Overachiever

This is the time of year that giant vegetables claim their spot in the Alaska mystique. Today's Anchorage Daily News front page shows Dave Iles' state-record-setting pumpkin at 752 lbs. It's his first pumpkin ever. Where does one go from here? His second pumpkin is set to be trucked from his home in Fairbanks to our state fair down here in Palmer in a couple of weeks, and may be even bigger. There'll be a host of such oddities on display, and walking into the giant vegetable exhibit on the fairgrounds is like walking into a 1950s science fiction movie. I like living in a world where people grow big scary vegetables and where other people give them glory for it. It beats the hell out of anything else you read on the front page these days.