Sunday, November 16, 2014

"That's no pumpkin. That's a space station."

Preceding the very cold weather we've been having lately, the girls (Younger Daughter and our friend GG) went out and harvested the pumpkins before they froze.




They came back with a modest wheelbarrow full, not bad for two small tires in the garden.


And then, just for fun, they decided to carve some jack-o-lanterns.



They warmed up with a couple conventional designs...


...and quickly departed into the world of the über-nerdy. Yes, they literally googled "nerdy pumpkin carvings" or something like that. There was quite a variety of designs to choose from!


Here's the beginning of a Pumpkin Pi.


GG spent a lot of time carving an impressive Death Star from Star Wars. "That's no pumpkin," she intoned solemnly. "That's a space station."


Some of the aftermath...


...for which the chickens were grateful.



Then we rounded up some candles. Since they were new, I lit them for a few minutes to prep the wick, before blowing them out and slipping them inside the pumpkins.


Then we waited until nightfall. Here GG is lighting the candles with the aid of a burning spaghetti noodle (in place of one of those long matches).



The final lineup of Nerdy Pumpkins on Parade.



The conventional.


Pumpkin Pi.


Gates of Moria.


Death Star.



Star Fleet insignia.


This is what happens when you live in a houseful of nerds.


16 comments:

  1. My son was certified for SCUBA diving when he was 16. For Halloween they had a pumpkin carving contest 20 ft under water! They could only use their dive knifes. He won second but almost froze to death. We were staying at a motel and he didn't quit shivering until he had been in a hot bath for 10 min. It is really hard to get a pumpkin to sink!

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  2. I love it.

    These are too cool !

    lol....I'd fit right in around there.

    Hooray nerdliness!!

    A. McSp

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  3. "gates of Moria" is particularly impressive on both the nerdiness axis and the craftsmanship axis. :)

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  4. What pumpkin seeds do you use?

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    1. I honestly don't remember. A reader sent me a bag of heirloom pumpkin seeds several years ago and I've been propagating them ever since. I seem to remember the name "Connecticut" in the title, but I'm afraid I can't get much closer than that. They're lovely little pumpkins.

      - Patrice

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    2. Patrice -
      Probably "Connecticut Field". :-)

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  5. Very fun stuff!! As I have often told the already-in- serious-trouble Middle Schoolers that I work with, "Nerds rule the world!!"

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  6. What fun! Nice job on the pumpkins. They look impressive lit up.

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  7. Hey at least the chickens got the left overs. Bill and I have to
    process the pumpkin that we got. the left overs will go to our
    chickens also
    Blessings
    Debby

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  8. We are also a nerdy home here in the Northern Appalachians. Although we did not carve any pumpkins (our harvest was meager this year), my fifteen year old daughter was thrilled to be able to wear her tardis hat to school today due to crazy bad weather.

    Hooray for nerds!

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  9. Hay baling, plowing, disking. planting, harvesting, pumpkin carving, lawn mowing, christmas tree triming, and auto repair. I was a kid of all trades back in the day. The girls did a great job. Pumpkin Pi, lol...

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  10. Regarding your system of growing in the large tractor tires: did you leave the underside uncut or did you cut them similar to the topside of the tire? Drip system? Thank you---love the pumpkins.

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    1. Yes, the underside is uncut. I figure it holds water and soil better.

      - Patrice

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  11. You need to give up this blog as you hardly post anymore. Imho

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  12. You need to give up this blog as you are too busy to post imho.

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