Well, shut my mouth. I’d just been blathering on last week about how summery our September was – after 8o degrees last Tuesday, we promptly went straight to winter on October 1 with the arrival of the first snowstorm. Yes, that’s right, and guess what? We’re in the middle of another right now. It’s been snowing since yesterday afternoon. I love it, and yes I am serious. But I am still hoping that we return to fall for a bit, because I’m really in the mood for pumpkins. And pumpkins and snow together doesn’t seem quite right.

Regardless of the winter weather, I’m forging ahead with the pumpkins. Morgane is too, and has started the annual tradition of watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown over and over. Every year around this time I am struck with the urge to bake something pumpkin; however, I’m not a good baker (the altitude thing doesn’t help either) nor do I really care for pumpkin pie. I love making pumpkin pie, because even I can do it right and it makes the house smell soooo good…but I’m not into eating it. Pumpkin cookies haven’t worked out for me either. So I decided to try a cake – nothing fancy or with layers (Lord no); I figured a safe bet would be a Bundt cake. All you have to do is pour it into that Bundt pan and it comes out looking good. As can happen on the internet, one thing led to another and not only did I find the easiest, yummiest pumpkin cake recipe, but also a new blog crush – Whipped: Food, Drink & Conversation from around the Table. Even if it doesn’t make me a better baker, it will entice me to try.

In other pumpkin news, I was on a quest for the perfect pumpkin candle. So many of them can be over the top and icky sweet, like they were trying too hard to replicate that pumpkin-pie-in-the-oven smell. I found it today – it’s the gorgeous Illume Heirloom Pumpkin Soy Candle. (I didn’t even allow myself to smell the Holiday Basalm & Cedar flavor, as I just might have bought it with the snow falling outside.) For now, guess I have to go with the pumpkin-snow mix on this Monday afternoon: I’m going to light my candle, inhale some pumpkin aroma, eat some pumpkin cake and watch the snow.