family rituals: or, how to celebrate decorative gourd season

Building new rituals is one of the most rewarding elements of creating our family. Every October, Gregg and I drive fifteen minutes out in the country to our favorite pumpkin patch some sunny Saturday or Sunday. We stroll through the pumpkin-filled fields, turning over sunny orbs in search of the perfect gourd: deep color, few blemishes, and no more than one flat side. A decent stem and a flat bottom help, too.

Today we filled the wagon with pumpkins big and small, flat and round, white and orange. We chatted with friends out in the field, and watched kids smile and run down the dirt tracks between fields. We shivered and sweat at the combination of cool, damp fields and brilliant sunshine.

Gregg loaded the dirty pumpkins in the trunk and back seat of the car, and I later arranged them on our porch. Bring on the harvest feasts and trick-or-treaters!

(for adults not bothered by cussing, read Colin Nissan's classic essay, "It's Decorative Gourd Season, &^$%^&$^#%")