A Ghastly Halloween Deed

Pictures are of my hand carved Frankenstein pumpkin and some of my hand painted pumpkins.

I wanted to make pumpkin pies from scratch one year. I bought a medium size pumpkin, cooked it, scraped the pumpkin meat from the skin and started mixing. Good grief, I had forgotten that the bulk of a pumpkin pie is eggs, milk and sugar. I ended up making 28 pies. Oh, I didn't bake them that night, I made the crust, fluted the edges and put them in the freezer to chill. When the pumpkin custard was mixed I poured it into the crusts sitting on the freezer shelves and let them freeze. Then wrapped them in a freezer bag to be baked later. I only make a few at a time now.....good lesson!

I love the fall, the crisp temperatures with a few sunny days here and there. The leaves changing color and making their yearly trip to the ground. Fresh apples to be picked at the Nisqually Game Reserve. This is the time of year I make my apple, pumpkin and berry pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas, bake my cinnamon and dinner rolls, pop them in the freezer and they're ready.

Here's a poem I penned just for this 2005 Halloween.

A Ghastly Halloween Deed
By Carol Glitschka, 10/05

They took me home today
I sat around a while
Wondering what was happening
Wishing I could smile.

I heard some funny noises
Metal clinking and a paper crinkle
I really felt like frowning
But my forehead wouldn’t wrinkle.

I felt warm hands upon my skin
Holding me very firm
The knife cut deep into my head
I couldn’t even squirm.

Then I heard the scraping
Why were they doing these terrible deeds
I felt those little hands removing
My insides and my seeds.

Again I felt a stronger grip
And on my skin a slice
Soon both eyes were opened
Strangely, It felt rather nice!

I saw my guts and seeds
On the paper, in a pile
Soon I had a mouth and nose
It took them just a little while.

I could feel the smile they carved
It spread across my face
And soon there was a candle
Lighting up the place.

I caught a glimpse in the mirror
Of my handsome Jack-O-Lantern face
As I was carried to the porch
And set in my proper pumpkin place.