Autumn

During my first semester of college a decade ago, I was a very good student. I was very dedicated to my studies. I didn't even watch the Vancouver Olympics at all. 

My first semester of grad school has been more of a challenge, though. After goofing off all spring and summer, it's been hard to get into the groove of devoting my time to studying.

Also, my grad-level classes are basically expensive, academic book clubs. We read books and articles and then discuss them. So it's not like I have to study for tests or submit homework. I'm not expected to read every word of the books, so it's been hard to stay motivated. 

But this week I've spent more time doing homework, and I do feel more satisfied that way. But I feel like I still don't have time to do all the things I want to do.

This truly is the best time of year. This week I had to return to the trails to see if the trees had been cleared away. 

On Monday, I went to Mueller Park, because I thought it would be more likely to have been cleared. It had been cleared, but it was still busy as usual.

The fall colors have returned!

Tuesday through Friday, I went up North Canyon, where the trees had also been cleared. On Friday, I went eight miles instead of the usual seven. I need to prepare for more long runs up there as the temperatures cool down. But the leaves keep getting better and better!

These autumn trail runs are better in the evening, but they're more convenient in the morning, so that's when I do them.

I have to tell you, as an aside, how relieved I am with Blogger. Over the last few months, they've been rolling out a new Blogger, but adding pictures was worse on the new interface. I would have to add the pictures individually if I wanted them in chronological order. I was using the old interface just because of that reason. The old interface is no longer available, but they fixed the photo issue! Phew! But I still think the new interface is not any better, and in some ways it's worse.

Last week, I was able to return to church for the first time in six months. We had to be spaced out, and there was no singing. But I didn't entirely feel comfortable with the arrangement. Now we will be meeting more often, but sacrament meeting is also broadcast via Zoom. I think I'll stick with the at-home arrangement, especially since Utah's experiencing a tremendous spike in cases. And yet Davis County wants to go back to school four days a week. I hope they make the only smart decision: NOT do that!

My family also went to the state fair yesterday to see what it was like in a pandemic. Nearly everyone was wearing masks, thankfully, in part because they're required. There were fewer entries and retail. But I still felt a bit uncomfortable with it. There was a huge line as we were leaving. Also, they encouraged people to buy tickets online, but when we got there, they seemed poorly prepared for online purchases, as though in-person tickets were the default. Why?? 

I really have a hard time having charity for the anti-mask crowd. The nicest thing I can say about them is they are dumb.

A lot of the new cases are from Utah County. I don't know all the reasons for that, and it is disappointing.

But I see this perception where people think BYU is this ultraconservative, far-right school. I went there, and that was not my experience. My Davis County friends tend to be more conservative than my BYU friends were. Most of the geology faculty at BYU are Democrats. In fact, my perception (I don't have hard data, just anecdotal evidence) is that Latter-day Saints who go to the University of Utah are more conservative than Latter-day Saints who go to BYU. (This does not apply to grad students or non–Latter-day Saints). BYU has come out with some very pro-mask studies. So quit badmouthing BYU!

Another thing that happened this week was September 15, which has been my arbitrary day to begin the Halloween season ever since I was seven years old. Sometimes I wonder, "Should I wait until, say, the autumnal equinox?" But no. I just can't wait any longer! I have started decorating for the holiday, but I still have a lot to do. It's hard when you have to do homework! But I have brought out my collection of Halloween Squishmallows.

Top row: purple and black cat, bat.
Middle row: pumpkin, mummy, ghost, witch, zombie, pumpkin, green and black cat, candy corn, monster, witch, new vampire, Frankenstein, werewolf, spider.
Bottom row: Frankenstein, old vampire, pirate pumpkin, spider, orange and black cat that flips into a pumpkin, green bat, candy corn, purple and black cat.
Not pictured: devil, bride of Frankenstein (they are both tiny and would get lost among the bigger ones)

I have also been enjoying Food Network's seasonal programming: Halloween Wars, Halloween Baking Championship, and Haunted Gingerbread Showdown. These make me want to get creative with cooking. Today I made zucchini pancakes (using homegrown zucchini), but I just followed the recipe.

***

And since the Halloween season has begun, so has pumpkinundation roundup! This has been a surprisingly popular seasonal feature of this blog. I document the fall-flavored foods I have; the three biggest flavors are pumpkin, caramel apple, and candy corn.

