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This is the
story of Mr. Pumpkin Man. Note his mug shot at left. One must admit
he has a generally cherry disposition and an essentially festive air.
His nose is a little wonky, but nonetheless, he's quite the happy pumpkin,
wouldn't you say?
Well, let me tell you a story.
Mr. Pumpkin Man resides - quite peaceably I might add - in the window at Community House in Los Altos, California. And here, in this quaint 1920's farmhouse, Mr. Pumpkin Man sits perched in the window (surveying all who pass his way on Hillview Avenue) while I plan events, balance the books, keep the computers humming and do other insundry stuff for the Los Altos Community Foundation.
It all began
with THE NOTE. Let me elaborate. It was the Monday morning before
Thanksgiving (2004), and I was puttering around Community House, pondering
the coming holidays ... and thought that perhaps it was time to put
away the pumpkin and replace him with more fitting holiday trimmings.
You know, the whole tree and tinsel thing. But then I mused: "What
are you thinking?? It's not even Thanksgiving!" So, I banished
that notion and went about my day ... never knowing a Pumpkin Hater
lurked.
The following morning I went out to pick up the paper and mail, and when I came back up the steps to the front door, I saw the following note taped to the window, right by Mr. Pumpkin's Man's head:
Needless
to say, I was a little taken back. I mean, really. Geeesh. Get
a life. How can someone get that riled up over a 1-foot fake pumpkin?
And did they really need to be so rude about it?
Beyond being intially puzzled at the outburst, I decided one thing was clear: the pumpkin wasn't going ANYWHERE.
He was staying.
In the window.
Forever.
You see, the mysterious author of THE NOTE did not know with whom they were dealing.
No doubt, they thought: "I will write the nasty note. I will sneak up to the porch in the middle of the night. Tape the offending message to the window. Then the evil pumpkin-keepers will see it, be aghast, and hurriedly take the offending orange creature from the window. I shall be victorious!"
They, however, miscalculated the reaction of the Chief Pumpkin Keeper. They didn't know I was a former recreation leader. And what that means is: I can take cotton balls, a little tape, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners and other random objects, and keep children occupied for hours. Keeping one pumpkin festive year-round is simply not that daunting of a task.
So, in the spirit of not letting the Pumpkin Hater get the better of my holiday spirit (and to defend the honor of a defenseless squash!) ... I offer you the Continuing Pagentry of Mr. Pumpkin Man for your amusement :). Should you have suggestions for his future attire, including vacation destinations he might enjoy, please let me know :).
Links to his ensembles are below ... check back often as he's a festive fellow!
Cheerfully yours,
Joanne - Chief Pumpkin Keeper
THE CONTINUING PAGENTRY OF MR. PUMPKIN MAN
Meet Jack O'Santa. A festive and jolly old fellow.
Lacks the belly (and the bowl full of jelly!) but you get the picture!
Donning his top hat, Mr. Pumpkin Man heads out, champagne glass in hand, to ring in the new year!
Every creative process has its failures. This is one of them. An attempt to turn Mr. Pumpkin Man into a Ground Hog proved even beyond the skills of this recreator.
The resulting creation looked, unfortunately, like a crazed Daniel Boone. So .....
.... to celebrate Ground Hog Day appropriately, we called on our friend, Puxatawney Phil (beanie baby style).
Far more credible, he predicted 6 more weeks of winter, and promptly went back in the ground to make way for the Mardi Gras melee that was coming up fast on his heels!
Decked out in his finery, Mr. Pumpkin Man is off to Mardi Gras!
Safe to say he's the most stylish pumpkin this side of New Orleans!
In a top hat & bow tie to attend the Foundation's Red & White Ball .... this is his "Steve Martin met Cupid" look ... complete with an arrow through his head (and heart!).
No, this is not "GW", as in #43. This is the "First" GW. Note his striking profile. The three-pointed patriot hat. The well-coiffed do. Here he prepares to celebrate his birthday, along with his good friend, Abe's.
It was quite a party.
Shifting centuries, he's now off to the red carpet to pick up his oscar!
