Pumpkins /Jack-o-Lanterns

Breakfast and the news.  I told Carol yesterday that I would turn the pumpkins into jack-o-lantern's.

We bought this wrinkled pumpkin at the     store in Orem a couple of weeks ago.  I got every thing ready.  The newspaper for the 'guts'.   The green bowl for the seeds and pumpkin pieces removed and knives and a saw.

I made a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin.  We will put it over a burning candle or a single LED light.  The hole wasn't big enough for my hand to fit.

I made it larger hole and was able to scrape out the seeds.  Those I put n the green bowl.

This doesn't look like much.  It was so hard I use a drill to make a hole and my jigsaw to make teeth.  The above photo shows four teeth and sort of smile.

I used a drill to make two nostrils for the nose.  Then a large spade bit for the eyes.  I was able to make the eyes larger with a knife.

I brought in the large pumpkin.  The photo shows the drill on the left and the jigsaw on the right.  The skin of this pumpkin was much softer and I only need my sharp knife.

I cut off the top and began to remove the seeds.

I cut out the mouth,  but it was to low.  I did make the mouth opening a little larger.

I cut out teeth to make it look vicious.  

I cut out the nose and eyes.  It looks a little better.   I folded the newspaper into a small square.  It acted like a lazy Susan.  It was easy two twist and turn.

Here again with the top in place.

The white pumpkin was also easy to cut.

I cut off the top or lid.

I quickly put on a face.  A wide smile, a triangle nose. and two round eyes.  I guess that I was getting tired and just made it simple.

The finished project.

Here are the three of them on the first step of the front porch.  Looks pretty goodl

I raked up the leaves without using a rake.  I used a large scoop shovel and made a windrow.

I laid down a blue tarp and put a black pipe along the front edge.  The pipe holds the tarp in place while pushed the leaves with the scoop shovel.  I tied the four corners together and drug it out to the garden.  I made at least four trips and have a nice pile of leaves in the garden.  I looked all over for the rake.

I started looking for a wood burner to burn in my name and dated under the Viking stool that I made for Skyler and Emily's wedding.   I didn't find one but I emptied a box that had canceled checks, statements and bills.  I run some of it through the shedder.  The was some letters in there that was written by my mother while I was on my mission.  I thinks she wrote one each week while I was gone.  There is a good piece of history in those letters.

Ray and Mary Anne stopped by for a visit.


Comments and questions are welcome.