Fuzzy Cattails ( Typha) – March 2018 – Mars PA
Fuzzy.
When life gets fuzzy,
don’t try to squint it clear….
Embrace the beauty
of the fuzziness.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Fuzzy
PA
Broken Road
Cranberry Township, PA – March 2018
Broken Road.
It can be easy
to breeze through life
when you are cruising along
on the wide open, straight path of the highway.
But often times
it is the bumps and dips and obstacles
on the broken roads
that lead to the best and most beautiful things in life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Shine Brightly
Moon over Mars PA March 2018
Shine Brightly.
Amidst the darkness
and the clouds
that try to hide it,
the moon
still
shines brightly.
I want
to be
like the moon.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Snow at Daybreak
Snow at Daybreak – Mars, PA – January 2018
Snow at Daybreak.
I stumble through
the early morning darkness
heading to the kitchen
for that first cup of coffee
to help prop open
my bleary eyes.
On my way,
I flip the switch
that turns on
the flood light
shining out
into the backyard.
What could be
more beautiful
than bright white
fluffy snowflakes
fluttering down
on a cold January morning?
Snow at Daybreak.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In Time – Seasons of Change
Frozen Stream – Backyard – Mars, PA – January 2018
In Time – Seasons of Change.
Isn’t it so comforting?
Doesn’t it fill you with hope?
To know…
that the brittle frozen stream
will once again flow
with soft warm life…
in time.
Seasons of Change.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
When Timber Makes One Feel Small
When Timber Makes One Feel Small.
When I awoke yesterday morning,
I squealed like a elementary school girl anticipating a snow day.
We had our first measurable snowfall,
and this is the beauty I get to behold from my back deck.
As I took in the bright sunlight, the tall trees, and the long shadows they cast,
I felt very small realizing the expanse of nature and our world.
And it reminded me of a quote from a sweet little book I just read
and have been itching to share, because I think about it every day now.
If I got to talk to
me when I was little.
I’m not sure who
would be smarter.
Little me telling me
what not to forget.
Or bigger me telling
little me ‘if only I’d
known.’
What do you think? Which one of you is smarter?
Colleen is also a blogger, who shares little bits of insanely insightful wisdom with simple, adorable illustrations that really draw you in. Check her out at The Chatter Blog.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Dill Pickle Soup
Dill Pickle Soup.
Have you heard of it?!
This was something new and intriguing to me when mentioned by a friend on Facebook who said she was making it because she was coming down with a cold.
I couldn’t get it out of my mind, and I finally made it this past week.
O M G!
What have I been missing?!?!
As far as I can tell, this recipe was originally posted on The Noble Pig several years ago, and I totally missed it.
It is a wonderful combination of tart, sour, salty pickles and creamy potato soup. It reminds me of a delicious potato dish we’ve eaten at a local favorite restaurant that combines potatoes and cheese and pickles.
What a great comfort food recipe!
What a wonderful flavorful, warm meal in a bowl.
I can’t wait to hear if you’ve heard of it or if you are going to try it.
I tweaked it up a bit by adding a few more potatoes (especially some small gold, red, and purple ones to add color and texture).
Here is how I made it.
Dill Pickle Soup
Ingredients:
- 6 cups chicken broth (I use 6 cups water and 6 tsp. chicken base)
- 2 lbs potatoes (large potatoes peeled and quartered or small yellow, red, and purple potatoes halved – I used a combination of all)
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped dill pickes
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups dill pickle juice
- 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions:
In a large pot, combine chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, and butter. Bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Add chopped pickles, and continue to boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sour cream, and water, making a paste. Vigorously whisk paste into soup, small portions at a time, breaking up lumps. Add pickle juice, Old Bay Seasoning, pepper and cayenne. Cook 5 more minutes to incorporate.
Soup is now ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Christmas Light Reflections after Braving the Wilderness
Conneaut Lake, PA Christmas Light Tour on the Barbara J
Christmas Light Reflections after Braving the Wilderness.
This past weekend was a gathering of The Best Book Club Ever, where we talked about one of my newest favorite books, “Braving the Wilderness” by Brene Brown.
So I already told you how much I love this book. Remember?
I couldn’t wait for our book club discussion about it, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it empowered. It really connected me with a special group of family and friends in a meaningful way.
There is so much I could say about it…
About how I connected right from the start when Brene talked about “not belonging” to her own family.
This paragraph sucked me in:
“Even in the context of suffering—poverty, violence, human rights violations—not belonging in our families is still one of the most dangerous hurts. That’s because it has the power to break our heart, our spirit, and our sense of self-worth. It broke all three for me. And when those things break, there are only three outcomes, something I’ve borne witness to in my life and in my work: 1. You live in constant pain and seek relief by numbing it and/or inflicting it on others; 2. You deny your pain, and your denial ensures that you pass it on to those around you and down to your children; or 3. You find the courage to own the pain and develop a level of empathy and compassion for yourself and others that allows you to spot hurt in the world in a unique way. I certainly tried the first two. Only through sheer grace did I make my way to the third.”
But there is so much more…
About authenticity, vulnerability…
and dehumanization.
About the paradox of things like love, the NRA, politics and religion (just to name a few).
And though there was and always will be great differences in opinion among the group on these important issues and values, everyone respectfully listened to each other share, and we grew closer for it.
So after three or four hours of powerfully connecting conversation and breakthroughs in belonging, our gang bundled up in parkas, knit hats and woolen mittens and boarded the infamous Barbara J Paddle Wheel Boat on Conneaut Lake to set sail at 10pm and spend an hour touring the lake and the homes surrounding it lit up with Christmas trees and colorful lights.
25 degrees. Snow flurries. Dark night. Bright lights. Even brighter spirits.
These are my Christmas light reflections after Braving the Wilderness.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Christmas Spaceship in Mars
Christmas Spaceship in Mars.
You know you are living in Mars
when the town square – tiny as it is –
has a space ship
completed decked out in
Christmas lights
in December.
It’s the little things
that make life special…
that make your little place in the world unique.
Cherish them.
Cherish the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
At Sunrise Each Day
Backyard Sunrise, Mars, PA – December, 2017
At Sunrise Each Day.
Your luminous rays
wake me from slumber.
Disturbing my dreams
and coaxing my eyes open.
But how can I deny
the bright, shining gift you bring.
Renewal and promise
at sunrise each day.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 