Wednesday, October 29, 2008

And the winner was.......

Last year, the Dean of the library where I work promoted a pumpkin carving contest for the employees of the library and really anyone else in the university. What a blast and yes, yours truly particpated.
Having quite a large family who love to carve pumpkins warrants me buying at least eight or nine pumpkins each year (we always have some do overs!). Good thing because I was in the pumpkin carving mood. Theme....umm I needed a theme, something different, not the usual pumpkin face. Something I really enjoy, something that wouldn't be too difficult to carve....bingo-a FAMILY TREE. So, with my idea in my head (I should have drawn a picture on a piece of paper first!) I "carved" away. So many children so little room to get them all on the pumpkin along with the branches, the roots, etc. So much slimy gunk to pull out, let's not go into that. Of course, I had to save the pumpkin seeds for the kids too. It's so much easier to paint a pumpkin or supervise. After two attempts (remember I said we always have some do overs!) I completed my Family Tree pumpkin. On each branch I listed a name of one of my children. My children were amazed that MOM could actually carve a pretty good family tree too!
The next morning I carefully transported my work of art to the university library. It was added to the collection of other carved pumpkins which included cats, witches, Harry Potter, and more. The faculty, staff and students all voted and much to my surprise I won! What a thrill and the prize was a Borders gift certificate. What could be a better gift for an amateur genealogist than the opportunity to buy one of their favorite genealogy books!
Am I carving another pumpkin this year? Well, the pumpkins are sitting on the back porch. The kids are gearing up...we'll see what I'll "carve" up this year.....


4 comments:

Jasia said...

Congratulations! What a clever idea!!! You did a very nice job with it too.

I don't carve pumpkins anymore. I made a ceramic pumpkin years ago and I use that. Clean, neat. But it's not nearly as inspired as your masterpiece!

Becky Thompson said...

What a wonderful idea--a Family Tree! Thanks for showing us the photo. It's amazing.

my Heritage Happens said...

Such a clever idea! I love it! Thanks for sharing this with us, personal artistry is always so insiring to me! great job and congrats on the win!

Taylorstales-Genealogy said...

Thank you all for your kind comments. It was fun and I was surprised to win too. The prize helped purchase a book on genealogy too!

The Family

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Genealogy Pox, author unknown

WARNING: GENEALOGY POX IS VERY CONTAGIOUS!

SYMPTOMS: Continual complaint as to need for names, dates and places. Patient has a blank expressions, sometimes deaf to spouse and children. Has no taste for work of any kind, except feverishly looking through records at libraries and courthouses.
Has a compulsion to write letters. Swears at mailman when he doesn't leave mail. Frequents strange places such as cemeteries, ruins, and remote desolate country areas. Makes secret night calls and hides phone bills from spouse. Mumbles to self. Has strange, faraway look in eyes.

NO KNOWN CURE!

TREATMENT: Medication is useless. This disease is not fatal, but gets progressively worse. Patient should attend genealogy workshops, subscribe to genealogical magazines and be given a quiet corner in the house where he/she can be alone.

REMARKS: The unusual nature of this disease is that the sicker the patient gets, the more he or she enjoys it!