Before There Were Pumpkin Jack-O'-Lanterns---
It's no wonder that the colors of Halloween include the magnificent hues of the changing leaves in autumn. As we count down to the night when all the ghouls and goblins go out for tricks and treats, some of us are looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve. Do you know why we carve out a pumpkin and why we call it a jack-o'-lantern?
Like me, maybe you never gave it a thought until now. I think you may agree. It's a complicated mesh of folklore and history, yet fascinating.
Reading about the carving of beets and turnips, I created a colorful family of jack-o'-lanterns from different rounded produce, representing our most eerie holiday palette of colors. As you see, some were not easy to carve.
You're not seeing things. There is a mermaid skeleton. I call her Merilee. And yes, I have discovered a SeaCritture that has an orange tone. This one, I'm calling Pumpkin. I am excited to be on the lookout for another SeaCritture to join us at Thanksgiving.
Hope your Halloween is a happy and safe one! - Laura Beth
