be still and look at life.

be still and look at life., originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

I have said it time and again, and it remains as true today as it always has been and always will: there is so much beauty in life.

If we don't take the time, every now and then, to look at the bigger picture, we lose track of our humanity. We become too focused on our "to-do lists."
So, how do we look at the bigger picture?
By paying attention to the little things.

There are numerous stories of how cancer survivors have a bigger flair for life after their battle than they ever did before. I have read about someone whose mother was in the hospital, fighting for her life, but this person noticed a little yellow flower growing in the crack of the hospital sidewalk when they were out taking a break.

I don't think we should have to have a tragedy happen to us before we appreciate the beauty of the world.

Here I am, waxing on and on about appreciating life, and some would think that it has nothing to do with the photo associated with it.

...well, you're right, it has not much to do with nature.
This photograph is the inside of the old chicken coop. It has since been designated a storage shed. The hay on the ground is part of the chicken coop remnants, but nature has done her part, too. Since the predatory chickens have departed, mice, spiders, and wasps and other insects have made their way in here. (This is typical of any outside storage building in the country, especially those that were built in the 1950's.)

I appreciate the distressed, damaged look that this place has acquired.

quiet at-home moments.

quiet at-home moments., originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

There is nothing quite like a quiet moment at home.
Some of my favorite moments are the ones that happen when I wake up first, when the tea is heating up in the kettle, the dogs are outside, and I am alone. Don't misunderstand me; I love my boyfriend. I love spending time with me. ...but I also love finding my center every morning. I love having fifteen or thirty minutes to myself, to clear my mind and not think about anything.

That's not what I was trying to capture here, though dishes in a sink very much encapsulates the idea of "home."
No, here I was trying to memorialize the mundane, which can be just as beautiful as the extraordinary.

Phew!

Looking back over my blog, it seems like I post a lot of recipes, huh? =)

...okay, I admit it: I do post a lot of recipes. At least I never post anything that I haven't eaten. 

I know I need to get better on my food styling and props and whatnot. That will come. Having chairs in the kitchen that do not have rollers might be a help, too. o.o 

(And once we are in our own place, completely stocked with our own dishes and utensils, that will make it easier, too.)

I would love to get better at object, room, and food photography. Those are my goals.
I would also love to get better at photographing people, too, but those opportunities are not as plentiful as the opportunities for photographing food, nature, and objects. (Unfortunately.)

I am looking forward to a re-do of that Florida-Bahamas trip in a week and a half. (Two weeks from now, actually, I'll be on a cruise ship heading back for port.)

I just hope that life doesn't change as dramatically when we get back, as it did in May. o.o
No, thank you: I am not going through that again. Not for a long time.

As far as photo news goes, I have expanded to a few other sites than just the ones linked to on here. I will update them shortly.
I am looking forward to a set/series of photos that are suitable to hang in a kitchen. (And no, they're not of food!)
I am about to wrap up the tree series I've been doing. At least for this year. I've considered doing a monthly thing, instead of every three months, but things are so up in the air right now, that I don't know if I'll be in the area anymore. Heck, come May, I could be in Denver, Fort Collins, or somewhere out of state!

I look forward to being able to blog more frequently. I'm not sure what my readers want to read about, if anything in particular, but I will blab along anyway. The randomness seems to be working just fine so far.
If there are any questions you have, or anything you'd like to read about, please let me know via comment or email, and I will oblige. (So long as they are not obscene.)
Thanks! 

Pork Chops with Spaghetti

Pork Chops with Spaghetti, originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

I love it when he makes this. =)

From the Colorado Cache Cookbook, with a few changes.
Makes 4 servings.

3 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon rosemary
4 pork chops, 1 inch thick, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound spaghetti

Melt butter with olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add garlic, pepper, and red pepper.
Sprinkle rosemary on pork chops then brown chops slowly in the skillet. Add tomatoes, parsley and salt. Cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until tender. Cook the spaghetti and drain. Place servings of spaghetti on individual plates and top with the pork chops and tomatoes, adding extra sauce where desired. Top with Parmesan cheese, if you so desire.

