Welcome, back Substack friends. I hope when you visit here, you can find some happiness and balance to help start your week.
Nature continues to amaze me. I took a picture of this glacier when I was in Iceland (a country everyone should visit because it’s truly a majestic place) in 2016. This picture doesn’t do this glacier justice. Just amazing and awe inspiring.
Did you know there is a Toy Hall of Fame? “The National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong, established in 1998, recognizes toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period. Each year, the prestigious hall inducts new honorees and showcases both new and historic versions of classic toys beloved by generations.”
This year’s inducted toys:
My Little Pony
Phase 10
Transformers
I still have one of the inductees! Say hello to my My Little Pony.
Since we’re smack dab in the middle of Fall, why not check these top 10 fall facts over at the Winnie Palmer Nature Preserve. My favorite fall facts is Fact #4: “According to The Weather Channel, pumpkins are the most craved food during the fall.”
More awesome news! Movie and TV icon, Betty White is getting her own stamp next year. From People:
“The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced the stamp designs for 2025 on Friday, Nov. 15, revealing that one of the stamps will be a portrait of The Golden Girls star, who died in 2021 at the age of 99.”
“Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration based on a 2010 photograph by Kwaku Alston. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.” U.S. Postal Service
Chili is a must have staple for the Fall months. Why not try you hand at making Turkey Sweet Potato Chili over at Sally’s Baking Recipes? YUM!
An moment of animal zen- Jenny the bear love her swinging tire.
This week’s book recommendation is from 2017- Behind the Curtain by Bath Kerry.
There’s something about this woman…
On a break between overseas jobs, journalist Asher Gaites returns to his hometown of Chicago—and allows his friends to persuade him to check out a hot new singer. At a downtown jazz club, he’s soon transfixed by the lyrical voice and sensuous body of a woman who performs behind a thin, shimmering veil...
…That could bring a man to his knees.
The veil gives Moroccan American Laila Barek the anonymity she needs since she has never been able to reconcile her family’s values with her passion for music. But one man is inexplicably drawn to her. And when Asher confronts her on a subway platform after a gig, he’s shocked to recognize the woman who walked away from him nine years ago...
Laila has never been able to forget the touch, the feel, the taste of Asher. And despite the doubt and fear that wind their way into their lives, they must trust the heat of their desire to burn down the walls the world has placed between them…
Why I’m recommending this book- This is a multi-cultural Contemporary romance that has so much win on the pages. Not only does the main couple have incredible chemistry, but the underlying message here is powerful. It’s all about destiny and fate, but also doing what’s best for yourself, even though your family, and some of your friends may be against it. This has a Romeo and Juliet feel to it, based on the flashbacks of our heroine and hero when they were young. These flashbacks cement the emotional intensity between these two, and an all-consuming love that can’t be denied.
Just breathe…