Picking the Pumpkins

Honestly, four straight days of hard physical work is enough for me. I am beat! This was the scene yesterday after Reed and I picked and hauled all the pumpkins up to the house yard. Vines stretching from one end of the pumpkin patch to the other – twisted together and hard to pull. Here’s a pile of vines we got off one small corner of the patch.

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After two days of moving plants this is what we did Sunday afternoon. This is our reward for a job well done- a gorgeous picture of pumpkins and gourds in front of my house.

Reed was tickled with the result – he placed pumpkins and gourds so artistically – he’s got a real “eye” for composition. I had him get on the ladder to get an overhead shot.

What do you think?

Some of our friends from church are coming to buy pumpkins from Reed this week. I think we should start his college fund.

Today was cleaning and laundry and some canning of pepper jelly. Someone asked me to talk about good books so I will this week. Be thinking of which books you enjoyed so you can tell us all in the comments. I keep a list of books we talk about at our monthly book club called Novel Idea and I’ll pass on some of our favorites.

I hope I’ve gone up on the roof to clean the gutters for the last time – these guys were here today putting on new gutter covers that are guaranteed – money back if they don’t work. They sound pretty sure of themselves. They weren’t cheap but I’m guessing they’re cheaper than a broken, leg, hip, arm if I fall off the roof.

One more fall quilt I forgot to post – this is from Linda Brannock, can’t remember the name.

Tonight when I can’t sleep it will come to me. Haha!

That’s all folks – rain is predicted for tonight- just what we don’t need!

57 thoughts on “Picking the Pumpkins

  1. Maryjane from CA

    All so beautiful! Worth all the work but maybe you could grow fewer pumpkins for less work???

  2. Anne

    Your pumpkins and gourds are amazing… I love it! I have a small garden and next year I think u will forgo my pepper. And stuff and plant mini pumpkins 🎃

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Anne – pumpkins are lots more fun than vegetables that need to be picked and prepared. Hope you give it a try next year!

  3. Beryl Hoff

    You two make a good team and lucky to have each other!!
    Reed does have a good eye and a start on his college fund with all of those pumpkins. I love all of the colors you have.
    Is the quilt a Primitives Quilt project or maybe The Buggy Barn? The stars look like their stars. I love the look and the colors that were used.
    Praying you don’t get too much rain tonight.
    Rest, don’t over do!

    Beryl
    Montana

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Beryl Hoff – Linda Brannock preceded Buggy Barn – I’m quite sure this is her design. Not sure what you mean when you say “primitives quilt project”.

  4. Donna & Shirley

    Hi Mary,
    What a nice job, Reed did in displaying your pumpkin harvest with the gourds. Also, what a good
    helper!
    Thanks for the extra work you do, on your blog, so everyone can enjoy, Mary

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Donna and Shirley – you two can stage a photo better than anyone I know! But I’ll tell Reed!

  5. Diane in Newark, Ohio

    Oh, Mary and Reed, they look gorgeous. Yes, Reed does have an eye for color and composition. Do you save your seeds from one year to the next? I bought a weird pumpkin and some odd looking seeds for our son in law. He says they lose some of their “powers” after a few years. He also has good luck in his compost pile with volunteer pumpkins and tomatoes!! Funny.
    I love the kitties on the quilt.
    Rain, drizzle, rain, drizzle in Central Ohio.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Diane in Newark, OH – I used to save seeds but the germination percentage is not too good. Reed’s favorite pink and green pumpkin was the only one we got from one package of 15 seeds which cost $4.95. Not a good return! Diane – are you the one who collects purses?

      1. Diane

        Yes, I am the purse collector. I’m not sure if you’d say I “collect” because I have only about 6 that belonged to my mom and aunts. I am also the proud owner of your purse quilt:)
        No, that is not a good return on the seeds. I buy them from a woman at the Backwoods Fest here and they do well for a year or two, but they are only between $1.25 and $2.00.

  6. Brenda Anderson

    Love all the pumpkins and gourds. Take a day off and rest it will be there another day!

