Last year, we carved pumpkins for Halloween, and I wrote a post about it. That post has been getting a lot of hits lately because people are searching for pumpkin carvings. Unfortunately, it was not my best work. I forgot to take pictures of the pumpkins that we carved and had to resort to other means. This post is going to set things right.
I know that we carved pumpkins when I was a kid, but I don’t remember much about it. They were the simple kind with triangles for eyes and a mouth with jagged teeth. I guess that’s what most people did. That means last year was my first foray into fancy pumpkin carving with the tracing tools and the special implements.
Overall, it went well. Everyone’s carving came out like it looked in the picture. The only problem was that the cap of my pumpkin fell in. I was determined that nothing like that would happen again.
This year didn’t go as smoothly. My stepdaughter was in the middle of a book that she wanted to get back to. My wife carved in the wrong spot and decided to stop. Mine came out alright and ended up on the front porch. Obviously, they haven’t realized the trick that makes pumpkin carving a success. You stick your tongue out as you concentrate on your work.
The great think about this year is that I took pictures and am offering them up for your entertainment.
The pumpkins started out looking like this.
Notice that one of them is sitting on the obituaries. Scary, right?
The next step is cutting out the top and pulling out the guts. Necole said something about this feeling like putting your hand in a human body. Hopefully, she doesn’t have experience in that field.
This is another view of the operating table.
Next, you are supposed to tape the picture to the pumpkin and prepare to trace the lines. This is my favorite part, and I have no idea why. I guess it’s the cleanest.
I don’t think I would make a good killer. Stabbing someone is messy. Maybe, I got perforate them to death by tracing the outline of a ghost on them.
Despite that, there comes a time when you have to dig in and start dismembering.
Necole is way better at this than I am. In fact, I think she stuck her tongue out a few times.
Carving up pumpkins is tiring, and we took a break. That’s when Daisy Dog studied the scene to see what we were up to.
I wish I knew what she was thinking. It was probably something along the lines of, “What are you stabbing those orange things? Just lie on the back of the couch like I do. It’s a lot more relaxing.”
She could be right. We cut and hacked and sawed and got one pumpkin completely carved.
We put it on the front porch and realized that we didn’t have a candle to put in it.
I must say that carving pumpkins with my family is fun, and I wish it happened more than once a year. Next time, I am going to attempt a carving that looks like Daisy Dog.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
This year, at 17 and “engaged to be engaged,” my granddaughter passed on carving. It’s the first time and I suspect the end of an era has come and gone. It was always the high point of autumn.
Times change. I don’t think it will be long before my stepdaughter gives it up.