Jake's Vaunted Fried Chicken

Vaunted Fried Chicken, originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

My boyfriend has been trying to perfect his friend chicken recipe ever since we moved in.
We have it about once a month or so, and each time it has been variations on a theme.

Monday, September 19th, I think he perfected it.

We usually use strictly chicken drumsticks, as we like the legs the most, but I'm pretty sure that any part of the chicken will work. Cooking times may need adjusted, but if you've been baking chickens for a while, then you'll know how long to cook them.

You'll need:
a skillet
olive oil
vegetable oil
2 bowls
flour
soul seasoning
Panko (or bread crumbs)
a baking sheet wrapped in foil

First, preheat your oven to 425.
Put the olive oil and vegetable oil in the skillet; let it get hot while you prep the chicken. (Make sure there is about twice as much vegetable oil as there is olive oil.)
Then, put some flour into a bowl. Add Panko to the second bowl. Add 1Tbsp soul seasoning to each bowl; mix well.
Next, rub some soul seasoning right on the chicken.
Coat the chicken in the soul-seasoning-and-flour bowl.
Cook the coated chicken in the hot oil in the skillet, just so the coat gets nice and brown. (You're not aiming for fowl doneness, just a nice cripsy coat.)
Take the chicken right from the skillet and coat it in the Panko bowl, then give it another quick fry, to set the coating.
Pop it in the oven for an hour.
Serve with whatever you like to eat with fried chicken. (I recommend Jiffy cornbread muffins -they were delicious- and a veggie.) Great with a chilled glass of milk. (Or your favorite brew.)

fuzzy fall fellow

fuzzy fall fellow, originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

I look forward to autumn, each and every year that it's around. This is especially true ever since I've seen my world through the viewfinder.
(Those who have been following me for a while have heard me say that picking up a camera changed the way I view things, and that is very true. I will not stop saying; I cannot. )
This year I have been looking forward to autumn for more than just her beauty: the temperatures were horrible this summer. (It's even worse when your house is not much more than a glorified tin can lacking a proper cooling element.)
But, ever since September started, the temperatures have been wonderful. Enough warm days to remind me that my beloved summer is still (officially) here, and cool nights to require a second blanket. I'd say my favorite seasons are the transitional ones. Summer has my favorite light, and my favorite nights, but fall and spring are temperate throughout, and I appreciate that.

light of another day

light of another day, originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

I feel words buzzing beneath the surface of my skin, making my fingertips tingle.
...but none of them surface, as they are still wandering in the silencing fog of sleep.

...can you tell I just woke up? =D

Every morning I wake up, my body is still tired, but my mind is restless. (Maybe it's because I always have 999,547 things on my to-do list every day. I try to stay busy. It doesn't always work. Notice I said "try.")

This school year is my last at the community college I've attended since May 2009. I expect to graduate in May 2012 with an Associate of Liberal Arts degree that can be applied toward anything.

...only, I don't know what to apply it toward.
I have some ideas. Some important people have given me guidance over the last month.

I just want to do it all. I want to be a teacher, a writer, a photographer, a stay-at-home-mom, an artisan who hits up craft shows and makes money that way, a massage therapist, a store operator, a barista, a chef....
Maybe that's my problem. I want to wear too many hats.

Is it a blessing? Is it a curse? Only time will tell.

Soup and Crackers

Soup and Crackers, originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

I love that it is getting to be that time of year when soups and stews are on the menu regularly.

I could eat them year round (and some soups I do eat year-round, just not on a regular basis), but the rest of the world always looks at me like I'm crazy.

Usually, when I make tomato soup, I fix an entire can of Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup for myself, mixing milk in with it.
...and then I take crackers and crumble them up in the soup until the right consistency is reached. (In this case, I used the entire package of crackers. Or, 1/4 the total cracker carton.)

...but I don't like chowders?

Weather here today: cloudy, breezy at times, chance of rain, temperatures in the 70s. (In other words: beautiful.)

I hope my fellow Americans had a great Labor Day yesterday.
(And I hope the rest of the world had a great September 5th yesterday.)