Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #6

NOTE: It is recommended that you read Charlie's posts  in chronological order beginning with Post #1 and continuing with 2 thru 6 in that order. You can either scroll down or select the desired post by clicking on the links under Blog Archive in the right column. Posts #1 thru #5 were posted in October 2010.

The day after Halloween I drove to the pumpkin patch to retrieve my wheelbarrow and shovel.  What a strange feeling when I get there.  The patch is empty—no children running around, no moms or dads, only a few Charlie Brown pumpkins scattered around.  The feeling is kind of like…taking down the Christmas tree.

I haven’t had that feeling in the prior 9 years of the pumpkin patch.  And it’s all Kathryn’s fault, as in Rev. Kathryn.  It started a few weeks back when we’re kayaking on Hobcaw Creek.  Kathryn and Jim in their fast tandem get ahead of sister Carol and me in our single seaters.   They stop and wait for us a few times and each time we talk a little and take off again.  One time we’re talking about the pumpkin patch coming up soon, and Kathryn says to me something like you should write about the patch. Best I remember I was my usual noncommittal self.

Started writing the first notes and now have to finish what I started.  Trying to write narrative makes me relive the events in my head, so the whole patch experience is more alive this year than before, and that’s a good thing.

Some things I’ve learned in working the patch.  99.999% of the people who come to the patch are very nice.  That includes the ones who came here by way of I-95 South and I-26 East.  Mike retired and spent many, many hours in the patch this year.  Terri, who I thought was the quintessential southern lady, is really a Boilermaker from Indiana.  Carol really is a native Charlestonian.  That our new member, Roger, moved here from Blue Carolina.  That Sam wrestles for Wando and Sean graduated from Bear Bryant U.  Now they are all more than faces on Sunday mornings.

There were a few people and a dog from past years who didn’t work the patch this year and I sorely missed them.

The really good news is that LeRoy said we sold $26,611.25 worth of pumpkins this year.  That’s over $500 more than last year.  Including donations of $1,135 we’ll have $10,448.94 that the United Methodist Men, with a whole lot of help from a whole lot of people, will donate to the many missions that Hibben supports.  And, of course, we’ll never know all the good that will be done with that money, but that’s ok because we took action on the admonition that faith without works is dead.  Strange as it may seem, the pumpkin patch bolsters my faith.

LeRoy says next year he’s going to double my pay.  Let me see—2 X 0 = 0.   Can’t ever say that LeRoy doesn’t have a sense of humor.

So what else did Charlie learn at the pumpkin patch this year?  That October is the biggest smile month of the year for him, and that he got far more out of the pumpkin patch than he put in.

I hope someone writes a blog about Pam and Operation Christmas Child.

Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #5

Yippee!  The last pumpkin from the final load is being passed helping-hand to helping- hand. I call it the pumpkin dance, twisting side to side with hands outreached.  The pumpkin dance is over for this year, thanks to lots of people, including the University School students, parents and faculty.

Carlson is still bouncing around with energy like the 12 year olds.  How does he do it?  I’m exhausted just watching while I was taking money from some customers.  Then he’s going to ride his bike home…on Sullivan’s Island.  Carlson’s enthusiasm, if not his stamina, is contagious and I think he’s an extraordinary example of the servant as leader.

Sam and younger brother Thomas are helping along with their mother.  Between customers, Thomas just has to irritate his big brother and Sam chases him until he gets in a good lick and they stop for a few minutes.  Then Thomas does something else to Sam and they do it all again, and then again, and again.  And I’m thinking that’s just like our two sons did.  In fact, just like I did with my big brother—if I could get in just one good lick it was worth the beating he’d give me.  A friendly beating, he’d hold me down and hit my arm with his fist a few times, and I’d promise not to bother him again, he’d let me up and when he wasn’t looking I hit him again.  What’s that Nature vs Nurture thing?  Nancie watches Sam and Thomas—she knows what boys do.

I usually show up about 4 and stay to help LeRoy close.  More than once someone would ask LeRoy what we do with all the pumpkins at night.  With a straight face, LeRoy motions toward the church and says we take them all in at night.  After he gets the quizzical, are-you-kidding-me reaction to this answer, LeRoy sort of chuckles and says that they stay out at night and we don’t have much of a theft problem.

