Lordy Lordy, Look Who's Gourdy

Several satisfying things happened this weekend. We needed to increase our pumpkin quotient, and get a jump on some fall décor. The leaves are changing all around us, and Mindy, she of the spotless yard, has a little autumn tableau set up in front of her place, with a veiled bride scarecrow and a groom scarecrow, surrounded by mums, pumpkins, and tin jack o' lanterns. Mindy got married not long ago, and her scarecrows are standing by a little sign that says "The Newlyweds." So, clearly, we needed to up our game. On Sunday we drove up to Burt's Farm, near Dawsonville, a pumpkin mecca.

That bluish-gray pumpkin is called a Jarrahdale, a variety originally from Australia. The little sign at the farm identified it as a "Jerraddle." I tried to google "jerraddle," and nothing came up. With more sleuthing, I found the proper name, and I wonder if when an Australian pronounces "Jarrahdale," it sounds, to a Georgia pumpkin farmer, like "jerraddle," with the emphasis on the second syllable. Amy, my Australian native-informant, what do you think?

Anyway, it's pretty. The pumpkins I've been seeing at the grocery stores just weren't looking too good so far, though we'll probably get a few from there to carve. The big orange one is just the size I wanted--the $14 size. (You could spend a lot of money on a pumpkin at that place. Mindy has one that's the size of an end-table. It is hulking.) Also, Laura and I made a feather Halloween wreath, which I'm sure you'll be seeing in a future post. It is prettier than it sounds, even if Matt says it looks like a Muppet.

Another pressing outdoor goal was achieved Saturday when Matt and I trimmed the bushes out front. Or "trimmed" is really too mild a word. "Went medieval on" is more like it. You may recall that they sorely needed it. I am sure it was a spectacle, the way Matt and I both had to wrestle with the huge hydrangea bush. I mean, we got around, behind, and on top of that thing. We were merciless, and that bush gave as good as it got. At one point, Matt was standing on a stepladder between the bush and the house, wielding the heavy-duty loppers and reaching as high as he could, while I stood on the front side and pushed parts of the bush towards him with a rake. To do that, I had to get really intimate with the laurel hedge in front of the hydrangea, and it was covered in laurel pollen. As you will recall from the post linked above, the terrain makes this a challenging spot. Every time he would reposition the ladder, Matt would tell me his "exit strategy," or where he was going to hurl himself if he fell off, so I could avoid that location. At another moment, I stood on the porch with Matt holding on to the back of my jeans, and leaned out as far as a could with the clippers. We should have sold tickets--it was a slick operation, people. Sometimes we said ugly words. And there were spiders. But we got the chains back on Frankenstein.

In other news, I took a break from heavy-duty grocery shopping. I didn't get anything at CVS except a newspaper and bag of Snickers, for medicinal use. There just isn't anything at CVS that grabs me right now. I might go back in for the bogo All detergent--I've been hoarding coups.

My Publix trip had a brevity and a purity that was actually pleasurable. I didn't have a sheaf of coupons, and I didn't buy a lot of stuff. Bananas, bogo Kozy Shack rice pudding (I've long since used up those printable coupons), two loaves of bread, and two liters of diet pepsi. The Mystery One Cent item was Peter Pan PB--score. And I had the coupon from Sunday's inserts for a free bag of Good Bites doggie treats. Spent $10.66, "saved" $9.83. I'll go back sometime in the next day or so for all the Kahiki and Barber chicken craziness. Check out Fiddledeedee to see what the more creative shoppers are doing this week.

I had some things to say on the subject of fashion at the pumpkin farm, and about my unwillingness to participate in the scarecrow contest this year, but it can wait. I hope y'all had a lovely weekend!