It's Pumpkin Time in Tennessee!

In the early years of our marriage our finances were sometimes stretched,
because traditional farming lead us down a path of good years and bad years.
When our children were little, we began hosting birthday parties and and
often invited our kid's classes over for farm fun.  Soon we started making
a little money and we asked God, if this was what we were supposed
to do.  The answer was "YES!"  We never dreamed the journey God
would take us on and we have never regretted one minute.  Thousands
of school children later, we still love seeing those smiling faces.

September 27, 2011 we started field trips for the season.

These pumpkins were picked on September 10, 2011.

Happy pumpkins ready for happy kids!

Our first weekend to be open to the public is October 1st.

The pick-your-own patch will be open as well as the activity area.

Thank you Father for your faithful provisions!

Pray For Rain

The back of my Tahoe says it all.  It's been almost a month without

a measurable rain and the earth is getting a bit crispy. God must have

heard the prayers of everyone - tropical storm Lee is supposed to give us three

to five inches of rain in the next few days.  Maybe our prayers

need to be a little more specific!

Somehow, the pumpkins are surviving and they are beginning to

produce a fruit.  We have beehives on the farm to help pollinate the blossoms.  

The first flowers are almost always male. The pollen on these first male flowers

attracts bees and alerts them to the location of the blooming vines. By the time

the first female blossoms open, the bees' route is well established and the male

 flowers' pollen is transferred to the female flowers by the bees. Male flowers bloom

 for one day, then drop off the plants.

Look at the base of the blossom - the little round ball will eventually become a pumpkin!



Now you can see the pumpkin start to form and the dead bloom will soon fall off.

First the pumpkin is green, then it turns the perfect shade of orange.

We are always amazed and humbled at the miracle of

a simple seed producing such a bountiful fruit.

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground

and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces

many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while

the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for

eternal life."  John 12: 24, 25