Caturday Art: Pumpkin Head

Today, our contribution for Athena's always anticipated Caturday Art blog hop was extra of fun for this here human to create. Why? Because it stems from a tradition that goes way back to when she was a kid.

For as long as I can remember, my family has had a life-size scarecrow that we put up on stakes in the front yard for Halloween. When I moved out to my new house, my parents let me take it with me. He's not a pre-assembled scarecrow, but instead has to be built each year, and I love it. He's been wearing the same pair of overalls and plaid shirt for roughly an eternity. They must have made clothes a lot hardier back in the day, because aside from some serious fading, they're still doing pretty darn good.

When I was a kid, we'd make the scarecrow's face out of fabric and the like. Then, a few years back, we got one of those giant light-up pumpkin heads for our lamppost. That's when we started building the scarecrow around the lamppost itself, with the glowing pumpkin as its head.

This probably all seems pretty insignificant to most people. I mean, honestly, it's just a decoration. But, I won't even lie, I've always had a fondness for this scarecrow. He is one of my absolute favorite decorations to put up each year.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Well, today's prompt for JNW's Halloween Challenge is decorations. As soon as I read this prompt, I knew exactly what I wanted to draw.

Want to see the real deal? Well, you're in luck (thanks to my photographer of a sister, that is).

Mr. Pumpkin Head is too tall for the lamppost, so he's been retired to a chair. 

He doesn't seem to mind.

 Have a fun and fantastic Caturday, everybuddy!

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Our Tip of the Day:

We've talked before about the benefits of pumpkin for dogs and cats. Did you know, though, that even the seeds of a pumpkin can serve as a beneficial treat for your furbaby? The seeds contain all sorts of nutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids and oils. They offer a plethora of health benefits that include fighting off cancer and keeping the skin and coat happy and healthy. What's more, pumpkin seeds contain cucurbitin, an amino acid that can potentially serve as a natural de-wormer. For this benefit, some people will crush up pumpkin seeds into a powder, which can be sprinkled onto food, and of which roughly 1 teaspoon three times a day is often the recommended amount. Otherwise, pumpkin seeds can be given raw, or, for more palatability, can be lightly coated with cooking oil and roasted in the oven for a few minutes. Your furbaby may very well find this a delectable treat! But please don't overdue it, as not only do you want to avoid weight gain, but it's also important that your furbaby not receive an overabundance of some of the nutrients that pumpkins and their seeds have to offer.