Children of all ages adore candy corn--and this is the time to get it, along with specially packaged individual servings of other candies. Photos by PETER CIHELKA/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Corny, but true: Here's what's rocking our fall

Products that please our materialistic little souls this fall

BY LAURA MOYER

Date published: 10/14/2007

BY LAURA MOYER

We love new stuff. Does that mean we are materialistic and shallow? Please don't answer.

Here are a few products that make us happy it's finally fall.

Best candy aisle goodies

With the escalation toward Halloween, the makers of "kid" candy are putting everything delightful into small packages.

The rest of the year you'd be hard-pressed to find individually wrapped half-ounce packs of Red Hots, Lemonheads, Milk Duds or Jujubes in the regular grocery store.

But you can get them in October, while taking comfort in the knowledge that one tiny pack generally has 50 calories or fewer.

Don't blame us if you eat 10 because they're small.

True connoisseurs know pumpkin makes the very best type of pie, but lately the good gourd has wrapped its viny tendrils around lattes and ice cream as well.

We are suckers for Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte, even if the smallest ("tall," $3.50) serving made with nonfat milk and no whipped cream does have 200 calories and 38 carbs. It's not like we drink it all year--though we might if it were available.

We also adore the pumpkin ice creams that pop up this time of year.

Plenty can be found locally, but we're told we should make a special trip to Alexandria's Dairy Godmother to sample their pumpkin frozen custard. This year it's available Oct. 28, 29 and 31 and the week of Thanksgiving.

It just makes us happy to light a candle inside the Pumpkin Dancing Tealight Holder ($7.50 from Bath & Body Works) and watch the flicker work magic.

We're easily entertained.

A few of these candles might look good in a safe spot on the porch on Halloween night if there's no time to carve a jack-o'-lantern.

After we've consumed all those lattes and candies and sat on our duffs watching a dancing candle, it's time for a little outdoor exercise.

We pick hiking, our favorite cardio exercise in any season but even more delightful in autumn.

Rather than carry individual water bottles in a bouncy knapsack, we've been converted to these nifty water-hauling packs (about $40 to $100).

A sturdy rubber reservoir holds 30 to 100 ounces of tap water and zips upright into one pocket of these day packs. On the trail, a hiker simply bites on a leakproof valve to deliver water through a wide flexible tube.

Other pockets hold snacks, cameras, moleskin, a sweatshirt, the bird book or whatever else you need for a day in the woods.

Waist and chest straps help ensure that these packs fit snugly and comfortably, without pulling on the shoulders.

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Date published: 10/14/2007