Today certainly felt like pumpkin patch season is upon us. You know that type of day when your feet sigh with relief when you sit down at night? That was today. We started off our day (after chores, of course) at Washington Elementary School in the second grade classrooms where we kicked off our agriculture education program, “In the Class and On the Farm.” It was a privilege to guide the students in the discovery of the “what” and “why” of Kansas agriculture. Did you know that it is impossible to live a day without being affected by agriculture? Just ask those second graders, they’ll tell you! Here they are wrapping up their class time illustrating one of the many ways they were affected by agriculture today.

After class it was time to hustle back to the farm to prepare the grounds for the pumpkin patch season. We open on September 27, and there is much to do. By the time the sun went down, we had checked off a lot of items on the master “To Do” list- prepping the new school room, filling sand boxes, painting signs, moving equipment, etc. As we worked around the farm, we found at least five of these big guys. This isn’t the best picture, but I couldn’t make myself get any closer. I think his body was about two inches long, not counting his legs. I have never seen so many giant spiders in one day. I know they are great for taking care of the gardens, but they sure can take us by surprise (and sometimes yelp out loud)!

Grammy’s Pumpkin Patch at Johnstown Farm – McPherson, KS 2014