"The envelope please ... and Best Actor goes to .... Jack O'Lantern, for his stunning performance "In The Window"!
The crowd goes wild.
Note: the lighting does not show off his very chic baret ... ensemble courtesy of Vicki Reeder, Costuming Assistant Extraordinnaire
Home from the Oscars, he returns to his irish roots ....
"Ah, sure & begorrah, 'tis Sir Jack O'Lantern!"
As you can see, this is where the cotton balls came in handy :) ....
With Jack O'Lantern heading back to the old country ....
Peter Cottontail makes his spring appearance ... up to his neck in grass, and completing his ensemble with plastic eggs and other furry friends.
He was a little concerned about the dignity of wearing ears on his head, but he quickly got over it. After all, it hardly compared to the embarrasement of his 'Crazed Daniel Boone' attire earlier in the year :)
Only a few things in life are certain, and one of them is taxes!
Operating this time as an undercover IRS agent, Jack is on the lookout for his next audit!
Note: Costuming Assistance, once again, by Vicki Reeder. This time, in the form of her Grandpa's fedora and a fake mustache from the Follies. Indeed, Grandpa O'Reilly would be proud!
Leaving his Mr. Tax Man persona behind (amid all the crumpled 1040 forms) and in desperate search of a margarita, Mr. Pumpkin Man jets across the globe to celebrate Cinco de Mayo ... meet Senor Hombre De La Calabaza*!
*that would be spanish for "Mr. Pumpkin Man" :-)
Leaving his Fiesta trappings behind, Mr. Pumpkin Man retreats to his garden to enjoy the long awaited spring sunshine ... and happily finds that all those April showers really *did* bring May Flowers!
Note: Props & "May Flowers" courtesy of Mom!
Mortarboard and tassle atop his fine head, Mr. Pumpkin Man prepares to celebrate his long-awaited march to "pomp and circumstance!"
So with diploma in hand (well he doesn't have hands, but you get the picture), Mr. Pumpkin Man is off to celebrate!
Note: Ensemble in honor of my nephew Charley, who graduates from Santa Clara University on June 11th! Congrats Charley!!
Here today, gone to Maui ...
Having conquered the halls of higher learning, Mr. Pumpkin Man decides to head to the islands ... adorned with his lei, he now sits sipping his foo-foo drink under a swaying palm tree.
Well, okay, it's not swaying. And the tree is smaller than him so he can't sit under it, can he? Here my friends, is where you must use your imagination :-)
Out from underneath his palm tree, Mr. Pumpkin Man returns to the mainland and takes up his new occupation .... that of POOL BOY.
Like anyone else, he looks a bit of a dork in a swim cap, but hey, he's got a snazzy towel and even a little floaty thing for when he gets tired of doing laps!
So, if you're looking for him in the coming weeks, you will find him poolside ... but be sure to check back as he's off on a grand adventure in late July!
Fully
rested, Mr. Pumpkin Man leaves his poolside digs .... dons his yellow
jersey ... grabs his powerbar ... climbs on his bike ... and follows
Lance to Tour De France! 
Go
Lance!
Now, I do believe this is the most accessorized pumpkin to date. Note his yellow jersey. His very chic helmet. His oh-so-modern bike. His LIVESTRONG bracelet. His 'le Tour de France' hat. And, of utmost importance, hidden in the shadows, is his POWERBAR and other ooooey-goooey stuff he eats while he's on the ride!
Special thanks for wardrobe assistance goes to Kelly Hudson, a fellow Los Altos Rotarian Under 45 (there aren't many!), and biking goddess of the 500+ mile ride on behalf of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, for her many biking props to bring Tour De Pumpkin to authentic life! And to my mom, who discovered that the ornamental bike adorning the fireplace was just the right size for Mr. Pumpkin Man!
Always
the outdoorsman, Mr. Pumpkin Man dons his fishing vest and heads off to
the river ... forever in search of "Big Charlie!"
