[Insert Novembery Title]

Recently (this week, I think) I heard a local news anchor say, "It's been hard to get into the holiday spirit." I don't know what she meant by "holiday." If she meant Christmas, maybe that's a sign it's too early? But if she meant Thanksgiving, I disagree—I think it's been easy to get into the Thanksgiving spirit, with some leaves lingering on trees and piling up on sidewalks, crisp evenings, general cozy vibes. 

Last week, I went to a Friendsgiving that is part of an informal group called "Sunday Stories," where people give presentations or tell stories about something they know about. A couple of years ago, I told the history of Pioneer Day. For Friendsgiving, I volunteered to tell the history of Thanksgiving, and that was fun to do. And then the next day, the article about Thanksgiving in Utah, for which I was interviewed last month, was posted. It feels nice to be consulted as an expert on something. The reporter was looking for a Utah historian, and luckily for him, he happened to find a Utah historian who's an expert on Thanksgiving.

Snow is very much part of Thanksgiving, so I am disappointed it didn't snow this month—I am very concerned about the climate and the Great Salt Lake.

I have long associated Thanksgiving time with relaxing, dark evenings at home. This goes back to elementary school, when I used to make simple Thanksgiving crafts out of brown, red, orange, and yellow construction paper. For 2025, my November evenings have followed this pattern: I go on a run right after work before it gets dark, and then I have a long, free evening. (I'm grateful the weather has been such that I have been able to run all month, but I'm a little sad I haven't had an opportunity to wear my new Thanksgiving swimsuit.)

This week, though, much of my cozy evening time has been spent proofing Wayfare magazine. I'm the most experienced copyeditor on the team, so I get the final say. I proofread the entire magazine, and the other editors also proof a few articles, and I decide whether to accept or reject their suggestions (I accept most of them). We're getting close, but it's not done yet.

Because of Wayfare, my Saturday run was just under seven miles. And part of me is glad to have a reason not to do a harder run. I ran up to Cave Peak via the Mahogany Ridge Trail, which is a new trail this year. Yesterday's run was exceedingly foggy. I was also surprised at how muddy it was, since that trail is not very shady. (Of course, shade doesn't make much difference in fog.)

This was the "view" at the top.

I was a little disappointed to get my "Halloween" shoes all muddy. I have had them just over a month, and I have already put 124 miles on them!

And here are this week's illustrations of some dreams I have had recently. As always, I am definitely not an artist, and these are not meant to demonstrate my (lack of) artistic ability, but rather to foster creativity, instead of relying on AI. And also, I just think dreams are funny.

A father accidentally knocks his baby off a wall into a small pool of water

Teenagers on carousel horses join a bicycle race

At a work party, a man hits an old piñata where hornets had built a nest

Mark wants to be the water cycle for Halloween

***

This is the penultimate installment of pumpkinundation roundup this year.

I took Trader Joe's Pumpkin Cheesecake to Friendsgiving, because I've wanted to try it for years, having had most other Trader Joe's pumpkin items. It was mediocre, and I don't love cheesecake anyway. 6/10.

Trader Joe's Roasted Turkey and Sweet Potato Burrito is a fine burrito, but I can't say it has strong elements of those flavors. But maybe I just try to eat it when it's still too hot to really taste. 7/10.

I wasn't pleased when I tried the Subway Festive Turkey sandwich, but I think the problem must have been the way it was made, because I much more enjoyed the Subway Turhamken, which has turkey, ham, and chicken, along with cranberry sauce and stuffing. When I got the turkey sandwich, the "sandwich artist" asked what toppings I wanted. This time, the worker asked if I wanted what came with it—cheddar, spinach, onions, I think some other veggies—and it was much better. I think the provolone might really have been the culprit. 8/10.

I simply had to try the Chip Turkey Cookie, which is a regular chocolate chip cookie with a peanut butter cup and candy corn. This helps me feel justified in counting candy corn as a Thanksgiving candy. I love the idea of this special Thanksgiving cookie, since Thanksgiving often gets overlooked. But it's also kind of boring, and the candy corns kept falling out. 7/10.

