Photography

Into the Woods

/ Jodi / 47 Comments
Into the Woods in our Backyard June 25, 2017 Mars, PA

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

*Transient

Sometimes I Wonder

/ Jodi / 19 Comments
Goldfinch and Grosbeak at the feeder - Mars, PA - June, 2017

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

Cloud Thoughts

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

Cloud Thoughts.

Do you ever wonder
if clouds look down on us
and say,

“Hey!
That one is shaped
like a puffer fish!”
-or-
“That one looks like a
Scottish terrier!”

(which is, by the way, what I see in these clouds…    go figure!!)

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

How do you say “Thank You?”

/ Jodi / 37 Comments
Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA - June, 2017

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

*Focus

Caught in the Net

/ Jodi / 48 Comments
Caught in the Net - Fishing Net in Black & White - Lake Arthur - May 2017

Caught in the Net – Fishing Net in Black & White – Lake Arthur – May 2017

Caught in the Net.

I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?

― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

 

A good question to ask ourselves at the end of each day … “Have I done well?”

And if not…  tomorrow is  another day.

Keep on trying.

Be caught in the net of good.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Rainbow of Umbrellas

/ Jodi / 31 Comments

A Rainbow of Umbrellas Shading the Sunshine at Pittsburgh Three Rivers Arts Festival - June 2017

A Rainbow of Umbrellas Shading the Sunshine at Pittsburgh Three Rivers Arts Festival – June 2017

A Rainbow of Umbrellas.

May the shelter you seek
from sunshine or rain
be as bright and cheerful
as this canopy of colorful umbrellas.

And may you always remember
even the most beautiful flowers
need both sunshine and rain
to bloom and grow!

Cheers & Hugs in Rain or Shine,
Jodi

#Pittsburgh #ThreeRiversArtsFestival
P.S. Got lucky and spent a beautiful sunny day at our local arts festival Saturday with a couple of my favorite girls.  The festival is sadly known for bringing the rain every year, and it has been living up to its reputation ever since. Poor vendors. Bring on the sunshine!

Brilliant Bird Banter

/ Jodi / 39 Comments
Purple Finch - Mars, PA June 2017

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

/ Jodi / 26 Comments
The House by the Lake in Black and White Nostalgia - Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park - May 2017

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

/ Jodi / 41 Comments

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

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

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

#Reflecting