My First Pumpkin

I grew a pumpkin. One pumpkin. It took four months, three bags of soil, endless watering and a nightly check for squash bugs with a flashlight.

It's not very big. It's a little lopsided and has a weird scar on one side where a squirrel tried to eat it in August. But it's mine, and it's orange, and nothing I've ever grown has made me grin like this.

I carved it with my nieces on Halloween. They gave it a face with one big tooth and eyebrows. We roasted the seeds with cinnamon and sugar, which turned out to be the best snack I've ever eaten.

Next year I'm planting six. My neighbor says that's "how it starts." I believe her.