My Story

This above picture taken by Jake one year ago to the day,reminds me of my life.

The road is not always straight or easy,the future is unknown.

The one thing I do know is that God walks each step with me and at times carries me when I cannot take another step.Here is a link to another blog,where a small part of my story is featured.

My Story

 Once again I take this time to say Thank-you for all your love and support.

Happy Mother's Day

Today I want to pay tribute to my mother and my mother-in-law.

Here is a picture of my parents with my son Steve,taken in the fall 1973.

Mom was a hard working woman.She did  not like idleness.

Even when we were not working she like to see my sister and me doing some creative handwork,like knitting,embroidery or crocheting.I guess that is why today I have a hard time just sitting and doing nothing.Mom loved her gardens and produced great crops,that saw us through many a winter.

One of the joys of her life was sending visitors home with armloads of garden produce.

Mom was also a very good seamstress.She sewed all our clothes,and also sewed for others.

This brought her some much needed extra cash,and gave her a sense of pride.

The next picture is at our wedding on June 2,1972.

This is my mother and mother-in-law.

My Mom sewed all the clothes you see here,including my wedding dress.Mother-in-law was a step-mother to Jake,but filled the role of Mother very well.

I have been blessed to have wonderful role models in my life,including Jake's second stepmother,who I don't have a picture of on the computer.

Check out those silver shoes of mine.

All of these women have moved on to glory,Annie,my Mother-in-law in the lilac,was the first to go,after a lengthy illness.My Mom had bowel cancer and after 9 months of intense suffering was released to join her in Heaven.

I still have the other mother-in-law,but Alzheimer's has robbed her of all memory,she is now in a care home.

I pray that I will be able to leave at least as good a legacy for my son as these women have left for me.

Pelicans,Robins and Loon

It seems that spring has finally arrived in southern Manitoba.

I hope this is not just a teaser.

The birds on my yard and elsewhere have been very busy feeding.

I was sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather,when a fight broke out.

These two Robins did not seem to like each other.

The other day I spent some enjoyable time at our local lake.

I had seen the  Pelicans and all the action,but didn't know at first what was going on.

I soon realized that they were fishing.You can also see some Double-crested Cormorants among them.

These guys were just waiting for a free lunch,the Pelicans were doing all the work.

Her is just another shot of the action.

I spotted at least four Common Loons on the lake,but they did not come very close to shore.This is about the best picture I could get and it is heavily cropped.

I leave you with a path of stars over the lake.

Thought for today:

Let the beauty of the wild leave footprints on your heart.

Photo and Praise

Every day is a good day to praise the Lord.

As I was looking for a picture to go with this verse,I thought of a mountain scene,but decided on this one instead.

A scene like this is every bit as beautiful,in my eyes as a snow-capped mountain. I trust this scene causes you to lift your heart in praise as it does mine.

This picture was taken by Jake,and is from a slide scan.

My Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday my sister and I went to Winnipeg.

I went to photograph birds and she was happy to join me.

We did see lots of birds,but they will wait for another post.

Today I will take you to the Conservatory at the Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg.

One end of the Conservatory is a tropical house and the other end is more floral.This place is used for wedding and family pictures.The flowers change with the seasons,but are always quite lovely.

I do not know the names of some of these plants and flowers.

The Hibiscus is such a stunning flower.

Being Easter the floral displays had lots of Easter Lilies.

I liked the delicate look of these flowers.

More easter Lilies as well as other flowers.

Sunlight streamed through the windows,and lit up this leaf.

This is in the tropical part.The paths wind through here and it feels hot and humid.

Looking up into the trees and vines.

What a tangle of growth!

I have no idea what kind of tree this is,but I like the designs on the trunk.

Some of my readers have Banana Trees on their yard,so I had to take a picture of this.No it's not on my yard,but it is in  Manitoba.They look like they are thriving in this tropical atmosphere.

I see spanish Moss on pictures from Florida,but this is as close as we will get in Manitoba.

I just liked the look of this little plant,tucked in under the trees.

For those of my readers who love waterfalls,here is one for you.I will admit,it is small,but still pretty.

This was in a corner of the Tropical House.

Over the last few days I have felt some deep and tender emotions.The storms of life are still not settled,but this I know that God will see me through.With this in mind here is the thought for today:

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

A Photo And Praise

It's Tuesday and therefore time for a picture and a praise verse.

This picture is taken just a few feet from my door.

I like the branch sticking out of this tree.Many a bird has been photographed on it.

This Dark-eyed Junco,together with all his friends has a very cheery song.A flock of these birds can at times be quite noisy,but I love them,seeing they are the first to return after a long winter.

When I look at the simple plumage of this bird,I realize that even as people we don't have to be flashy or bright to give praise to God or to be loved by Him.

Easter Wishes

Wow,time does fly.I like to post at least twice a week and already another week is almost gone.

