Sitting outside in the rain are two little pumpkins. They aren’t quite sitting on a fence, but they are pretty close to one. They shine in the moonlight and declare the Fall. My two older children decorated them with tempera paint, swirls of color that has now washed clean. The purples and browns and blues and yellows and reds are no more; the pumpkins are back to their natural clean orange state, and I get the sense that it is just mother nature washing off her makeup. Like any good mother though, she’ll put up with a little mess, and my kids will get to paint these same pumpkins all over again.
The pumpkin that belongs to my youngest child is not outside. Instead, it sits inside the house, on the family room computer desk. Close enough to be admired, but far enough away to prevent it from being used as a basket ball. The enthusiasm of a growing toddler, who is so new to the world, should be able to be bottled up and saved in a hope chest.
These three little pumpkins are special to us. Not only do they mark the Fall season, but they have ushered in a cozy time in our new home. We planted them, in a figurative sense, in our backyard, along with several other pumpkins for the kids and their friends to find in a pumpkin hunt. These pumpkins represent new play dates and friendships. They represent a better life for our kids who might have grown up with a postage stamp size yard instead of two wooded acres where pumpkins might hide.
And after the season, when the pumpkins have lived out their time, I will perform a delicate surgery and save the seeds. I’ll store them away until they can be planted. Perhaps they will grow. Perhaps plants from these three little pumpkins will bloom and form fruit. And perhaps the generations will continue, always a reminder of this first fall in our home.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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