While I document the fall flavors on the blog, I pursue seasonal flavors all year long. Earlier this year, I thought, "I keep getting these foods that I have had before, but I should instead prioritize new things." But then the pandemic hit, and my new priority is supporting local businesses. (That applies to fast food/bakeries, not to things you buy in stores.)

My first pumpkin item was the Dairy Queen Pumpkin Cookie Butter Shake on September 1. I was allowed to have it early because it was for a review. It was amazing! It had little speculoos cookie crumbs in it. 9/10.

I got Caramel Apple Jacks back in June. It should tell you something that we still had them. I think Apple Jacks are, like, the blandest of all sugary cereals. The caramel version is better than the original, but that's not saying much. It's like regular Apple Jacks with a bit of caramel flavor. 6/10.

My niece got me this Swig Pumpkin Cookie before I officially began the season, but it was close enough that I still ate it. Most pumpkin chocolate chip cookies do not have frosting. Most do not need frosting. I thought this cookie used frosting to hide the fact that the cookie itself had little flavor. 6/10.

I love getting seasonal granola bars, like these Sunbelt Bakery Pumpkin Spice Chewy Granola Bars. I like them, but the pumpkin flavor isn't very strong. 6/10.

This Candy Corn Pez is leftover from last year. I like it better than I remembered; it has kind of a butterscotch flavor. But it's still Pez. 6/10.

Thomas' makes the best grocery store bagels, so I love Thomas' Pumpkin Spice Bagels, the best pumpkin bagels I've had. They have a lovely spicy flavor and scent, with little bits of pumpkin. Since I eat so much sweet stuff this time of year, I like to mix them with savory things (this week, it was cheddar cheese and fried eggs). 9/10.

Archer Farms Candy Corn Crunch Trail Mix has been around for years. It has candy corn, honey-roasted peanuts, white-chocolate-covered pretzels, and raisins. Candy corn and peanuts are a classic combo. I think the pretzels and raisins are distracting. 7/10. 

There's a reason I have had Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts every fall since 2013. They are like the brown sugar ones, but better! They have actual pumpkin! 9/10.

The Archer Farms Rustic Pumpkin Spice Trail Mix has pumpkin seeds, various spice-covered items, and yogurt raisins. The yogurt gives the mix a tang. The spiciness can be a bit overwhelming, and the tang is a bit off-putting, but it's still fine. 6/10.

Brach's Skulls and Bones are new. They have banana-flavored skulls, regular candy corn, caramel-flavored bones, and sea-salt-chocolate-flavored candy corn. The skulls taste and feel just like circus peanuts. The bones have kind of an off-putting flavor, but I don't know why, because I have liked caramel candy corn in the past. The chocolate candy corn isn't very good. I like the classic Indian/harvest corn with the chocolate ends, but this one just tastes weird. But Brach's regular candy corn is the best candy corn. 5/10.

When I first taste the Good & Gather Pumpkin Spice Granola, it tastes like bland granola. But then the spice kicks in, and it's quite nice. 7/10.

I got the Crumbl Pumpkin Oreo Cookie last year and loved it, but it just wasn't as good this year. It's not very pumpkiny. 6/10.

Kettle Brand Apple Cider Vinegar Potato Chips are made with apple cider vinegar—which means it tastes like vinegar, but not like apple. I like Lay's Salt and Vinegar better. 6/10. 

Entenmann's Little Bites Pumpkin Muffins are enjoyable, even though they have wasteful packaging. 8/10. 

Taco Time Pumpkin Empanadas are something I like to get every year. There's pumpkin pie filling in a fried tortilla, dusted with cinnamon sugar. So simple but effective! 8/10.

I'm telling you, Caramel Apple Sugar Babies are the best Halloween candy, and I don't even like regular Sugar Babies. 10/10.

