Cheesy Delight

July 14th is National Macaroni and Cheese Day. Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference is hosting Poetry Friday with an optional Mac-N-Cheese theme thanks to Diane Mayr for suggesting the idea. I decided to jump into the mixing bowl and find the cheesiest, creamiest, healthiest mac and cheese ensemble to grace my table. I turned to Chocolate Covered Katie who has been "voted the #1 blog for healthy comfort food recipes." Sure enough, Katie created a healthy, cheesy dish that sounds delicious, Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese. You can read the recipe here.

When my daughter was a child, she always asked my mother for grilled cheese. Macaroni and cheese was a favorite too. 

Today, I might think differently about a diet of cheese, now that I am a new grandmother.

Conversation

Lunch please-

gooey mac and cheese!

                                                                                        Healthy choice-

                                                                                        hear my voice.

Mac and cheese-

hurry please.

                                                                                        Mac, cheese,

                                                                                        spinach agrees.

Golden delight-

not green fright.

                                                                                       Give it a try

                                                                                       Do not cry.

Now enjoy reading Kenn Nesbitt's humorous poem, 
I'm Not Picky - A Funny Food Poem for Kids.

The next thing to do is try this delightful comfort food recipe. 

Winter Enters

I start the day reflecting about winter as I begin to take down the holiday decorations. While winter sits softly on a ground of snow in literature and in many spots across the United States, I muse about the bareness of what I see outside. These thoughts of mine are triggered by the removal of the Christmas decorations. While this act brings a bit of sadness to a house that was lit by glowing lights, it also carries with it a sense of expectancy, of what is to come in a new year. 

Before beginning the process, I pause and listen. There is a gentle quiet to the day. A solitary bird flutters among the trees and the sun shines. The world outside is silent as I begin to write in between the day's tasks. Winter has arrived as a bare landscape but the radiator purrs generating heat to warm the chill. Now, on to the task of storing away my Christmas memories ...

Recently, I saw the above mannequin draped in real fir branches in a display. I captured the image and decided to digitalize the photo to become the backdrop for a micropoem. I imagined this lovely lady as a herald of winter, fit to grace any department store window. She is ready to pay tribute to winter and soon to announce a new winter gallery but first, in anticipation, please review last year's collection, Winter Whisperings. 

It is time to visit Tabatha Yeatts' site, The Opposite of Indifference, for today's Poetry Friday treats.

Beaching

To those who love a summer day, the south shore Long Island beaches that I frequent are special places of beauty. While there are many on Long Island, Jones Beach State Park has been renowned as a getaway destination since it opened in 1929. Designed by Robert Moses it became the mecca for summer beach going on Long Island for the middle class. 

www.jonesbeach.org

While I never grew up in this area I often heard of the beauty of the 6.5 miles of white sand beaches that stretched along the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing is believing though. As a young bride, I moved to Long Beach from central New York to my husband's once bachelor apartment at the shore. Most of my family's growing up years were spent at Long Beach and Malibu Beach but recently we have frequented Jones Beach to savor summer moments.

This summer, the beach has been the backdrop for many relaxing moments. Each day that I travel to the beach I am rewarded. Light from the sky intersects the ocean reflecting like jewels across the sea. Frothy waves surge and splash on their way to shore causing children to laugh with glee. Bathers tiptoe to the ocean for their first wave or body jump in depending on how brave they are. Tents are pitched, umbrellas poised as shelters from the sun's rays, and beach blankets of bright hues line the shore. For those who love the ocean, beaching is a favorite pastime on Long Island. 

Ode to the Sea
Pablo Neruda

HERE
Surrounding the island
There's sea.
But what sea?
It's always overflowing.
Says yes,
Then no,
Then no again,
And no,
Says yes
In blue
In sea spray
Raging.
Says no
And no again.
It can't be still.
It stammers
My name is sea.

Read the rest of the poem here.

For your pleasure you can listen to Beyond the Sea as you view stunning photos of the beach.

I am in the process of collecting combined poetry and photograph offerings 

for the global gallery of artistic expressions, Summer Splashings,

that I am creating. You can access the information here.

Now travel to Tabatha Yeatts' site at The Opposite of Indifference for the Poetry Friday Round-up. Tabatha kicks off today's Poetry Friday with a humorous true-story poem.  

Winter Whisperings Calling to Me

This week, winter graced Long Island with biting cold and snowy drops that patterned their flight with the grace of a ballerina on stage. White flakes moved to and fro before stepping lightly on earth. As the steady stream approached, the flakes settled creating a soft white setting for little feet to tip toe through. It all appeared so serene as I listened in silence from my windowed perch.  

Thought #1

Snow dances in patterns. I watch its flight.

As dreamers wander and writers write.

Thought #2

With a writer's eye,

staring upon street corners 

of partial winter white, 

I reflect in the light:

Help me find the perfect swatch

to color a world of winter watch.

Thought #3

May winter call to you as it enters each locale. From the blustery sub-zero states to the warmth of the southern exposures, winter greets all of us in a variety of ways. Let it speak to you and provide a perspective unique to your region. From its call the Winter Whisperings Gallery of Artistic Expressions will arise. Please join me this season to showcase winter as a season for listening to the callings of nature as it surrounds us in its varied colors of winter white. In the above image, winter is lit by the radiance of the sun reflecting upon the snow. Wih the assistance of photo editing tools I was able to emphasize the "snowsun." 

You can access information about the gallery at last week's Poetry Friday offering here.

With winter winds calling me this morning, 

I ask you to journey over to Tabatha Yeatts: The Opposite of Indifference

 as she hosts the Poetry Friday Round-up.

Her offering of William Carlos Williams' poem, Winter Trees, 

is the perfect entrance for my post.