In our family, there is a debate amongst the Pumpkin Pams and the Margarita Marys. Practically speaking, you are deemed “not cool” if you are a Pumpkin Pam. Now, truth be told, the majority of my family lives on or near a lake. In the northeast, summers on the lake are out of this world. So, there is a great effort to preserve summer for as long as possible. I mean, who in their right mind would want such a fabulous time of the year to end. In contrast, only my niece and her husband and my husband and me are not “low lakers,” as we say in this family. So, we perhaps don’t feel the tug of preserving summer like the others do. But in the end, I’m nearly always a Pumpkin Pam. I try to fight it but at a certain point, it just takes over and I’m done for. Today, it takes over.
Now, there are many influences that led me to today. First, I had 148 cups of frozen tomato puree from this year and last year and my two freezers were completely full. It was time to make room. So, I pulled out 36 cups and I’ll make about six quarts of marinara today. That influenced me as making marinara is always a fall activity. Then, there is the cherry pie. My sister and I managed to pick 35 pounds of cherries this summer. I don’t really have any breakfast food in the house and there’s nothing like a slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee for breakfast. That’s the next influence. And finally, I looked out my kitchen window and our large elm tree has turned yellow. Case closed. I can get out my fall decos.
There are a couple of other reasons why I’m turning into a Pumpkin Pam, honestly. First, my family health issue is resolved, at least for now and hopefully forever. That seems to indicate that I can turn the page. Then, we’re working on laying our floors this weekend. Laying the floor upstairs means being able to get the flooring out of my dining room. And getting the flooring out of my dining room means I can finally enjoy decorating my “new house” for fall. One of the things that occurred when we went through the massive renovations was that I comforted myself about how fabulous the house would look over fall and the holidays. Now, I want to realize the dream. And finally, I’m just ready. Ready for cooler days and back-to-school. Football games and the garden winding down. Less mowing and a random evening fire out by the fire pit. I want jeans and long-sleeved shirts although I will always miss my t-shirts and shorts. I want – along with my new conscious efforts to slow life down – for life to slow down around me as well.
I absolutely love fall. Having a huge garden, fall is when all of the yummy vegetables finally mature and it’s like a treasure hunt of free food. Up here in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, the views are absolutely spectacular when the leaves change and the hillside comes alive with color. Fall is a great time for hikes, family dinners, baking and cooking and settling down with a good book. Yep, I love me some fall.
So, today, I’ll make the transition. This afternoon, I need to mow once the sun has time to fully dry the heavy morning dew. In the meantime, I’m headed down to the basement and through my “office” closet to collect some of my fall decorations. Cozy throws, colorful pillows and a wood-carved jack-o-lantern are some of my favorite decorations. As I wait for the frozen puree to melt so I can siphon off the excess water, I’ll put together my cherry pie and get it in the oven. While I make beds and pick up rooms, I’ll methodically change out from summer to fall. And this evening? Well, I plan on celebrating the end of summer with dinner outside, a margarita and perhaps a campfire.
It’s time to just relax and celebrate that life is good again. That is my pumpkin-themed plan.
The Yuppie Homesteader 