365 Days…..

365 days or one year have passed since I last gave my Sweetheart a kiss and told him,"I love you".The quick reply from him was,"I love you too",and those were the last words he spoke on this earth.

Here is the way it used to be.Together,happy and enjoying life.
This picture was taken by our Granddaughter Kai.

When we got married I thought that we would always be together,and we were for 38 wonderful years.So much has changed in one year,yet so much has remained the same.

Grandpa and Kai sharing a special moment.
I pray that Kai will always remember her Grandpa.

Yes,I have cried buckets of tears,but I have also laughed heartily.At first I thought this would never happen,that I would once again laugh.

God has been good to me,His love has not changed and it never will. Praise God for that.

Being a widow is not something I had ever considered for my life,but once again,God had other plans.

Both of these people,Jake Hiebert and Dorothy Schritt are with the Lord now.
They went home to heaven about one month apart.

Now as I stand at the start of year two in this life of aloneness,I wonder what God has in store for me.I know that I do not need to know just what every day will bring,but I do need to rest in God and all will be well.

One more picture of the way it used to be.
Oh,how I miss those happy times. Now all I have is the memories,but I am thankful for those,and the many pictures I have.

I am so thankful for each of you,my blogging friends.Here is a place where I can share my sorrows,but also my joys.

Thanks for being a part of my life.

The Lord Is My Strength

Were it not for the Lord and His strength,where would I be?

I Am Still Here

I figured I had better do a post,so you won't forget about me.

I don't know what is happening,but it seems that the days and weeks slip by and I don't get to post to blogger,the way I'd like to.

I have lots of newer pictures,but they need to be edited,so you will once again get some from this past summer.

I walked through a butterfly house at the Assiniboine park,this past summer.

All the butterflies I saw were Monarchs,but that's OK,as they are really stunning.

This is Lamb's Ear after a rainfall. No it is not in my garden,but,as you might guess, at the English Gardens.

I posted a picture of this succulent in a previous post.Here it is in black and white.

I think this plant lends itself well to this.

My last picture for today is a Hibiscus.These were growing outside the butterfly house.I love the tropical look of this flower. I know,in my part of the world they need to be moved indoors for winter.

I hope that I will soon get back on track with posting,but for the next month or so I will not be pushing myself too much.

As I deal with the anniversary of Jake's passing,I will try to be gentle to myself.

Thought for today:

No day is too dark,no burden too great,that God in His love cannot penetrate.

The English Gardens

Well,finally I am back with a post. It seems that the days slip by so quickly.

I have often talked about and shown pictures from the English Gardens in Winnipeg.Today I want to take you,my friends for a walk in the garden,again.
I welcome your company as we take a leisurely walk on a beautiful day.

This is the first thing you see as you enter the gardens.

As I have said before,the gardeners take great pride in 'their' gardens.
Right along the perimeter of the garden are these pillars and each one is adorned with a huge basket of flowers and/or vines.
I believe this is a sweet potato vine in this one.

The walk that leads into the garden draws your eyes right to the centre,where there is a small pond and a display of greenery.
Each year the display is different,yet beautiful.
Notice the benches placed around the pond,so one can sit and enjoy the peaceful scene.

In one spot in the garden is a small Cacti garden.
This is just one of the succulents displayed there.These plants,of course are moved indoors for winter.

Here is another one of the plants in the Cacti garden.

To the back of the gardens, a path takes you to a somewhat larger pond,which is more natural looking.This was taken on the path to this pond. 

I loved how the sunlight lit up the Coleus along the walk.

I have no idea what the bright green plants are,but in front of them are Rudbeckias.

Again the sunlight was like a spotlight on this area.

The whole garden is linked together with beautiful walkways.Along one of these,at the edge of the garden,in a more wooded area,was this log,complete with a foliage frog sitting on it.At least I think it is supposed to be a frog.

One last picture,I know I have more than my usual five today.

The ornamental grasses just add to the charm of this place.

I hope you enjoyed our walk through the English Gardens.
If I lived closer I would be there at least every week.

Thought for today:
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful.
Welcome it in every face,in every sky and in every flower.

Duffy and Smiles

Today I think back to one year ago.This brings tears,but also thankfulness for what was and what is today.

This is a picture I hesitated to show,but I show it only to share how I feel.

Here is Jake one month before his home going.The puppy is Duffy,and belongs to Jake's brother and his family.

Duffy became quite special to us,as he was the only one who could bring this much of a smile to Jake's face.I am thankful that we were able to have Duffy visit us on many occasions. That smile is worth much to me.

You will notice the variety of pillows. I pulled out anything I could which would help to make Jake feel more comfortable.

Thanks Duffy,for giving Jake a smile.

Although we all miss Jake more than words can tell,I am thankful that God has brought each of us thus far.I don't think a day goes by that I don't talk of Jake and of course miss him,but I know that with God's help I can carry on.

Flowers

Seeing as the flowers are all but faded and gone from my area,today I am thankful for memories and photographs.

All of these were taken in the English Gardens.

Dahlias are spectacular,and come in so many variations.

The Foxglove is a flower I have not been able to grow successfully,so I am thankful I can enjoy them in other gardens.

I have never tried to grow Lantana,but it may be on my list to try for next summer.

THis was a favourite of the Hummingbirds and the Clear-winged Moth.

We live in such a beautiful world and so often see only the things that are wrong.

I want to try to look for what is good and lovely.

