Thje Pumpkin Capers

        Years ago, I used to plant a few pumpkin seeds out in the back, and would reap a harvest of a dozen or so pumpkins, with only a few having suffered woodchuck bites.  Then came the long dry spell, where nothing I planted seemed to flourish.  Flowers that formerly thrived failed to germinate or else dried up and withered away, even the traditional and dependable  petunias.  The grape vines twined over the old child's gym set used to supply enough purple grapes for jelly or grape juice.  But for the last ten years or so, the grapes develop normally almost to the point of ripeness, and then just as they start to turn from green to purple, dry up and fall off the vine.  I've googled possible causes, but there are no definite answers or else such a myriad of potential causes that none offers any help.  Sunflowers used to self-seed from the seeds cast off from the  bird feeders, but this year not a single one sprouted.
    This spring I invested in a package of pumpkin seeds purchased at Rite-Aid.  I was determined not to have to buy a Halloween pumpkin.  The packet contained ridiculously few seeds but I planted them with care.  Well, maybe not such great care, because I forgot where I planted each of the dozen or so seeds the packet contained.  Though I did expect I would recognize the plants when they sprouted.  And I did----3 separate plants in 3 different locations.  Three healthy looking vines with numerous yellow blossoms that should have or could have developed into the fruit of the pumpkin vine. Alas, I could count only 3 baby pumpkins.  One grew to the size of a tennis ball before it was nibbled on, by the resident chipmunk I believe, and eventually carried off.  Another, near the pool, grew a small pumpkin, whose progress I diligently tracked for a while, and then it disappeared.  So that leaves one pumpkin.  It is under  the barberry bush on the lawn in front of the house.  It is still green but has developed to a size about midway between a softball and a soccer ball.  It looks promising.  The chipmunks scurry around that area, helping themselves to the offerings from my Patio Tomato plant from time to time, but I don't think they are interested in my one and only pumpkin.  I can only hope.
   SURPRISE!   Today, I was given a pumpkin, from a most unlikely donor.  She asked me if I ever made pumpkin pie from scratch.  I said I had; I did not say I had no plans to ever do so again---canned pumpkin is fine with me.  She offered me a pumpkin a friend had given her.  She was told it was a pie pumpkin, and she didn't go that route, so she didn't want to keep it.  She even offered to carry it out to the car for me.  I carried it myself though, and it is the biggest pie pumpkin I've ever seen.  It is bright orange, weighs in at 14.5 lbs. and has a diameter of 36 inches.  I'll keep it in the coolness of our cellar and hope it lasts until it's time for it to sit on our front step to welcome the fall season.  Don't know about the from-scratch pie.