Fall-O-Rama!
I love my family!
Nearly twenty or so years ago, I got this great idea. I talked to my sister in Wisconsin and asked if she might like to pack up the girls and drive to Minnesota to play horses with me for the weekend. That's how it started. We had a simple autumn weekend. My nieces enjoyed pony rides at the place I boarded my horse, Holiday. It was a cold and drizzly weekend, but we plugged in a pot of hot cider in the tack area and hung out in the cozy barn. Enveloped in the warmth of hay bales, horses, barn cats, and each other, we created a core memory so vivid that I still remember it like it was yesterday.
In the evening, at my tiny house, while the girls played with a vintage Johnny West Family on the living room floor, my sister and I made my special goulash and famous chocolate chip cookies. Covered up on the couch at night, we watched The Man from Snowy River. And we all went to sleep that night to dream of autumn colors and horses and hay and steamy mugs and purring cats and love. Lots of love. We would definitely have to do this again sometime.
So we did. Every year. From then on.
Over the years, the rest of my family joined us. Mom and Dad, all my brothers and sisters with their kids too, and even some of my husband's side. We have declared it a national holiday and deemed it FALLORAMA! It's come a long way from a day in the barn. We even have our own shared spreadsheet where we all sign up for food, accommodations, and entertainment responsibilities. It's kind of a big deal.
This year, I grew my own pumpkins! We piled on the hayride and let the old John Deere B putt-putt us down to the corn field and pumpkin patch. It was so cool watching the kids (young and old) hunting for and harvesting those bright orange treasures that I had started by seed in my classroom window back in February.
These days, it's our old quarter horse, Tuff, and my not-so-little nieces who give the pony rides. I get to sit on the fence rail and watch, visit, and relax. I'll tell you, it is something to watch your nieces grow into beautiful, capable, strong, and kind women. It fills my heart right up to the top with so much good stuff, I can hardly stand it.
There are always crafts set up in the garage. This year, we painted wooden candy corns. That's also where we painted and carved pumpkins. You would be amazed at all the fun things we can create when given a little free time, supplies, space, and ideas.
I added two new things this year. One was a Falloram Coloring Book. I found an app that would take old digital pics from Falloramas past and cartoonify them into coloring book pictures. Whenever someone needed a little downtime, they grabbed the colored pencils and brought a picture to life. The other activity I added was "Tell Me A Story BINGO" where you had to find a person to tell you a story about a bunch of given topics under various types and tones. It was neat hearing the little kids go to all the adults all day long, asking them to tell them a story. But I also found it kind of hard to just spit out a specific story on the spot. It was good practice for everyone, the storytellers and the listeners.
Tell me a story about ...
Your favorite pet. Your favorite sports team. Your tattoo. A race you have run. A celebrity you have met. A different language you can speak. A concert you’ve been to. An instrument you play. Something your sibling did when you were little. The most dangerous thing you’ve ever done. An adventure you took. Your hidden talent. An award you have received. A trip you took to your favorite place. A favorite recipe you’ve made. A recipe you tried, but it flopped. A hairdo you regret. A hard thing you did once. A time with your grandparent. Your favorite restaurant. Your worst food experience. A favorite weather experience. A different city you have visited. A different country you have been to. A hobby you love.
So many stories for all of us to tell!
On Fallorama Sunday, we all head to Mom and Dad's place for the day. The Poker Walk is my dad's hit activity. It gets us all out hiking trails on the prairie, through the woods, and up and down hills. Perfect penance for Saturday's copious amounts of indulgent food and drink. We end with a bonfire where the trophy is bestowed upon the year's new Poker Walk champion. At this point, noses are pointed for home, and that lull after the storm settles over us. Of course, we already have ideas for next year, but we have plenty of time to flesh them out.
Though I have moved several times since its genesis, we have been die-hard committed to making Fallorama work every single year. It's one of those good things well worth the effort, no matter how busy life gets or what misfortunes befall. I love my family. I love seeing it grow. I love the new stories and the old ones. I love that this aspect of my life spills into my writing. I love that we have this good, good thing.
Sounds like a day for memories
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