Another holiday has passed

Ah, another holiday has come and gone! 

The week got off to an unusual start. 

On Monday night, my ward was having a bread night, where people would just bring breads and spreads to share. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new. You all know I like things that are flavored like holiday foods (what I call category 2A), and years ago, I wondered what it would be like to have stuffing-flavored cookies. I found a recipe online (for some reason the link works on my phone but not my laptop), so I made them Sunday evening. They use a box of stuffing, as well as dried cranberries.

I thought they were just OK. They were better fresh, and as the days went by, they got more off-putting. 

On Monday morning, I woke up early, so I started work at 7 a.m., and I was excited to have a full day with lots of extra time. 

Unfortunately, during my workday, at about 10:30, I recognized that I was getting an aura, where I couldn't see properly, and soon a migraine would come. This happens to me once or twice a year. There are spots in my field of vision where I simply can't see—for example, when I looked in the mirror, I could only see one of my eyes. I read for a living, and of course it is extremely difficult to read when there are blind spots in my vision. So I had to quit working and took a couple of long naps. Eventually I got so I could see again, so I got back to work, but my head still hurt. This was all very annoying, but I am grateful that I work from home, so I had the flexibility to stop working and take a nap.

I took my cookies to the ward activity, and people were very intrigued. One person took several with him.

Unfortunately, since I had been napping so much, it took me a long time to fall asleep; and once I did fall asleep, I didn't sleep that well. So I slept a little later than I would have liked on Tuesday morning, and I was groggy all day. Tuesdays are the day I go into the office. I brought my leftover stuffing cookies and shared them at a meeting. My coworkers were intrigued, but no one said a word once they tried them. I'm not offended (I didn't love them either), just a little embarrassed.

I didn't quite get a full workday in, because we were rushing to finish proofing Wayfare magazine, so I spent some time on that. (It got all done on Wednesday.)

Tuesday evening I met my family at Megaplex Theatres at Jordan Commons. My dad's financial planner had rented a theater for their clients to see Wicked: For Good for free. I enjoyed the movie, and I was surprised how many of my family members asked me whether I liked the first or second one better—I don't think of them as separate movies; they're just different parts of the same movie. We saw Wicked on Broadway in 2017, and no one asked me then if I preferred Act 1 or Act 2! But I didn't love seeing it on the giant IMAX screen, because it was hard to watch when the screen was moving. I watched the first movie on my flight back from England this summer, and honestly I preferred watching on the tiny airplane screen.

As I was walking back to my car, I noticed a glove on the ground. I wondered if it was mine, but I reached into my coat pockets and felt gloves, so I determined it wasn't mine, and I left it on the ground. But later, I realized I had two pairs of gloves in my coat, so it was my glove after all! Oh well, it was a cheap grocery-store skeleton glove, so I'll be able to buy more next Halloween time.

Fortunately, I was all back to normal on Wednesday, and after a regular workday, I ran up the trail above Wild Rose. I don't go there too often, because it's steep and shadeless, but it is nice, so maybe I should go there more often.

And in the evening, I made cranberry sauce and did some other Thanksgiving prep.

And then it was Thanksgiving! I awoke early, and I decided I wanted to run up North Canyon. I've been up there the day before Thanksgiving, and the days after Thanksgiving, but never on Thanksgiving itself. It was a lovely way to spend Thanksgiving morning, though my shoes did get pretty muddy.

After my run, I made green bean casseroles, and then we went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's family. It wasn't an especially noteworthy holiday; Thanksgiving is just a relaxing day.

Then the next morning, I swapped out Thanksgiving decor for Christmas. As I was putting away the inflatable turkey (which is twenty-one years old!), the friendly neighbor cat came up and tried to go inside the house. 

And after Wednesday's run, I decided I wanted to go above Wild Rose again, this time a little longer. I enjoyed it a little less during the middle of the day, but it was still nice.

I didn't do any shopping over the weekend, and the only business I went to was The Park barbershop, a local business in a random, unexpected location. 

On Saturday, we finished getting up all the Christmas decorations. And then I went to North Canyon again, this time to go up to Cave Peak, like I did last week.

The view this week was very different from last week's.

November 29

November 22

I was a little chilly on the way down, and I was glad I was wearing thick gloves (that was the only warm clothing I was wearing). That will be my last trail run for a while, at least at that higher elevation, since it is thankfully snowing.

In 2021, I bought the complete series of Lost in Space on DVD, but I haven't made it very far, and this year I learned it had a Christmas-adjacent episode. So I watched that last night. It's nice to get into the Christmassy feeling.

Hmm, as I reread this post, I think my writing this week is a little hard to follow—almost like the posts I used to write back in 2011. Oh well, I just want to get it posted, so I'm not going to refine it.

***

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for the final installment of pumpkinundation roundup in 2025.

I don't think I saw Thomas' Cranberry English Muffins last year, so I was happy to find them this year. And I consider cranberry a flavor for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so they're still relevant! I really enjoy the sweetness, with just a touch of tartness, of the cranberries. 8/10.

I used McCormick Pumpkin Chili mix to make the recipe on the back. It's ground turkey, canned kidney beans, canned tomatoes, canned pumpkin, and water. The spice mix includes spices more usually associated with sweets, like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I've had better chili, but this is super easy, so it's good enough. 7/10.

I formally reviewed the DiGiorno Thanksgiving Pizza last year, and I'm happy they brought it back. I love the crust. But truth be told, I love the pizza more because it's seasonal than because I love the toppings themselves. 8/10.

I'm not sure I've had a lava cake before, so I was excited to try Lee's Pumpkin Molten Lava Cake. I put it in the microwave to slightly melt the inside. I was sorely disappointed. First of all, I don't think this is a proper lava cake. But also, the cake was very dry and bland. I liked the frosting "lava," but it was nothing special. 5/10.

I had to discreetly take this picture of Apple Pie à la Mode Oreos at my sister's house. They have a nice apple flavor, though I can't really say it's like apple pie. I had Apple Pie Oreos in 2017, and I can't say the "à la mode" version is that different. 8/10.

At our Thanksgiving dinner, my aunt brought pies from Sam's Club. Member's Mark Apple Pie is not nearly as good as homemade apple pie. 6/10. Member's Mark Pecan Pie is the best of these three; pecan pie is just so good in general. 9/10. And Member's Mark Pumpkin Pie is OK; I've had better. 7/10.

See you back here in September!