Hello Friends, and welcome! At last, the heat has tapered off here in SoCal. I am welcoming the cooler temperatures with open arms. Autumn is now here, and I couldn’t be happier. I love the crisp mornings as I sit outside in my fall attire. I am sharing with you a blog I posted back in 2019 where I share more about my love for Halloween.
It is that time again to celebrate the holiday season. One of my favorites happens to be Halloween. One thing I love about this day is the pumpkins. I have always been a fan of the huge gourds that are too heavy to pick up. The bright shiny orange color draws me in as well. The color orange represents joy and creativity.
The best place to find these gems is at the pumpkin patches. This year my wife took me to one.
There, I found what I was looking for, but instead of taking the pumpkin home, I had my picture taken next to it. There were pumpkins everywhere of all sizes. It was fun seeing the small children run around the place touching the pumpkins.
I have always been fascinated with the origins of Jack-O-Lantern. In olden times, in the British Isles, people would carve out turnips and place candles inside them on Halloween to cast out the evil spirits. They also represented the souls of the dead. When Irish people came to America, they brought the tradition with them. However, they changed to pumpkins because they were easier to hollow out. Not to mention they are native here and are plentiful. Pumpkins are very nutritious, but most people prefer the pie pumpkin variety to eat. Pie Pumpkins can be used to make many things. In addition to pumpkin pie, I have also made pumpkin bread which my family really loves. Pumpkin puree is also good for pets who have upset stomachs.
Next year I’m planning to put in my own pumpkin patch in the backyard. We want pie pumpkins that I can put out for Halloween and then use them. A few years ago we tried to grow them but didn’t have much luck. This year with the success of our spaghetti squash, I am excited to grow pumpkins. Pumpkin seeds need to be planted in early April so they will be ready in time for the fall harvest in September. They require a lot of water and mulch. If they are like my squash, they will germinate easily. I am very excited.
All in all, I love Halloween. One thing I like about the day is that it represents letting go of the old to allow the new to come in. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and have agreed it is time to let go of some old baggage. This is why I’m choosing to have both a scary and a happy face lantern. The scary one will cast off the old, while the happy one welcomes new beginnings. How about you? What do you like about Halloween?
We decorated our house with spiderwebs, pumpkins, lights, and other Halloween decorations this year. It is an exciting time of year and represents the kick-off of the Holiday Season. We hope to get the groves of children like before the pandemic. Now I can focus my attention on things that are important to me, such as my outreach work.
I am sending you off with October Blessings!
Thank you for visiting!
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog 