My computer met with an unfortunate accident and after two weeks of trying to bring it back to life, it was declared dead and I had to replace it. Fortunately, I was able to save everything. A good reminder to BACK UP everything. Anyhoo, I sort of fell behind on a lot of other things while I was computer-less (though I did get a bunch of closets cleaned out) and have been spending the last week trying to get caught up.

Like announcing the winners for my September contest, which were Mary G. of Wilmington, DE and Phyllis C. of East Palatka, FL. I actually went and “mapquested” East Palatka because I’d never heard of it. I love learning about new places and where they are. So congratulations to my winners–watch your mail, I’ve sent your Borders gift cards off to you.

Yesterday I was doing a different sort of housekeeping–cleaning out my vegetable gardens. I wish I could say they were a glowing success this summer, but not this year. My carrots, lettuce and onions were okay, and my tomatoes came on strong in the end, only to rot on the vines and burst open before they even got ripe in all our September rain. I’ve still got some basil left and hopefully the dozen or so green tomatoes I was able to salvage from the carnage will ripen on the window sill and make a nice end of summer pasta sauce.

Usually I have at least one giant pumpkin, some 90-100 pound monster that we have to figure out a way to get from the backyard to the front steps for Halloween. One year, our pumpkin was so big, it scared a little toddler and he wouldn’t come to the front porch for treat or treat. Not even for a full-sized bag of M&Ms.

My husband doesn’t understand my love affair with growing a giant pumpkin and this year I thought for sure I would get a behemoth, considering I was growing it in full on ZooDoo. But alas, all I harvested were three grocery store sized pumpkins. Then my husband asked me if I got the one behind the fence. And lo and behold, one of the vines had slipped through the fence and was growing a solitary pumpkin in no man’s land that separates us from our less than friendly neighbors. Harvested and carried in triumph up to the porch, there is now a pumpkin for each of us, and I have to admit, even though it isn’t my usual big beast, I sort of like having a pumpkin party on the porch announcing that Halloween is nearly here in all their cheery and not yet scary orange glory.

What says Fall to you?