Better Late than Never

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Last week my family and I sat down and actually spent some time doing something together...we painted pumpkins for Hallowe'en. Usually the only time we are together in one room is for the occasional family dinner (which is becoming rarer as the children get older) or the occasional family television program (which is extremely rare given our disparate tastes in entertainment). When the kids were younger we used to get pumpkins and carve them for the holiday and create a scarecrow out of their outgrown clothing, but we haven't done either of those activities in some years now. This year I decided to resurrect them, as much out of my personal affection for this holiday as for gleaning the last drop of childhood out of my young adults as I can. My husband brought home two large pumpkins for carving and I brought home four smaller ones for decorating. In these pictures you will see my husband and children busy working on their creations. My kids decided on creating video game motifs on their respective pumpkins while my husband, anxious to watch a baseball game, created a quick and dirty grimace on his pumpkin, complete with bloody scars and stitches. I, anal-retentive artist that I am, took my time painting an outdoor scene featuring a blue sky with clouds, trees, stalks of corn, a pumpkin patch (pumpkins on a pumpkin, how original) and some pretty hybrid sunflowers. My daughter calls me Bob Ross, a reference to the late iconic oil painter who brought art into America's living rooms through his long running television show. Well, Lord knows I'm no Bob Ross but I enjoy creating art. Two views of my pumpkin can also be seen; one showing the pumpkin and corn patches and a top view of the starry night sky.

Last night was Hallowe'en night and all of our pumpkins were on display on our front steps, greeting the little gremlins, goblins and princesses as they came to trick-or-treat. Our pumpkins were in their element and in their full glory. Today the moment has passed. The pumpkins no longer reign supreme. Yet here, in this blog, they are immmortalized. They and the loving hands that created them.



Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva