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!

[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.