Pumpkin Win – Sandy Grim

And the Winner is!

I, for the first time in my DVR live, recorded a show on the HG channel.  It was the show, Pumpkin Wars, which depicted the recent Pumpkinfest in my hometown of Keene, NH.  The Property Brothers, a show on HG (I’m told), each went to one of two towns, the other was in Illinois, which were competing against each other for the record of most lit jack-o-lanterns.  The show was actually kind of entertaining although it was weird to see my hometown so prominent in this media.  Not as strange as the herd of jungle animals that marched through the same place the pumpkin stand was in the movie Jumanji, but strange none the less.   

I was struck by how similar the two towns were even though separated by over a thousand miles.  This was Americana at its schlocky best, real people, with a real sense of community.  I know most foreigners see the waste product that is the Kardashians and think that is America – which couldn’t be further from the truth.  The best part of the show was that Keene won with over 29,000 jack-o-lanterns despite a determined effort from Illinois.

Buddy is slowly adjusting to our return.  He loves spending time with our Keene friend and demands a walk from him, first thing every morning.  The last morning our friend was staying with us Buddy snuck upstairs and jumped into bed with him tor remind him of the obligation.  Buddy is nothing, if not incredibly un-subtle.

I’m still marveling at the damage done by Hurricane Sandy as we start to learn the true scope of the disaster.  I’m proud of the way New York and New Jersey are standing up to the challenge of rebuilding.  I’m proud of my daughter who has made a herculean effort each day this week to get to work from Brooklyn to Manhattan despite the crippled public transit system – nice to see that she bred true.  It was also nice to see the politicians put aside their normal acrimony and work together.  Washington could stand for a whole lot more of this.

My Wife with a Property Brother at the Fest

I'd Vote for Christie Right Now For PResident