Catching Up With a Colleague
Dylan: Can you believe the summer went by so fast?
Tracy: Oh, I know. I can’t believe it’s already September.
Dylan: I know, I’m gonna miss my summer Fridays.
Tracy: I know. I loved being able to leave work early.
Dylan: Me too. But, you know, I am looking forward to some fall activities.
Tracy: What do you- what do you do with your family?
Dylan: Uh, I usually like to go to the apple orchard, pick some apples, um, get in some hayrides and, uh, go to the pumpkin patch, get ready for Halloween.
Tracy: I’ve heard about going to- um, to the local apple orchard. Um, is it- uh, is it pretty cheap to do so?
Dylan: Yeah, you just pay for a bag and then you can fill up as many apples that fit into that bag.
Tracy: Oh, that sounds like fun. Um, I know that, um, Patty is already planning our office Halloween party, so I’m excited to see what people will show up as this year.
Dylan: Oh yeah, maybe I’ll pick an app- a pumpkin to, like, carve for the … to decorate.
Tracy: Yeah, that’ll be cool.
Vocabulary:
summer Fridays – a workplace benefit where employees are allowed to leave early or take the day off on Fridays during the summer months, “My company offers summer Fridays, so I get to start my weekend at noon.”
apple orchard – a piece of land where apple trees are grown, often open to the public for fruit picking in the autumn, “We visited a local apple orchard to pick fresh fruit straight from the trees.”
hayrides – fun rides on an open wagon or cart filled with straw or hay, usually pulled by a tractor through a farm, “The children laughed during the hayrides around the fields.”
pumpkin patch – a field or garden where pumpkins are grown, often visited by families to choose a pumpkin for Halloween, “We went to the pumpkin patch to find the largest pumpkin available.”
fill up – to make something completely full, “He used the hose to fill up the large bucket with water.”
carve – to cut into something, like a pumpkin, to create a shape, design, or face, “Every October, we carve funny faces into our pumpkins.”
decorate – to add beautiful or fun things to a place or object to make it look more attractive, “They like to decorate the house with spooky lights for Halloween.”