One of the best cures for whatever may ail you is Vitamin N (nature). Temecula is surrounded with numerous preserves and hiking trails. Since I'm staying off the road for awhile, we have discovered nature in our own housing tract. Today, I decided to bring my camera to share it.

This path meanders alongside a flood control basin. I love the birdsong that emanates from it.

Our elevation change comes from a Water District road leading to a tower. This dirt path is lined with wildflowers. It delights us that so much is still in bloom. Temecula has an amazing inventory of native plant species. Wow.
Note the cool spider lurking below the flower. I did not discover him until I viewed this photo on my computer. I love those surprises.
Everyone knows how I feel about butterflies!




I've seen this hawk several times. My goal is to get a better image of him. He is so gorgeous.

The world is a little less fabulous with the passing of my mom's little sister, Dorothy.

Flying in for visits from Chicago, as a kid, Dort was always larger than life. The glamorous Auntie who came to California to visit and to shop. Wow. I never knew anyone like her and I idolized her.
I am extra sad because, to me, my Aunt Dorothy was the last remaining piece of my mom, a piece I've been holding onto for the last 33 years since my mom preceded her in death. I miss them both!

Pink's song Can We Pretend has some pretty appropriate lyrics. My college friend, Julie, shared it and this vintage photo with me during last night's sleepover. Being homebound gives me a lot of time to reflect while replaying old memories.

Julie, Denise & Annie ~Palm Springs 1986

The Library Shop is taking submissions for their 3rd annual Matchbook Story Contest! There is just something about it that intrigues me.

Stories must be about 50 words or less—short enough to fit on the inside of a matchbook cover. The winner will receive a $50 Gift Card to the Library Shop, 50 copies of the printed matchbook, publication in the SDPL e-newsletter, and a limited exhibition of your Matchbook Story in the Hervey Family Rare Book Room. The entry fee is just $5, the deadline to submit is November 15th, and all proceeds support the San Diego Public Library! What more of a reason does one need?
Last year's winner was Cristina Schaffer with. "The smell of garlic sizzling woke me up. Mom was home. Hadn’t seen her in four days. Mahjong. Sometimes she won, mostly she didn’t. I dressed for school. At least I got fried rice and spam this morning."

Let's do this! It's for a good cause and how fun if one of us won!

Recently, I received a very sweet email from Kathy in San Jose, "I found a your Little Free Library.  Wondering if you’re interested in a donation of a bag of books. I’m happy to bring them by, if you are interested."

This summer was the summer of love for my library! It was actively visited. I delighted in looking out our kitchen window and seeing people hovering there. They really are "bird feeders for humans". It was even photographed for my friend Kathryn Reed's blog post Tiny Libraries Bring Books To Neighborhoods Throughout The World.

Steve found a new, fun hiking buddy in his brother. Today, they tackled Monserate Mountain (my favorite local spot).

Its Trail Loop is a 4.1 mile lightly trafficked path that is rated as difficult (it has a 1,381' elevation gain in the first 1 1/2 miles). Oh man, I'm a tad jealous.

Joy, for me currently, is found in my mailbox. The stroll to it, twice a day, is part of my daily routine now that my wings are clipped and I'm staying home.

While not easy to write since I'm not supposed to lean (note my handy prism glasses), I'm still corresponding along. I have always believed in the saying, "It is better to give than to receive". And boy do I delight in sending mail. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy receiving it as well. I so much so 💗 the United States Postal Service.

Often when we read news stories, we wonder "how did it end". I thought about James South, all day today on his birthday. In September, I posted his wish to receive 100 cards for his special milestone.

Not surprising to me, this World War II veteran received nearly 100,000 cards, according to the VA North Texas Health Care System (woohoo! Yay team). Mr. South became a fan of receiving letters while serving in World War II. During the war, his then-girlfriend and later wife of 55 years, Sophie, wrote him a letter every day. How very awesome is this!?