Kathy works the patch almost as much as Carlson, with as much energy and always smiling.  I’m glad to see she’s working when I arrive.  She always gives me a hug and I really like that.  We’re getting ready to close and I see Cyrene on the front lawn putting out the fire ant killer stuff—yes, tomorrow is…

Fall Festival!  What fun?!!  The front lawn and parking lot filled with kids of all ages having fun.  Jake, or was it Jared, sitting in the dunking booth.  Three balls for 50 cents.  Kent takes aim and fires at the bull’s eye—splash, and then he does it again—splash, and again—splash, and again—splash, and again—splash.  Kent must have spent $5 at the dunking booth.  All the kids seem to have cotton candy—sticky fingers everywhere.  I’m learning to plan ahead so I buy three Christmas presents.  One is a tree-of-life necklace for a niece.  That vendor was giving half of the sale price to Water Missions International—that’s cool.

Fall Festival is a big sales day for the pumpkin patch.  But far more than that, the outreach to the community can’t be measured.  How many happy memories were made because of the planning and work of so many members of our congregation? Sure is good to be in a congregation with so many helping-hands.

Charlie Spriggs

Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #4

The pumpkin patch makes my back hurt and my face smile.  There are four nicely dressed women walking up to the pumpkin patch.  I watch them for a few minutes; they’re smiling and laughing, enjoying themselves as if they were a third of their age.

As I take the wagon out to greet them, I hear one of them say--isn’t this the coolest pumpkin patch you’ve ever seen!  Three of the ladies look about my age, one looks in her 30’s.  I greet them with y’all look like you’re on a ladies day out.  The ringleader says more like a ladies week out, we’re from Atlanta and I brought friends here last year and this is the coolest pumpkin patch I’ve ever seen.

She said it again, the “coolest.”   Maybe it’s a generational thing.  I use cool a lot, too.  Some time back during a conversation with Sally where I’m describing something, Sally said you say cool a lot, is that your favorite word?  Maybe it is.  Cool doesn’t create a word picture; it conveys an emotional reaction.  With lots of degrees of cool—like really cool, the coolest, way cool, super cool, and really, really cool, really way cool, really way far out cool, and really way far out super cool.

So as the ladies are paying for their pumpkins, the ringleader says she thinks these green ones are the coolest ever.  Must be a generational thing.

Lynn sits there listening to Steve, LeRoy and me talk boy talk--football, cars, football, cars.  She has such a sweet countenance about her and I wonder if she knows her presence affects the subject matter we talk about.

There are three beauties, two blonds and a brunette, probably in their 20’s, looking at pumpkins not far from our table.  If Lynn had not been sitting there, one of us would have made a highly intellectual and spiritual based observation like—Ever notice how some of God’s creatures are easier to look at than others?

I’m in the decade after my 50’s and wondering when do guys stop noticing pretty women.  Maybe I should ask Rev. Cecil…um, no, maybe ask Colonel Mike, Air Force guy to Air Force guy.

I’m driving home thinking my back’s not hurting much, and then it hits me.  Lynn sitting there with that sweet countenance—it’s the Mona Lisa, that’s what Lynn reminds me of, the Mona Lisa.

Charlie Spriggs

Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #3

The pumpkin patch makes my back hurt and my face smile. In the far corner of the patch there is a young couple with a tiny baby in the mom’s arms. Dad’s taking pictures. After some minutes pass, I walk over and tell them we have a special place set up for picture taking if they wanted to use it.

Precious Laura had brought her parents to work the patch for a while. Beverly had the idea to make a special area for folks to use to take pictures, so she just offs down the road to an outdoor market and returns with bales of hay and some potted flowers. Just like that we have this special little picture taking area.

David and Laura donated a car to our Multiplying Ministries campaign. A minor brain storm occurred: Let’s put the car in the pumpkin patch with a sign that reads: Buy one pumpkin for $1,500 and you receive this one-owner, 1999 Ford Taurus for FREE. Steve puts a pumpkin on top of the car for that extra attention grabber. We’re all standing around thinking this is too cool.

After a while the couple with the tiny baby comes over to the special picture taking area. I have to talk with them again. He looks brand new, I say. He’s two weeks, mom says. Dad asks if I’ll take some picture of them, which I’m thrilled to do. As I try to focus, my eyes start watering.

What my brain sees is my beautiful Sharon holding our first born son… and I pray, Oh God, thank you for my memories.

I cleared my eyes and took some pictures. They thanked me profusely and had no idea what emotions they sparked in my brain (my soul?) in the few minutes we were together.

It was probably less than two hours from when Steve put the pumpkin on the car when Tom and Sharon decided to buy the car for Becky. Becky was recently named a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.

