Wizarding Times

What better way to start the beautiful fall season, but with our Hufflepuff Poll of the Month.

Summer for many has started to wane away and the temperatures have started to cool down. In many areas of the world fall represents a multitude of wonderful activities for families or oneself to enjoy. The trees start to change from dark green leaves to an explosion of colors, some slowing turning yellow, bright orange or a brilliant red. Many people make it a fall priority to travel to areas where the changing of the foliage is spectacular. Some, like myself, have only to look right outside my front window to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Apple picking, walking in the woods on a cool crisp fall day, searching out a pumpkin or pumpkins and then carving it are just a few ideas. Of course I remember fall representing the raking of leaves and washing of the windows of the house and putting down the storm windows. We would go as a family to the local farm and drink hot apple cider, buy bags of apples to bring home and make pies. We would pick out our pumpkins and they would be carved out and real candles would be set inside them, on Halloween night. All sorts of fall decorations would be placed around the inside and outside of the house.

So our Hufflepuffs were asked to vote on a few suggestions on what they might enjoy doing during the fall season.

There were five suggestions, and we had 14 Hufflepuffs vote and 11 leave comments. The results were:

• Carving Pumpkins: 3
• Picking Apples: 4
• Raking Leaves: 0 (hehehe — no work, just play)
• Drinking Hot Apple Cider: 3
• Other: 4

I will now offer you all of the comments we received for your reading pleasure. Some entries contain an entire comment and some portions of one.

Rose Alstien
"Well, I said apple picking; it is a family tradition, and we always go to the same place with the five of us, and usually a friend or two."

Zoki Phantom
"I went for 'Apple Picking' as well. The fact that we go apple picking each year, and my parents used to go even before I was born, probably makes that event so enjoyable to me. I simply LOVE picking fresh apples. Though what I love, even more, is eating fresh green apples, drinking apple juice, and eating APPLE PIE!! Mmmm, so delicious it made me hungry!"

Rorey Padfoot
"I love all these Pumpkins!!!! Neville and I make a day out of going to the pumpkin patch, picking our pumpkins, checking out the corn maze, and all the things the patch has to offer. Then in the evening we get messy with carving them and cooking the seeds. Makes a great snack for days after."

Prof. Felicia Hartwick
"I voted for OTHER.... Let me explain... every year, even before the kids arrived, my hubby and I along with his mom and dad would drive out to Schohairie County and do the round of farms for vegetables, pumpkins, apples, carrots and mums. At Barber's we's get bushels of potatoes (yes I said bushels... we would bring all the veggies back home and divide them between the other 5 siblings who live in the area), squash and pumpkins. We would then move down the road for apples at a little home stand. The family has an apple orchard and sells from what started out as a small stand and has grown into a small garage type building. We's also get some potted mums there. Then we would move on to the Carrot Barn for... you guessed it... carrots. There we would stop and have some hot cider, munch on some delicious carrot cookies and chat with the owners. They have since grown as well to include a little dining area and they make the most wonderful sandwiches. "Once the kids came, the trips continued with the pumpkin picking out at Barber's as the highlight of their day...."

Belle Black
"I chose apple picking because I just got back from doing that today! It was a gorgeous day so we took advantage of it. Now i'm going to make a yummy apple pie with my apples :-)"

Allison Jameson
"I never was fond of carving pumpkins or raking leaves, too messy. I always love going apple picking with my family, we get up to 5 big bags and make all sorts of yummy treats. Another thing we do is make pumpkin sugar cookies and put up our special halloween decorations."

Ashley Denver
"I chose pumpkin carving, even though I likely won't be doing that this year. I haven't probably for the last three years. I live in an apartment, and the only person who would see it is me. It used to be tradition in my family though. When I was a little kid, my sister and I would draw the faces on the pumpkins and my mom would carve them out for us. When we were old enough, we would cut them out ourselves. It went on as family tradition until we were teenagers, and then I was usually the only one who did it. My sister decided she was too cool for it, and my mom was usually too busy for it. Maybe when I have kids I'll restart the tradition."

Tarma Black
"I love going for walks along trails or paths, enjoying the air that is crisp and clean (especially after some rain) and admiring the gorgeous colours that only appear in the fall. In fact, that is what I did today! Although I do love drinking hot apple cider. *g*"

Lera Kamerat
"Octoberfest! We go into the maze... then there are rides, games and other fun, and fireworks!!"

Narcissa Heart
"Well, I don't like to get messy so drinking the Hot Apple cider to me sounded the best. And I was at the store the other day and they had caramel apple cider drink — it sounded so good!"

Emma Pacifica
"I chose Other as I'm in a spot where we don't really get a fall. It's hot here until we get winter which usually decides to grace us with its presence right about Christmastime. My favorite fall activity growing up was decorating the house with our homemade Halloween decorations and watching Disney haunted Halloween shows while getting ready for the Halloween carnival."