I have had a very busy week and so not much thought or time has gone into computer work.

I will share with you two recent pictures.

I took these the other day,on one of those rare sunny days.

These Crocus grow right beside my door,and bring early spring color to my yard.

As you can see I played with Photoshop a little and added some frames.I have just learned how to use Actions and am having fun experimenting with the different frames.

I want to take this moment to also wish all of you a Wonderful Easter,time spent making new memories with family and friends,and just enough chocolate to keep you happy.

Thought for today:

God,the engineer of all creation,

Spoke the word,and beauty was begun,

Then He gave to us His great salvation

Through the sacrifice of His own Son.

A Photo and Praise

I am sharing another photo and a verse leading us to give praise to God.

Photo by Jake Hiebert

Although the word praise is not found in this verse,it never-the-less calls us to ascribe to the Lord the glory due Him.

In my mind that is giving Him praise.

When I see the new growth happening all around,even if it is slow in coming,I feel praise to God welling up inside of me.

Birds and More

I have been talking quite a bit about the Pembina Valley Hawkwatch.Well it seems like it is coming to a close.

I have a few more pictures to share with you.

 These Sandhill Cranes flew high over the Valley.

I have had to crop the picture,so the quality is not the best.

I still like how they look against that blue sky.

That same day we had this Cooper's Hawk migrate through.

Notice the rounded tail and chunkier body.

This is one way of telling the difference between the Cooper's and the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Not every day is ideal for watching migrating Raptors.

The sky was overcast and a high fog hung over our heads.

I kind of like how this Red-tailed Hawk has a ghostly look.

I had seen this feeder on another blog and wanted to get one.

I finally found it in a farm supply store.

The Purple Finch was the first bird I saw at the feeder.

By now it has become a favourite spot for many birds.

Finally,something a little different,just to prove that I don't just see birds.

This is moss on the side of a tree in my yard.

I was intrigued by how it looked,so out came the camera,and this is what I got.To me this looked like small green rosettes.

Thought for today:

Faith to light the darkened sky,

Love to touch and heal the soul,

Strength to carry on.

This is my prayer for each of you.

A Photo and A Praise

Time to give praise again.

Now I do believe it is always a good time to praise God.

Spring is more and more evident here,and for that I am thankful.

May you find much to give thanks and to praise God for.

On a side note,I have had quite a few spam comments recently,so I am using word verification again.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Hawkwatch

I really need to send out a quick post.I spent about 4 hours at the Pembina Valley,south-west of Morden,taking part in the annual spring Hawkwatch.

Today was an amazing day.I have never seen so many Raptors in the sky at once.

Here is a Turkey Vulture,soaring overhead.

This picture was taken with my long lens,at 200mm.

I know that I could not get all the birds on one picture.

We had many times with kettles of hawks like this in the sky.

The sight was amazing,and thrilling.

Another shot of the Turkey Vulture.The sky was overcast,so lighting was not the best.

This was a lucky shot.

A Red-tailed Hawk and an immature Bald Eagle together.

Over the years I have spent many hours at this site,but never have I witnessed a spectacle like today.

The seasoned counter who also has done this for many years was beyond delighted.The total count for today was 2925 birds.

As I watch the birds soar through the sky,sometimes in lazy circles and at other times moving ahead with only a few wing beats now and then,the following quote comes to mind.

Nature does not hurry,yet everything is accomplished.

Family Time

I live in southern Manitoba,Canada,and around here the weather can change very quickly.Spring is especially variable in weather.Here are a few pictures taken last weekend.

I had my granddaughter,Kai at my house on Saturday.

She and I decided to take advantage of the lovely warm day and head to the Pembina Valley for the Hawk Watch.

For a change she was willing to pose for me,holding my binoculars.

Almost as soon as we got out of the car,this Bald Eagle came over.This was her first sighting of  a Bald Eagle.

She was quite impressed.

Soon after that we saw this Red-tailed Hawk soar overhead.

I think I might be able to make a birder out of her.

If it doesn't happen,it won't be because I didn't try.

Sunday morning we woke up to this.

Heavy wet snow coming down.

It snowed off and on all day,and by the end of the day we had quite a layer.

The snow did not stop my family from celebrating Steve's birthday.I had a house full of people and we had a great time.

Take note of the cake,it was carefully decorated by Kai,with a little help from Grandma.

The love that went into doing this made the cake very special.

These two people mean the world to me.

We had two other people who also had birthdays around this time,so that is why the extra names on the cake.

I am so thankful that some of Jake's family could come out to join us for the party,as well as some friends.

Thought for Today:

Daily thank the Lord for His gifts.

Today I thank Him for the gift of family.

A Photo and Praise

All of creation gives praise to God.Today it is once again time to think about how you and I can add to that praise.

I hope that this picture and the accompanying verse helps you to give God the praise He deserves.