The Great Pumpkin Hunt '08

We have had a pumpkin tradition since BubbaLou has been around. We started during her first October, she was ten months old and had just started walking. She loved playing with the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. We have gone every year, usually to one of the pumpkin patches sponsored by one of the Methodist churches in the area. We have gone early in the season and we have gone late. We usually find a pumpkin that is just right for carving.
This year, we were very late, we had been too busy. We should never be so late finding a pumpkin, but somehow, we let it slip through the cracks. So, October 30th, we started the Great Pumpkin Hunt. We were sorely disappointed. We couldn't find a pumpkin. At least, not one that was just right. It is hard to see in the pics, but the pumpkin patch was bare for the exceptions of pumpkins that were too bumpy, too green, too crooked, and were either too large or too tiny. We went to several patches, some were completely shut down and the rest were slim pickings.

BubbaLou, she has high standards. She didn't want to settle for what we were finding but we had to stop for the night. I encouraged her and said that Publix had Cinderella pumpkins and maybe we could stop by real quick and pick one up. She replied, "Momsaroo, I don't like Princesses! " Plus, she didn't want to lower her standards of buying one at the supermarket-it wasn't as fun or outside, she would rather do without. Except, that just as we were getting home, she decided that she would like to get one from the store. I told her that the next day, I would stop by the store and pick one up while she was at school and after Mum's cataract surgery.

Mum's and I spent 3 hours at the eye doctors the next day for the cataract surgery that wasn't. Turns out, it was just the prep exam for the cataract surgery. So after doing lunch at Mimi's, Mums and I headed to the neighborhood Publix in search of a pumpkin. Chuckling, I had to share the comment BubbaLou had made about the Princesses with Mums. We were relieved to find that not only did Publix have Cinderella pumpkins to choose from, they had painted pumpkins. They even had one with a cat. I figured this would work into our very tight schedule for the day, who knew if we even had time to carve one. If all else failed, I knew we could turn it around and carve the back.

BubbaLou turned out to be pleased, considered carving the back, but then opted to just enjoy the cat and go play with her friends instead. So, the Great Pumpkin Hunt ended and a happy child we have!

Q: What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?

A: Squash