HALLOWEEN

  Well it's that time again folks, Halloween is but a day a way. I hope that you have all gotten your costumes ready and houses decorated for this ghoulish festival of the macabre.

  If you remember last year I mentioned that everyone should go out and have some good old fun, bring out that inner child. Well, since I can't repeat myself (though I have been know to do so on occasion), I had to come up with something else..... PUMPKINS... They are everywhere this time of year, mostly carved out to make Jack O Lanterns for Halloween. Have you ever wondered how this tradition came to be? Well let me give you a quick history lesson.

  It all started in Ireland with a man named Stingy Jack, who made several deals with the Devil. He seemed able to out wit the Devil himself, which quite annoyed the Devil. So when he died, obviously he wasn't going to go to heaven, and the Devil didn't want him in hell. So he was left on earth with only a burning lump of coal to light his way. Stingy Jack would place this and himself in any carved out, or semi rotten turnip, and has been roaming the earth ever since. Over the years, as stories are told, people took it upon themselves to ward off Stingy Jack, also know at that time as Jack of the lantern, by carving out beets and turnips, and placing candles inside, so he would not be able to go there. This became even more elaborate as time went by, as they started carving out ghoulish faces in the turnips and calling it a Jack O Lantern. Through time, immigration and travel, people took this   tradition back home with them to North America. As pumpkins were readily available here, we started to use this as a most common vessel for our Jack O Lanterns.

  So there you have it, the history of the pumpkins at Halloween. I know that some of you probably have never carved out your own pumpkin, so I have included a link so that even the most novice of pumpkin carvers will be able to create a perfect Jack O Lantern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUVNHh2hkGU

And for some inspiration, here are some pictures of great works of art!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

                                    Beautiful Flowers

Here we are, nearing the end of October. The days are getting shorter and cooler, the nights dark and long. I wanted to post a new blog story, but simply couldn't come up with any ideas ( blaming it on the weather..LOL). So instead, I thought I would simply showcase some of our beautiful floral designs for you viewing pleasure. It was not easy coming up with only a few, but I did so enjoy the task of going through our endless pics to find the ones that simply made me smile. 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures, and that it made you smile as well.