A strong breeze scattered leaves from yard to yard. Decorative flags danced in the air. Temperatures lowered to the upper 40’s last night. Autumn has arrived in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Will this cool weather stay or is this only a tease of what is to come?
One of our favorite family activities in October is carving pumpkins. In Virginia, those orange delights could be carved as early as September. Not in South Carolina. Warm weather stays longer in the south, so pumpkins need to be carved later in October so they will last.
When grandson Rowan asks to work on a pumpkin, that’s what we do, even if carving time should be put off for a few weeks. With the outside of the heavy orange pumpkin washed and dried, the time had come to create a jack o’lantern. This one will wear a scary face. Mimi and Rowan clean out the inside of the pumpkin. The guts are yucky and a decision is made for Mimi to finish that project. Once everything was clean, Bop drew the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and pointy teeth. Next, Bop went to work making small cuts in the pumpkin while paying special attention to the details.
When the jack o’lantern was completed, Bop carried the heavy creation outside to display in the flower bed. Yellow mums would highlight the fall decorations. Beautiful!
All was well for a few days. I put a battery operated tealight into the pumpkin each night. Rowan was happy with the jack o’lantern. Alan and I were pleased with how well the decoration looked in the front flower bed.
Then...it happened. Evening arrived and before nightfall, I went to put the tea light in the pumpkin. Lifting the stem of the lid, I was shocked at the yucky sight before me. Our nice creation had begun to mold and shrink. The once large, firm orange pumpkin was starting to deteriorate into a piece of mush. Looking at the front of the pumpkin, I noticed a smashed pumpkin face. Yikes!!!!
The beautiful carved decoration was shrinking and turning into a soft blob. Oh no!!!!
There was only one thing to do. That orange smashed pumpkin face had to be taken out of the flower bed and disposed of.
I wondered how Rowan would take the news. The next day, when he arrived, he asked “Where is my pumpkin?” I explained what happened. He didn’t get upset. He said, “That’s okay Mimi. We can get another one. This time we can draw a happy face on it for you.” Sweet boy.
When I asked God to help me find a lesson in this experience, He reminded me that there is a time for everything, even pumpkin carving. Even if we had to dispose of that pumpkin, the time shared with Rowan was priceless. Bop and I are looking forward to carving a pumpkin with Rowan and his baby sister Eden.
Do you decorate for autumn? What is your favorite fall activity?
FYI...the picture above shows our new pumpkin without a face. :-)
Have a blessed day and put on a sweater if it’s chilly in your neck of the woods,
Mimi aka Melissa
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