Pumpkin patches, hay rides, hot drinks, stews, cider mills, and doughnuts, just to name a few. Fall is my favorite time of year and my list of favorite things during this season could rival even Julie Andrews. Even this morning's bright white frost, which made me move my morning run indoors to the treadmill, brought a smile to my face. That's what a crisp fall day is all about. So we spent this crisp fall day (which, at nearly 60 degrees, wasn't all 
that crisp later in the afternoon) taking in the many joys of this rich season. The first three, and more, we covered this morning at Wing Farms (the same place where we picked up all of our free rocks this summer!) with a farm animal visit, a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, and hot cider with fresh doughnut to warm up. Calvin, who is going to be a fall lover like his mom, enjoyed every bit of it, even the rough kisses he received from Champ, who, 
incidentally, was the cow who taught him to moo this time last year - the only real word he was saying at the time (I double checked my dates on that one - could it really have been only a year ago??? Yes). Both Champ and Calvin are much bigger now, and possibly equally more vocal! We came home from that excursion toting two bundles of corn stalks, a bale of hay, and two pumpkins, all of which now grace our festive front porch.
And after a refreshing afternoon nap (for Calvin, that is, since Jon and I spent that time weeding gardens and spreading 2 cubic yards of mulch) we climbed back in the car and headed to Spicer's Orchard in Fenton to meet with old friends, John and Ashley, and their two boys. Spicer's didn't have a Champ, but they did have a "train ride" (think hay ride, only the wagon looks like a train), a big (and messy) sandbox, and really, really good pies. 
Since fall is also about warm homes and warm hearts, we ended the evening with great company, great dinner, and one of the aforementioned great pies. Our friends' oldest son, Noah, is only seven months older than Calvin and the two of them played together wonderfully, even well past their bedtimes, allowing us adults to share some stories, some laughs, and some wine before calling it a night. Yes, fall is one of my favorite things.