As we’re getting ready to close for the day, LeRoy finds a child’s toy purse. There’s no name in it but it does have a toy cell phone and a toy debit card. Debit card, cool—not a credit card. I tell LeRoy maybe its Kathryn Bell’s daughter’s and maybe they’ll come back tomorrow to get it. That’d be cool.

Driving home I'm thinking I need to take some aspirin for my back, then realize I'm smiling - this was a really cool day at the pumpkin patch!

Charlie Spriggs

Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #2

The pumpkin patch makes my back hurt and my face smile. I’m walking back to the table from loading a nice lady’s car with a bunch of big pumpkins and thinking this is my first $100 sale, ever. When I asked LeRoy how much, he says $94. Shucks, missed my chance for a $100 sale.

Things are quiet for a few minutes. I look over at Dudley and he’s got his shades on and sitting in a very relaxed position. I punch LeRoy to look at Dudley. Dudley kind of shakes awake and I say, little nap time? Ugh, yeah, a little.

There’s a kid pushing his bike around the pumpkin patch. He’s got a Clemson shirt and a Clemson hat on. He comes over and looks at the pumpkin prices, then rides off on his bike. I guess he’s about 10 years old.

I see this lady with a child surveying the pumpkins, so I take the wagon to greet her and see if she needs the wagon. I think I recognize her and introduce myself. She says hi, I’m Kathryn Bell and this is my daughter. I’m thinking to myself, be cool dude, don’t scare her off. Yes, she is THE Kathryn Bell of JAG and Army Wives fame. And yes, she is more beautiful in real life than on TV.

As I’m stammering and trying not to stare at her too much, I hear myself say something like I’m tired of watching NCIS reruns, when will JAG be in reruns? She says it is in reruns, and her daughter tells me if I have Dish Network, to go to channel 199 and work backwards, that’s how you find the reruns.

Kathryn’s husband arrives in another vehicle, so I go over to LeRoy and Dudley to ask them if they recognize that woman. LeRoy says she looks like Kathryn Bell and I say she is Kathryn Bell. So Kathryn, her daughter and husband come over to pay for the pumpkins. I tell Kathryn that LeRoy thinks she looks like Kathryn Bell, and Kathryn says she gets that a lot and that she just smiles and says thank you.

That was cool to meet Kathryn Bell, but the really cool part was that she was just like all the other mothers bringing their children to the pumpkin patch.

The kid with the Clemson shirt and hat came back on his bike. He picked out a $1 pumpkin and two 50 cent pumpkins. As I’m putting the pumpkins in a plastic bag I say something like those are nice pumpkins and he tells me he’s giving them to his friend. As he rides off I’m thinking I should have asked more about his friend—was it his girl friend, a sick friend, what kind of friend? Then I thought it doesn’t matter what kind of friend – a friend is a friend, and that kid is a really cool friend.

My back doesn’t hurt so much when my face is smiling so big.

Charlie Spriggs

Charlie's Pumpkin Patch Observations #1

The pumpkin patch makes my back hurt and my face smile.  Can’t believe this is our 10th year doing this.  First it was to help pay for the buses, now it’s to support our missions.

We’ve got off loading from the 18 wheeler down to a science.  Ants could learn from us—we pass the pumpkins from one to another rather than each person getting a pumpkin then carrying it to the far end of the patch, then back to the truck.

LeRoy is the mastermind behind the patch, just like the last 9 years.  We’re organized.  I and many others fall for the same recruiting pitch LeRoy uses on us every year:  “We need strong backs and weak minds.”

On our first day selling this year, I saw a minivan pull up and a kid, about 12, gets out to come help.  We tell him how the patch works, these are 50 cents, these 75 cents, all those $1, and how to match up the size people pick with the examples we’ve marked with the prices.  Within minutes he, his name is Tyler, is out working the customers better than anyone I’d ever seen.  I’m thinking this kid is cool!

Tyler pulls the wagon helping the folks with their pumpkins.  He then goes over to the pricing pumpkins and calls out the prices to one of us at the money desk.  Then he pulls the wagon to the customer’s car and loads the pumpkins in the car.  Once I see the customer give Tyler some money, a tip for loading the pumpkins.  He immediately comes back to the table and gives the money to our donation column.  He does this at least one more time, if not more.  Now I’m thinking this kid is really cool! 

I’ve got to tell Billy and Tracie what a really cool son they have.

Charlie Spriggs