How to Carry a Pumpkin

No, I didn’t misspell a word in the title of this post…this isn’t a post about how to carve a pumpkin; lord knows I’m not an expert at that!  There’s not a carved pumpkin in my house.  Nada!  Zilch!  Not a one! This post is about how to carry a pumpkin!  Because we all know that going to a pumpkin patch without preparation, i.e., thinking how you will carry your pumpkin, can lead to disappointment and disenchantment during pumpkin season.

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #1

It’s a sure bet, if going to a large pumpkin patch, they will have carrying devices (such as these lovely, colorful wheelbarrows) to help you find your perfect pumpkin, get it to the check-out stations and then get it to your car.  How you get it out of your car and on your front porch or inside your house requires additional thought.

But, even if they do have wheelbarrows at your chosen pumpkin patch, you have to be strong enough to manage the wheelbarrow on your own not to mention anything else you put inside it, thereby increasing its weight.  Because, it goes without saying (but I’m saying it anyway!), the bigger the pumpkin, the more it weighs.  Or, if you are like me and have to buy more than one pumpkin, you may fill your wheelbarrow full of fabulous pumpkin treasures and then not be able to move it!

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #2

I suggest a man.  There I said it – a man.  Though we don’t like to admit it, in some ways we are the weaker sex.  And, pumpkin season is the perfect time to put your man to good use.  This young lady thought ahead and got her man to pick her a very large Fairytale pumpkin and a small Howden, Rock Star or similar carving pumpkin.  Good choices!

This woman is really rockin’ pumpkin fever!  She got her man to hoist the largest Big Mac pumpkin I have ever seen into that wheelbarrow!  I hope she’s going home with him!

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #3

If you have children and aren’t sure about the carrying devices available at the pumpkin patch, you could always take your child’s wagon.  These wagons are good for a normal-sized pumpkin or two with smaller ones tucked around it.

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #4

Kick those kids to the curb!  Make those babies walk!  After all, you only get one chance a year to get that perfect pumpkin!  When there are no wheelbarrows to be found and you left your man at home, a baby stroller is a good substitute.

How many pumpkins do you think she’s piled in her baby’s stroller?  I think I count 4…

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #5

Then there’s the old-fashioned way…carrying your own pumpkin.  It helps, however, to pick one your size. Two years ago, Princess P picked the perfect size White Ghost pumpkin for herself.

And, this year, she still picked one appropriate for her size and strength.  After all, as you grow and get stronger, you can carry a larger pumpkin.  But, trust me on this…there is a point in your life where you’ll hit that wall of diminishing return, i.e., as you age, you will not necessarily be able to carry a larger pumpkin.

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #6

Use brute force and lift that pumpkin not up from the ground, but straight off of a waist-high display, such as a bale of hay.  This is Princess Sweetie Pie two years ago, determined to get a White Ghost pumpkin that’s a little beyond her size and strength – but, she was determined and carried it all by herself to the wheelbarrow.

And, this year Princess Sweetie Pie chose a pumpkin more her size and found it helpful to use body parts, such as knees, in hoisting her pumpkin into a carrying position.

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #7

If you choose a really large pumpkin, it’s best to ask for help.  Princess Sweetie Pie found her perfect pumpkin and hugged it with joy.

But, if help isn’t available, choose another more appropriately-sized pumpkin.

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #8

Don’t want to settle for a dinky pumpkin just because you are a wee bit small?  You can try lifting it with both hands, using other pumpkins as leverage.

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #9

And, if you are lucky, maybe a friend will give you a helping hand!

Chances are you’ll have to scale obstacles to get your pumpkin safely home…

which will require determination and a sheer force of will.

If you drop it, don’t despair…

using two hands are always better than one…

And use your knee to help you leverage it up higher for a better grasp!

Once you’ve got that pumpkin safely in your arms…

How to Carry a Pumpkin Tip #10

Hoist it high for all the world to see and proudly shout “I found my pumpkin!”

How to carry a pumpkin?  Enthusiastically, joyfully, jubilantly.

Tootles,