AWOL Pumpkins

Inspired by fall's burnt leafy smells and E's reminder of the season for snoopy dancing, I bought myself some pumpkins and candy corns. The pumpkins were placed stylishly on my little porch stoop next to my newly purchased welcome mat and mum/pansy flower bed making a nice little entry way to my otherwise unremarkable apartment. After one day of gracing my porch, I noticed something wrong in pumpkin land. One of the pumpkins appeared to have jumped ship, gone AWOL and left the others behind. Upon closer inspection of the remaining pumpkins, I noticed that these ones seemed to have some sort of body image disorder, as their stems were withering away to a much skinnier appearance. And thus I came to the realization that my porch was being terrorized by local bullies....aka ferocious squirrels who'd mistaken my stylish entourage for their fall feast. This suspicion was confirmed when I glanced around the parking lot to find the missing pumpkin (who in retrospect likely did not voluntarily abandoned his unit) seated on the side of a fence mutilated almost beyond recognition. And thus, my entourage of pumpkins has moved to the interior of my apartment until such time comes to carve them into Jack-O-Lanterns that will likely only survive display under the watchful eye of their carver (aka: me) who will be armed and ready for those neighborhood bullies.