My best friend next door and the nine-year-old went to the Book Family Farm. They went with my sister and niece. It was a weekday, so Ill consider that the reason that I wasnt invited.
The nine-year-old, Leif, proudly pointed out the three enormous pumpkins they had placed on the front porch. Bonnie can be really picky. She looks over every button when she buys a shirt to make sure that one has not been sewn poorly.
Bonnie said she and the nine-year-old spent an inordinate amount of time picking out the pumpkins. Unlike the pumpkins you buy in the big bins at the grocery story, their pumpkins were perfectly smooth, with no nicks or gashes. The stems were long and created perfect handles for carrying them. The color was the perfect Halloween orange.
These are the kind of pumpkins you would use for a photo shoot in Sunset Magazine,? where everything looks perfectly homey and one can almost imagine the smell of warm bread wafting from the kitchen.
The nine-year-old was bragging a bit about the perfection of the pumpkins, and how good he maneuvered the corn maze.
Of course, this sounded like an invitation for me to sneak over to their house where they were watching TV and steal one of the pumpkins.
We live so close to one another that I had to muffle my laughter when I heard the screen door slam next door and heard the little guy scream: Auntie!!!!! You took our pumpkin.?
I walked outside to see what all the fuss was about.
What are you talking about? Oh no,? I said with just a glimmer of a smirk so he can recognize that I am teasing him. I was thinking you shouldnt leave those pumpkins on the front porch because some neighbor kid might steal them.?
Nuh uh,? he said, seeing through me, of course.
Funny how fast a little kid can run. Before I could grab him to tickle him, he had raced into the house and found the pumpkin just inside the kitchen doorway.
The way that he fussed and made a tantrum, you would think I had just dropped his Gameboy in the toilet.
Of course, his reaction just made me want to steal his pumpkins again.
That night, the nine-year-old was winding down for bed and we stole two pumpkins. This time we hid them well. Tommy also hid his own bicycle so that we could pretend like someone had come by our homes and stolen both the pumpkins and Tommys bike.
The nine-year-old called over to our house demanding Give me back my pumpkin,? in that kind of voice that leads one to firmly believe that his career path will not be international diplomacy.
This went back and forth for several phone calls, the kid calling us up again and again.
I called up and tried to fake a male voice and said: This is the pumpkin police, and your Auntie said you had a report of a stolen pumpkin.?
This isnt the pumpkin police. This is Auntie. I can hear you talking from the front porch.?
Jovial Jim to the rescue
Desperate measures were needed. I phoned up my friend Jim and asked him to call up the nine-year-old and tell him he was with the pumpkin police and a pumpkin was found down the street that fit the description his aunt had phoned in.
Jim obliged, which set the two next door off kilter for half a second, until we could hear them giggling through the bedroom window.
The next day I spent a great deal of time at the big bin at the grocery store picking out the best pumpkin I could find. It was scratched only on one side.
As soon as Bonnie and the nine-year-old drove up Wednesday night, I could hear Bonnie whispering for him to grab my pumpkin, which he promptly placed on the front porch with a giant grin.
We plan to carve at least one each this week.
Sow There! World Headquarters pumpkin experts suggest that you draw out the fun of the Halloween season by carving several pumpkins one at a time to stretch it out. First off, carving is difficult and most of us are not skilled. But the real point of pumpkin carving is to eat the pumpkin seeds.
Rinse the pulp from the seeds in a colander. Mix with salt and butter and bake at 300 degrees until golden brown. For variation, try garlic or other favored spices.
Actual useful information
I looked up some tips on the Internet about pumpkin carving.
There are details at the Web site www.pumpkincarving101.com.
The self-proclaimed Pumpkin Wizard,? not to be confused with the pumpkin police, can be found at www.carvingpumpkins.com.
He had some cool preservation tips. Nobody likes a moldy pumpkin on their front porch or in the bay window.
The Pumpkin Wizard points out that its bacteria that makes the pumpkins rot. So wash your hands with anti-bacteria soap before carving. After all the guts? have been scooped out of the punkin,? spray the shell with Lysol.
He also suggests carving the opening at the bottom of the pumpkin, rather than the top. This makes it easier to place the candle at the bottom and also does not create as much air-flow, which adds to rotting. Petroleum jelly can be rubbed around the cutting, to keep it from drying out. Also, keep the pumpkin in a dark place, or preferably in the refrigerator, when not being illuminated.
Pumpkin love
Last year Tommy and I had a pumpkin sitting on the front porch for a few weeks. We had already carved one with the aforementioned nine-year-old, who was then known as the eight-year-old next door.
When I got home, Bonnie and the eight-year old were standing outside in the yard that separates our front doors. I was unloading my purse and was kinda tired after work. It was dark and the porch light was not turned on as usual.
It took me a second to notice the bay window, where Tommy had placed his gift. Bonnie and the eight-year-old gave it away actually, by being too obvious about looking toward the window.
There was the punkin,? illuminated with a white candle and the words: I love you? carved in the orange flesh.
Hmmm. I wonder what he could do to top that this year?
Hmmm. Maybe stop watching CSI.?
(See Oct. 12 blog “Time to turn off the television).
Sow There! loves thinking about dressing up for Halloween and snacking on punkin? seeds. Happy Birthday today my sister Sunrise. For feedback, send to P.O. Box 9, Chico CA 95927 or hhacking@chicoer.com.
