So the new nest is aglow in fall favorites. There are pumpkin pie-scented candles everywhere there is a surface and extras waiting to be called for duty on closet shelves.

The three pumpkins lining the driveway have been joined by six copper solar lights, which I found in a Sunday ad, found at the big store, put together and installed all by myself.

The ginormous bags of candy are stashed away, although the friend has found the Snickers and Reese's peanut butter cups.

Everything is in readiness for Halloween with the hope that plenty of trick or treaters will ring the bell.

The other night, we enjoyed unfiltered cider, which tastes way better than sweet, processed sugary stuff but still doesn't taste like the cider I remember from Michigan.

We're hoping to get to an Oktoberfest-themed party at church on Sunday and the snazzed-up sauerkraut will be ready in case we are able to go.

Fall is a blessed time. It seems as though everything and everyone -- from the trucks with their new tires and windshield wipers to the sunlight with its still powerful 9-1/2 hours or so -- is preparing for the big change.

A friend from Minnesota misses the red leaves that mean fall back there. To us, fall means gold. It's all relative.

And we're happy to be a part of it.

So the second Monday Mouse lunch tour resulted in the second new restaurant tried by Mouse and me in as many weeks.

A couple of weeks ago, she chose Dsasumo and guided me through the mostly sushi menu, including eel as an appetizer.

It was delicious and pricey for two (appetizer equaled a third meal) and worth every penny as we caught up for the first time in awhile.

Yesterday, we added the friend to our group and chose Lime Leaf Asian Bistro, which is brand-new and very cool. The interior is gorgeous and the service was impeccable.

The portions for lunch were ginormous and the bill for three (with one adult beverage for the friend) was less than the bill for two at Dsasumo.

It's open at 11 a.m., daily for lunch and open until 9 p.m., except Friday and Saturday, when it closes at 9:30 p.m.

Casper is now home to three new Asian restaurants in a year -- House of Sushi and Dsasumo in the downtown district and Lime Leaf just east of downtown on E. 2nd St.

We are growing up -- and it's pretty cool.

I have never watched an episode of "Survivor," or "Nanny," or MOST other reality shows.

Alone with the dog, I'd watch the Bachelor or the Bachelorette but never liked their choices and couldn't stand the drama ... but I was careful to not admit to any sane person that I watched it.

So when I was homeless and a house guest for nearly two weeks, I happened upon "America's Got Talent." Except for Jerry Springer's annoying shouting and judge Piers Morgan's annoying criticism of nearly everyone, I got hooked right away.

And the friend with whom I was staying got hooked as well -- and then blamed me.

And the reason we were hooked immediately is 32-year-old Neal E. Boyd of Sikeston, Mo., who is now headed for Las Vegas to headline a show one night only at the MGM Grand on Friday, Oct. 17.

His voice is incredible. He has made opera more popular than the junk on the radio. And he will do amazing things.

The reality of this show is that it was a gift to those of us who watched.

Here's some info on the Las Vegas show:

Tickets priced at $99.50, $57.50, $49.50 and $39.50, not including applicable service charges, are now on sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, and Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

So the very worst part of Saturday was not what happened on Jonah Field.

The very worst part of Saturday was finding out a minute before kickoff that Larry Birleffi had died.

He was 90, but not to me. I'll always remember him from that night in November 1967 (Nov. 18, I had to look it up) when Peggy Jane the Mom and the three of us were huddled around the radio in our living room on Curtis Street in Laramie.

Of all of his 37 years of broadcasting football and basketball, that was the single night I'll remember the most.

Wyoming beat UTEP in El Paso, 21-19, and a Sugar Bowl berth was secured.

Can you imagine? Wyoming in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day.

The Biffer was as big a part of Wyoming sports lore as any one achievement or any one person -- he truly was one of a kind.

And even though he held a journalism degree, his passion and loyalty for Wyoming sports was never questioned.

And the world is a much sadder, more cynical place without him.