Saturday, October 11, 2008

Of Pumpkins and Patches

I was thinking the other day (as it is Halloween time and these things are about) that I am really fond of the word "pumpkin" -- particularly when it is paired with "patch." There is just not much that sounds nicer than "pumpkin patch," and that is why, with these thoughts in mind, I was extra shocked and upset to see this headline (along with this picture) in the news this morning: Farmers offering reward after pumpkin patch is vandalized.

Really, things like that make me so sad with our world. Especially because I can imagine it might not have been anyone super evil, possibly just some goofy teens thinking it was funny -- taking the old pumpkin smashing (where you take pumpkins off of porches and smash them on the road) to an extreme level . . . maybe not fully realizing that they were actually destroying some poor farmers entire little Halloween season income. It made me sad and mad. And, I don't think it was just that it involved a pumpkin patch (which is such a pleasant thing) because I would have been just as upset had it been a watermelon field . . . of course I love watermelons too, so let me think honestly . . . a cabbage field? Yes, just as upsetting. Just needless and thoughtless ruin.

Well, with that big to do over the pumpkin patch, let us move on with the topic of liking words. I imagine there are lots of words I love but don't consciously realize (like pumpkin patch). I also like the word "riddled" -- sadly that always seems to go with "riddled with bullets" which, naturally, I don't like so much, but I liked the sound of it just fine when I told Mike that something I wrote was "riddled with mistakes" the other day. What are some more words to love? If I gather enough maybe I can compose an entire post about patches riddled with pumpkins and a bunch of other things that will make the entire post just sound so pleasing even though it won't actually talk about anything particularly great. (I also seem to use the word "particularly" a lot. Do I like that word? Hmmm . . .).

15 comments:

Jana said...

I live next door to a rather mean kid and every year for several years he (or maybe his friends) have smashed our pumpkins. Once they smashed my pots that were hanging off of my mailbox in a very nice little hanger thing, forcing me to buy plastic pots the next year. It really riles me up to see senseless squashing and smashing and makes me want to knash my teeth!

And my favorite word right now is "pilfer". Isn't that a fun word that really takes on so many levels of thought when used both in terms of stealing real things but also when stealing inanimate things - pilfer a thought, a recipe, a feeling. Yes, pilfer is my current word of choice.

Darn pumpkin patch pilferers.

Still haven't come to terms with your gas, I see????

Nancy said...

Yes, senseless. That was the perfect word for describing this squashing. And I agree, pilfer is a nice word. Maybe words beginning with P are a good bet.

Anonymous said...

Don't you think we should all do something--a little fundraiser of sorts--for that poor farmer? That just makes me so, so sad. I just love a garden full of good things growing--such a sense of accomplishment as you watch useful fruits and vegetables growing larger. And there's something so good for the soul in nurturing, even if it's only a plant. So I think we should all pitch in some money and send it to the pumpkin patch farmer.

Perla said...

Nancy, a pilfered pumpkin patch is okay but please do not think that in general p words are good. in general, they are the worst. puss. pubic. panties. do not force me to go on.

sometimes i have words i like. sometimes phrases. i much prefer "naturally" to "of course". i also like to say, "i cannot abide *such and such a thing*" but nobody seems to understand how cool it is except haven kimmel who used it constantly in the best book ever and most hilarious about her childhood.

anyway, that is very sad about the pumpkin patch. naturally, i cannot abide senseless destruction of any genre. now i like that sentence.

Women Afire said...

Tragic and so sad. They ought to have picked on a pumpkin their own size - in the dark - in a corn maze - with scary carvings and ghostly affects - where they would never get out - unless the cops came to find them - along with the bludgeoned pumpkin - testifying to their horrible act. (by the way - as I was typing out "bludgeoned" I totally thought I was making up a word - turns out it does exist - and I was using it the right way! (Good ole Harry Potter, I was just patterning the word after the bludgers in Quidditch - they seemed like good pumpkin smashing tools.)

On pumpkin patches - we went today to Bi-Zi (did you ever go there while you were here? THE BEST pumpkin patch ever!!!!) - We had a marathon day of fun. Pumpkin patch, Pizza, and Chuck E. Cheese. I'm exhausted. But no, I had to come home and write a research paper proposal, and now I need to prepare my lesson for YW. I seriously don't know how I'm going to pack, move, and unpack while going to school. Then come the fa la la lalidays (pretend that says "holidays" - "lalidays" just worked better with the "la la's"). Miss you!

PS - I am so impressed with all of the lovely and dedicated friends you have here. I seriously think that if you added some advertising - you could make some money - that's how popular you are! But I'm sure your friends are payment/reward enough.

-Marzee

Jana said...

What Marzee doesn't know is that you really pay me to comment daily on your blog. But your last check was late. You probably sent it to the pilfered pumpkin farmer so he could regain his losses. I mean, that was a big check due to me for all my frequent and lengthy comments.

And when reading Perla's comment I couldn't help but think "Little Purple Panties touched with Yellow Gold" because that is what we used to in appropriately sing instead of the appropriate song about Pansies.

Remind her that Perla starts with P.

jami v. said...

ah, i hate it when people do silly (hateful? although maybe they didn't mean to be) things like that. ugh ...

i would have to agree with shannon that there are more p words i dislike than p words i like. :) don't get me started either! :)

Nancy said...

marz, I don't really have so many friends. The trick is just to have 800 family members (and then to pay Tia Juana)

P.S. To all of you . . . good news, Mike read the article in more depth than I did and at least the farmer was insured from such nonsensical vandalism.

Karen said...

There are words I love too. Most of them are not nearly as interesting as yours. I like the leading words like; "so, then, oh, and you know." I read them now and think maybe I need to get a grown up vocabulary.

That is sad for the farmer and for the kids planning their trip there for pumpkins.

Mugsy said...

Man how is it that I get so behind on my own sweet sisters blog? I do so love it here! And I do love the pics so much. Anyway I love you and am so sad that our world is going to hell in a hand basket. Of course probably the pumpkin smashing took place by some of my neighbors who have said that they prefer not to celebrate satan when I asked if they had their decorations up. Not once did this happen another boy told me and my boys that they celebrate satans birthday and I said neither do I. He looked really baffled.

Liz said...

Hmm...I know there are plenty of words that I like. None are coming to mind, except the word "milky". Which I hate. You'd think it was a perfectly nice word - maybe if someone has milky white skin- but doesn't that just mean they are really pale? Who wants that? And I really don't like milk at all, so that doesn't help the word any. But, the real reason I don't like it is because it brings to mind a certain boy in high school, who I didn't even know other than that he went by the nick name of "milky". And the vision that it brings to mind is too much to bear. Now, I will always hate the word "milky".

Gracie J said...

I know I'm not commenting anymore, but I just have to say that anyone who would destory a whole patch of pumpkins is an a-hole.

I also know we've had this discussion before and I really dislike the word "moist." Shudder!

Pilfered pumpkin patch is some great alliteration, so of course I like that.

Nancy said...

What the hey!!? Yes, I know full well that you no longetr expose yourself to the backlashes that can come from commenting and how oh how was I ever to guess that this dastaradly pumpkin deed would inspire you to take such risks!!??

Email or call me soon I feel like I keep being out of the loop -- especially the NKOTB loop!!! Yah, I know alllll about it (from your sister's blogs -- and maybe from your glorious blog that I dreamt about).

Ashley said...

Surely you wouldn't be as upset about cabbage, Nancy. Get real.

Nancy said...

Ummm, Ashley, what if it was a real cabbage patch . . . you know, as in cabbage patch doll! That would totally be upsetting.

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