Oh, the Injustice!

Suddenly I hate L.A..

This morning Pixie and I decided to go find a pumpkin patch. She's been really excited about pumpkins ever since going to Utah a few weeks ago and seeing tons of them. Our goal wasn't unrealistic. Just to find a place with pumpkins strewn around, maybe some accent hay and an opportunity for her to pick out a special squash to bring home.

So we set out on our trek. I drove all the main streets in town, past the hardware store, the grocery stores, any large parking lots I could think of - nothing. So we ventured to regular old Pasadena. Again the slow cruise down main roads but not a gourd in sight. The trek continued in Altadena where I thought this more earthy community would surely have a patch or two for children to explore their inner harvester. By this time, Pixie was in the back seat repeating "pumpkin patch?" in a hopeful but wilting little voice. Naptime had come and gone but I didn't care. After an hour, she sat with her head propped awkwardly on her shoulder snoozing while I slowly wound my way home cursing Los Angeles for hating me and my favorite holiday.

We got home and I quietly unbuckled Pixie from her carseat hoping to bring her up to her crib without waking her. She suddenly popped her eyes open and started shrieking "pumpkin patch! Pumpkin patch!" over and over. I had failed her. My city had failed her. Mankind had failed her. She has been screaming in her crib for the past half hour now stung by the injustice of a mother who promises pumpkins and produces bupkis.

What kind of city doesn't have pumpkin patches? How am I supposed to parent in such a soulless place? Get me out of here.


- I just talked to a friend who informed me that there is a nationwide pumpkin shortage this year because of fungus and about 50% of the crop has been wiped out. I found a bunch of articles to this effect saying how slackers like me who waited till the last minute to get pumpkins probably won't succeed. Doesn't make me feel any better, but does explain the creepy un-orange quality of my local parking lots.

Comments

Anonymous said…
So sad! Yeah, Muncie sorely disappointed me last year in my pumpkin search as well. There were no pumpkin patches (that I could easily find), and the ones at the grocery store were sickly looking and way overpriced. And they call this a farming community! Farming, my foot!

I wish you the best. Hopefully a resourceful gardening neighbor or something can supply you with the goods if LA can't.
Anonymous said…
Dude, speaking of pumpkins and South Pasadena, Halloween has been on constant rotation on AMC. Their "movie+" thing (letterboxed movie with trivia at the bottom) went ON AND ON about shooting in South Pasadena... Something about Oxley street and Montrose? Anyway, I thought of you. By extension, Penny must have the best trick or treating grounds EVER. She can actually BEG CANDY off the ACTUAL Michael Myers house (although, I'm thinking Alegria Chiropractic, the current tennants, wouldn't appreciate it so much.)

In other news, South Pasadena makes for a very green Illinois... Especially when the movie takes place in October.
I don't know if you have a Walmart close, or if yours would be as cool as ours, but here there's an almost pumpkin patch in the flower center with accent hay and all.
Catherine M. said…
pumpkin shortage, evil spinach, west nile mosquitos... none of these should have any bearing on day to day living. We have so many pumpkin patches here that just today I found myself in two of them. One at the arboretum (of course) another at a local nursury (accross the street) where we went to buy a dozen gourds, jackolantern pumpkins, and to marvel at all the "cousins" of pumpkins in their various shapes and sizes.

It can be done. Do it first by phone then in person!
Gina said…
Sarah! I don't know how serious you are, like serious enough to drive down towards San Diego, but last week we went to an *awesome* pumpkin patch, with token farm animals, hay bales, a tractor-pulled hay ride, corn maze, and pumpkins. It was in Escondido.

http://www.sandiego.com/halloweenpumpkins.jsp

Here's a list of San Diego pumpkin patches - we went to the Pinery. It was $6.50 per kid, and pretty much lived up to exactly a kids fantasy of a "farm."
Unknown said…
Take the 2-10 to San Dimas, I am almost certain you can find a pumpkin patch there. Or take the old Route 66, do you know where that old style McDonalds is? I can remember there being one near there.
Th. said…
.

Come see us. We're loaded up here.
dalene said…
That explains it! I have been wondering why they're all GREEN!

I think I'm going to start growing my own. I love those big almost fluorescent kind that I think are really squash not pumpkins, but they're all bumpy and pretty cool looking.
Anonymous said…
Last year we picked out pumpkins with Jake's little cousins at a patch on Foothill and, I think, San Marino Road in Pasadena. It is West of Sierra Madre Blvd--Jake thinks. It is on the North East Corner, wherever it is. Of course, with the fungus and all, they might not be there. I should be especially grateful to my visiting teacher who brought me a pumpkin a week ago!
Sarah said…
Thanks for all the insider information on patches! Angela - I went ahead and went to the one on Foothill like you said and it was everything I could have hoped for :)

Luckily for me, it was one of those things in life that I hadn't overrated and Penny was tickled to run around amid the different kinds of crazy pumpkins. The patch was littered with spooky ghouls and dismembered body parts and had pirate music playing. I guess I can stay in L.A. after all :)
Anonymous said…
Life is good in LA once again! We did a pumpkin patch at the beginning of the month, got lost in the corn maze and Mama got very cranky from the heat while Katie slept in the sling. Hopefully next year's excursion will be as fun as yours! We need some more dismembered body parts and especially pirate music!
Suzie Petunia said…
I suddenly feel very guilty about the post I just put up on my blog! Do you want me to send you some fresh, oregon pumpkins? :)

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