I do enjoy Trader Joe's Thanksgiving Stuffing Seasoned Popcorn. 7/10.

It's better than Trader Joe's Thanksgiving Stuffing Seasoned Kettle Chips, which might be my least favorite stuffing chip. (Earlier this month, I was not impressed with the Target version, but they have grown on me.) 6/10.

I had a Pumpkin Pie Perfect Bar a few years ago, and this was just as I remembered. I really, really like it as a peanut butter product. But it doesn't really remind me of pumpkin pie. 9/10.

And then I had the last of the Subway Festive trifecta: Subway Festive Chicken sandwich. Again, this was much better without provolone. 8/10.

The 7 Select Pumpkin Cheese Danish is what you'd expect from a mass-produced, packaged Danish. It has less than 2 percent of pumpkin, and it really tastes like Danish but not like pumpkin. 5/10.

Both Busy and Not Busy

One of the things I like about November is cozy, relaxing evenings at home. And it's good to take advantage of those times, because sometimes November is busy as well.

I had the day off on Tuesday for Veterans Day, the first time I have ever been off that day, since it's a state holiday. (I considered doing one day of BYU work, but I thought it would be confusing to just have one day of work when I'm in a break for that job.) I feel a little guilty having the day off when I'm not a veteran.

I decided to run the new loop that incorporates the BST/Hornet/Maple Glow/Perrigrine/Mueller Park Trails, a nine-mile run that's not too difficult. About four miles up the trail, there are some really cool views, a surprising bridge, and rocks from the Farmington Canyon Complex, gneiss and schist that are 2.4 billion years old. A mountain biker said there was a bobcat, but I didn't see one.

After the run, I went on a late-season walk to eradicate goathead plants, but I didn't find any. But I was surprised to see a hornet nest in this tree I walked past many times! I just didn't see the nest when the tree was full of leaves. When I encounter tree branches that are low over the sidewalk, I like to break the branches. (If the owners aren't going to maintain their trees, I have to. I shouldn't have to duck when I'm walking or running!) I remember being scared when I tried to break a branch here and saw lots of stinging insects. Now I know why!

The rest of the day, I went to some stores. 

As I got home, I saw people posting that they could see the northern lights. But I looked outside, including with my phone, but I didn't see any. And I was too tired to try and stay up or go someplace to see them.

The following night, I heard there was a chance to see them again. But the last time I drove someplace to try to see them, they didn't show up. Though I had the time, I didn't feel like driving someplace for nothing again, especially since nighttime driving is harder since my PRK surgery three years ago. So I sat in a chair outside, looking at the sky, listening to the Faith Matters podcast, and occasionally checking the aurora forecast on an app. I didn't see anything. One day I'll get to see them.

A woman who is from India has been attending my ward in the last few months, and she asked me what she should see before she goes back to India. When I suggested Antelope Island, she asked me to take her, so that's where I went yesterday. She loved it! And I love it too—whenever I go, I ask myself, "Why don't I come here more often?" It's not far, just out of the way. And it's not expensive, but it still costs money. It will be fun to see the new visitor center when it opens. We saw all the important parts of the island.

Here's a post caked with salt

I'm writing this blog Sunday morning, and I have a very busy period. Friday night, I got the first round of proofs for the next issue of Wayfare magazine; yesterday I attended a Friendsgiving; today I'm teaching Sunday School; this evening I'm going to another Friendsgiving, where I'm talking about the history of Thanksgiving; and tomorrow I have still another Friendsgiving (elders quorum). I think of November as a lull month between October and December, so it's not too bad to have all these things going on for a change.

For some reason, I have not slept well this week, even though I'm trying to maintain my old sleep schedule. But I was reading my journal from 2020, and I also had a hard time sleeping in November that year. Maybe it's a November thing.

***

Today is the antepenultimate installment of pumpkinundation roundup.

