It’s been a long time since I made a jack-o-lantern, but I carved one on Sunday, and I totally recommend it.

When it comes to jack-o-lanterns, I like to keep it old school — no super-fancy designs for me. (Of course, that have more to do with my total lack of artistic ability than anything else.) My jack-o-lanterns do not have eyebrows or ears — not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I really liked my friend’s jack-o-lantern, which looked like something Picasso might have done during his Cubism period. (Though perhaps my admiration appeared insincere, because my friend called me an idiot when I said, “What’s up, Picasso?”) This jack-o-lantern even had a deviated septum.

Mine, however, was very plain. It had two triangle eyes, a triangle nose, and a wide mouth with two triangle teeth. Despite my best efforts to make the jack-o-lantern look scary, it actually looks like it’s laughing. A jack-o-lantern would probably last about four seconds on my stoop, and so I think I’ll set him on my inside window sill.

This was one of the first weekends that really felt like fall to me, and not just because I made a jack-o-lantern. I think it’s because the leaves look really stunning right now — lots of yellows and reds and oranges. And also because I went for a nice, brisk walk, which is a good thing to do in any season, but an especially good thing to do during fall, when the air is cool, but not too cold.

I was eager to get out, because the rain on Saturday scuttled my plan to hike Buck Mountain in Lake George on Saturday. It would have been my first hike since breaking my wrist in August. Because I’ve hiked Buck before — an easy to moderate hike, with some rock to scramble up near the summit — I knew what to expect, and I thought I could do it. But it was rainy and cold, and instead I ended up drinking tea and eating fresh-baked cookies, which was not such a bad way to spend the time, either. In fact, I totally recommend it.

Here’s some good fall walking spots: Thacher Park, near Voorheesville, Peebles Island State Park, in Waterford, Grafton Lakes State Park, in Grafton, Rensselaerville Falls in Rensselaerville, the Corning Preserve in Albany and the Plotter Kill Preserve in Rotterdam (which features three spectacular waterfalls).

Also a good fall hike is Overlook Mountain in Woodstock. Most of the trail is an old carriage road, so the ascent is fairly easy. The summit features a firetower and the ruins of an old hotel. Of course, it’s fun to hike in the High Peaks in the fall, but if you’re looking for something a little closer to the Capital Region and less potentially dicey — I once hiked Mt. Algonquin in the rain, and it was long and cold — Overlook is a good spot.

As for cookies, chocolate chip are always good.

SUNDAY FOOTBALL

I was gone for most of Sunday, and so I didn’t watch a single football game. I also dropped into a two-way tie for fourth place in my Pigskin Pick’em group. And I didn’t even do that badly. I stupidly picked Kansas City to beat San Diego, and I’m trying to remember my thought process, because in hindsight that seems like a really dumb thing to do, and what could I possibly have been thinking? I guess I was thinking 1. San Diego isn’t that good, and they’re on the road and 2. Kansas City is coming off a victory and has finally figured out how to win, and they’re going to surprise everybody.

Obviously, I was wrong.

I also picked the Cowboys to lose, and they managed to beat a pretty decent team — Atlanta — and so maybe the Cowboys aren’t as bad as I’ve been insisting. And I don’t know what happened to the Giants. Except maybe Arizona has shaken off its doldrums and turning into a decent little football team.

I was happy to see the Vikings finally lose a game. I also enjoy watching Jay Cutler lose, because I think it’s really funny that he moped and whined his way out of Denver, and now his team is 3-3 and the Broncos are undefeated. Cutler has proven to be a gifted quarterback, but can he lead a winning football team? I’m sure he’ll put it all together some day. But I’m not so sure about this year. Meanwhile, I’m fully expecting the Washington Trainwreck to lose to the Eagles tonight.

As for the NFL playing games in London, no, I’m not a big fan of it. The Patriots, as expected, crushed Tampa Bay, and the outcome probably would have been the same if the game had been played at the Buccaneers’ home stadium. But still. This little expedition overseas was listed as a home game for Tampa Bay, and is that really fair? Do we really want our teams playing home games in foreign countries? Would I be happy if the Patriots were playing a really good team — the Colts, say — in England instead of Foxborough?

Football is a quintessentially American sport, and the idea of exporting it to Europe just seems like a fool’s errand. I mean, would professional rugby or cricket catch on over here? Look at all the effort that’s been invested trying to make Americans care about professional soccer. This is a sport many of us played as children, and we still can’t be bothered to take an interest in it as adults.

Anyway, Americans take their football very seriously, but will football ever be anything more than a novelty overseas? I just don’t see the point of trying to make Europeans like football. Unless you’ve got some bizarre dream of world domination. And dollar signs in your eyes.

HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK QUOTES

For some reason, the subject of high school yearbook quotes came up the other night. I’m still pretty pleased with mine. Here it is: “I’d chew my foot off to get out of this dress.”

(It’s from the song “Sad Dress” by Belly.)

Got a comment? Or a yearbook quote? E-mail me at sfoss@dailygazette.net.