The great pumpkin did not show up

Well, the great pumpkin didn't make it for Halloween. Its there, it just didn't entirely turn orange. Speaking of Halloween … it really snuck up on me this year. I had made plans to go have dinner with a friend that I haven't seen in a while, so we did that and had a really good time. And on Sunday I did house work mostly and tried to get caught up on some things.

I've started working as an attorney here at the office and I am completely thrown into trying to learn the ropes at the office and the court house. It's a lot to take in but I'm enjoying it. Friday we set up my little office and I'm still trying to get acquainted in it. I have a few clients and I have also been introduced in court and can cross the bar in the courtroom. You would think I would be totally excited about this because of all the hard work and law school and such. Well I am, but I was more excited not to have to sit in the gallery any more and observe. I sat in the gallery a few times last week and there were so many sick and hacking people around me I decided just to get up and leave. It wasn't worth trying to watch if I was going to catch H1N1.

On Monday Matt and I went to see Maroon 5. We were exhausted before the concert began, and we were real exhausted when it ended. But it was a good show and they sounded great live. It was quite fun for this old married couple :)

Nobody blink, it will be Thanksgiving before we know it!

Awaiting the arrival of the great pumpkin.

Against all odds and to my utter surprise, I have ONE little pumpkin growing.

I'd given up on anything coming of my little pumpkins, but it seems the great pumpkin may show up after all. I'll have my fingers crossed for the next 4 weeks for it.

"Linus: Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He's gotta pick this one. He's got to. I don't see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there's not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see."

Wicked weekend

So for our anniversary Matt and I tended the sheep and goats early, and us two bumpkins went out for a night of culture. We went to see Wicked at TPAC. It was absolutely great! Really good songs, great twist on the Wizard of Oz, and the performance was just wonderful. It was a good way to celebrate our anniversary. If you are interested in seeing it, you really should try to go.

I also had a two day yard sale with my friend from High School over the weekend. I had forgotten how draining having a yard sale is. I made a little dough, but most importantly… I got rid of some of the clutter at the house. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of clutter. But it has definitely given me some relief. We also decided to take down and store the spare bed at our house to get more room. No one has visited or slept in that room for 2 years now, so obviously it wasn't being used. I'm still weeding through things and trying to get things situated after the four years of neglect from being in law school, but things are starting to improve.

News on the pumpkin front is grim. The plants are definitely getting bigger and bigger. Problem is, for some reason my female plants are not flowering (I think I must have planted them too late). They keep shriveling up and dying. Like I mentioned before, this is a learning process. I had no idea that there is a male and a female part of the pumpkin plant. And well, as one would imagine... the two have to meet up to pollinate and make a pumpkin. I guess we won't have any pumpkins this year, but our odds next year are going to be pretty good after all I've learned this year. I've got my fingers crossed that I might have at least one, but it isn't looking too hopeful.

bloomed male flower

female flower- no bloom

The little pumpkin on the bottom shriveled away :(

Yes the sheep have on Party hats.

Aren’t the sheep sweet and festive? I thought it would be funny to put party hats on them... and was it ever. Sally Pearl pranced around with hers on. Hannah keep pulling hers down over one eye like an eye patch.We laughed and laughed. I tried to put one on Hans (fat cat), who managed to get it on the front of his face. He was all confused and walked around backwards thinking he could back himself out of it, like he does when he crams himself in a paper shopping bag. Biscuit thought it was a new toy and destroyed hers with excitement. It was a lot of fun and giggles for the 1 dollar cost of party hats.

I’m back at work now. I wasn’t exactly planning on going back to work so soon after the bar exam, but here I am. I wasn’t thrilled about it. But as my first payday after returning draws near, I’m starting to feel better about it :) This weekend is Matt’s Birthday Extravaganza Part II. I have planned a little getaway that fulfills a request Matt has made a couple of times. I’ll have to give you the scoop on it next week. Speaking of the birthday boy. Matt started back to school this week. He wasn’t able to get a teaching job this year, so he will be substitute teaching and continuing on his masters. He’ll actually be done in the spring if all goes well with his thesis. As far as me, they have pushed back the release date for the bar exam results another week. So I won’t find out until October 16^th. Also… I found out that the school messed up on my transcript and final GPA calculation. They fixed it, and I’m getting a new transcript. It bumped me up 2 places, and everyone keeps reminding me how they could care less, they were just glad to graduate. But, by golly, I care. I worked hard for my grades and I want that little piece of paper to reflect every bit of that. So now… I graduated 23^rd in my class of 139 (even if no one else cares and I happen to fail the bar exam).

What’s that you say?

You want to know how the pumpkins are doing? The pumpkins are doing great. Check em’ out.

* If you click the Gr8 pumpkin label you can see all the post together and look at the progress they've made

It's GurrrrrATE (Pumpkin)!

Expect a lot of puns and silliness with these post people!

And the beginnings of the "Baby Boos"

The journey to the "Great Pumpkin"

So I was planning on having a new little installment on my blog. My attempt to grow some pumpkins for this fall. Some post will just be pictures of the progress. We have planted some jack-o-latern pumpkins and some ornamental miniature white ones called "baby boos". Exciting stuff, I know. I'm sure you will be on the edge of your seat. I mean, while other people are talking about American Idol, Jon & Kate, Grey's, etc. You're going to be wondering about our pumpkins. :) Hey, at least it is probably more exciting than this never ending Michael Jackson/Steve McNair saga.

Anyhow...

Last year we threw some out when we planted the rest of the garden in early summer. We did manage to grow some pumpkins, but they were ready at the beginning of August and of course were mush by September. This year I did some research and I want to try some of the things that I have gathered from the wise ol' internet.

Here are some of the first signs of life that have emerged. I was so thrilled. I ran out and took pictures. Apparently I wasn't the only one that was thrilled because the rabbits found and ate some of the sprouts, as well as some of the leaves. We bought this horribly smelly liquid fence and so far I haven't noticed any more nibbling.

Until next time... dun...dun... da...?!?!?