Pumpkins Are Ready

journal entry:

Music to my ears. The Pumpkins Are Ready ! That means lots of fun. Fun only children could think of in a pumpkin patch. It is especially fun to harvest pumpkins at the end of the day. When the evening light makes them glow.

 

Everyone knows you can’t just pick up a pumpkin and say that you have your pumpkin. You have to study each pumpkin with care. You have to talk about the shape and color and the stem. Whether the pumpkin will be a jack-o-lantern some day or a little munchkin in a bowl on the table, it takes a discerning eye to make the right choice.

You might think that harvesting pumpkins is about harvesting pumpkins. It is not. It is about the dirt and the sharp tools and the bare feet. It is about counting and lining things up and wearing grandpa’s gloves. It is about parting the big leaves and finding a pumpkin you didn’t know was there. It is about the magic of gardens and the beauty of the fall weather.

 

 

You can roll pumpkins and sit on pumpkins and jump over pumpkins. You can arrange pumpkins in a circle  or in a line or put them right into the wheelbarrow. You can put pumpkins on the porch or in the flower garden or on a bench. You can bring pumpkins inside and put soup in them. You can make a pie or bake the seeds with salt.

 

 

There is something very joyful about picking pumpkins.