Can I get a fist PUMP, KIN?

So you might be wondering where my blogs have been. I took a blogcation, but I'm back! And right-o you are. I know at the very least my folks laughed at my title -- and even more after my sister explains why fist pumps are 'in' - please do not actually watch the Jersey Shore.


I planted some pumpkin seeds that have taken over my backyard. Due to only getting ONE pumpkin so far, I had to do some research, self-pollination, and that whole "talking to plants like you're crazy so that they grow" thing. Here is a little tutorial.

There are male flowers (the one with the bee), more likely to appear in the beginning of growth. They can't do anything but stand tall, and attract bees. Then the female flowers grow (the next picture - not from my backyard, but you can tell it looks different). The female flower is closer to the stem, will die if it is too hot (which is true this year), and has an undeveloped gourd under the flower (check out the third picture - this flower is not ready to open yet).

Once pollinated (I pollinated this pup by hand via a Q-tip), the gourd will grow and the flower will die/fall off. And now I will play the waiting game until it gets big enough to carve. This is the 2nd pumpkin in my patch. Now that the weather has cooled to be under 100, there are more female flowers growing. At the very least, I should be able to make pumpkin pie in November!

This last picture is the 1st pumpkin in the patch. It's about the size of... a small pumpkin.