Stepping Into October

So we are now stepping into October. Around here it feels like we have passed fall and moved on closer to winter. No, we don't have snow yet, but rain and more rain and with that colder temperatures. I'm not complaining, as I do prefer to put on an extra layer instead of being so hot.

These pictures are from the end of August, so the scenery by now would look very different.

I like the Goldenrod, as those cheery yellow flowers stand tall among the grass.

This particular view of Lake Minniwasta just never grows old. This is not a large lake, but this view is spectacular, in my opinion.

Walking along the trails bordering the lake is a relaxing experience, filled with beautiful scenes.

Sometime the unexpected shows up. There are usually Double-crested Cormorants on the lake, but they don't stick around to have their picture taken. On this particular morning, I came upon a very cooperative Cormorant.

It's almost as if he or she was turning around and checking to see that I got a good view of him or her.

As I was about ready to turn around and head back to my car, I heard something. I froze, hoping to capture whoever it was. I found myself almost face to face with this White-tailed doe. She stared at me for a moment or two and slowly walked into the bush and I made my way back to my car.

Something To Think About:

If you feel like you're losing everything,

Remember that trees lose their leaves every year

And they still stand tall and wait 

For better days to come.

Sunshine to Clouds

Over the years I have gathered a lot of pictures. I keep them, because for one reason or the other I like them. When I share these pictures, I am trusting that someone else will like them as well.

This tree has been photographed at many different times and seasons. I love it's shape and that it stands alone, away from the competition. When you closely, it is actually a cluster of three trunks, but working together, they form one beautiful tree.

It comes as no surprise to any of my followers that I love watching the sky. It is an ever changing display. Some days the sunset is amazing and on some days there is other beauty.

I was out there hoping for a spectacular sunset, instead what happened is that I got spectacular cloud scenes.

These clouds were just amazing. Yes, they looked angry, but did not deliver any storms.

 As the sun was setting, the clouds just got a darker, more defined look to them. I was loving every minute of this.

Something To Think About:

Your faith in God today is your lifeline to His heartbeat.

Faith is the hand that reaches up and takes hold of God’s promises 

and gathers in the spiritual treasures that are found in Christ.

Faith sees the sunshine of God’s face,even when there are dark clouds all around.

Golden Fields

These pictures were taken about a month ago, around the middle of August.

These are common sights as I drive the country roads, looking for photo opportunities.

Around here, the big round straw bales are about all you see. No longer do the farmers use the smaller rectangular bales, like they used to.

I need to be honest here. Given a choice, I would rather have had a couple of John Deere combines on the field, but this is what I saw. I grew up with the green and yellow equipment and still like how it looks.

Each little kernel in that stock, has potential to either be used as food for humans or animals, or if the farmer chooses to plant it next year, it can increase many times over,

I am not a farmer so I know very little about the details, but I know what is pleasing to my eye.

Seeing these beautiful symmetrical swaths, gets my attention every time.

That is just a pretty sight in my eyes.It has a neatness about it, that I like.

In Closing:

Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home;

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin;

God our Maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied;

Come to God’s own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

A Buss Driver? Me? Number 4

This will be a lengthier post so get a beverage of choice and enjoy the ride.

All photos were taken at The English Gardens this past summer.

I should mention that these stories are told as they happened and in no way am I or other drivers making light of animal accidents when they happen,

The Rock Hound?

     A chosen career as a school bus driver will yield a variety of experiences as the years roll on.Some of these will be humorous, some frustrating and maybe a few downright sad..

   Students seem to be curious about the age of the driver. When one of the female drivers was asked about her age, she chose not to disclose this, but instead asked the students how old they thought she was. The guesses ranged anywhere from 17 -70 years of age. The driver was enjoying this time of playful interaction with the students when one little girl looked at her very seriously and made the following well thought out statement..

    

  “You know Mrs B you have only  a  few grey hair but,” and at this she took on a very solemn tone of voice and a disturbed face and continued,.” Your face looks v-e-r-y old.”

    The absolute honesty of a child speaking her mind, even though it may hurt.The statement was made from a young child’s point of view because everyone else would agree that the driver in question does not look very old, in fact the opposite would be more correct.

   Constant challenges are the dogs and even the cats there at the road to see their owners off in the morning, or to greet them at 4 P.M. Many are the stories that could be told about these. There is the dog that wants to come on the bus to be with his owner, or does he want to attack the driver?  We may never know for sure.

    

 Then there is the little kitten that runs under the bus and jumps up onto one of the rear tires just as the bus begins to drive. The driver feels the thump, then sees the kitten rolling into the ditch. You can only hope that some child was not too attached to this pet or at least can find a quick replacement.

  

 We also have the driver who claims to take nothing but the best. After a long struggle, trying to avoid running over these two dogs, one day the worst happens. With mixed emotions he tells us that he has run over and killed a registered purebred German Shepherd.

 

  When the drivers get together they may joke about these happenings, but truthfully speaking , no one wants to run over an animal and each of us feels bad when it happens.

      

 The following is a  “Believe It Or Not” story, but as drivers are a very truthful lot, I know that it is absolutely true.

     

  Early in the new school year one of our more seasoned drivers had mentioned that this certain dog was always at the road with the children. This caused him some concern, because not only did he have to watch for the safety of the children, now he had a dog to look out for as well. The dog was obviously enjoying this daily encounter with the school bus. As soon as the bus began to drive the dog would begin to run, staying just ahead of the bus for as long as possible. 

Bus driver and dog did not feel the same about this, as the driver mentioned this on the two-way radio several mornings and seemed somewhat irritated. Not only was the dog being a nuisance on the road, but as he was running he was kicking up stones which hit the bus. To everyone’s great surprise it was a day to two later that this same driver was on the radio, reporting a stone chip in his windshield. The by now famous dog had again taken up his position ahead of the bus and proceeded to run along. The dog, who had been given a few uncomplimentary names, kicked up a stone which hit the windshield, and in spite of the fact that the driver had already slowed down to avoid this, made a chip in the glass.

 

 Now I wonder, would you call that a true Rock Hound? Being a school bus driver is never predictable or boring. Just another reason to choose such a career.

Flowers For A Rainy Day

It's a cool and rainy day where I am, so maybe I can brighten the day with a few flowers.

Flowers were all seen at The English Gardens in Winnipeg,Manitoba.These gardens are not very large, but are packed full of vibrant color all summer and into fall.

I very much enjoy Dahlias, but cannot seem to grow them myself, so I enjoy the ones at these gardens. Bonus point is that I don't have to do any weeding.

Getting a little closer to see the details of these complex flowers.

The old-fashioned Zinnia is another lovely flower. I used to not like them when Mom had them in her garden. They seemed to simple to me, but now I think they are gorgeous and full of detail.

Another flower which I have tried multiple time to grow is the Foxglove. Once again, I didn't have the right touch, but they grow and bloom profusely at the English Gardens.

One more Dahlia. This one has a very different form of petals and colouring, but is every bit as beautiful as the others. This one also has interesting coloration.

Something To Think About:

FAITH is like Wi-Fi, 

it’s invisible but it has the power to connect you to what you need. 

A Few Favorite Cloud Scenes

In this post I am sharing some of my favourite cloud scenes.

Enjoy!

The best kind of people are the ones that come into your life, and make you see the sun where once you saw clouds.

The people that believe in you so much,you start to believe in you too.

The people that love you, simply for being you.

The once in a lifetime kind of people.

Something To Think About:

Those who take the time to read and comment on my blog are among the best kind of people.

Thank-you!