Purple Petunias
Stars don’t only shine at night.
Attract what you expect.
Reflect what you desire.
Become what you respect.
Mirror what you admire.Author Unknown
InspirationQuotesMagazine.com
Shine on Stars…
Shine on!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Impatiens Flowers – June 2017 – Mars, PA
Impatience.
It is hard to be patient,
when you are impatiently waiting…
For the sun to rise,
or for the sun to set.
For the next season to begin,
or for the former to end.
For the pot to boil,
or for the bread to rise.
For the punch line of a joke,
or the ending of a sad movie.
To start a new book,
or to reach the ending.
For the child to grow,
or for the child to remain small.
For the love of your life,
or for the ability to love life.
For that amazingly great moment,
or for each one in between.
Cheers and hugs,
Jodi
Early Morning Front Yard – Mars, PA – June, 2017
Morning is worth waking up to…
When the warmth of the sun casts its golden magic,
and the shadows of the awakening trees begin dancing.
The cool dew is refreshingly invigorating on bare feet in the grass,
and the light breeze of the night still lingers.
The chirping birds are rejoicing, drenched with enthusiasm,
soaring and fluttering with the butterflies and the bees.
Steaming dark roast coffee is poured and inhaled,
lightened with Italian sweet cream, and then sipped with pleasure.
Sleepy, swollen eyes begrudgingly awaken and brighten.
It’s time to embrace the unending number of possibilities of a brand new day.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
If being in the second half of life means Sunday mornings are even more glorious than Saturday nights, I’ll take it!
Into the Woods in our Backyard June 25, 2017 Mars, PA
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Yesterday was one of those
most amazingly glorious
Summer Sundays.
No agenda,
bright sunshine,
cool breeze.
I woke early,
sipped my coffee on the deck
with the birds and the rising sun.
I made old-fashioned macaroni salad
to chill and be just right
to accompany grilled burgers for dinner.
I took my watercolors
out onto the patio,
and I painted for hours.
And when it was time to move a bit,
Charlie and I headed to the woods
in our backyard.
We hiked until we got lost,
and then we found our way out through a neighbor’s backyard
on an intersecting street to ours.
It was a sauntering walk
with stops to breathe it all in, smell the fresh air,
and commune with nature.
The woods are a great place
to learn how truly small you
and your problems really are.
It’s a place to be small,
but come out feeling bigger
and better and complete.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Goldfinch and Grosbeak at the feeder – Mars, PA – June, 2017
Sometimes
I wonder
how you put up
with me.
Then I remember,
oh I put up with you.
So we’re even.
Author unknown
Lovingly dedicated to a guy I call “Merv.”
He calls me “Gert.”
I put up with him.
He puts up with me.
Let’s do it until eternity. ❤
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA – June, 2017
How do you say “Thank You”
for sunshine or health…
for clear days or gentle rains…
for happiness, joy or love?
You say it by sharing
what you have.
You say it by making
the world a better place in which to live.
-Thomas D. Willhite
How do YOU say “Thank You?”
I say it by trying to share something small every day
in this tiny little platform that is mine
to give to the world
a little bit of happiness…
a little bit of joy…
a little bit of love.
My “Thank You” might be
a photograph,
or a painting,
or a craft or DIY idea.
It might be a favorite cherished
or newly discovered recipe.
It might be a verse
or a quote or a story.
But it is my “Thank You”
for sunshine and health…
for clear days and gentle rains…
for happiness, joy, and love.
It is my gift.
It is my little life.
It is my creative journey…
at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Purple Finch – Mars, PA June 2017
Brilliant Bird Banter.
Rise early.
Sing a joyful tune.
Share with your friends.
Spread your wings and soar.
Spend time in the woods.
Make a cozy nest.
(This is just one of the many beautiful purple finches that visit our backyard. He’s enjoying a sunflower seed from a feeder that hangs on our deck. We so enjoy sharing our woods and yard with our bird friends, and we can learn a lot from them too!)
Cheers & Chirps,
Jodi
The House by the Lake in Black and White Nostalgia – Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park – May 2017
I’d like to spend a day
in this house by the lake.
I’d spend some of the time
roaming the rooms
Looking and listening
and smelling and touching
Imagining the stories
of the occupants through the years.
I’d spend some of the time
on a reclining chair in the lawn
Watching the sailboats and fishing boats
and birds and fish and wildlife of the lake
Imagining the stories
of its occupants through the years.
I’d like to spend a day
in this house by the lake.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Advice from a Lake.
Be clear.
Make positive ripples.
Look beneath the surface.
Stay calm.
Don’t be shallow.
Cast away troubles.
Take time to reflect.
Be “reel.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*compilation of thoughts from Pinterest – authors unknown
Photo taken 05/21/17 Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park, PA – First Spring boat ride of the season
After the rain
the world is a little softer –
edges blur and drip and shimmer.
After the rain
bright, beautiful reflections are illuminated
through droplets like liquid mirrors.
After the rain
the earth smells of growth
and life and freshness and hope.
After the rain
my heart feels renewed
and cleansed and full of new possibilities.
After the rain.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 