I took this Trader Joe's Nantucket Style Cranberry Pie to Friendsgiving. It's not really a pie but rather an upside-down cake. Whatever it's called, it's amazing! The cake is so tasty, with a nice almond flavor, and a cranberry topping that is just like cranberry sauce. The tartness of the cranberries contrasts with the cake. But the cake does all the heavy lifting; it would be amazing regardless of the topping (or even with no topping). 9/10.

I don't know if Trader Joe's Turkey Gobbler Wrap is meant to be warmed up, but I enjoyed mine more when I put it in the microwave. It has turkey, stuffing, and cranberries. I enjoyed it, but I can't say it was amazing. I did like the "festive sauce" that came with it, in small doses. 7/10.

McCormick Apple Cider Finishing Sugar is one of those things where I'm most likely to put it on or in things that have their own flavors. I did try it on its own, but that's now how it's meant to be consumed. It was fine, I guess? It did add some needed sweetness to the tea below. 6/10.

I've had Trader Joe's Harvest Blend Herbal Tea in the drawer for years, because it's just mildly flavored hot water. It has a bit of apple flavor (but there's no pumpkin). 5/10.

I was eager to try the Subway Festive Turkey sandwich, because I love turkey/cranbery/stuffing sandwiches. But I was disappointed. I didn't think the stuffing was very good (how do you mess that up?), and the cranberry sauce was more of a sauce flavored like cranberry, not sauce made of cranberries. It was more like a vinaigrette. I got provolone on this sandwich, because usually I can handle Subway provolone, but I think I've gotten more sensitive to cheese as I've gotten older (and I've always been sensitive), so I didn't like the cheese. If I go back to Subway, I'll have to stay away from provolone. 6/10.

The Sweet Cake Bake Shop Sweet Potato Cupcake didn't really taste like sweet potato; I would have guessed it was pumpkin. But it was still a tasty cupcake that didn't seem like it was gluten free. 8/10.

I give props to McCormick Pumpkin Spice Finishing Sugar, which actually has pumpkin powder in it. But again, it's meant to go with things that have other flavors. 7/10.

I've had other pumpkin whipped toppings before, but DairyStar Pumpkin Dairy Whipped Topping has pumpkin juice in the ingredients, instead of vague flavors. It didn't really taste pumpkiny or spicy to me; just like cream. But the cream part is good! 7/10.

I've had Swiss Miss Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa for a while, because I don't drink as much hot chocolate (it often makes me sleep poorly). It has a nice spice flavor, even though there's no pumpkin. 7/10.

I often see these Patti's Good Life Sweet Potato Pies on clearance at Walmart, and this time it was actually sweet potato pie season, so I tried one. I wasn't impressed; it just had a strong nutmeg flavor and not much else. I like sweet potato pie, but it seems kind of niche, so I don't know why they sell these mediocre versions at Walmart all year. Do people actually buy them? 5/10.

I don't generally buy Greek yogurt, because I know I don't really like it. But I wanted to try Trader Joe's Cranberry Clementine Greek Yogurt. It didn't make much of an impression on me. It was just Greek yogurt. I was able to eat it all, so that says something. 5/10.

I do really enjoy Cutler's Turkey Stuffing Cranberry Sandwich, unlike the Subway sandwich. 9/10.

I was excited to try the new Chip Pecan Pie Cookie. But it was kind of uninspired; it was just a plain cookie with a dollop of pecan pie filling in the center. It was fine. (At least I didn't feel like I was going to crack a tooth, like with Crave's pecan pie cookie.) 7/10.

I made pumpkin turkey black bean chili for a ward activity; I like making it every year. I've had better chili, but this is easy and seasonal. 7/10.

Target sells seasonal GoNanas banana bread mixes, so I had the carrot cake flavor in the spring, and I was eager to try the GoNanas Frosted Pumpkin Loaf Banana Bread. "Frosted" is a dumb name, because the "frosted" only comes in little white chips. It had a strong banana influence and spice. It was OK. This is a gluten-free mix, which explains why it's not amazing. (I haven't had the gingerbread or red velvet varieties; I might try red velvet just because there aren't as many good things at that time of year.) 6/10.

