Thanksgiving Snow

 As most of you probably know, I am pretty staunch when it comes to "No Christmas before Thanksgiving." Thanksgiving is a wonderful time in its own right, and I like to live in the moment. Plus, it makes Christmas all that much more special when it actually is Christmastime!

(I do have a caveat, though. I am always on the lookout for new holiday music, Christmas or otherwise, so I'm listening to holiday albums all year round to decide if I should add them to my collection. [For example, right now I'm listening to Halloween songs from my Discover Weekly on Spotify.] And then I only listen to my official playlists when it's the designated season. [As an aside, I must say, this is the biggest year I can ever remember for new Christmas music! Carrie Underwood, Tori Kelly, Matt Nathanson, Goo Goo Dolls, the Bird and the Bee, Ben Rector, and more! But Meghan Trainor covers "Last Christmas" on her new album, which is a deal breaker for me.])

Anyway, many people start Christmas stuff in early November, and one of the compounding factors is when it snows. People tend to equate snow with Christmastime, which has always been a bit puzzling to me. Snow is certainly part of Christmas, but it's not synonymous with it. I mean, in Utah, it always snows in November, January, February, March, and April. 

Given that it always snows in November, I think we should incorporate snow into our Thanksgiving imagery. I totally think fall leaves and harvest symbols are appropriate for Thanksgiving, but snow is also appropriate.

In fact, two hundred years ago, Thanksgiving was seen as a wintry holiday. A snowy Thanksgiving, where you could go ride on a sleigh, was the ideal. That's why "Over the River and through the Woods" is actually a Thanksgiving song, and there's a good possibility that "Jingle Bells" was also written for Thanksgiving. I decided to add "Jingle Bells" to my Thanksgiving playlist back in 2014, so now it fills me with cozy November feelings.

I love decorating for Thanksgiving, but I must confess, this year it all struck me as bizarre. The biggest symbol is the turkey, which is only a symbol because we eat them. Then we have Pilgrims and Indians, which really have nothing to do with the origins of the holiday. And then we have fall leaves and harvest symbols, even though the harvest is over and leaves hit their peak in October. If we included snow along with our pumpkins and leaves, it really wouldn't be any weirder than what we already have.

And now you have a glimpse of the things that go on in my mind.

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Another problem with the snow is that it prevents me from hitting the trails. If I can't run on the trail, my motivation for exercise is drastically reduced, especially now that I have homework to do. But another problem is that lately I've found myself too sore or tired. The last week of October, I took a break from the trails because of snow, but I hit them again in November. On November 2, I ran to Ensign Peak, which I do a few times a year, but on the way back, I got bad side aches, so I had to walk the last two miles home. That never happens! On November 5 and 6, I wanted to do another 12.75-mile run up North Canyon, but my body told me it couldn't do that, so I only did seven and eight. And on my street runs, I've had some knee pain, so I've had to resume the knee therapy I did eight years ago. I'm hoping the snow will melt so I can get in some more trail time before winter starts in earnest.

Here is the Jordan River. I ran alongside it last night because the trail is paved, so it doesn't get muddy. What a wonderful November evening!

It's hard to tell, but there are wild turkeys in the trees. (From my Thursday run in the Summerwood neighborhood.)

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After last week's turkey candy corn, I have actual turkey in pumpkinundation roundup this week. And apparently Blogger decided to add all the pictures in reverse order.

 Cutler's pumpkin cookie is just an ordinary pumpkin cookie. Good and satisfying, but nothing new. 8/10.

Cutler's Holiday Sandwich has turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. It's delightful! 8/10.

I only buy frozen meals at this time of year, because they're wasteful, and even though they're cooked in the microwave, they still take a good amount of time to cook. The Hungry-Man Roasted Carved White Meat Turkey has turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and apple cranberry compote. This is probably the best of the turkey frozen dinners, and it's more filling than most. The dessert is OK, but most don't even have dessert. 7/10.

Marie Callender's Honey Roasted Turkey Breast might win for quality of turkey, though the other components are average and workable. 7/10.

This was the first time I'd had this Reser's Pumpkin Mousse. It's like pumpkin pie without the crust, but it's not even as good as regular pumpkin pie filling. 5/10.

I thought they had quit making Pecan Pie Larabars, because I haven't seen them in a few years. They are only dates, almonds, and pecans. I think it's oilier than most Larabars. It's functional, but I don't think they should call it pecan pie. It's really just pecans. 6/10.

I was expecting a sandwich, but since I wasn't specific when I ordered, I got this Arby's Cranberry Deep-Fried Turkey Wrap. The turkey and cranberry are great, but there's some other kind of sauce in there that detracts from the classic flavors. 6/10.

Arby's Sweet Potato Waffle Fries are new. They are just a little sweet, and waffle is the best texture for fries. 8/10.

I feel guilty buying the Maverik Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin, because convenience stores aren't struggling during the pandemic, and it really isn't good for you. But it's really yummy and satisfying! 8/10.

Here's the Leger's Deli Turkey Stuffing Sandwich. I think they sell it year round, but only on Tuesdays. (Why not Thursdays?) Now, Leger's Deli is a little deli in the industrial area of North Salt Lake, and its Facebook page has more than a thousand likes. But I don't get why; the sandwiches are mediocre and way overpriced. This was ten dollars! But it was the best sandwich I've had there. The stuffing really brought it up a notch. 8/10. 

The Maverik Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa wasn't as good as I remembered it being. 6/10.

Trader Joe's Apple Cider Fruit Spread is good, but there's a reason that apple isn't as popular for jam as berry flavors are. 7/10.

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Spice (Waffles) don't specify that they're waffles. It says "6 Waffles" on the bottom of the box, but the product itself doesn't have "waffle" in the name. Weird. Naming convention aside, these might be the best frozen waffles that currently exist, and they're vegan! 8/10.

Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Soup has tomatoes, squash, and pumpkin. It's a tasty savory soup. 7/10.

Trader Joe's Pepita Salsa is made with pepitas, which are pumpkin seeds. But I don't notice them. It's just salsa. 7/10.

Penguin Bros. is a cute little ice cream shop in Sugar House (I think there's one in Provo too) where you get ice cream sandwiches on their own cookies. I got Penguin Bros. Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream on snickerdoodles. It was as good as any pumpkin ice cream, but the snickerdoodles, which are not seasonal, stole the show. 8/10.