Pumpkin Patch Ranch: Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas from Sam, Jan and Mom Virginia at Pumpkin Patch Ranch! Sam's 1976 International Loadstar is the perfect vehicle for Christmas lights and can be seen from all over the neighborhood. Pretty cute, huh?

Benson recently held its Festival of Lights Parade and we were a part of it. Benson School District Transportation Department decorated a bus with "gingerbread, icing and candies" and Sam volunteered to drive.

Sam's boss, Cynde, and her daughter donned the Benson Bobcat uniforms to greet the fans.

And I waved from the windows.

There were lots of pretty lights.

Even the school marching band was glowing.

A few nights before, Sam and I attended a family friendly showing of The Grinch. I believe it was the newer 2018 version. We don't have kids, so we've never really seen any of them! Needless to say, we didn't wear our jammies.

We also caught the annual high school Talent Show. There were many fun and enjoyable acts, but these dancers were the highlight. You can hear hysterical laughter from the audience, which could have been me!

I attended an open house at Endeavor Gallery, where a few of my paintings are displayed. Members brought their recent works, which were fascinating to see and hear about.

We're kind of going backwards in time here. Earlier in November, Tim and Josie came for a visit and took us all out to lunch at Mi Casa, our favorite restaurant.

They came back a couple days later for a barbecue, and Josie brought her famous pumpkin tart all the way from home! It was incredible, and so good to spend time with them.

Sam entertained Mom Virginia, as usual, although she pretended she doesn't appreciate him.

Meanwhile, our lone gazania plant finally put out a flower, and it was a knockout.

Golden fall color came to Benson in the cottonwood trees along the San Pedro River. After 40 years in the Sonoran Desert, I love living in a climate where the seasons change.

On the subject of yellow, one of Sam's students was moving and requested a mohawk, so we made it look like a school bus. It was a hit.

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year. Sam made the turkey in his "new" 1950's roaster, which did a great job. He also made pumpkin pies from the pumpkins that grew on our Pumpkin Patch Ranch this year, and they tasted great.

I made the mashed potatoes and organized the food. Do you see the aforementioned roaster on the right? The red light means it was cooking the turkey at that very moment.

Our guests brought other dishes, so of course there was plenty. Dean is our expert turkey carver, and Peggy is the cook. Bill and Kathie always liven up the party.

Seating at Ma's is always tight, so Sam went looking for alternatives.

Dean brought his homemade potato cannon, made of ABS pipe and fittings. All the guys tried it and we now have potato chunks scattered around the ranch. Maybe they'll sprout next year!

Overall, it was a great time, even the cleanup.

Last weekend, our dinner group (which we call "As Long as There is Gelato") were finally able to meet again after almost 2 years. Paul and Gaye were here for a visit, and we all had a great time catching up.

Back at the ranch, I've started clearing out the tiny 1950's travel trailer we got months ago. Previous residents have been rodents, snakes and chickens, so it's kind of a big job.

Sam recently purchased a new Stihl weed trimmer and has spent hours cutting and leveling the native grasses, bushes and weeds around our buildings and driveways. He's creating a brushfire buffer, for safety. Doesn't it look so much better?

Early and mid December brought our first nighttime temperatures dipping close to freezing, so I spent a few days in the garden. I gathered over 300 tomatillos as I cleared out the plants.