November Novelties

Like any reasonable person, I think Daylight Savings Time is stupid. I have often said that I like evening outdoor recreation as much as anyone, but if I want extra daylight in the evening, it's up to me to adjust my schedule, not force everyone else to mess with their internal clocks.

But if I have that attitude, I should live up to it under the current system by adjusting my schedule. Before the time change last week, I usually went to bed at 11:00. And now, I have tried to go to bed at 10:00, so my body doesn't have to adjust. And I've been successful! (The exception was Monday night, because the season premiere of Holiday Baking Championship went until 11:00.) Ever since I got back from England in August, I haven't been setting my alarm, just waking up when my body is ready.

Last week, I wanted to try making a Thanksgiving-inspired ice cream. Last year I made cilantro ice cream for the Fourth of July, so I tried to follow the same technique and infuse celery flavor into milk. But it didn't really taste like celery at all. It was just vanilla ice cream. I don't know if I should have steeped it longer or used a different technique, or if celery just doesn't have a lot of flavor to impart.

I went on short trail runs every day this week, and it makes me happy that even in November, there are still some sunflowers around.

On Friday morning, I went to the grand opening of the new Sprouts store in Bountiful. Sprouts is like a slightly less fun version of Trader Joe's, and I'm so happy we have one close now! For being one of the first customers, I got two free grocery bags, some samples, and a rose. The store was packed. I was surprised to see that many people at a grocery store at 7 a.m. on a weekday! And the checkout line took a long time. But I will be happy to keep going there, now that it's conveniently located. I got many items that you can see in pumpkinundation roundup below.

 Also this week, historian Ben Park posted that he was happy to be a finalist for the Utah Historical Society's best book award for his American Zion. And many people liked his post. And it's wild to me that I made this happen! It was my job to send out emails to presses asking them to nominate books. And I reached out to the presses to nominate American Zion and the winner, This Abominable Slavery, specifically. I think I'm a nobody, but I'm having a measurable influence on the world!

Yesterday (Saturday), I decided I wanted to run up to the remains of the old cabin in Bountiful, because that would make me feel more justified in not going on another fourteen-mile run. You get to the cabin via the Kenny Creek Trail, which I really do not like—it's steep, overgrown, rocky, and washed out in places. But there are new trails that make it easier: BST, Hornet, and Maple Glow (formerly called Maple Syrup). I went up these new trails, which were nice and easy for 2.4 miles, until I reached the intersection with Kenny Creek.

It was another 1.35 miles to get to the cabin, making 3.75 miles to get to it.

That 1.35 miles was really hard, and I took lots of breaks. I did pass a few other people, and one man said, "Wow, good job!" as I was running up. But would he have said "good job" if he knew how much I stopped? 

As I stopped at the cabin, I looked over the shoulder, and I was surprised to see I was steaming! I think it was the combination of the sweat on my shirt and the cool air. (I was glad I wore gloves.) 

Since I had made the effort to make it all the way to the cabin, I decided I would follow the trail as it kept going. It was less steep at this point, but it was not a good running trail at all, so I just walked. It was hard to follow the trail; luckily, there were can ends nailed to trees to serve as markers. It was a cool place to be, and there were good views; I bet it would have been amazing when there were still leaves on the aspens. But there are lots of cool places; I don't think it's worth the difficulty for this one.

Here's a graph from my Garmin app that shows how much harder the Kenny Creek Trail is compared to the new trails. Overall, I ended up going 8.1 miles.

And here's another installment of "Mark sketches his dreams."

Mark's grandpa is a skeleton, and he asks Mark to put powdery lotion on his feet

***

One advantage (and motivation) of all my running is that I can eat all these things for pumpkinundation roundup with less guilt.

I got these Apple Pie Quest Bars last Thankgiving, and even though I also count apple pie as a Fourth of July treat, I just couldn't make my way through them. They are not at all enjoyable to eat. Why do they even exist? I can't imagine anyone actually likes them, and there are lots of better protein bars out there. 2/10.

Good & Gather Stuffing Popcorn is similar to the Trader Joe's version. It's good but not super exciting. 7/10.

