Volunteer Plants Produce Pumpkins

Yes! Valentino found another pumpkin in a patch!

My dog Valentino has a nose for the scent of pumpkin fruit on a vine. As we wander around the neighborhood on our dog walks he is quick to show me his nose knows where the good stuff grows.

Along an alleyway the dog dragged me to a patch of grass with a motley looking vine I recognized as what I thought was a dying pumpkin patch. Sure enough, there was a wee pumpkin growing in its midst.

The owner of the house where Valentino discovered the pumpkin patch was in her yard. I commented to her how much my dog enjoys her pumpkins. She was rather tickled by his vegetarian-like hunting ability.

The woman told me these are volunteer pumpkins. She had not planted the seeds! But she is enjoying these pumpkins too.

The woman also asked me this question: "Did you know that when a vine produces a pumpkin all of the plant nutrients go straight to the fruit growing on the vine and oftentimes its flowers and leaves pretty much die away?"

I had no idea. I learned my something new on this day!


Come walk the dog with me and see a few more pumpkins we found along our way!

• Pumpkins and More Seasonal Paws
• Seasonal Fruits for Dog Treats

A Pumpkin Patch of Reading Pleasure


Ruth Cox is an Amazon Associate and may earn commission based on sales made via links in this article. Thank you for supporting abitosunshine!

September Swagbucks Celebration Cha-Ching

Swagbucks is celebrating with Swago style in September. The digital rewards site has rewarded its members nearly $200,000,000 since 2008. That's a big chunk of cha-chings!

Yes, as a member of Swagbucks I have received my share of SB points to redeem for cash and gift cards for the things I do each day to earn the SB. I search the web, watch videos, take surveys, and even go shopping online to earn my rewards. I even earn SB points as a Swagbucks Influencer -- yes, by blogging about the Swagbucks site events.

Play SWAGO and Earn Bonus SB Points

To celebrate, Swagbucks is holding a Swago promotion from September 11 at 9AM PT through September 19 at 12PM PT!

Swago is like playing Bingo. You fill in the squares by doing online activities on the site. As you do, you earn SB points for doing so.

If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it. Here are a few tips, straight from Swagbucks:

• Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores!
• Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.
• You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Tuesday, September 19th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.
• Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value. Once you’ve achieved a pattern, the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely.
• Each activity you successfully complete on your Swago Board will give you anywhere from 1-20 spins on the Spin & Win Wheel. PLUS, when you submit your board for a bonus you'll get additional spins. The number of spins will depend on the pattern you complete. The wheel has all sorts of great prizes that you can win, and each spin is a winner!

The Spin & Win Wheel will not be available to use until 9AM PT/12PM ET on Tuesday, September 19th and will end at 9AM PT/12PM ET on Thursday, September 21st. Don't forget to spin your wheel to earn those extra winnings!

Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points -- if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus! That's enough for a $5 gift card in their Rewards Store to the retailer of your choice.

CLICK HERE right now and click "Join" to get started! If you don't already have a Swagbucks account, you'll be able to quickly sign up. PLUS, if you earn 300 SB before the first of next month, you'll get a bonus of 300 SB!

Cha-Ching!

Labor of Love Lawn Chair Re-Webbing DIY

A few weeks ago I sat in my favorite lawn chair and my bottom fell through! Either I needed to lose some weight or the webbing gave way to the outdoor elements. (Probably both, but I'd like to think the latter!) I was so glad that there was not anyone around in the twilight hours to see me fall off my rocker!

This old chair is special in a few ways. It is a rocking lawn chair, one I rocked my woes away in quite a lot while living in a tent in the back yard of friends for a few months. When I upgraded to a home with a roommate, my friends Terry and Mark gave me the chair for my new back yard. This chair had spent twenty-five years at their home, one they had found at a yard sale ... quite a special gift to me!

My roommate Eric took it upon himself to order lawn furniture webbing and out of the blue one night he decided to tackle the DIY project of re-webbing my old chair. I stood by to hand him the screws and lend a hand in the repair of the chair, mostly in support of him taking on this labor of love, during the Labor Day weekend no less. Perhaps Eric is off his rocker too!

And, not to forget, my roomie has given me a special cup holder tray to hang on the side of my chair, found at a family member's yard sale.

While I enjoy a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) undertaking, it is really my roommate who loves a project. As Eric says, "I enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor."

Thank you for re-webbing my special lawn chair, Eric.

Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn income or commissions via affiliate links in this article. Thank you!