Note: Mr. Pumpkin's fishing ensemble courtesy of two great fisherman in my life ... my dad and Yosh Hirotsuka!* My dad's old fishing hat sits atop Mr. Pumpkin's head, and all of his accessories are courtesy of Yosh, who is (also) forever in search of "Big Charlie!" The photo may not do it all justice, but Mr. Pumpkin has his own boat, many lures, and even his own fishing rod (note right pocket).
Creating this ensemble
brought back many a classic memory from family vacations at Lake Almanor
... in particular, the big ol' lure on Mr. Pumpkin's left side reminds
me of an early morning on the lake ... my dad, my sister Sheila and I
were trolling for salmon, and my tackle got tangled up in the outboard
motor. It wouldn't really be a story, 
except
it wound itself around the propellor and the boat no go no mo' ... so
my Dad asked Sheila to jump overboard and untangle it. Mind you, it was
6am and the water was just this side of ice. And, she did. Gotta love
big sisters!
For those that don't know him, Yosh is a fellow Los Altos Alum with whom I have climbed Half Dome, floated down many a river, and chased after many a golf ball ... truth be told, he is an Engineer in Recreator clothing :).
And there are those of you out there who would presume that when I say "Big Charlie", that I mean my brother-in-law, Charlie ... who was re-named Big Charlie, when Little Charley came along. As you might guess, they are now Old Charlie and Big Charley ... but, alas, the "Big Charlie" I speak of is the 'fish that got away' in all of Yosh and Bob's "tall tales". Long explanation, but I wouldn't want you to think Mr. Pumpkin was trying reel my relatives in on a hook. Wouldn't be good for his image :).
Alas,
Mr. Pumpkin's great summer adventures had to come to an end, and it's
back to school he goes!
And, No self-respecting
squash would return to school without cool stuff, and Mr. Pumpkin is no
exception! In case you can't see it all in this itty bitty picture ....
he's got a cool Star Wars lunch box. crayons, glue, books, pencils ...
and even a calculator 
for
that evil long division!
Note: Wardrobe consultation on what a self-respecting squash would take into his 5th grade classroom was offered by Tommy, my (almost) 11 year old nephew! Thanks Tommy!
Enough of school.
It's less than one week into the teachers-and-books-thing, and Mr. Pumpkin's
had 
enough.
He's off to the high seas, in search of some buried treasure!
And he's well prepared for his sojourn on the high seas ... complete with treasure chest (with jewels, no less!), gold coins, a hook and his trusty parrot. Never mind he has no shoulder for the parrot to sit on, or for that matter, an arm to which one would attach a hook. But no matter ... this is where Pumpkin Watchers must use their vivid imagination!
Returning from his adventures on the high seas, Mr. Pumpkin man is swiftly tranformed into Bewitched! Well, okay. So he's not likely to get his own TV series. Or his own movie.
And, alright, so he's having a bad hair day, but ya gotta love his nose!
P.S. I just had to share the most classic response I've received to date about Mr. Pumpkin's attire .... the other day I sent a link out to the "Bewitched" ensemble, and got this back from an old friend from the Rec Department .... I'm still laughing:
"How did you confiscate the finger from the Wendy's chili caper for Mr. Pumpkinhead's nose?" - Marie
The Devil Made Me Do It!
Having abandoned his bad hair day (and the "chili-finger nose!"), Mr. Pumpkin revels in his 'season' ... this time as the devilish trouble-maker that he is!
You can't see it very well in the photo, but he *does* have a tail and a bow tie, in addition to his horns and pitchfork! And, in the absence of real flames, the tissue paper ones will have to do :-).
Now this season would not be complete if Mr. Pumpkin was alone in his celebration of the holiday most near and dear to his heart .... so, to join in the festivities with him, members of Mr. Potato Head's family now adorn the porch at Community House .... meet Mr. Vampire Man and Mr. Pirate Man:
|
Happy
Halloween to all from the
|
WE'VE BEEN PUMPKIN-NAPPED!
So, all you faithful pumpkin watchers know that Community House had pumpkins-oh-plenty. Cute little ones on the fence posts. Big ones that stand sentry on the steps. And then the cool "Mr. Potato Head" ones on the porch. Well, we've been pumpkin-napped!
