell phone.


Have I ever mentioned that when Nate puts his mind to something, there's not much that can dissuade him from his goal?


Most of the time, it's a beautiful thing.


I spend more time negotiating than is probably wise.


My last negotiation cost me a new betta fish, but landed me two free weeks of pet feeding and poop pick up with nary a complaint.


I became fearful that this negotiation was going to land us in the hospital for a hernia, but I hung back and let him do his thing. I busied myself losing my phone and looking for the perfect butternut speciman; slightly overripe and sweet, but not, you know, rotten.


I was told several times, "this was not the time for photos".


There aren't many times that are the time for photos it seems.


I have to negotiate for those too.


I'm pretty sure he indulged me a few because he was working out his own negotiation.


There was no way this child was not going to get one of those "Big Mac" pumpkins in our wheelbarrow.


He knew all along that he wasn't going to pick up the pumpkin he wanted.



He also knows what suckers we are.


Sometimes I'm too easy, sometimes too difficult and sometimes just crazy.


But I'm pretty okay with flexing the boundaries in response to hard work and perseverance. Plus, you should have seen his face.


It was pretty fantastic.