When I went to open the Good & Gather Stuffing Flavored Wavy Potato Chips, I was disappointed to see the bag was open a little bit. But I assume it opened while I was storing the bag over the last month, because surely I would have noticed when I bought it. So it's possible the open bag made them taste stale. I just didn't really care for these chips. They seemed off, and they had a cheap flavor. 4/10.

Apple Pie Toast Crunch has been around for years, and I'm glad that it keeps coming back, because it's great! 9/10.

I absolutely love the Firehouse Thanksgiving Turkey Sub, which has turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. But as much as I love it, I do think it's overpriced! 10/10.

A year or two ago, I saw the Dick's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball. I didn't buy it immediately, but when I went back for one, they were all gone. So I felt I had to try it this year. It was better than I expected! I worried it would be tangy like plain cream cheese, but there's enough sweetness that it cuts through the tang. 7/10.

I was happy to have a Normal Ice Cream Candied Yams Composed Cone again, which is a twist of sweet potato ice cream and marshmallow ice cream, with pieces of sweet potato cake. I'm not sure I taste sweet potato specifically, but it's yummy regardless! 8/10.

I got invited to a chocolate-tasting activity this week, and they had pumpkin hot chocolate, with actual pumpkin puree in it. I really enjoyed it. 8/10.

I formally reviewed Cup Noodles Turkey Dinner, and now it's officially in season. It's typical for Cup Noodles. 7/10.

I was eager to try The Smoked Taco's Mayflower Taco, which has turkey, pomegranate seeds, and cranberry glaze. I can't say it tastes a lot like Thanksgiving, but I'm so glad it exists, and it's a good taco. 7/10.

I was eager to try the Crave Apple Cider Donut Cookie. I've gotten a little overwhelmed by all these giant cookie places, so I'm more likely to visit them if they have a cookie I'm really looking forward to. I was underwhelmed. The texture was kind of like a donut, but I don't want that in a cookie. It was very dry. And the frosting seemed overly buttery to me. 5/10.

In the last few years, I've started counting cranberry orange as a Thanksgiving flavor, so I tried the Sprouts Cranberry Orange Muffin. It's exactly what you'd expect. I don't love muffins, but they're fine. 7/10.

Since I was in the area in the morning, I decided to try Cheryl's Bagels, which is famous for not asking for tips (yay!). None of the bagels themselves were seasonal, but they have a flavor of the month for cream cheese, which was Cheryl's Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese. They just put it on my bagel like a sandwich. It's not fluffy like a shmear from Einstein. It was just really dense. 6/10.

The Nantucket Crisps Stuffing Terrific Potato Chips are the best stuffing chips I've had. I like the seasoning, and the texture is just right. 8/10.

I bought Sprouts Pumpkin Spice Coconut Rolls because I don't recall having a pumpkin product like them before. I don't love them. The coconut flavor dominates, and I'm not sure it works with the pumpkin spice. 5/10.

I bought Brach's Mellowcreme Autumn Mix in the clearance cart at the grocery store, and it does baffle me that they get rid of this candy so early, because it seems so perfect for Thanksgiving. Brach's is the best brand for candy corn, and I love the texture of the pumpkins. 7/10.

I've had Yogi Pumpkin Spice Herbal Supplement for years because I don't drink it often. It's just pompous water. 5/10.

Nice! Gummy Sweet Potato Peelable Candy is fascinating. Peelable candy is a recent fad, and I had a hard time peeling it. But it really does taste like sweet potato! Especially the aftertaste. But is that how I want candy to taste? And I say that as someone who likes sweet potato. It's enough of a novelty that I'm glad it exists. I would like to see more sweet potato candies, if only for the novelty. 7/10.

I got Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps Cranberry and Hazelnut Crackers to go with the cheeseball. They're OK. I've never loved this kind of cracker. 5/10.

The Kul Mocks Pumpkin Spice Cider might be the first mocktail I've ever had. This is a fizzy drink with no alcohol, no caffeine, electrolytes, and only a little sugar and calories. And it has a nice spicy flavor without being too sweet. What's not to like? 9/10.