  7. Pamela

    After you are rested up, would you write about the plants that you keep in the basement under a gro-light, please. I have some very large plants that I want to take to the basement for the winter. I don’t have a good spot on the first floor for them so I plan to use grow-lights. I’d appreciate your thoughts.

  8. Chris

    All of Reed and your hard work paid off. You can never have too many pumpkins. Have a great Tuesday.

  9. Angie

    You guys make a great pair. Wish I lived closer to help that college fund. He is a hard worker which teaches him good things come from hard work. He does have a good eye for composition.

  10. Carolyn Boutilier

    Mary & Reed, Picture perfect of the pumpkins & gourds. Great job to the both of you.
    Enjoyed the pictures. Love LB quilt. I have some of her older books.
    Carolyn Shenandoah Valley VA.

  11. Jo in Wyoming

    WOWZERS! What a fantastic welcome. Yes, Reed has quite an eye for placement. He’s good.
    We have had .03” of rain this month. Just so dry.
    The challenge for our fall retreat is to use something quilters don’t normally use. Plus the color yellow.
    I’ve saved the color catchers from the washing machine, I think I’ll use those. I have a lot of ideas, but not sure any will work. Oh well, I’ll let you know.
    After all that work Mary, you deserve some Corona, or Bud, or some really good beer. Enjoy.

  12. Janice

    Love the display! Nice job arranging all of those pumpkins and gourds. We grew the bird gourds one year, so much fun seeing how they come out. Mary, I just love your home. The stone work and your porch windows are beautiful! Are those walkways raised? It’s hard to tell on my computer. How did you do that if they are? I hope Reed sells lots of pumpkins this weekend. Fingers crossed the weather is better by then. I have to admit I put the heat on in the house tonight – it is in the 40’s here in MA right now. This is when I wish we had a wood stove – or a propane fireplace! Just to get the chill off.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Janice – the “sidewalk” going into the front door is actually a ramp. We knew Rick would need it and me, too, probably in time. We intend to stay in this house until we die. If you’ve been a follower for 5 years or more, you’ll remember I picked up all those rocks for the house. Raided all my neighbors’ rock piles and hauled them home on an open trailer. And I wonder why my back hurts! Haha!

  13. Susie Lenz

    Beautiful display of gourds and pumpkins! You and Reed are such a great team! Well done!🍁🍁🍁🍁

  14. Becki

    Hi Mary. You know a lot about plants. I have 2 ferns I want to bring inside for the winter. What do I spray them with to get rid of insects etc? Thsnks

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Becky – I just buy a commercial insecticide for killing insects in plants – just go to your hardware store. I have no favorite brand.

  15. Gail

    Job well done Reed. What an artistic eye! Look forward to the Mary and Reed adventures. Am trying to be as organized as you Mary. You let no grass grow under your feet.

  16. Alice Denny

    Love your gourds and pumpkins! Great job!!! I am currently reading the book “Women in Sunshine” by Francis Mayes. It’s an easy read with a gypsy spirit of three women who go to Italy for a year. Halfway through and would recommend!!!

  17. Betty Klosterman

    Oh, what fun with all your crop. Quite an accomplishment. Good luck with Reed’s college fund. He is getting such a wonderful, fully rounded education. This weekend is the Pumpkin Festival in Rapid City. They have lots of contests with about anything you can do with the pumpkin. The School of Mines students build catapults and have a contest to see who can get the farthest. Two years ago the high school kids talked them into letting them compete, too, and they WON. I don’t think there is a limit to what they can learn.

  18. Kathy Hanson

    All those pumpkins and gourds look so beautiful – Reed has a really good eye! So much work but fun too and a college fund for Reed is a wonderful idea. I don’t know how you do so much but it is all beautiful. Love the quilt with the kitties, etc. What a fun thing to have up for the Fall. Thanks for your blog – it just makes my day!!

  19. Sue in Oregon

    The front looks terrific with all your pumpkins and gourds. Reed did a great job of arranging them.
    Love that quilt. Hope you remember its name and tell us.
    Please, please send the rain west. We are so dry again. Our rain just didn’t give us much relief. Wells are running dry now, I guess. Ours is still okay. Knock on wood.

