Apple Picking Attempt #1

Being from New England, Debby and I love the fall season for a variety of reasons.  The fall foliage, cooler temperatures, sitting around a fire outside and our favorite apple picking are just a few reasons.  It just would not seem like fall without making a yearly pilgrimage to go apple picking for McIntosh regardless if we still live in New England or not.  I could be living in Guam and would still try to find an apple orchard in the middle of the fall season just so I could go apple picking.

The first fall season we spent after moving to the mid-west was spent trying to find the things that made us enjoy the season without being in the place that helped us fall in love with the fall season to begin with.  We located a great place just outside of Columbus, Ohio to go apple picking called Lynd’s Fruit Farm.  For 20 years now Debby and I have made our annual trip in September to pick McIntosh and again in October for Golden Delicious and pumpkins.  Along the way we have introduced this tradition to our kids and it is something they have come to expect and look forward to doing as a family. 

When Zach got to the age when he could start picking apples he preferred to just pick one or two that he wanted to eat, while the rest of us picked the apples to fill the bags.  For the past few years Zach is more engaged with helping to pick apples to bring home, but he still finds time to crunch down a couple apples while the rest of us do the majority of the harvesting. 

This Saturday we made our first trip of the season to Lynd’s and both of our kids were excited, but when we arrived the paths to the apple picking were closed. Due to the amount of rain we received the night before the orchard was to wet for vehicles or people.  Riley, being 11 years-old and of typical development, was capable of understanding that due to the weather we could not go apple picking, but Zach, being 12 years-old with autism, did not understand.  He started to lose it emotionally, because he was told a week ago that we would go apple picking on Saturday.  All week he had been waiting and looking forward to the event, and now it was not going to happen. 

Since we could not go apple picking, we decided it might calm Zach down if we went inside the Lynd’s store and buy a bag of apples.  After we parked the car Zach started to say, “No, I go apple picking”, and he was getting teary eyed.  As much as we tried to explain to him that we could not go apple picking today, Zach was not capable of comprehending why. 

Debby tried to calm Zach down and offered to go apple picking another time.  “We will go picking some other time Zach”, she said. 

“What time?”  Zach asked

“Next weekend we can go apple picking”, she said.

“Oh no”, Zach said slightly whining. “Apple picking tomorrow?” he asked.

Although, Debby works on Sunday and the entire family would not be together for our first apple picking of the season, Debby thought there was no reason why Riley, Zach and I, could not go picking together tomorrow.

“Zach”, I said. “If the weather is good tomorrow we will go apple picking.”

It was obvious Zach was still upset that he could not do it today.  We all went inside the store and Debby took Zach to get some snacks, and then returned to the car to avoid any further emotional meltdown.  By the time Riley and I got back to the car Zach was completely calm down and content.  Let’s hope the weather tomorrow is good and we can pick apples, because I do not want a replay of what happened today.