The Old Dogwood Trees’ Blossoms
A Brief Visit.
Your visit is so brief….
but your memory lingers,
and it is ceremoniously revived
each Spring when you surprise me yet again.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Brief Visit
Nature
Bleeding Heart
Bleeding Heart.
Each year when you* bloom –
my favorite flower of all –
you gift me with the pause to remember
the life to celebrate,
the grandma to honor,
the sweet memories to cherish.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*This bleeding heart plant is over 25 years old and has lived and thrived at two different homes for me. It was a gift from my grandma that will move with me wherever I live. It is just one of several sweet special “things” I cherish because they were a part of her that lives on with me. Love you Grandma! It’s Springtime – one of your faves!
Those days…
Niagara Falls: A Great Weekend Getaway
Niagara Falls – Horseshoe and American Falls – from Canadian Side – April 1, 2017
Niagara Falls: A Great Weekend Getaway.
When Hubby and I decided to “getaway” for a weekend…
Hubby suggested Niagara Falls to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.
Niagara Falls is truly a natural wonder to experience! We are fortunate it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from our little town of Mars.
Horseshoe Falls – Niagara Falls – April 1, 2017
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States; more specifically, between the province of Ontario and the state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.
Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world that has a vertical drop of more than 165 feet (50 m). Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by vertical height and flow rate.
Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m3) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost four million cubic feet (110,000 m3) on average.
The Niagara Falls are famed both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power.*
Horseshoe Falls – Niagara Falls – April 1, 2017
We had fun visiting both the U.S. and Canadian side of the falls (a passport is necessary to travel between the two).
It was a bit chilly in early April, but so worth it to avoid crowds! We visited early morning when the mist was heavy on the “American Side.” We walked the path along the “Canadian Side” during the afternoon when the sun broke through the clouds.
A highlight to experience (which we did) is riding the Aero Car, suspended by cables, over the Niagara Whirlpool. The Whirlpool is formed at the end of the rapids where the gorge turns abruptly counterclockwise and the river escapes through the narrowest channel in the gorge.
Aero Cable Car over Niagara Whirlpool – Niagara Falls – April 1, 2017
A visit to Niagara on the Lake is another highlight, with quaint shoppes and wonderful wineries that host pairings and tastings.
It was wonderful to head back to the U.S. side and experience the Falls at sunset before heading for dinner.
Niagara Falls at Sunset – from American Side – April 1, 2017
And after dinner, another visit to see the falls lit up at night.
Niagara Falls after Dark – from American Side – April 1, 2017
Niagara Falls is a great weekend getaway, with something for everyone – including casinos and wax museums and boat rides and cave tours. This is not our first visit, so we’ve experienced some of the others previously.
There is something so beautiful and special and even a bit romantic about Niagara Falls.
Thanks to our guys for “kicking us out” so we could have such a great getaway weekend!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Painting Purple Posies
Purple Crocus Spring Watercolor 10×14″ 300 lb Arches Cold Press
Painting Purple Posies.
Though I could never create the beauty Mother Nature does…
especially in Spring when the purple crocuses pop up and remind us once again of the hope of life and rebirth and renewal…
I couldn’t resist painting my impression of these beauties I captured and posted yesterday.
It was good to splash some Winsor Violet and Opera Rose and Prussian Blue and Cadmium Yellow with a touch of Perylene Green.
And instead of trying to recreate them, my goal was to paint how they made me feel.
I struggle with stopping here or filling in the details to make them look more realistic. But ultimately, my love for impressionistic painting wins, and I stopped.
Before I ever ventured into this amazing joy of painting, I would have thought this way easier than exactly duplicating or painting more realistic representations, but the urge to “fiddle” and “replicate” typically leaves me feeling less satisfied.
To restrain….
To stop “before…”
To leave a bit – even if only a teensy bit – to the imagination…
is a challenge…
But a crazy and totally fulfilling, joyful experience when it works.
Not convinced I hit it with this one, but the joy in the journey might just be as satisfying as the ultimate goal.
Kinda like life – huh?
It’s a journey – meant to be embraced and expressed and felt – all along the way.
Once we reach the destination – then what?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Lesson from a Cardinal
Lesson from a Cardinal.
You stand out so bright and beautiful and bold.
Do you realize the joy you bring to the cold?
You teach us life lessons without even trying.
May we be bright lights without even trying.
Help us to see
how easy it can be.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Unplug
Almost
everything
will work again
if you
Unplug it
for a few minutes…
Including you.
– Ann Lamott
Unplug….
even if only
for a few minutes.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Ghost in the Tree
A Ghost in the Tree
(A bit of Silly… Poetry)
Do you agree
with me?
Do you see
a ghost in the tree?
On a carefree
walk of sightsee,
it caused a teeny
bit of anxiety.
But Charlie in his chivalry
helped me gain clarity
and guaranteed
it was but a tree.
Such pedigree
to disagree
and decree
it must be too much coffee.
It was a beauty.
Could it be
a chickadee
or chimpanzee?
Whoppee
and Yippee
for a tree designee
of imaginative jubilee!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This’ll be the Day
This’ll be the Day.
This’ll be the day
I will seek and find
beautiful things
in humble places….
Things that have been there
all along,
but I didn’t take the time
to notice.
This’ll be the day
I will look in the mirror when I rise
and say, “Hello Beautiful”
instead of “Ugggghhhh!”
I will focus
on the things
I like about myself
instead of the things I don’t.
This’ll be the day
I consciously decide
to seek
simple moments to cherish.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Black and White
snowy front yard in FULL COLOR
“The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night”*
Nature
inspiring
Nurture.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
* Three Dog Night, 1972 – first recorded by Peter Seeger, 1956
the creative life in between 
