[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.