I came back to work on Monday morning
(the Day of Days for a pumpkin!) to find all of them - poof! - GONE! Nary a one graced the fence posts, the steps, or the porch! Seems we may have, again, the work of The Cranky One. I've yet to check with our neighbors to find out if this is a widespread caper, or just one that befell our fine home. Mystery abounds.
So, I remain on the lookout for the Pumpkin Napper ... but really just on the lookout for my cool Mr-Potato-Head-Parts!
However, in true Mr. Pumpkin Man fashion, we shall sally forth and repeat the mantra:
"Life is too short to let the cranky people win!"
On to Thanksgiving!
Not to be discouraged in the aftermath of the Great Pumpkin Napping Caper, Mr. Pumpkin Man returns in all his glory ... this time as an Indian Chief, off to Plymouth Rock to celebrate Thanksgiving!
Note that he comes bearing indian corn, pumpkins, and his own turkey ... sounds like the perfect dinner guest to me!
And, alas, this version of Mr. Pumpkin Man brought back all those rec leader mantras of long ago, the most basic of which is: Construction Paper is the Key to All Good Things!
Straight from his fabulous dinner at Plymouth Rock, Mr. Pumpkin Man leaves behind the turkey & trimmings, grabs his sleigh, and morphs into none other than 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Pumpkin!'
Has a nice ring, dontcha think?
You can't see it too well in the photo, but he really does have a red nose. It doesn't blink, but it's as close as I could get in a pinch. It's actually a red super-ball, held into place by push-pins. No one can ever say that Mr. Pumpkin has not suffered some indigities in his efforts to remain a festive squash!
*Apologies to the poet Clement Moore for taking a little creative license with his work "Twas the Night Before Christmas!"
SKI SQUASH VALLEY!
Having taken a little haitus over the holidays (getting to and from the north 
pole is no easy task!), Mr. Pumpkin Man is back!
His first sojourn of the year is to SKI SQUASH VALLEY! Still in search of skis or a snowboard in his size, Mr. Pumpkin is otherwise prepared to hit the slopes, hoping - perhaps - to meet the snow-bunny (snow squash??) of his dreams! After all, Valentine's Day is around the corner!!
Love Is in the Air!
At long last, Mr. Pumpkin Man has met the Squash of His Dreams! Careening down the slopes at Squash Valley, Mr. Pumpkin Man slow-plowed right into her, and the rest is history!
Please join me in welcoming the new love of his life, 'Ms. Butternut' (after all, she *is* a winter squash!). 
Here, they are all decked out to attend the Community Foundation's annual Valentine Gala ... this year, its a "Mardi Gras with a Heart!".
(Chief Pumpkin Keeper's Note: It was only a matter of time before Mr. Pumpkin Man needed theme music ... so to humor yourself (and particularly to humor me!) click here and when your media player asks you to 'open' or 'save' just click OPEN!*)
Happy Valentine's Day :)!
*Being the total web design newbie that I am, I have yet to figure out how to get the music to play automatically ... for those that couldn't open it, it was that 70's disco classic "Love Is In the Air" by John Paul Young ;-). You know the one. And if you were able to play it, it will be running in your head all day :)
Stay
tuned ... and check back often, as Mr. Pumpkin Man is quite the festive
fellow! Or if you'd like to be included on Mr. Pumpkin's Mailing List,
email the Chief Pumpkin Keeper,
and ye shall be added!
And not to worry, Mr. Pumpkin is not a spammer. He considers spammers in the same category as nasty note writers. So, he'll only send you mail when he has a new ensemble to share :) !
TIDBITS & FUNNIES
Since you've scrolled this far on the web page, I really should give you something to read :)! This space is randomly dedicated to good works, interesting tidbits, and things that make me laugh ... so enjoy and thanks for visiting Mr. Pumpkin Man :-)
This made me smile ....
Joanne Byrne, Chief Pumpkin Keeper
"Because life is too short to let the cranky people win!"
All Pumpkin Rights Reserved ~ Los Altos California USA ~ 2006
Updated 02/03/2006
to Mr. Pumpkin's Website!