Pumpkin Pie Jelly Bellys have been around for years, but I think this is the first time they've been sold on their own. Previously they were part of a Holiday Favorites mix that included eggnog, candy cane, hot cocoa, and cranberry sauce. Unfortunately, the pumpkin pie is the worst part of that mix. It doesn't taste like pumpkin pie, even though Jelly Belly usually does a good job with authentic flavors. There's some vague spiciness, but it's more like a candle, including the wax. Spiced jelly beans are literally my favorite Easter candy, but these don't work. They at least should have mixed them with other fall flavors they have made in the past (caramel apple, candy corn). I like the softness, though, because in the summer I keep buying expired red, white, and blue Jelly Bellys, so it's nice to have them fresh. Fun fact: when I go running, I often imagine seasonal Jelly Belly flavors. Pumpkin pie is one of those flavors, but I wish they made it better. 4/10.

I got this Valued Naturals Caramel Apple Crunch from Miller's gas station. It really isn't very good. It has dried apples with a spongy texture. The mixture tastes like walnuts, even though it doesn't have walnuts, and I don't like walnuts! Even the butterscotch and vanilla chips can't save it. 3/10.

At the fair, I got this chocolate coconut caramel apple. It's certainly cute. It was very decadent, almost too much so. 7/10. 

It was a wicked and wild wind

On a very smoky Labor Day, my family went on a walk at the International Peace Gardens in Glendale. I've lived in Utah my whole life, yet I never knew it was there. (Maybe because Glendale is so sketchy.) It's a charming park with various gardens and displays representing twenty-eight countries. Well, twenty-seven countries and one continent: China, United States, Greece, Norway, Sweden, England, Switzerland, Scotland, Holland, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Germany, Lebanon, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Korea, Russia, Wales, Africa, Ireland, Canada, Vietnam, France, India, and Tonga. I recommend going there!

I was looking forward to the forecasted cooler weather for Tuesday and Wednesday. On Monday, warnings started to come in that the weather was going to be hazardously windy into Tuesday. My mom remarked that she expected the wind to be the worst we've ever seen, just because of the way this year has been going.

And she was right!

On Tuesday morning, I could hear the winds howling while I was in bed. (It was one of those nights where I didn't sleep well, but not because of the wind.) My mom teaches in the Salt Lake City School District, which was supposed to have its first day of classes on Tuesday. My mom went to school, even though the classes are entirely online. After she left, the power at our house went out sometime between 7 and 8 a.m. I wondered how I was going to participate in my Zoom class that afternoon, but the U cancelled all classes that day.

Since the power (and therefore the internet) was out, I couldn't do my homework. Even the data on my phone was spotty; it kept switching between LTE and 5G, never staying on one for long enough to be useful. And since the heater was out, I cozied up in a blanket and read chapters from the physical books I have for school. I do most of my readings online, but there were a few books I had to buy, so I read from them, even though they weren't the readings for this week.

The damage was comparatively small at our house. We had a couple of small scrub oaks crack.

 And pieces of our neighbors' fence blew into our yard.

 And the apple tree that hangs into our yard lost lots and lots of apples.

Our neighbors on either side of us had some large trees topple over, so I almost feel guilty that we were so unscathed. All throughout the neighborhood, trees had fallen over and lifted the sod out of the ground. We had a big wind day back in December 2011 (which I never blogged about!), but this certainly brought more damage.

My mom came home from school early, since the power was out there too. In the afternoon, my sister wanted us to come to her house because a large branch had fallen on her carport. By the time we got there, a neighbor had helped her to take it off the roof. Earlier this year, she paid to have that particular tree trimmed, but the neighbors wouldn't get their side trimmed. My sister was so glad she had it trimmed, or it might have been worse.

Our power came back on about 8 p.m., for which I was grateful.

But on Wednesday, my class was cancelled again because so many of my classmates still had no power. My grandparents in Centerville didn't have power either, nor did many stores in Centerville.

On Wednesday morning, I decided to run up North Canyon to assess the damage. I think someone had already been up the dirt road and cleared a lot of the trees, but there still were some.

But on the trail itself, there were many more trees that I had to go over, around, or under.

 Two miles up, I almost turned around as I had to cross over a large coniferous tree. But I wanted to see more of the damage, so I walked on top of the fallen branches.

 But at 2.3 miles, there was another large coniferous tree lying directly on the trail. Not merely across the trail, perpendicular to it, but actually on the trail lengthwise. I really didn't feel like trying to get past it, so I turned around. I'll wait for the Forest Service to clear it.

Would you believe this is a trail?

