lately.

our journey has taken us miles from the place we currently call home, with some areas not favorited but even those places have beauty if one looks closely. the pictures below are a coddiwomple selection of our favorites to date. we’re in the great state of Texas with a prime “camp spot” in the backyard of our dear friend Wendy. she has exciting happenings in her very near future and we’re thrilled to spend a tich of time before they commence. she’s a dear. 

this is the church on the grounds

of the magnolia “empire.”

and this is our present view at

Hogg Creek Retreat,

Wendy’s home. 

springtime in Waco. 

not a bad view... 

silos showcasing spring bloom..

lemon lavender cuppiecake 

my second visit to magnolia, the first being three years previous celebrating my 60th birthday with my sweet sister Shirley. next month is my 63rd. the hubs too. 

thanks to harvest host we overnighted on a cattle ranch. there was one other camper on site with whom we shared our dinner and good conversation. 

oodles of pictures have been snapped, the above but a sampling. a full week in of an extended trip here and there and nearly everywhere or so it seems. 

... and we’ve miles to go ...

“then you will know which way to go,

since you have never been this

way before.” Joshua 3:4a

 

perhaps yes.

 

.

"It is perhaps the harder and the wiser: 

to know not when to pursue things, 

but when to open the hands 

& lay things we love down. 

God, help us."

~Lisa Whittle~

"I took the stones 

that had been

hurled at me 

and built an altar . 

There, I gave thanks 

to the One who, 

through it all, 

never left my side." 

~Dean Jackson~

.....

.

{pics property of sherry :: acoddiwomplelife.blogspot.com}

coffee's brewing.

about a week ago

temporary clear skies gave way to fresh fallen

snow of the best kind :: powder!

i took a video but blogger isn't allowing

me to upload the footage so a still is offered below

of our front yard at the start of the storm.

it's overcast today with intermittent howling

wind and chilly temps and rain drops..

gorgeous weather.

two days ago i assembled a large pan of lasagna,

covering and placing it in the fridge 24 hours

so the flavors could properly meld before baking

which happened yesterday afternoon.

i make lasagna different most every time

and sometimes it turns out simply "ho-hum."

not this one though. it's beyond delish.

i saved this recipe in my noggin.

i should write it down, huh?

we're having lasagna again tonight with

the remainder going into the deep freeze

for a later date when i don't feel much

like cooking. there are days. wink.

the broccoli turned out just as delish

as the lasagna. bring water to a rolling 

boil then immerse the broccoli.

after three minutes drain and plate.

the color remains vibrant and

the texture is perfection.

easy peasy.

we're on a nearly continual roll of watching home

restoration shows, our favorite being *ReStORed*

with brett waterman. he's a historical restoration expert

focusing on homes mainly in the inland empire

of california - primarily redlands, california

(where my family and the hubs family moved in '68). 

redlands boasts a large'ish number of historical properties .. 

it's a joy to view them in their restored state

after brett waterman does his magic!

*

 while we love eating at the dinner table

like civilized people, ahem,

often you'll find us having dinner

sitting on the couch using our vintage

military locker / coffee table as a plate surface

or a place to rest our feet while

our plates are on our laps.

this particular night the setting

was photo worthy .. or so i thought.

{c.s.lewis}

 "one road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness."

"there are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

.we're planning another trip.

one does not go on vacation when one is retired.

one goes on a trip when one is retired.

we were tutored in this truth by the hubs oldest brother.

we're members of Harvest Hosts so traveling from point-a

to point-b and dotting in between often finds us staying

overnight at a farm, orchard, winery, museum etc.

a self-contained trailer, 5th wheel or motorhome is required.

you're encouraged to make a purchase in the gift shop

as a thank you for the beautiful overnight 

spot in which you're staying.

should one not consume wine or such, one can

purchase honey or a pretty hand towel 

or olive oil or balsamic vinegar or a myriad of possibilities.

many locations have food available so cooking

in your trailer isn't always a requirement while traveling

and you can share your thanks to your host by

purchasing dinner. and that's a treat!

in fact, there are plenty of HH locations

which are restaurants!

that said, i actually have been prepping meals

for our journey while making space

for an occasional breakfast or dinner out.

lately we've written down a few possibilities

from the DDD show with Guy Fieri.

our next trip has us staying overnight 

on the property of a museum

housing vintage airplanes. 

..a vintage air museum..

these are dotted

throughout the nation so we were thankful to find

one on the route we'll be traveling. the hubs especially

is looking forward to meandering through

the enormous buildings filled with WW2 aircraft. 

the anticipation is riveting! wink.

*

in other news, our fancy dancy kitchen-aid

pour-over coffee maker i sold my left kidney to

purchase has given up the ghost.

and i'm without a kidney. hmpfh.

.. moment of silence ..

so i did the unthinkable. seriously.

i bought a mrCoffee mini brew, a little 5-cupper .

it was delivered today.. after running through

a pot of water to clean it i brewed half a pot.

quite honestly i wasn't expecting much after

using the fancy dancy machine the past few

years. but you know what? it's good!

i stand humbled and corrected.

i'm looking forward to a morning cup

of liquid life .. best sipped in the dark with

twinklies offering a sparkle of light.

and just like that it's raining. 

snow's coming tonight and through

the night - it'll be the sloggy kind of snow. ugh.

i best skidaddle and warm up our dinner.

gentle hugs coming your way.

with love,

sherry

gathering(s) at table.

     

"bless the life that is sheltered here. 

grant that trust and peace and comfort abide within, 

and that love and life and usefulness 

may go out from this home forever." 

attributed to LadyBirdJohnson

*

there is a certain calm .. a coziness .. in gathering at the table of friends be the relationship long time or new. anticipating conversation - sharing from the nook of one's heart or talking turkey or a belly laugh or three. journeys taken in the last six months have found us at the table of family as well as friends who are like family and at each table was warmth for the soul and belly. a labor of love goes into preparing then sharing a meal - a delight for the taste buds certainly - always adding to the appreciation of dear friendships and family connection. how i wish we all lived closer and could gather at regular intervals. it all seems tooooo long of a while to wait for the next gathering. simply too long.

this last sunday found us at the table in the home of new to us friends from church. everything described above wove its way into our time together, drawing us closer - with a sigh at having to part at the end of the day. there aren't enough minutes in an hour or hours in a day. have you also found this to be true?

here's a quick view of the table - post dinner and dessert, continuing to enjoy our second cups of coffee and soaking rays of sunshine. the guys went one way, the gals another, as we continued sharing life. this gal is a quilter, in case you weren't able to determine that based on the picture. and more than that she does handiwork in many forms. each of my heart-friends is gifted in varied ways:

handiwork, cuisine, design, gardening, hospitality

and sometimes all the above as ministry.

to be in their company is the greatest of gifts.

"in the quiet, unhurried atmosphere, 

wholesome and inspiring conversation 

can linger on through dessert 

and well into our 

second cup of coffee." 

~RC

*

"savory smells were in the air; 

on the crane hung steaming kettles, 

and down among the red embers, 

copper saucepans simmered, 

all suggestive of some approaching feast." 

LouisaMayAlcott

*

from my own kitchen a simple breakfast

using ripe tomato slices, olive oil, garlic,

cracked pepper, dried parsley,

with a spread of ricotta

on homemade toasted bread.

alongside a cutie orange.

it was simple.

satisfying.

delicious.

with love,

.sherry.