Calm November

Yesterday was only my third free Saturday since the beginning of September, after four conferences, family outings, and other things going on. 

I was able to go on a run that I haven't done before. I'd been on all the portions of the trail, but never all at once. I went on a nine-mile run to go to the Dude Benchmark above Bountiful. I went there back during COVID in 2020, but on that occasion I went a route that has an extremely slippery, steep portion. I avoid that trail because I hate it so much. The route I went this time added an extra four miles round trip, and it was totally worth it to avoid the slippery slope. 

This trail has no shade, except for the first mile I went on the Woodbriar Trail. The Woodbriar Trail still had a fair amount of snow, and the trail was slippery because of the mud. I didn't think the snow had come that far down. 

But once I got to the exposed portion of the trail, most of the snow was gone, and it was dry most of the time, except for portions where water gathers and it's always muddy.

I made my way to the Dude Benchmark, where there is a USGS marker from 1950. It says, "For information write the director Washington, D.C." That made me realize how old that is: it's before my parents were born, and it seems so strange to have to write to Washington DC to get information. Today we would just go online or maybe scan a QR code.

The benchmark is a lovely outcropping of Miocene conglomerate, which was deposited somewhere between 5 and 23 million years ago. 

There are aspens here, but they've lost all their leaves.

The lack of shade means this trail is only suitable at certain times of the year. I wondered whether I should go to my default of North Canyon and/or Mueller Park, but now I know those would have been snowy still.

I finally got the Thanksgiving decorations up, and I also ordered an inflatable cornucopia for the yard. Most inflatables are turkeys, and I already have one of those (nineteen years now!). I really love the cornucopia, because it doesn't have the environmental baggage of turkeys or the colonial baggage of Pilgrims (even though I also still use those things). I think food is the future of Thanksgiving iconography. 

I was so focused on the cornucopia that I didn't get the turkey in the frame

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This week's pumpkinundation roundup includes many fun Thanksgiving foods, as well as some non-food items.

Magic Spoon Pumpkin Spice Cereal has no sugar and lots of protein. I have had similar gluten-free cereals before and thought they were terrible. But this was not terrible! It's not as tasty as regular cereal, but it's better than it has any business being. 6/10.

Trader Joe's Thanksgiving Stuffing Seasoned Popcorn has a nice savory flavor. 7/10.

Dove Holiday Treats Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie Body Wash has the distinct scent of a baked good, which is not what you expect in a body wash, but why are nature scents any better? (Fun fact: I was naked when I took this picture.) 7/10.

The Good & Gather Pumpkin Pie Date & Nut Bar is fine as far as these bars go, but I don't love these bars. I appreciate that they actually have pumpkin. 6/10.

Usually Twisted Sugar has done Christmas flavors for November, so I'm glad their monthly flavors this year are Thanksgiving. The Twisted Sugar Pumpkin Pie Cookie is a buttery cookie with a pumpkin topping. It's fine. 6/10.

I was underwhelmed with their October flavors, but the Twisted Sugar Apple Pie Cookie is the best cookie I've had from them. It totally tastes like apple pie! It has a wonderful oat and apple flavor. 10/10.

The Trader Joe's Roasted Turkey & Sweet Potato Burrito is more reminiscent of a burrito than a turkey dinner, but there's nothing wrong with that. 7/10.

The Rockwell Pumpkin Smash Ice Cream tastes like pumpkin pie (instead of the more generic pumpkin spice), and it has brownie bits in it. 8/10.

The Kneaders Pumpkin Muffin Top is basically a short muffin. I like the pecans on top. It's good but expected. 7/10.

The Kneaders Turkey Cranberry Sandwich isn't as good when it's not on a croissant (they were out of croissants). I like the turkey and cranberry, but I'm not a big fan of Swiss. 7/10.

The Trader Joe's Turkey Harvest Salad has turkey, sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, apple cider vinaigrette, and vegetables. I didn't love the vinaigrette (but I also don't usually love dressing). I like cooked brussels sprouts, but not in salad. 6/10.

See's Seasonal Pie Truffles have four flavors: apple pie (7/10), cranberry orange (7/10), pumpkin pie (6/10), and pecan pie (7/10).

I've had Jet-Puffed Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows since 2013, and I think ginger is the dominant flavor. They're fine. I'm sad that these have lasted longer than the caramel apple marshmallows, which were better. 6/10.

Regular Bobo's oat bars are very dense, but Bobo's Apple Pie Stuff'd Oat Bites have a sweet, sticky center. I like oats when they're not in a brick. The filling seems very artificial, but it's fine, and it adds some contrast to the oats. 7/10.

Softsoap Apple Pie Hand Soap is reminiscent of apple candy, not apple pie. 6/10.

Van Leeuwen Cranberry Crumble Ice Cream has a cream cheese base with oats and cranberries. The cranberry flavor isn't that strong, but it is still a great ice cream. (I also have a fun Van Leeuwen review coming up on The Impulsive Buy.) 8/10.

Little Debbie makes Pumpkin Delights cookies, and recently there has been Little Debbie ice cream. The Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights Ice Cream has a pumpkin ice cream base with a gritty pumpkin swirl. I was amazed at how good this ice cream was! Pumpkin ice creams are common, but this was better than any I've had. 10/10.

My mom made this apple pie jam from our own apples. I like it. 7/10.

She also made mincemeat cookies using a recipe I have used before. They're not my first choice for cookies, but they're a fun seasonal variation. My mom made the mincemeat with our own apples and our own green tomatoes; she bottled the batch for pies, but we used the leftovers for the cookies. 7/10.

I still have this Trader Joe's Everything but the Leftovers Seasoning Blend from a previous year. I love it. It makes everything taste like stuffing. One of my lunches this week was an entire spaghetti squash with only this seasoning on it. 8/10.