In honor of our neighbors' Halloween/ toddler's birthday party, we dusted off some old costumes and got festive.

After partying with a plethora of 3 year olds, we headed home.
Steve's brother and sister-in-law arrived armed with a delicious home cooked birthday dinner along with celebratory cupcakes. Tasty and touching... all of it. What a lovely day with family and friends.

Over the past six weeks, since fracturing my neck, I have been given numerous and varied books to read. When I opened my most recently received package, I laughed. Barb knows me well.

"In an age of obsessive productivity and stress, this illustrated ode to idleness invites readers to explore the pleasures and possibilities of slowing down. Beloved author and illustrator Roman Muradov weaves together the words and stories of artists, writers, philosophers, and eccentrics who have pursued inspiration by doing less. He reveals that doing nothing is both easily achievable and absolutely essential to leading an enjoyable and creative life. Cultivating idleness can be as simple as taking a long walk without a destination or embracing chance in the creative process. Peppered with playful illustrations, this handsome volume is a refreshing and thought-provoking read."

Since idleness has never been a part of who I am, I look forward to this book guiding me through the next several months of healing. I'm going to need all the help I can get.

I discovered one of my favorite quotes years ago, "Postcards: The Haiku of Correspondence".

It was brought to my attention, belatedly, that I missed an important postal milestone. On Tuesday, postcards celebrated their 150th anniversary! Introduced as a way of sending a simple message, postcards quickly evolved beyond their practical purpose to become the universal souvenir that brightens everyone's mailboxes.
In Austria-Hungary, Dr. Emanuel Herrmann (a professor of Economics from Vienna) wrote an article in the Neue Freie Presse pointing out that the time and effort involved in writing a letter was out of proportion to the size of the message sent. He suggested that a more practical and cheaper method should be implemented for shorter, more efficient communications.

His recommendations impressed the Austrian Post, who put them to practice on October 1st 1869, resulting in the Correspondenz-Karte, a light-brown 8.5 x 12cm rectangle with space for the address on the front, and room for a short message on the back. The postcard featured an imprinted 2 Kreuzer stamp on top right corner, costing half the price of a normal letter. Gott sei Dank the postcard was born!
Postcards have certainly evolved over the years. I am a bit of a Deltiologist (one who studies and/or collects postcards) and do gather them from most places I visit. What an inexpensive reminder of where we've been and where we can look forward to returning to one day.

It has been years since we have been to Universal Studios and since I have some spare time, I have been spending it going through the handful of old photos in my keepsake box. I love these two from 1971 at Universal Studios. I thought I'd share them and some history, too. 

From the beginning, Universal had offered tours of its studio. After Carl Laemmle opened Universal City in 1915, he invited the general public to see all the action for an admission fee of just 5¢, which included a boxed chicken lunch. There was also a chance to buy fresh produce, since then-rural Universal City was still in part a working farm. This original tour was discontinued around 1930.
Shortly after Music Corporation of America took over Universal Pictures in 1962, accountants suggested a new tour in the studio commissary would increase profits. In 1964, the modern tour was established to include a series of dressing room walk-throughs, peeks at actual production, and later, staged events. This grew over the years into a full-blown theme park. The narrated tram tour still runs through the studio's active backlot, but the staged events, stunt demonstrations and high-tech rides overshadow the motion-picture production that once lured fans to Universal Studios Hollywood. Photos do evoke memories and I absolutely love these.

I love watching movies and certain television programs. With my new 'predicament' however, sitting up for long periods of time causes me grief. The only relief is to get horizontal (something I do several times a day).

My sweet husband bought me these stylish Prism Glasses (thank goodness for Amazon). These specs are optical glasses that allow me to watch TV while lying flat on my back (my happiest position to be in). The only drawback is the fact that they are incredible heavy and they leave divots in my nose (hence the yellow foam earplug absorbing some of the weight). No one said this healing process was going to be pretty!
And what are we watching you might ask. We are hooked on the series This is Us. We cry every night but at least it isn't for any personal reasons. Oh man, what a ride this show is.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.” I so believe it, especially since I'm being visited by some very valuable ornaments.

