Every time I carve a pumpkin I think that the activity will be more difficult than it is, and I fail to plan before cutting.

This year I started by cutting out the eyes and then the nose, at which point it looked a lot like a kitty and I considered whiskers. No, I thought, I’m going to give him the toothy grin; if he looks friendly, so be it.

Then instead of cutting out the negative space between his teeth, I removed half the triangles, giving him a shaggy upper lip. That’s when I remembered that I’ve done this before. Several times. Hello again, Mr. Furry Lip. Out to the porch you go…

I had visits from a scary wrestler, a fairy, a witch, a football player (“DO YOU HAVE ANY CANDY?!”), a bat, and a teeny princess riding a unicorn.

No one mocked my pumpkin.