I really want a pumpkin this year

And I don't really understand why. Or what it means for me as a person.

I'm usually anti-pumpkin. I don't like the fall season or this time of year, or any fall-ish decorations. But for some reason, I feel like I really need to buy a pumpkin tomorrow.

I'm pretty excited about a pumpkin, actually.

How long do pumpkins last? It's not like, a pet or a child, right? I don't have to keep it alive forever or anything, do I?

Do you even keep pumpkins alive? See, clearly I know nothing about having a pumpkin. What do they eat? Can it live out on my porch, or should it be more of an inside pumpkin? Do I have to bathe it? Does it require vaccinations? Will it need a litter box?

Will the evil cat try to eat it if I put it outside? Or worse . . . mate with it?

Do I need to have my pumpkin spayed or neutered? I'm not sure I can handle a litter of tiny baby pumpkins running around here.

I feel like I will want to name it, then I will name it, then I will become attached to it, then one day when it is too rotten to keep, I will be sad and I will miss it when it's gone.

Maybe I'm not ready for a pumpkin, yet. It seems like a lot of responsibility.

C.T.