Thankful Sunday

Today I am thankful that the birds come to visit me.This Blue Jay was more concerned about getting the peanuts than me sitting nearby.

This picture was taken with my iPhone and the initial post was also done on the phone.

With any luck and some patience I might get the Blue Jay to feed from my hand.

Now that would be something to be thankful for.

Early Morning

Yesterday,on my way to work,I saw the sunrise and wanted to go home and get my camera,so I could take pictures. Of course I didn't.I don't think the boss would have been to happy about my being late,just because I wanted to get a few pictures.

So what was I to do? I got up early on my day off and went out for that sunrise shoot.

I was not disappointed by what I saw.

The large grain elevator in the distance just seemed to fit the whole scene.

The elevator is 3 miles away,but it adds to the look,along with the tracks.

I spent almost 2 hours around the Morden area,capturing the fall colours and the sunrise.It was a good way to spend a beautiful morning.

Today I am thankful for beautiful sunrises.

For anyone who would like to follow Steve and Linda in their month of Gratitude,go to the side bar and click on the link under {express} Life.

Time for Thanksgiving

In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October.

I know that in the US you celebrate it in November.

The month or time of year really is not the most important,but rather that we take time to give thanks or have an attitude of gratitude.

Steve and Linda over at [express} life  have decided to use the month of October to show gratitude for the things and people they love.

I encourage you to go over to their site daily and check out their list of gratitudes.

I also want to spend time focusing on the things for which I am thankful.

I may not be posting daily,but in my heart this is going to be a month of thankfulness. Won't you join me?

Give thanks to the Lord.

Psalm 105:1

Guest Photographer

I have a special treat to share today.

I want to introduce you to a guest photographer,who I had the privilege of spending some time with this morning.

I think you will be seeing more of this photographers work in the future.

We went for a walk at Livingstone Park,here in Morden.

The light was not that great,but a good photographer can still get amazing pictures,even in low light.

Here is a look into the park,showing one of the paths.

Another similar shot,just a little lower angle.

Looking straight up into the tree tops.

 I like this kind of creative shot.

Here is a close-up of a tree trunk.

I think this is an interesting picture.

In some of these pictures the photographer used the flash to illuminate the scene.

Even a downed tree can be a good photo subject.

Finding some water in an old tree trunk,is a good reason for a shot.

This stump was very unique in that it had some pink colouring in it.

Again my guest photographer needed to use flash to get a good shot.

Upon coming back to my house,my special guest carefully arranged these collected leaves and captured them as well.

Some of you may be wondering just who this fantastic photographer is.

This is none other than my precious granddaughter,Kai,who is not yet 6 years old.

She had my little point and shoot camera and needed no prompting to take these shots. I think her Daddy,had better be prepared for some competition in the photography field.I might add that it was her idea to use the flash to get a brighter picture.Dare I say that Daddy and Grandma are beaming with pride.

Fall Colors From the Past

It is officially fall and so I want to share some fall colours with you.

Where I live the colours are just beginning,so I have gone back to the archives,Jake's slides,and found some pictures to share.

I believe that whether these were taken 40 years ago or yesterday,the beauty remains the same.

Once again,I am not sure just where many of these were taken,so all we can do is enjoy the scenes.

I do believe that all of these pictures were somewhere in southern Manitoba.

I added this one because of the reflection of a fall colored tree in the water.

This is a female Wood Duck

This is perhaps somewhere near the Pembina Valley.

This valley is located west of Morden and is a popular place for a Sunday afternoon drive,especially in fall.

I am pretty sure this picture is not that old,but still from the slide era.This was taken on our yard here in Morden,which would make it close to 20 years old.

I am slowly trying to post Jake's slide pictures.

Many I have used before,but I want to try to get to the rest,so there will be more posts like this.

Thought for today:

May this fall's blessings remind you of our Father's boundless love.

Sunshine and Tears

When you pass through the waters,I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers,they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire.you will not be burned;the flames will not set you ablaze.For I am the Lord,your God.

Isaiah 43:2-3

The above verse became very meaningful to me about one year ago and today I claim it again,as the memories come back.

A year ago,Jake and I started down the road of incurable cancer.Now I reflect on how God has guided me as I try to move forward.

Today,I will share a few flowers,photographed at the English Gardens.

Never apologize for showing feeling.When you do so,you apologize for the truth.

Benjamin Disraeli

Life is not all sunshine and roses,but God is still good,even when the tears fall.

Stepping Back In Time

While browsing through the many pictures on my computer,I came across some of Jake's pictures from years ago.

I hope you don't mind taking a step back in time and looking at nature the way Jake saw it.The locations may not be known or not right,but the beauty of the places remains the same.

 I will not try to guess at where some of these are taken,except that most are probably in the Canadian Rockies.

Can't you just hear the roar of that water falling down the cliff?

This one I do know.It is Maligne Lake in Jasper Park Alberta.

The only way to see this little island is buy taking a boat tour,but it is so worth it.

I was with Jake here,as this was taken on our honeymoon,some 39 years ago.

I will not venture a guess on this one.

I think this may be the Beartooth Mountain in the USA.

Those switchbacks look like that.

If someone can identify the place,please correct me.

Once again,I am guessing in the Canadian Rockies,perhaps in the Banff area.

I wish now that we had put the locations with these.Jake could recognize most of them.but I am not that good at it.

Thought for today:
I lift up my eyes to the hills -
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2