Since we're being cautious, I really can't leave the house (except for doctor's appointments). My friends are making plans and visiting often. Scott and Lynne brought a delicious lunch and we had the chance to catch up and dine, poolside.
Brady brought her sweet 10 month old. I'm telling you, there is no better cure for anything that ails you like a sweet, little girl.

Cindy spent Sunday night and we enjoyed hours of sipping tea and coffee outside in the glorious sunshine!

It has been some time since we've retrieved mail from our South Lake Tahoe P.O. Box. This is what was found with Steve's comments.

"The keep pile on the left. The junk pile on the right. We could save entire forests of trees if they'd just stop... Sheesh!" Agreed!

I don't know if you read about this man, but James South, a World War II veteran is turning 100-years-old early next month and he has one special wish for his birthday.

His sign reads, “Hello! My name is James South and I am a proud WWII veteran! I will be turning 100 on October 7th, 2019. I would like to receive 100 birthday cards. Please mail to: 5800 North Park Dr., Watauga, TX 76148. Thank you!”
You know how I feel about Snail Mail, birthdays AND veterans. Please help James exceed his goal. I know the Watauga Post Office has been put on alert! What fun.

Happy Key Lime Pie Day to you! Though not my favorite pie (pumpkin is and its National Day isn't until Christmas, ironically).

Today's food trivia: Key Limes are uniquely sour because they have less moisture in their peel. This makes the juice much more acidic.

Here are today’s things to know about Key Lime Pie:
1. The dish is named for the small Key limes that are naturalized throughout the Florida Keys.
2. Unlike regular lime juice, Key lime juice is a pale yellow color which combined with the egg yolks results in the yellow pie filling.
3. On July 1st, 2006, both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate passed legislation selecting the “Key lime pie” as the official pie of the state of Florida.
4. It is highly likely that the first Key lime pie was created by “Aunt Sally,” the cook of William Curry, a ship salvager and Key West’s first millionaire. Many of the men on board his ships would have had access to the basic and non-perishable ingredients required for the early recipe: canned milk, limes and eggs. Interestingly, during mixing, a chemical reaction between the proteins of the egg yolks and condensed milk with the acidic lime juice occurs that causes the filling to thicken on its own without requiring baking. Early recipes for Key lime pie did not require baking the pie, relying on this reaction (called thickening) to produce the proper consistency of the filling. Today, because consuming raw eggs can be dangerous, pies of this nature are usually baked for a short time. The baking also thickens the texture more than the reaction alone.
To celebrate this day in history, and in lieu of eating an actual Key Lime Pie, I'm reading a culinary mystery based on today's special dessert. "When life gives you limes, make Key Lime Pie."

Right now, had I not broken my neck, we would we in San Diego with friends, enjoying dining al fresco in Old Town. I just received this email...

Dear Denise & Steve,
We had Margaritas and lunch today with you, our flat friends.
Missed you.
Take care.
M~

If you look closely, 'Steve and I' are nestled between the two salsas with a look of envy on our faces. So fun! We truly wish we were there.

Annie and Bob drove in the crazy traffic from Anaheim to join us for a celebratory luncheon (belated for Annie, early for Steve). We met at Leoness Cellars.

Since my non-medical outings are limited (in frequency and proximity) this was a much anticipated dining experience for me.
"The Restaurant provides an exceptional al fresco dining experience with a full service menu featuring items made 100% from scratch in our kitchen."


"Offering seasonal selections ranging from vibrant salads to entrees packed with an array of complimenting flavors, including seafood, pastas and unique flatbreads, to decadent desserts that will leave you craving more. The Restaurant’s success is fueled by a passion for serving savory dishes that are second to none."
And the setting was pretty delicious, too. What fun! Here's to good friends and having awesomeness close by!