Mr. Punkin Man

Fall has always been my favorite season. There are so many good things about the fall that it's hard to really pin it down but I suppose your standard cliched list would include any of the following: cool weather, the sky going from smoggy to blue in the matter of a few weeks, low humidity, football, Halloween, shorter days, the way the smell of a fire seems to smooth out the air, the leaves changing, wearing jeans all the time. I could go on but we all know the facts. Fall in the South is just hard to beat.


For the first time, I think the twins are aware of the difference. This is really the first time they are going to understand Halloween. Last year was more entertaining for us. This year should be lots more fun for them. While they had fun in the leaf piles last year, this year should be double the fun. In fact I think we're just now entering the prime fall enjoyment years (approx 3-11 if I remember correctly) of kid-dom. It's going to be fun to relive it with them.

In any case, over the next week or so I hope to put out a few posts on Fall and the Smiths. This one is about Mr. Punkin Man

Many years ago LeeAnn and I went to what amounted to a city-wide garage sale put on by the Sandy Springs Society. As with all garage sales and estate sales, upwards of 96% of the things there were probably best suited for a recycle bin or trash pile: old boom boxes, broken wicker furniture, 3 Flo-bees in their boxes, an old electric weedeater, some Retern of the Jedi glasses from Burger King (I should have bought these). In any case, somewhere in the piles of other people's cast-offs LeeAnn spotted a particularly pitiful little artifact of Halloweens past. It was a little 3 foot tall orange and green formed plastic Pumpkin Man that theoretically lighted up when you plugged him in. She had to have him.

On account of the fact that he seemed to be missing a sign (he had holes in his hands that seemed to hold something that was not present) and that he had frayed wires which clearly made him a fire hazard in 49 states, "Mr. Pumpkin Man" was labeled at a scant $1. After some shred finagling, we coughed up $0.50 and took him home along with some other knick knacks. I spent a few hours getting his wiring fixed and outfitting him with a brand new wooden Trick or Treat sign. With a little hesitation and in full expectation that he would either a) blow a breaker in my house when he shorted out b) completely melt into a pool of orange and green plastic on the ground, I carefully plugged him in. Low and behold, he didn't explode. In fact he just sat there. Alight again to welcome the Halloween season one more time. Happy. Since then he's become a landmark of the Smith house Halloween decorations.

While I imagine our neighbors have enjoyed his kitzchiness as much as Clark Griswold's Christmas decorations, no one's ever really paid much attention to Mr. Pumpkin Man other than LeeAnn and me. That is until this year. This year is different. Not only does he get noticed, he's developed a happy little fan club. Because the weather's been so nice, we've lately been going for family walks after dinner . Our walks take us around the corner and up to the stop sign. Along the way Mary Poole and Perritt see a couple of scarecrows in the yard, smoke coming out of a neighbor's chimney and practice getting out of the street when cars come down our road. But as we come back around the corner, they catch a glimpse of their friend, standing like a tiny orange sentinel of Halloween cheer at the top of our driveway. "I see it, musser punkin man." says Mary Poole. "I lack it musser punkin man. I jzuv it."

And there he is, just waiting on us. After saying good night to our neighbor's scarecrow, Mary Poole and Perritt hurry up the hill to greet Mr. Pumpkin Man at the end of their walk. Just before going into the house they each walk up to Mr. Pumpkin Man, who is about at eye level to them and give him a big hug and a quick kiss. Mary Poole even looks him right in the eyes and says lovingly. "Nigh night, Musser Punkin Man." Sometimes she gives him two kisses.

While a small part of me is nervous our trusty friend's wiring may short out from all the hugging and jostling, effectively putting a damper on the adoration of his fan club, it's just too cute. And plus, if objects have feelings, how could Mr. Pumpkin Man not be in cheap plastic heaven right now.

And to think, just a few short years ago, this little guy was about to head to the bottom of a landfill somewhere. Talk about rags to riches.