The One that Started It All

Pumpkins - they just scream Fall.  When the boys were little, we carved them.  By eighth grade, we were searching for the perfect one for the pumpkin catapult.  Today, we search for ways to remove their vines from the front yard.  You could call them Jeff's nemesis.  Imagine my surprise when he decided to bring a few home.

The blog is supposed to detail current events so the boys don't forget them when they're older.  But some old stories are worth repeating and they should also be recorded so no one forgets.  This is one of my favorites.

H was in 8th grade and we had searched for the perfect sized pumpkins for the school pumpkin catapult competition.  They had to be perfect, not too big and not too small.  H knew that with the right pumpkins, his team would win.  Unfortunately, the competition had more to do with the catapult than the little orange missiles so his team didn't win.  But he did come home with 2-3 extra pumpkins that didn't get shot and splat.  Those pumpkins sat on the front porch until the first frost...maybe a little longer.  At least once a week, Jeff and I would ask H to throw them away.  By the time H got around to getting rid of them, they were so mushy that they were about 20 minutes at 350 degrees away from pie.  So to avoid carrying them too far, H threw them in the front yard, hoping they would disintegrate into nothingness.  And they did...until summer.  It was June or July when we began to notice the strange vines climbing out of the grass and into the yard...then into the flower bed...then into the walkway...then across the stairs.  The prettiest blooms came next, followed by a half a dozen pumpkins.  Jeff wanted to rid the yard on several occasions, but H and I stood guard.  We protected them until they were old enough to catapult.  After the season, Jeff made sure they were gone...never to return. 

So when Jeff brought home the little darlings last week, H laughed.  He vowed to toss them in yard when Jeff wasn't looking so that they'd bloom and grow next fall.  Next fall, when H is away at college.  He'll be far enough away that he won't be able to hear Jeff scream when he finds them.