This is a photo of a large, orange pumpkin, placed on a dining room table. The pumpkin is showing dark, rotten spots/splotches.

Good Gourd!

A horde of gourds is seeping, oozing, squishing, and exploding all over our Thanksgiving centerpiece plans.

It all started with Halloween. Or maybe October 1. The Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team loves to decorate with pumpkins the minute the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. on September 30, which means we’re really counting on the squash to remain sturdy and strong until Thanksgiving. And apparently, that’s asking a lot.

We set a few pumpkins by the front doorstep and one giant pumpkin on the table. It’s very festive. For us. For the pumpkins, maybe not so much. One of them does get carved into a jack-o’-lantern, so it’s probably pretty terrifying for them.

Typically, the squash, bless their seedy little hearts, behave themselves and remain intact, but just last weekend, when I opened the front door, I saw a swarm of flies and smelled a rotten, fish-like odor—and knew it was the pumpkins. One of them, at least.

Nate bravely grabbed the most offensive one by the stem and underside to haul it off to the compost bin, but it had other plans—of revenge. Without warning, it exploded, sending slop and stringy, pulpy things all over Nate.

And now, our main attraction for our Thanksgiving centerpiece—the large gourd that can’t be ignored—is showing dark signs of vengeance. I didn’t want to believe it, so I gently poked the darker spots—and they squished.

“We’ll just get another one, right?” I asked Nate.

“Where? How? Everything’s Christmas now. You might find a tiny pumpkin, but the season’s over.”

Nate then acted like he was going for the front door to grab a remaining pumpkin, and I feared for his life, shouting reminders about too much laundry, and did we really want to ruin another shirt?

But Nate came in clutch with another pumpkin, just outside. One we had picked up for variety and textural effect. It’s a brilliant orange, but it’s covered in all kinds of bumps—on purpose—that’s how it’s supposed to look.

Not really the first choice we’d make for the dining room table, but we’re betting it might last until Thanksgiving. Also, we’ll be able to see over it as we eat. (Sometimes, a pumpkin centerpiece can be too big.)

Not sure how it will feel when we pass around the pumpkin pie, but I’ve got a good feeling that Ms. Bumpy has a sturdy heart of gourd.

So cheers to this brave new pumpkin! As ye ‘ole Thanksgiving centerpiece saying goes: Something exploding, something new, something bumpy, and grateful too.

Your Turn: Do you create centerpieces for your table often? Or only for special occasions?

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Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

28 thoughts on “Good Gourd!”

  6. We don’t do ‘Thanksgiving’ here in Oz – that’s an American thing. Mind you, we didn’t used to celebrate Halloween either, but now…!!! Currently atop my dining table is a gorgeous nutcracker decoration, ready for the next big event…

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  12. It seems a huge centerpiece! In Italy, we don’t have Halloween (only for kids) nor Thanksgiving (totally unknown here) so we are getting ready for Christmas. Something red, something gold, something brighting … and something food 😉

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