On Thursday, I decided to skip North Canyon and decided instead to run Wild Rose, which I haven't run since June (even though it's the nearest trail) because it's not good for social distancing. I think most of the fallen trees had been cleared there too. As I was running up, it felt like I had been stung on my ankle, through my sock. That happened to me a few years ago. I thought it was too coincidental that twice I would have an insect happen to sting me on my ankle through my sock while I was running—especially since there's only one other time I've been stung elsewhere. I figured it had to be something else: maybe a fiber in the sock stabbing me, or the sock pulling out one of my hairs. But three days later, my ankle is still red and sore. I don't know what it possibly could be besides an insect sting!

There were some painted rocks along the trail with inspirational quotes. I know they're done with good intentions, but I find them obnoxious. One of the rocks had the audacity to say, "Please don't take rocks." Um, please don't litter/paint rocks! Indeed, the next day, that particular rock had been taken away.

 Since Wild Rose is short and easy (even when I run from my house), I thought about going up the trail that goes above it on the south, up to a bench overlooking the valley. But a tree was blocking the trail, so I didn't.

This year, I was looking forward to the bumper crop from our neighbors' apple tree, and I was so relieved when they changed their mind about cutting it down. So it was sad to see so many apples on the ground. But I didn't want them to go to waste, so I picked up a lot of them so we could use. They're not good for eating anyway because they're wormy, so what difference does it make if they're wormy, bruised, and slightly underripe? I made apple crisp,

 and we bottled our own pie filling, which we have never done before. We still have lots of apples that we need to use up. Good thing apples have a long shelf life!

Here's hoping that this coming week is less exciting. I need to catch up on homework!

The onset of fall

Whenever we make it to September, I feel like patting myself on the back. We made it! Sometimes August can just be long, hot, and boring. But September is my favorite month! And fall is my favorite season! Meteorological fall begins on September 1.

Monday was the last day of meteorological summer, and it was a cool, overcast day. I've been running up North Canyon four or five days a week this summer, and usually when I get to Rudy's Flat, I stand in the shade of a tree and drink water before I turn around. A few weeks ago, people were under my usual trees, so I had to go stand somewhere else. And while I was there, I noticed a little side trail that I had never been on, even though I've been going to North Canyon for years.

Since Monday was so cool and the last day of summer, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see where it went. I had heard there was a trail that went to the top of the mountain, so I wondered if this was the trail.

And it was!

I didn't run up the entire trail, because parts of it were steep, rocky, and overgrown. But it was still manageable.

 And parts of the trail were in great condition.

I got to the top of a ridge. I might have been able to keep going up the mountain if I had scrambled over some sandstone outcroppings, but I don't like that, and there wasn't a trail to follow, so I turned around. It was totally amazing! I loved being in a new place that was so close to someplace that is very much not new. It was a perfect day. I loved the view.

The way down was a little trickier, as parts of the trail were slippery, and I had to grab onto tree branches to keep my balance. But honestly, I've been on worse trails that are inexplicably more popular (e.g. Mount Olympus). This excursion added exactly one hour and two miles to my regular run.

I did the regular seven-mile run Tuesday through Friday, and I'm happy to see the leaves changing!

I'm still enjoying our own produce. I made more spaghetti sauce this week from our own tomatoes, 

 and then today I made zucchini pancakes.

One of my favorite things about September is making our own grape juice, but sadly, I don't think we will this year. We don't have enough grapes. Part of this is because my dad trimmed a lot of the vines, but I also think the vines we still have just didn't produce as much this year. Oh well.

I'm getting a better feel for homework, but I still found myself somewhat cramming at the last minute to get the readings in. Luckily, I don't have tests to study for, so I'm not required (or even expected) to read every word. But I am expected to participate in class discussions. I have a hard time doing that—in part because I'm naturally quiet, but also because I think my comments are less insightful or intelligent than those of my classmates, especially since I didn't do history during my undergrad. But a lot of that is probably more mental than real, and it's better to participate with dumb comments than not to participate at all. (I think.) Jimmy made an appearance in one of my classes this week, and I expect him to appear even more.

It is a little annoying now that I always have homework hanging over me. There is always homework I could be doing. It won't be totally done until classes end in December. And I'm also sad that during the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons, I will have to be worrying about homework. But then I remember that some of my favorite times in life were times when I was also in school and doing homework. So homework does not ruin life.