Good-bye November

As we say good-bye to November and Hello to December, I am 

sharing some older photos which I hope will bring a smile and make your day just a bit brighter.

 It is a well known fact, that I do not love squirrels, simply because they have a way of cleaning out my bird feeders vey fast. That being said, this one was not on my yard and I think he is somewhat adorable.

During our long winters in Manitoba,I will occasionally treat myself to a bouquet of flowers to brighten my home. What to do when there are flowers on the table? Well, take pictures, of course.

Looking at the flowers through a camera lens brings a new appreciation for the detail.

Even some of the smallest flowers in the bouquet, display such intricate detail and beauty.

Whether it is a bouquet of flowers on your table or the clouds floating in the sky, be aware of the beauty all around you.

Something To Think About:

There is so much beauty in the world, but you must allow yourself to see it.

One Last Look AT Fall

Here is one final look at fall 2019. Since we are at the doorstep of December, I thought I should wrap up the fall scenes for a while. Oh we may revisit some when the cold winter winds blow and I just need something to brighten the day.

I used to think that Oak leaves were just a plain old brown, but the little tree in my yard has proven me wrong. These are quite lovely.

I love the seeds of the Milkweed. When those pods split open, the seeds are bursting out out of there and ready to take flight in the slightest breeze.

By now, all who read this blog, know that I love sunsets at Lake Minnwasta.Well, I love them anywhere, but the lake is a good place for me to watch them.

As we look ahead, we see family celebrations coming our way, during the Christmas season. For my friends in the US, it is first Thanksgiving and then on to Christmas.

We can't see what exactly lies ahead for us and that is a good thing. I pray that the days leading up to and even during Christmas will be filled with blessings.

Something To Think About:

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends living in the USA.

Beauty In the Varied Scenes of Nature

Sharing more fall photos and combining them with words from Psalm 19:1-10

All photos taken around the middle of September

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

(Bird is an Osprey)

It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure

and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

Some Favorite Fall Scenes

Warning: Photo overload below. Proceed at your own risk.

I know that we are about to step into December, which means winter in many parts of our country, but I still have some fall scenes to share. I will keep the words at a minimum and allow you to enjoy the scenery.

Lake Minniwasta in fall splendour.

Look up, look way up and marvel at the beauty of the trees.

Another view of lake Minnwasta.

And everywhere we look, those beautifully dressed fall trees.

The Amur Maples on my yard will not be outdone. Love those colourful leaves.

Even the leaves on the deck railing are lovely.

Scenic fall beauty is, or was all around.

Lake Minniwasta near the close of the day.

While looking all around, we must not forget to look up.

Even the Oak tree on my yard has dressed itself in beauty.

Something To Think About:

“ Ten thousand leaves on every tree, and each a miracle to me; yet there be men who question God.” 

For The Beauty Of The Earth

So much beauty all around and all I have to do is push the shutter button to capture it.

I hope you enjoy the following scenes as much as I do.

 Enjoy the scenes as you think on the words of the song,

For The Beauty Of The Earth.

For the beauty of the earth; For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, friends of earth, and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

 Something To Think About:

Have you paused to praise God today?

Putting the Sony RX10 M4 To The Test

A while back Steve and I had the chance to test a Sony RX10 M4 camera. I have said it before, this is a sweet camera and one that I would love to own some day.I especially love the quick focusing, and 24 frames per second shooting is amazing as well. 

We went to Ft. Whyte Nature centre to put this camera to the test. Oh did I mention it also has a 600mm zoom on it.

All the following pictures were taken at Ft.Whyte and I am almost certain that these were all taken by Steve.

The indoor display of the Burrowing Owls, has lower light, but the end results are still quite nice.

You all know that I love reflections so this one is perfect for me.

The following three pictures were possible because if this camera's fast shooting capabilities. Some of the images may not be perfectly sharp, but remember it was also very cloudy and this was in a wooded area, so light was low.

I love those delicate wings.

Landing gear is down and touchdown should be at any second.

I should add that I have not been asked to do this and am receiving no payment for this.

I simply want to share these images and the perks of this camera.

The Beauty and Destruction of a Blizzard

Back on October 10-12 we had an early blizzard, that closed all schools and most roads and left power outages and tree limbs broken down.

At first it was absolutely beautiful.The fall leaves were still on the trees, creating wonderful mosaics.

 But that snow kept on coming and because it was so mild, it was very wet and heavy snow.

I don't think this Blue Jay was very impressed.

As the wet snow coated every branch, the branches started bending way down. If all they did was bend it was still sort of pretty, but all that weight was too much for many trees.

This shrub normally stands about six feet tall or more, but the snow has caused it to almost flatten out. Just a note, that this particular shrub suffered little or no damage.

The snow started coming down hard on Thursday and by Friday around 3 PM our hydro went out. At first it was not too bad, but even with milder temperatures, it still got very cold in the house. I am so thankful for kind neighbours who opened up their home to me and allowed me to stay close to the fireplace. Power came back on around 7pm on Sunday, that was 52 hours with no hydro.

Something To Think About:

We were taken by surprise with this storm, but 

God is not the least bit surprised or taken off guard by the storms you are facing.

Trust Him,He’s got this.

A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER? ME? Chapter 6

By way of explanation-- I had the chance to play around with a different camera recently and these shots are made with it. The camera was. Sony RX10 Mark iv. It's a pretty sweet, easy to use camera and it may be in my future, but not right now.

Now to the on-going story of being a bus driver.

School Bus Birding

The long winter is nearly past and for the bus driver the change of seasons means a change in driving conditions, hopefully for the better. An end to the snow and icy road conditions is very welcome. 

The drivers cover many miles each day and therefore have the opportunity to see a variety of things. Spring brings the arrival of birds from the south. When one driver spots that first Meadowlark of the season he/she of course shares it with the others, by announcing it on the two-way radio.Not to be out done, the other drivers soon get in on the act, and each one tries to be the first to see and report some new bird as it comes into the area. 

This casual competition makes the daily drive very interesting, and before long one of the drivers starts keeping a record of the bird sightings as they are reported. The competition is on and when two drivers report seeing that first Robin on the same day,  a decision needs to be made as to whose name will go on the list. It is quickly determined that one driver saw his bird in the morning, while the other one saw it in the afternoon. The morning sighting will be recorded. 

When a year has passed and another winter has come and gone, bird sightings are once again reported. It is interesting to see that many birds are reported by the same driver at much the same time of year.. because of all this interest, to some drivers, bird watching takes on new meaning. At least one of the drivers who was at first a very casual bird watcher is now an active birder. The name would be Ruth Hiebert. 

  Unfortunately, the school division didn't share the enthusiasm of the drivers regarding birds, therefore we were asked to limit radio use to business only. We did understand the reason for this, but also missed the birding reports and would have loved to be able to share a sighting with the rest of the gang. Occasionally the rules are broken and a rare or unusual sighting is still reported. 

 Records are not being kept for the drivers any longer but for at least the one driver, the bug has bitten and much time is spent in bird watching. Some of this can be done while driving and this makes the job of school bus driving more enjoyable.