icicles glistening and dripping from the back of our house 1/31/15
Freeze, Thaw, Melt, Drip, Repeat
weekly photo challenge
Oh Deer!
Living surrounded by woods is such a nice way to share our home with the beauty and the beasts nature provides.
I think this girl is beautiful as she prances along the edge of the woods and our yard.
Our furry son, on the other hand, thinks these “beasts” need shooed away and makes it his mission to bark and chase and keep them out of “Mikey’s yard.”
So while Mikey was barking and acting tough and big and ferocious (to no avail!), I grabbed my camera and caught a shot of this girl in the shadows of the woods yesterday…..
and I told Mikey we are allowed to share our home with her… (I just wish she wouldn’t eat my hostas!)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
New
This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is ‘New.’
So why strawberries you might be are probably asking?!
Well – I got a new camera, a new lens (telephooooooootooo!), a new (my first first) tripod, and a new (another FIRST!) light box between Christmas and my birthday, and I couldn’t wait to play with them after the holiday festivities had settled down.
I set things up on Saturday, and I played…. With my breakfast…
and with my lunch 🙂
Another new…. went to the gym in between breakfast and lunch 🙂
And trying to eat healthier too! Another new. (But I assure you I will still be baking and sharing!)
I know – it all sounds so cliche! Everyone starts diet and exercise routines this time of year… But you have to start sometime! And maybe publicly discussing it will help hold me more accountable… 😐
Hope you enjoy these new pictures.
Happy NEW Year!
Cheers & Old Hugs,
Jodi
Warmth: @ 51.364
Weekly Photo Challenge: Warmth
Warmth…. Awwwwhhh…. Such a cozy thought this time of year as we begin Winter and prepare for the coldest months of the year here on in Mars.
There’s nothing like curling up on the couch under a fleece blanket by the glow of candlelight and a crackling fire – especially during the holidays with the twinkling reflection of Christmas tree lights adding additional warmth to the living room. Add a nice glass of dry red wine – maybe 7 Deadly Zins or a nice Cab – or maybe even a stiff Bombay and tonic with a twist of lime or a glass of sweet syrupy Port or some brandy over ice (oops – I digress!).
We were talking about warmth – right? (that’s this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge).
All of this is such a lovely scenario until IT hits….
Most women out there 45 years + likely know what I’m talking about….
The family is sitting together all snuggly – watching TV, reading, looking at our computers/iPhones/iPads – and IT happens all of the sudden – out of nowhere.
My face becomes flush from the neck up, the fleece gets thrown off, the ceiling fan goes on, and I say (every single time – completely shocked and surprised – as if it were the first):
“Is it HOT in here or is it just me?”
Warmth is an understatement when IT hits!
But then, usually in less than 2 or 3 minutes, IT is gone. The blanket gets pulled back up, another log on the fire, another sip of…..
Oh the joy of HOT flashes as I celebrate life,
New Year’s Eve,
and my (GULP!) 52nd birthday…
Today! 🙂
Warm Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS Why 51.364?
Well, unless you are reading this close to midnight on 12/31/14, I am still 51 – and hanging on to it as long as I can…
According to ancient folklore, I was born very close to midnight – almost 1/1/63 – – – 8 minutes or 12 minutes or something close to that.
So, I’m much closer to 52 for my Australian friends than my Martian friends.
But really – 51 – 52 – what’s the difference really?! Especially when IT hits!
Twinkle
See the light
in others,
and treat
them as if
that is all
you see.
– Dr. Wayne Dyer
Weekly Photo Challenge: Twinkle
Cheers & Bright Twinkly Hugs,
Jodi
Weekly Photo Challenge: Minimalist
Descent – Weekly Photo Challenge
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction
This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is Refraction.
The instructions said: For this photo challenge, show us what “refraction” means to you. It could be an image taken in a reflective surface, it could be light bent from behind an object, or it could mean remedial math homework.
So can you tell what this is?
Some of you might recognize it from this post.
I thought this photo pretty much embodied refraction of light in reflection and the way it is ‘bent’ in the ripples of water behind our boat from the sunset on the lake.
And even if it doesn’t, I kinda like this photo, and it brings back memories of this lovely evening. 🙂
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Oh the Web we Weave – wwMc8
Spider Web, Conneaut Lake, PA
This spider web caught my eye on my early Sunday morning walk down to the lake.
The thick and heavy morning dew dangled precariously in droplets that would soon disappear on the delicate threads of this web that daintily makes its home between the fence post pickets.
It reminds me of the fragility of life and the crazy webs we so often weave.
I love that having my camera with me causes me to take special notice of things I might otherwise overlook and nudges me to ponder deep and reflective thoughts.
Photography is so much more than just taking pictures. It’s about observing life, sharing unique views (literally and figuratively), evoking emotions… It is art.
I dream of being an artist of life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Dreamy – Weekly Photo Challenge – wwMc7
My WordPress friend, Barbara at Silver in the Barn, has been encouraging me to join in on the fun at the WordPress Daily Post Photo Challenge. Feeling a bit intimidated to enter my extremely amateur photos, I’m stepping out and just doing it.
This week’s challenge theme is Dreamy: A misty morning, your handsome spouse, your grandmother’s house that’s also your elementary school and the Eiffel Tower — this week, show us something dreamy.
Well – after waking up early Sunday morning at Conneaut Lake after Saturday’s Krautfest, I couldn’t resist taking a walk down to the lake and snapping some photos of the “dreamy” fog while the sun was trying to break through for what ended up to be a gorgeous Fall day. I’m so glad I captured this, because it didn’t last long. I sat on the dock and got a very cold and wet bum, but it was such a dreamy few moments as I remembered the day before, thought about the day to come (celebrating my oldest son’s birthday), and simply cherishing the moment.
My “walk with my camera” (#wwMc) sure led me to a dreamy place for this week’s challenge. And interestingly, as I look at this photo, I want to mention it was not taken in black and white or edited as such, this is the natural shot “in color.” It was that foggy, and taking the shot into the sunrise created the silhouettes. Not sure what all the technical terms are. I’ll be learning some day….
Thanks for the nudge, Barbara. You’ve been such a great encourager all along. I truly appreciate you. (check out her awesome blog and photos!)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 