The Green Pumpkin Award

[soberups]

Every fall, I try to guess which house on my route will be getting the "green pumpkin award". This award goes to the family that waits the longest to finally discard their Halloween pumpkin...which frequently means just letting it rot and slowly dissolve into a puddle of green slime. Sometimes, this green moldy puddle is simply covered up in early December by some sort of Christmas decoration. I have also noticed that many winners of the green pumpkin award are also usually in the running for the "brown tree award" which is given away in Febuary or March to the family that waits the longest to finally get rid of its Christmas tree.

Last winter was much colder than usual, and I saw several rotten pumpkins that were still sitting on porches in the spring.

 

[Babagounj]

Pumpkin shortage threatens Halloween fun

Farmers patching up pickings

By Karen Goldberg Goff
CENTREVILLE, Va. | When children leave Cox Farms and other pumpkin patches across the nation this fall, they may go home with a gourd instead of the traditional orange pumpkin.
That's because Cox Farms, which hosts one of the Washington area's largest fall festivals this month, is looking at a pumpkin shortage.
Cox Farms marketing manager Bob Richard said a rainy spring in some parts of the country has led to a dearth of the little pumpkins that children carry home from the patch. Those pumpkins are free with the $15 admission price.
Cox Farms grows some of its own pumpkins, then orders the rest from local brokers to round out the supply.

 

[Catatonic]

Every fall, I try to guess which house on my route will be getting the "green pumpkin award". This award goes to the family that waits the longest to finally discard their Halloween pumpkin...which frequently means just letting it rot and slowly dissolve into a puddle of green slime.

Last winter was much colder than usual, and I saw several rotten pumpkins that were still sitting on porches in the spring.

It was because of IE that they did this.

 

[BLACKBOX]

There is nothing worse than walking into a cloud of gnats when these icons of Hallows Eve start degrading.

 

[over9five]

It was because of IE that they did this.

True. And if it wasn't for IE pinching pennies, the country would have enough pumpkins.

 

[soberups]

Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

I have 7 homes on my route that are still in the running for my annual Green Pumpkin award.

This award goes to the homeowner that continues to keep the moldy remains of a Halloween jack'o lantern sitting on the porch for the longest period of time.

They tend to be the same people year after year. And the contest often ends in a tie, because after about 3 months the pumpkins have all been reduced to little more than green, rotten puddles of slime that look like something from a failed science experiment. By spring, there is nothing left at all but a stain.

Oddly enough, these same people also tend to be the contestants in my annual Brown Christmas Tree award, which goes to the homeowner who waits the longest before taking down their Christmas tree. The all-time record for that award goes to a house on my route that still had a real (not fake) decorated tree in their living room in April. As you might imagine, this home also had several green stains on the front porch. Yuck!

 

[MataLeão]

Re: Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

April? That's hilarious. I live in a POA community that gives you citations for a wide array of pointless 'infractions'. I think, green pumpkin moldy-slime on the front porch could qualify.

Do you simply hold your breath right before entering the porch'o'doom?

 

[Magnus]

Re: Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

Yep, had one on November 30th that had already reached the black and gray mold stage, complete with oozing greenish-orange sludge and a LOT of vermin crawling over it. At first I thought someone or something had died, I could smell it from the street. I have a pretty strong stomach, but that one almost got to me several times before I was running full-out back to the P7. I didn’t bother ringing the bell because the crap was right under it and going anywhere closer to it would have resulted in my own mess ending up on their porch… not that the customer would have noticed of course, but… LOL!

 

[hurricanegunner]

Re: Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

I have four homes on my route with pumpkins still on the porch. Right next to the Christmas decorations.

 

[moreluck]

This is the Christmas pumpkin.....

It was lit when baby Jesus was born!

 

[MataLeão]

I just noticed that there are 2 threads with the same topic.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

Repost. You have got me curious now. And is that your first name? What does it mean? And I love circle driveways too!!!

 

[cino321]

Re: Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

 

[moreluck]

Re: Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

 

[toonertoo]

Re: Any houses on your route still competing for the "green pumpkin" award?

Quit picking on us, we are just too busy to notice. (Ill roll it down in the garden in the am...If I can find it in all the snow). Do the ceramic ones count?

 

[MataLeão]

Repost. You have got me curious now. And is that your first name? What does it mean? And I love circle driveways too!!!

This is not my first name. This is my sons middle name. Mata Leão is Portuguese for "Lion Killer". I am a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor on the side and Mata Leão is the name of a very powerful choking technique that is applied from behind a person. (yes, my wife was on board with the name, for she is also a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

Thanks for asking!