Pumpkin Patch Part Two: The Pumpkins!
The pumpkins look peaceful nestled among the brambles and weeds and dirt of the farm. The pumpkin patch really is such a magical place!
It is difficult to choose the perfect pumpkin, but I like the imperfect ones best. They have character.
The practice of carving Jack o' Lanterns started in Ireland, but rather than pumpkins being carved, turnips or potatoes were the vegetable of choice to befit this honor. When Irish immigrants came to America, they started using a traditional American vegetable as their new carving platform: The plump, orange pumpkin!
The carving of the turnips and potatoes all started due to a legend: The legend of Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack was in a dark and rustic pub getting a drink with the devil of all people. Stingy Jack may have been stingy, but he certainly had a flair for adventure if he was willing to be drinking buddies with the dark lord himself. Despite the fact that the Devil is a well known creature of great and sinister power, Stingy Jack must not have been too impressed. He decided to use his time with the devil not to ask about the afterlife, not to find out which famous people ended up in the 'bad place' but instead to try out some tricks on the devil. Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, because as his name suggests, he was stingy. So he asked the devil to change into a coin so he could pay for the drinks. Who knew the devil was so obliging? He obeyed Stingy's Jack bizarre request and transformed into a shiny coin. Maybe the devil just liked to show off his ability to metamorphosis. Well, instead of paying the hardworking and honest bartender, Jack sneaked the coin into his pocket, pressing it firmly against his silver cross. The devil of course is no fan of a cross, and was unable to transform back to his original form with the cross so near to him.
Stingy Jack must have been elated by his cleverness to escape not only paying for a drink but also the horrid fate that the devil brings! Of course, the devil was not as delighted by Stingy Jack's crafty ways. But it turns out Jack did have a motivation for his sneaky plan. He had a sneaking suspicion that the devil was there to gather his soul. Jack just wasn't yet ready to depart into the afterlife. So he made a deal with the devil. He would allow the devil to transform back into his normal, glowing red, horned form as long as he left Stingy Jack alone for ten years. The devil reluctantly agreed, as he was quite tired of being a coin and was ready to wreck havoc upon the world once again.
The devil was very good at keeping appointments, so ten years to the day, he sought out his trivial nemesis Stingy Jack, ready to usher him to hell. Stingy Jack still had that same zest for life and eagerness to to get out of unpleasantness. He pretended to agree with the devil, that it was indeed his time. Meekly, he begged the devil for one last human pleasure before his doom. All he wanted was a fresh apple from the apple tree. But being weak with fright and despair, the devil would need to fetch the apple for him. The devil must be more of a soft touch then we give him credit for, because once again, he succumbed to Stingy Jacks request. He climbed up a large apple tree. As Jack watched the devils red butt disappear in the lush green tree foliage, he quickly whipped out a knife from his pocket and carved a large and proud cross in the tree trunk, snickering to himself as he pressed the knives blade into the wood. The devil was once again trapped, and stingy jack was immensely proud of his own keen wit.
The devil had a big job though, and he couldn't spend the rest of eternity stuck in an apple tree. So, he made another deal with Stingy Jack. Jack this time demanded he never be taken by Satan into the underworld. The devil, probably a little irritated with Jack at this point and maybe relieved at the idea of not having to deal with Jacks mischief down in the the underworld agreed to the demand.
Jack must have been filled with a carefree delight! He had escaped his likely inevitable fate of landing himself in hell. After all, he had lived a life of debauchery, trickery, wanton drunkenness and general sin. He imagined the golden palace on a cloud he would live in once in Heaven. He imagined all the funny tricks he'd play on god and the angels. Yes, Stingy Jack thought he had quite the afterlife ahead of him.
But when it happened, when Stingy Jack finally passed away, he was not wanted in heaven. Just because he had gotten out of hell, didn't mean he was destined for heaven. St. Peter turned the slumped shouldered Stingy Jack away and not all the tricks in the world could get him a place past the gleaming heavenly gates.
Information about Stingy Jack found:
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingy_Jack