Happy Independence Day!

It may only be July 4th, but that's no reason to forget Halloween!  Happy Independence Day, everyone...Halloween is just around the corner!

Happy Pi Day!

Happy Halloween!  Uh, I mean, Happy Pi Day! Celebrate this March 14th with a big slice of pumpkin pie---Donald Duck approved. 

Harvey Harmer and His Pumpkins

Harvey Harmer is serious about his pumpkins!  The Clarksburg, West Virginia man is show here proudly showing off his 1914 crop of gourds.  All four pumpkins, ranging from 38 lbs. to 104 lbs., came from a single vine.  That's pretty darn impressive! 

This wonderful old image was found on the WV History on View website, which notes that Harvey Walker Harmer was born in 1865 and died in 1961.  In addition to his farming accomplishments, Harmer was a lawyer, local historian/author, and a state senator representing Harrison County.  Here's a fascinating article on Harmer's integral role in the controversial 'American Constitutional Association' and his role of chairman for the America First Day celebration.

Let Me Sing You The Halloween Song of My People!

Aww...I just love this vintage Halloween image!  From the wistful look in that jack-o-lantern's eyes to that apathetic crescent moon in the background....there's just a lot of cool Halloween imagery to see!  I'd love to hear the song that cat is singing as a serenade to his Halloween Gourd Friend.  

Halloween in My Heart

WHY is it not Autumn yet?!?  It is SO hot here in the tri-state, and I am absolutely over summer.  I am ready for Halloween.  It's frustrating....the stores in my area are slowly starting to put out SOME Halloween merchandise, but not enough to really be worth my time and/or cash.  So, to get my spooky fix, I've been binge watching horror films and starting a few little Halloween crafty things.

What about you?  Are you ready for Halloween?

Mrs. and Mr. Pumpkin Head

It's Mrs. and Mr. Pumpkin Head...and what a dashing pair they make!

I absolutely love this spooky Jack-o-Lantern couple!  I found this image on Halloween Lovers Facebook page, but I'm not sure who the original artist is...it looks like its signed lr or b  with a date of 2010.  Please let me know if you recognize these images, so I can credit and link the artist.  

Mac-O-Lanterns and Cheese

Since its been so long since the last Foodie Friday, I tried to find something really unique to get things started back up. I think I found what I was looking for...

This visually interesting dish is an orange bell pepper, carved into a Jack-o-Lantern and used as a bowl to serve macaroni. The recipe comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and although it seems pretty easy to make, I personally would probably just dump some boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese into a raw pepper and call it a day. But, don't be like me---if you're interested in serving this up as a unique Halloween side dish, follow the recipe over at Food Network. There's even a video and complete ingredient list.

I think this would make an adorable part of any family dinner, but since the macaroni spilling out the top DOES kinda look like brains, I'm sure it can be spookified up for a more mature audience!

Photo by Teri Lyn Fisher

Jack-O-Lantern Face Swaps (Volume II)

Yeah, so face swapping isn't really that big of a thing anymore...but its still pretty hilarious, especially when it involves MY favorite holiday, HALLOWEEN! Last year, it was predicted that face swapping with Jack-o-Lanterns was going to be the next big thing. However, that phenomena never really took off....perhaps it was just too creepy? Anyway, it was difficult, but I managed to find a few more examples to add to last year's collection. I hope you enjoy the horror...and if you're so inclined, send me your own Jack-o-Lantern face swap photos. I'd love to feature them here!

Article: Nobody is On Board with this Jack-o-Lantern Face Swap

Pumpkin the Python

Meet Pumpkin! Pumpkin is a pied (pie bald) ball python whose picture recently caused quite a stir when it was shared on the Zoo Creatures Facebook page. The pet store, located in New Hampshire, is offering Pumpkin up for sale, but don't bet on this lil' cutie being available for too long. With that adorable jack-o-lantern marking and the close proximity to Halloween, someone is sure to give this the unique reptile a new home sooner rather than later. 

The Pumpkin's Destiny

Lately, there's been a distinct, Autumn chill to the air here in the tri-state. The local stores are beginning to put out their Halloween stock, and I've been watching hours of YouTube tutorials on different Halloween crafts. Needless to say, I'm getting pretty excited about Halloween 2017!

Today's vintage image was found on the Facebook group, Vintage Halloween. I couldn't find any additional information on it, but it was too weird not to share with you all. The faces on the non-carved pumpkins are, well....horrific, especially that big guy in the middle! I can only imagine what is running through their minds as they gaze at lighted corpses of their own kind.

Halloween Postage Stamps

Have you picked up your official United States Post Office issued Halloween Forever stamps yet?  Released Thursday, September 29th, these cute, yet spooky jack-o-lantern stamps were the first ever Halloween stamps issued in the US by the post office.

Paul Montanari carved each jack-o-lantern and then Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed them. Art director, Derry Noyes, supervised and designed the finished product.

“It is my hope that these stamps will rekindle special memories for everyone mailing or receiving postcards, letters and packages with these stamps affixed,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Joseph Corbett in a press release.

Jack Pumpkinhead

I love this picture! At first glance, it is VERY Halloween-y with the jack-o-lantern head guy. But, it really doesn't have anything to do with Halloween....

This is a still shot from the 1985 movie, Return to Oz, starring a very young Fairuza Balk as Dorothy. The movie is loosely based on several of L. Frank Baum's Oz novels and introduces Jack Pumpkinhead to the big screen. If you're familiar with the Oz books, you probably recognize this hilarious, yet chivalrous character. I really like the way he is portrayed here, and he does give off quite an autumn vibe!

Jack-O-Lantern Face Swaps

Okay, the Face Swap app is seriously the creepiest fad to hit social media in a LONG time! If you're not familiar with this program, basically what it does is take a photograph, and using facial recognition, identifies two different faces. It then allows for those two faces to trade places with each other, resulting in a horrific mishmash image. Some of the creepier images people have created include swaps between babies and adults, humans and animals (especially dogs and CHICKENS, lol), and humans and dolls.

If I wanted to select examples just based on creep factor alone, I would have to write a hundred blog posts to accommodate just the best of the best.  But, since this is a HALLOWEEN blog, for now I'll just focus on a few human to jack-o-lantern transformations. All photos were culled from various websites using Google Image Search. That last one---nightmare material! Enjoy!