  20. Colleen

    Ok what a job now the goats get the vines and people get to buy pumpkins and Reed gets a college fund started oh yeah you get a beer seems like you should get your feet up and have a movie with the beer

  21. Marilyn

    What a lovely fall postcard with the display of pumpkins in front of the house. So enjoy reading all your adventures of life and making living life a priority. Blessings to you. Also reading all the commments makes me feel like they are my friends too.

  22. sandy

    You did a wonderful job! How lovely all the pumpkins & gourds look 🙂

    I think you will be very happy with the gutter covers, we got them several years ago & they really help!
    No more climbing on the ladder for my Husband 🙂

  23. Sharon Lowy

    I live in a wooded area in Illinois and I have those gutter guards. They really do work. Love the pumpkins and gourds and am wishing for a stunningly prosperous sale for Reed’s college fund! He is really a treasure and I love watching him grow up through your blog.

  24. Janie B Lang

    Beautiful gourds and pumpkins! Gives me incentive to do my porch (not today…rainy!) I love the quilt! Charming! Happy Fall!

  25. Kathy

    Your pumpkin pictures should be on the cover of a magazine or newspaper as they are stunning. Maybe next Sunday’s church bulletin??? What an eye for such detail and colors Reed has. I wish I could drive two hours to support Reeds business but sadly it’s a two day drive from NY for me. Now I have a question about the pumpkin vines as we are thinking of tilling a corner of our lot for them next year….do you have to pull the vines after you pick? I like to leave a lot of our “ stuff” for cover for birds or rabbits or other wildlife thru the winter months and then clean it out in spring. Just curious on how best to grow pumpkins. I bought a small one for my MIL for her nursing home room and it was over $3 so a pack of seeds might be worth us planting.

  26. Launa

    32 degrees up in my part of Idaho very near Lost Trails Pass…there’d be frost on the pumpkins 🎃 here this morning for sure! Great to see the photos of Reed’s artistic placement of the garden’s bounty! The small pumpkins are so tasty stuffed with a meat mixture and baked! Wish I was there to shop! Thanks for making my day, Mary and Reed!

  27. Connie

    What a beautiful pumpkin display you and Reed have created. Love the kitty quilt too and also the cat and moon pincushion displayed below it. Any idea what pattern that is?

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Connie – I purchased the small pillow, not pincushion, at a country fair – no pattern.

  28. Nancy Finch

    You are so lucky to have a young companion like Reed. Isn’t it fun to explore things with them and see their excitement. He has really been a big help and yes he does have a great eye for color. Love all the pumpkin and gourds .

  29. Paula in Texas

    The pumpkin and gourd crop picture is awesome! It should be in the Iowa equivalent of Southern Living magazine! Congratulations to you and Rred for a colorful crop!

  30. Marsha Ransom

    Love the pumpkins and gourds! May have to get some along with some mums before it gets too much colder.

  31. Carla J

    Glad your eye surgery went well on Thursday so you could celebrate Gayle’s life.
    As the spouse of a military retiree and parents to boys who have all served I started following the Stars and Stripes on Facebook, it was the paper available to us in print while we were overseas 35+ years ago.
    Including in today’s posts is this article I thought you may like to share with Reed. Make sure to click on the Gallery link so you can see some more of the exhibit.
    https://www.stripes.com/if-it-has-to-do-with-pumpkin-it-s-probably-at-the-fest-in-ludwigsburg-germany-1.553545?fbclid=IwAR2t_2ewoFIRiHAYT60gaf7dH9MhfGsyiSaFoKFD7TrqXRNTvzOr9uOLF1g

    And then I saw this link at the very end of the article, I am still looking at the photos. What a lot of squash! https://www.blueba.de/en/pumpkin-exhibition.html

    Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Carla J – I will take a look at this with Reed – thank you for your family’s service!

    2. CountryThreads Post author

      Carla J – just looked at the sites -Reed is going to love seeing this! Thank you!

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