Control Your Own Decisions with a side of Pizza Wine

Colorful leaves and adorable pet pigs for the win

Welcome, Substack friends, to what I hope will be a festive yet relaxing week ahead.

This is one of the many reasons November is my favorite much. Seeing the leaves change color, like this leaf, makes me cheerful for some reason.

Fans of Pizza Hut get this- Pizza Wine!

“This holiday season, Pizza Hut is elevating the art of holiday hosting and gifting with a twist on an iconic pairing: pizza and wine. For the first time ever, Pizza Hut is stepping into the wine business by launching a pizza wine*—a unique, limited-edition tomato wine that captures the essence of your favorite slice in every sip.

Crafted from ripe, juicy tomatoes and infused with natural basil, Tomato Wine by Pizza Hut is made in partnership with Kansas-based Irvine’s Just Beyond Paradise Winery, a family-owned vineyard renowned for its creativity and passion.

Tomato Wine by Pizza Hut ($25) (minimum purchase of two bottles required) and the limited-edition gift set ($60) are both available starting today, exclusively at www.irvinewinery.com/pizzahut. “

Awesome news coming to Denmark. From the AP News:

“Danish lawmakers on Monday agreed on a deal to plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest and natural habitats over the next two decades in an effort to reduce fertilizer usage.

The government called the agreement “the biggest change to the Danish landscape in over 100 years.”

Danish forests would grow on an additional 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres), and another 140,000 hectares (346,000 acres), which are currently cultivated on climate-damaging low-lying soils, must be converted to nature. Currently, 14.6% of land is covered by forests.”

An interesting alternative way old clothes and carpets can be recycled- By becoming concrete. From Goodgoodgood:

“A research team at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia has crafted a unique new approach to civil engineering by using textile waste and carpet fibers to create sustainable concrete. 

Their approach not only diverts clothing and carpet waste from landfills — which is urgently needed when it’s estimated that the world produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year — it also makes for stronger concrete.”

In adorable animal news- A pet pig brings joy to senior living facility. From KCTV5 in Kansas City, MO:

“When you think of animals brought to nursing homes, you think of cats and dogs, or maybe a miniature horse. But at Good Samaritan Society in Olathe, you’ll find Oden, a miniature pig.

“My boss was a little unsure of it at first,” said Oden’s owner, Brett Martin. “I had to explain it wasn’t a giant pig, that it wasn’t going to be a huge risk. They’re pretty tame.”

Martin says his boss said ‘why not’; Oden was the size of a can of soup on his first day on the job. Oden, very shy at first, would hide under chairs. Fast forward one year later and he’s the size of an English bulldog and is up to 40 pounds. No longer shy, Martin puts Oden on a leash and they roam the hallways visiting residents and staff. Brett said he is a mood-booster.”

How about this baby pig waking up? (Awwwww):

For the U.S. peeps- If you’re still deciding on what to make/cook/ bake for Thanksgiving on Thursday, how about these baked pumpkin fritter bites found at The Bakermama?

This week’s book recommendation is from 2008- This is How it Happened by Jo Barrett.

He lied, he cheated. He destroyed her life. How difficult could killing him be? Madeline Piatro devoted four years of her life to her boyfriend Carlton—and, in return, got romance, flowers, and the best sex she'd ever had. But then he dumped her—by e-mail, no less! He used her, he broke her heart...and he even cost her the marketing job she dearly loved. Now Maddy's on a mission. She wants revenge and she wants her career back. But Maddy's about to discover that getting even, no matter how justifiable, isn't as easy as it might at first appear—even with a batch of arsenic brownies, the help of a professional (if bumbling) hit man, and the advice and best wishes of her very best friends.

Why I’m recommending this book- Jo Barrett has written an engaging tale of heartbreak about a woman who wants the person responsible to suffer greatly. Madeline’s voice is very amusing as she thinks of ways to kill her lousy ex, Carlton, without getting caught. This is a woman you can sympathize with who thought she had met the man of her dreams, but instead he became her worst nightmare. I was all for Madeline getting back at Carlton, who is the worst kind of man, much like the villain of the piece. Of course, Madeline doesn’t resort to murder, but her revenge is so good that you will want to stand up and applaud.

Control your own decisions…

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”- Maya Angelou