Too Much Pumpkin For A Nickel.

I love this old Southern saying.  Of course to everyone else it means that something is more trouble than it's worth.  But to me it conjures up a wonderful childhood memory and a foretelling of the woman I would become.

It was a grand fall day, perfect for a road trip to the North Georgia mountains in search of fall leaves, Indian corn and fresh pressed apple cider.  I was only about 5 years old but there are parts of that day that I recall so vividly I can almost be transformed back in time.  

 Momma and Daddy were notorious for taking off on a whim.  They loved all things beautiful, unusual and old so no country store, antique/junk shed or road side vegetable stand was too far off the beaten path for exploration.  At the beginning of the day Daddy gave me a dollar bill.  Now that was when a dollar was a dollar. I was RICH! 

About lunchtime that day we passed an old general store with a hand painted sign advertising homemade fried apple pies.  Without any discussion, because none was necessary, Daddy wheeled that big Chevy into the dirt parking lot and Momma got ready to spread our lunch on one of the picnic tables.  Our lunch on these car trips ALWAYS consisted of ham sandwiches on white bread, a bag of potato chips and a LARGE red and white thermos filled with grape Kool-Aid. ALWAYS. I refer to it as the 60s version of the Happy Meal.

Anyway, once I had eaten enough of my sandwich to garner permission for dessert, we went for the fried pies.  And yes, those pies were just as good as you are imagining right now.  But as good as that fried pie was to me, it was nothing compared to what I spotted on the store counter next to the old brass cash register. The Great Pumpkin of Charlie Brown lore. It was HUGE.  When I say HUGE, I mean that I thought surely this must be the pumpkin that Cinderella’s fairy godmother used to make her carriage for the ball.  It was perfect. And I wanted it.

So I asked the older gentleman behind the counter, "What would you take for that pumpkin?" because that was how my Daddy always started these kind of conversations.  The old man was startled I think at first and after giving me a good once over look he slyly said, "Well little lady, I am mighty fond of this pumpkin.  How much money do you have?"  I proudly flashed my dollar bill at him and he stifled a laugh and said, "I guess I could let you have it for a dollar."  I was horrified.  He wanted my whole dollar.  Not only would I not be rich anymore but I would be penniless for the rest of the day and I knew there were LOTS of other stops to be made and treasures to be uncovered.  What to do?

"What if I give you half of my dollar?" I said to him.  After giving into a full out belly laugh the old man said, "Deal."  I was delighted.  I would have money and my pumpkin.  I had negotiated my first deal.  

I have no memory of what happened to that pumpkin, although I feel sure we carved it into a jack o lantern for Halloween and Momma made a pie. But I will never forget the ride home that night - my fingers wraped tightly around two quarters in one hand and the other hand resting on my prize pumpkin.