The Garden
The colors, the textures, the real organic flavors…the miracle of all the beautiful edible plants found of this earth that are right here for the taking. Each plant providing different nutrients, creating a delicate balance, perfect for keeping our bodies nourished and in good health. Truly magical when you really stop & think about it!
From a friend’s organic garden this morning…love!
The Candy Store
When we were young, my cute friend often invited me to her parents’ cabin in Iron Springs. A charming area in Prescott, AZ that seemed to turn back the clock… think Mayberry. But to a kid, it was simply a fun place to explore and …just be a kid! I remember the car ride on my first visit … my friend giving me the lowdown on what fun we were about to have… “and then there is the candy store”, she told me, “where you can get any kind of candy you want!”
With piggy bank change in our pockets, we would venture out for the day. Our outings included: rock climbing, collecting nature‘s treasures for craft projects, swinging on the playset and of course, visiting the local Iron Springs Store, which the young visitors appropriately named, “The Candy Store”. Jolly Ranchers and Pixy Stix were among the favorites. After carefully selecting the sweet treats for the day, out the screen door we would fly to the old train caboose located close by. This was our hideout, a place to giggle and eat tons of candy without the grown-ups around. Those were sweet & carefree days!
As I grew older, the candy store became the art store and just like that nostalgic place in the pines, this store has me gathering sweet treats, like yummy paint colors, velvety paintbrushes & beautiful blank canvases. I often think of those days in Iron Springs with my cute friend and the joy that down-to-earth place brought to our young lives… the wildly free feeling of creating our day as we traveled along the dirt path daydreaming and simply just being… the same feeling that comes over the grown-up me when visiting the art supply store and then taking that first brushstroke on a fresh canvas….in my studio, my hideaway … just being & painting, sometimes until dawn.
♥️, Jana
Watercolor by: Ann McEachron
The Strength In Tenderness
What does it mean, to be strong? This world can be harsh, not fair, not right. Life can hurt, be rough, be tough…it can toss us around a bit. Does this mean we have to put on a coat of armor to navigate it? Do we have to conform to contently live in it? Do we have to put up a front, change who we are, to get along in it?
Can strength and tenderness coexist? I believe the answer is, yes….I believe strength and tenderness are one in the same and I believe tenderness of the heart is the greatest strength there is!
♥️, Jana
Message From A Tortilla
When a coconut cassava tortilla with a dash of sea salt sends love your way…it‘s a sign!
♥️, Jana
Good Friends, Zinc Oxide & A Bikini
It was the summer of 1978 and was the place to be for an Arizona teenager on a sunny, hot AZ day! It was an oasis in the desert, jam-packed with teenage sunbathers and surfers. It was Big Surf…in the middle of nowhere, in Tempe, Arizona!
What seemed to be the longest line ever, we would wait impatiently with summer pass in hand. Once inside the gates, we were always greeted by the waft of Hawaiian Tropic and greasy french fries, perfectly adding to this desert beach ambience. Burning our feet on the toasty sand, my girlfriends and I would search for the best spot to place our towels in order to catch ultimate rays. Achieving just the right angle was important to maximize uniform tans… as the sun shifted, so did we! The boombox was tuned-in to 98KUPD, zinc oxide applied perfectly on the nose and bikinis adjusted to minimize tan lines….we were set! And there we would stay, for hours, watching the surfers and checking out the hunky lifeguards from behind our Ray-Bans. We would occasionally dip our feet into the water or take a ride down the water slide to cool off.
After a long day relaxing on this AZ beach, now glowing from the sun, we would stuff our towels into our lockers and throw on a sundress, a little mascara and head over to the after party, dancing the night away under the summer night sky to the greatest music ever!
Big Surf has had a great run since opening their doors in October of 1969. Thanks for the totally awesome memories, Big Surf … you brought endless good times to Arizona kids over the years, providing a fun and safe place for us teenagers to hang out during our long hot summers! The company of good friends, zinc oxide & a bikini sprinkled with a beautiful summer day, good tunes & people watching is all we needed to have a total summertime blast!
♥️, Jana
Postcard by Petley Studios Inc.
Life Is Art
I love this quote by Helena Bonham Carter. As I reflect upon what she writes here, I think about all that I experience in my day-to-day, focusing on being in the moment and cherishing the precious gift of life…even something as simple as observing the steam rising from a cup of tea or the warm smile from a passerby. Life is truly art and the more I be still & tune in, the more this becomes evident. The close observance of life…a beautiful gift to the soul & to the world!
♥️, Jana
“Auld Lang Syne”
“Auld Lang Syne” translated to English literally means “old long since” or simpler yet, “old times” or “the olden days”.
What does this song mean and why do we listen to and attempt to sing it on New Year’s Eve? It may seem like a complicated tune, but it is simple, really. This Scottish derived song synonymous with New Year’s Eve, as the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, is about old friends.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
“Should old acquaintance be forgot” is a rhetorical question. The song comes to the conclusion that old acquaintances should not be forgotten but remembered & celebrated. It is about reconnecting with old friends and thinking about old times.
And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp
And surely I’ll be mine
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne
This scene in the movie, “When Harry Met Sally” explains this song perfectly, simply and sweetly. Happy New Year dear friends! May 2022 bring much joy, happiness, the blessing of friendships & beautiful memories!
♥️, Jana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpW1lccxogQ
Love Is….
This darling little book has been with me since childhood & to this day sits on my nightstand, reminding me of what love truly is…the tattered pages continuing to bring joy. What I have learned from this sweet little book is that love is a deep appreciation. A deep appreciation for the beauty all around us, within ourselves and within others. Love is caring unconditionally, speaking kindly, listening intently & giving big warm hugs. Love is respecting one another, nature and the precious animals that live among us. Love is kind, it is sharing thoughts or helping someone in need. Love is the warm feeling that comes over you when thinking of that special someone. Love fills the heart and soul … once you feel it, the heart never forgets…that beautiful and sweet emotion, we call “love“, takes-up residence in the heart and lives there forever & ever.
“Love is a happy feeling that stays in your heart for the rest of your life” ~ Joan Walsh Anglund, Love Is A Special Way Of Feeling.
♥️Jana
Don’t Forget
“Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life ~ music, paintings, theatre, dance and sunsets.” ~Eric Carle
♥️Jana
The Tunnel
On a recent bike ride, I rode through my favorite tunnel. At the end, a great, light-filled view appears, reminding me that the journey through life is similar. The saying, “the light at the end of the tunnel” seems to hold true …. while there may be challenges and darkness along the way, the light always prevails.
As I continue to ride through life, I have come to realize how important it is to recognize both the dark & the light-filled moments, as it is along the way where the most beautiful growth occurs. We will continue to ride through tunnels our entire life here on this earth, leaving it up to us how we view the journey. As we travel and then arrive, we have gained experience & grown, realizing we made it through once again! The light perhaps, may not be as bright as we had hoped at times, but we made it and we learned!
My thoughts on this beautiful Wednesday … life is like a tunnel…. a beautiful, messy, rewarding, eye-opening, glorious, heartbreaking, challenging, lovely, bumpy, incredible, light-filled… ride!
♥️Jana
