pic of the day - my toothy friend

Carving a jack-o-lantern is a bittersweet thing for me. On the one hand, it is one of the most fun things I look forward to during the fall. I pick out just the right pumpkin with just the right swirly stem. Not too fat, not too skinny, not too tall, not too short...one that is just right. I love to scoop out all that stringy goo until the inside is smooth as silk. I wish I could say I loved the pumkin seeds because it seems like a novel tradition and somehow eco-friendly to roast them. However, my grandpa convinced me at a tender age that if I ate seeds, I would sprout a whatever it is in my belly and have whatever they are coming out my ears. So, despite being 36 years old and knowing better, I continue to opt for a seed free diet. I think it would make him smile. Though my artistic talents lie more in capturing art via photograpy (I'm not saying I'm good necessarily, I'm just saying that's where I lean) rather than creating art with say a paintbrush or pencil, I love to sketch out my jack-o-lantern's face and commence carving. The fact that my jack-o-lanterns have all looked pretty much like this one for the last, oh, 8-10 years should be convincing proof that I need to stick to my day job. I must confess that my original intent of this one was to be a sassy, chicy, girl pumpkin with big overdone eyebrows and a pouty Angelina-esque smile. Somewhere along the way, something went drastically wrong. Oh well. It was fun nonetheless. Here is where the story turns bitter. From the time I was a very small child, mean bully teenagers have found great thrills and fun from throwing my inspired carved friend into the street, smashing him to smitherines. Please tell me where the fun is in that? I don't care that I am a grown woman. I dread that morning when I find the result of their "fun and games" and am saddened when it happens. I seriously conisdered leaving the dead squirrel hanging last year to ward off such meanies. So, as much fun as it is to create a new pal each fall, it's eaqually sad to see him in a zillion pieces on my street. For now, I'll focus on the fun and hope that he makes people smile as they drive by. I'll get warm fuzzies fromthe toothy greeting when I pull into the driveway and I'll enjoy the sweet for now