Everybody knows it’s my favorite time of year, mostly because of the seasonal foods: squash, pumpkin and apples.

This year, not having a kitchen to myself and having Charlie around, I never ended up making my annual motherload of fresh pumpkin puree. But I couldn’t resist a good price on canned pumpkin at Dahl’s in Des Moines. I’d used half of the can for pumpkin enchiladas and various oatmeal breakfast mixtures, but still had roughly 15 oz. hanging out in the fridge ready to be used. Then while perusing a Martha Stewart magazine, came across a pumpkin meringue pie recipe. I had to. I just had to.

Here’s the pie before meringue went on top.

I had some trouble with my “weepy” meringue. Here’s what it was supposed to turn out like:

And here’s how mine turned out

Well, I tried. I’m no Martha; never pretended to be. But it tasted pretty good, and it added nicely to the autumnal table.

Thanks to Grandma Jan & Grandpa Mel and Phizzie & Addie for the cards!

So the weather’s getting chillier. Without Charlie’s beloved pumpkin hat, which was lost in an unfortunate baby hat theft in Vadnais Heights, we had to resort to one of Charlie’s baby baby hats. It’s not the warmest, but it’s the only one we have that fits on his enormous head these days.

But Fortune smiled on us yesterday in White Bear Lake. I’d taken Charlie up there in the hopes of visiting a certain thrift store (which turned out to be for housewares, not clothes, so needless to say, there were no leather jackets there. I’ll get to that). It was a bit chilly, so I tucked him in to an adorable sweater that his great-aunt Peg knit for her boys. The knitwear is, I assume, what triggered a random woman on the street to stop me to say, “I just have to tell you: at the Senior’s Center, they’re having a bazaar, and they have those adorable pumpkin hats! I just bought one for my grandson. Even if they’re not having the bazaar right now, just ask them about the hats, and they’ll be able to get you one.” It was like she’d seen into my soul, and knew that my heart was yearning for a replacement knit pumpkin hat for my son. I was flabbergasted, but I held it together enough to get directions to the senior center. They were wrong, but I made it there despite all, thanks to Google Text. And some wonderful women sold me my heart’s desire for a mere $3.50.

I tried it on him at the senior center, and he just got the biggest grin! And it’s perfect, because he would have outgrown the other one before his first birthday, and this one, with it’s rollability, not only fits him now, but will fit him until he’s at least 24.

But probably just until he throws it out of his stroller and someone steals it. Like with the previous one. Maybe I should go back to the senior center and stock up.

For Halloween this year, Joe and I have been tag-teaming parties. Last night, I went to a Young Macalester Alumni get together at Gluek in downtown Minneapolis. It was pleasantly awkward (awkwardly pleasant?), and just generally a very nice time. I dressed up as Fonzie, and I’m in love with the leather jacket I found for it at the thrift store.

Joe’s going to a Halloween party tonight as C. Everett Koop, the 13th Surgeon General of the United States. According to Wikipedia, he performed groundbreaking surgeries on infants and conjoined twins, and really hated tobacco.

We’re hoping we can figure out somewhere Halloweeny to take Charlie at some point, so we can show off the awesome costume we have planned for him. I’ll keep you posted.