Mourning Dove – Mars, PA 1/12/16
In the silence of early morning
just before the break of dawn,
You are puffed up soft and fluffy,
perched and clinging high atop the tree.
What a bright, warm sight you are
amidst the dark and snowy shadows.
But your haunting lament belies
your soft, yet vibrant allure.
Oh morning Mourning Dove
what conflicting emotions you evoke…
darkness and light,
joy and grief,
morning and mourning.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Even in the shadows
of cold, gray winter days
the Rose of Sharon seed pod
glows with vibrant light
and hope
and promise
of pink and purple petals
and green leaves
and summer sunshine
if only
we are
patient enough
to wait.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hi Friends! Charlie here.
I was really anxious to introduce you to one of my new BFFs, so Mom let me guest post again today. Yippee!!!
“Kitty” is one of my friends I look forward to seeing on my walks with Mom.
We met about two weeks ago, and now we look forward to seeing each other almost every day.
We live about a mile or so apart, but I know when I am getting close to Kitty’s house. I start pulling Mom looking to the other side of the street where Kitty lives, and Kitty comes running out from the porch to the edge of the yard to see me.
Oh how fun it is to sniff and cuddle and visit my friend!
I’ve heard some people say silly things like “fighting like cats and dogs,” and I just don’t get it….
Who wants to fight when we can be friends?!
Cat/Dog… Black/White… Male/Female…Republican/Democrat… Christian/Jew… Rich/Poor… Young/Old… Tall/Short… Thick/Thin…
Why can’t we all just be friends?!
Woofs & Wags,
Charlie
(For more blog posts from Charlie, go to https://lifeinbetween.me/ and enter “Charlie” into the SEARCH bar.)
Some days there won’t be a song in your heart….
Sing anyway!
-emory austin
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
For a few moments
yesterday afternoon
in my little corner of the world,
the backyard
became a great big snow globe.
And I thought to myself….
“What a wonderful world!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Slippery Rock Creek, Western PA – November 27, 2015
“Don’t wait for
extraordinary
opportunities,
seize common
occasions,
and make them
great.”
-Orison Swett Marden
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS If you look closely, you will find my hubby in this photo. This was a beautiful spot we stopped at that he wanted to share with me on our way back from Thanksgiving in Conneaut Lake, PA.
Cherish the Moments!
One day last week
when it seemed to rain all day
the sky cleared up just enough
right before dusk
for Charlie and I to walk to the mailbox
at the end of the driveway
for a bit of a stretch
and the chance to deeply inhale
the damp, crisp, clean air.
When we turned around
to head back home
my jaw dropped open
and a gasp escaped
when this was the sight
that awaited our return.
Pink clouds and puddles
shimmering in the day’s last light.
No white Christmas,
but what is wrong with PINK?!
Cherish the moments of now.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This week’s WordPress Daily Post Photo Challenge is Eye Spy, and I cannot recall ever spying more beautiful eyes than on this little angel I had the privilege of photographing for fun recently.
Can you even stand the cuteness?!
I dare you not to smile!
This is sweet little Eva, and she is very excited about her first Christmas.
Wishing you the innocence and joy of a child this holiday season.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A gift to be cherished
like a rare and perfect gem
the glow of Autumn’s
final exhibition
against a backdrop
of molten sapphire
Glistening in the sunshine
the tree beckoned me
Breathing in deeply
I savored the golden glow
An Indian Summer afternoon
walk and respite
to warm my heart and soul.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Lemons and strawberries in November? (A time when we are usually baking with pumpkin and cinnamon and apples….?)
Well – we are experiencing some amazing Indian Summer weather here in Mars – with temperatures in the 70’s, the sun shining brightly, and the sky a vibrant shade of blue – so why not – right?
Well – the truth be told – that same cute little bugger who requested the Royal Flush Halloween t-shirts recently found a photo on Reddit that struck his fancy a few days ago of a freshly baked loaf of lemon pound cake with strawberries. He texted me the photo saying, “Please make.”
Well…. how could I resist? (I know….. pushover! – but really…. I live for this stuff!)
Turns out the sweet young lady who posted the photo stating “this just came out of the oven” did not post the recipe! How dare she??!! More than one reader called her “evil” for not posting the recipe!
I did some digging, however, and found the source and the recipe… Score!! (I know – I have issues!)
Turns out Bianca Davies, the “evil” baker/Reddit poster, is a trained chef from Cape Town, South Africa, who attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, but is equally inspired by her Granny and Granny’s lemon trees.
Per Bianca, Granny likes a cake that is “rich, moist, light, airy and slightly fudgy.” This little pound cake amazingly delivers on all of that – and more!
So before we get seriously into Autumn and Winter baking and cooking, you might want to enjoy one last taste of summer! You will not regret it!
Ingredients: Directions: Converted recipe from http://thesecretlifeofbee.co.za/ (Bianca Davies, Cape Town, South Africa) Cheers & Hugs, JodiLemon Strawberry Pound Cake
the creative life in between 