Carving a jack-o-lantern is a paradox: it requires forceful and delicate motions. And it’s often simply messy.

Head = effective illustration of the effects of a wide-angle lens

The lesson I learned this year: don’t cut the top hole too small. It makes scraping the insides a nightmare because there are no do-overs with that first cut.

There are also no re-dos with the delicate work.

Which is why our ghost is holding a blog instead of a three-candle candelabra.

Next year.