Pumpkins are a mystery to me. If you think about it, they aren’t very attractive—plain in color and odd in shape. However, the origin of their name is rather interesting. In Greece they were originally named pepon; translated means orange melon.

Once autumn begins, and Halloween looms pumpkins are everywhere. And not just as Jack-o-lanterns on the front porch. They are made into soups, baked in breads and used for table decorations. At a recent outing, pumpkin corn bread was served.

There is a growing appreciation for these rather plain gourds. It seems they are with us more often than guests during the holidays, and are found on almost every fall-celebration table. We use them for pies during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and in our hot drinks—pumpkin spice latte, extra pumpkin please.

In order to create the perfect pie or drink, though, ingredients must be added. Cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of sugar make the ideal combination. Alone, the orange melon is quite tasteless.

So what’s the mystery for our love of pumpkins? Part of it seems to be their ability to create ambiance and nostalgia. For some, they bring us back to home-gatherings and memories of childhood. For others, it offers an opportunity to create new memories of standing in Starbuck lines and having the first taste of fall in a cup.

Pumpkins aren’t the only mystery we can enjoy, though. There is a genre of books called cozy mysteries.

If you haven’t heard of these, they are known for the ingredients of humor and amateur sleuth characters —think Agatha Christie.

Alone, a mystery offers suspense and drama but read a cozy and you have the perfect ingredients for creating memories of places never visited and fascinating people you will most likely will never meet.

So,  why not curl up with a pumpkin spice latte and a Cozy today? After all, that’s how memories are created….one mystery at a time.