Pumpkin Carving

Did you know that there is a long tradition of carving laterns from vegetables?

I didn't.  The turnip has been normally been used in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween.

Immigrants to North America decided to use the native pumpkin due to size and availability. It was first the symbol of the harvest season then transitioned to halloween.

"Oh!—fruit loved of boyhood!—the old days recalling,

When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!"

 John Greenleaf Whittier

I spent part of the morning yesterday shopping for a good sized pumpkin for our Jack-O-Lattern then part of the afternoon researcing what I'd like to do to it.

I'm aiming for this.

I wish I could do this:

But I'll probably end up with this:

Happy Harvest Season!

Don't forget to attend out Halloween Blog-a-Thon at the end of the month!!