More Pumpkins in the Dessert

Where did the week go? During September I couldn't wait for October, and now I feel like the month is slipping away much too quickly.
Today we went to Campo, a nearly deserted, dusty village East of SD (still in the county), where there is a private railroad museum. While the boys rode the "pumpkin train" out to a tunnel on the border of Mexico, I sat in the shade at the depot and graded my students' first assignments. Well, I tried to. I took me the whole hour to grade three. So obviously I am completely out of practice. Or my students just aren't too good at writing. I do feel I have to guide them in this process, and since they are all transfer students, I really want them to succeed- or at least learn the valuable skill of writing a coherent argument. Anyways, the train passed the depot, so I waved and hurried down the path to the exhibition hall, where the kids were picking out pumpkins to decorate.

This year the museum had a "haunted train" - JT and I waited outside, listening to Mr. Burli's screams as some teenagers jumped out to scare him. Then we looked around at the engines - JT was a little disappointed when Mr. Burli pointed out that the engine he admired was not the "Big Boy", the engine JT claims he will drive when he grows up. Next we headed outside and followed the dry, dusty path to the depot. On the way back, I admired these desert pumpkins - or perhaps they are melons. I hope no one minds that I picked one. I often see these or similar melons growing along the roadside in the desert and wonder how they grow so well without water - the area is very dry. In fact, last year, the day after we rode the train there was a massive wildfire in the area. This year there haven't been any scary fires - yet - but several small fires. In fact, Wednesday when Mr. Burli dropped JT off at his preschool, there was a detour, and it turned out that a small brush fire had started about a block from JT's school. Later I drove past and was glad to see that the blackened area was quite small - this is fortunate because there is a house not 50 feet up that hill.

Oddly, last weekend was quite chilly and the weekend before we had that (small) rainfall. That weekend (I am really behind on blogging, sorry.) started out warm - JT and I went to the Wild Animal Park before we went camping, etc. And then the weather at the pumpkin patch was cloudy and definitely autumn.

And after a birthday party in the park last Sunday, where JT tried to fly a kite and I shivered even in my sweater, he needed a hot chocolate and a hot bath to warm up. Of course - these two are best enjoyed at the same time!
So perhaps next week it will be warm again or cool. We'll see. I am curious to see how long it takes me to grade the papers and also to finish sewing the dinosaur costume. Just yesterday JT decided that he didn't want a tail after all. And what will he wear if it is 80 degrees - the material he picked out is fleece! So if you see a boy sweating in rainbow pajamas, be sure and ask the kid if he is really dressed as a t-rex.