More Minniwasta Trail Sights

For this post,I once again invite you to join me on a walk along the trail at Lake Minniwasta.

I have included a trail map at the end.I walked a very short part of this trail.I have marked the distance with red stars.

Also,from here on I will only include the words to an old hymn, written in 1844 by Henry Alford.

Canadians have officially celebrated Thanksgiving,but my friends in America only do so next month, but in my opinion, we should be thankful every day.

Come Ye Thankful People Come

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.

All the world is God’s own field,

Fruit unto His praise to yield;

Wheat and tares together sown,

Unto joy or sorrow grown;

First the blade, and then the ear,

Then the full corn shall appear:

Lord of harvest, grant that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,

And shall take His harvest home;

From His field shall in that day

All offenses purge away;

Give His angels charge at last

In the fire the tares to cast;

But the fruitful ears to store

In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,

Bring Thy final harvest home;

Gather Thou Thy people in,

Free from sorrow, free from sin,

There, forever purified,

1. In Thy garner to abide;
   Come, with all Thine angels come,
   Raise the glorious harvest home.

Come Ye Thankful People Come

Walking the Minniwasta Trail

Recently,I went for a walk along the shore of lake Minniwasta. It was a lovely fall day so I felt that a walk was in order. I  am so glad I did. I invite you to come along with me.The walk will be slow,as I make frequent stops to get more pictures.We may not get very far, but I trust you will enjoy this time spent in nature as much as I did.

 As I was about to start along the the trail,I noticed a few butterflies.I soon realized that there were many butterflies,I think these are Painted Lady Butterflies. Here is a shot with four in the field of view, but they were everywhere I looked.

As I looked around me I saw so much beauty. Just enough fall color to make for some wonderful scenes.

The trail is well groomed and quite easy to walk along.You can just see a little bit of the lake to the left.

Parts of the trail are like this, trees on either side and maybe a glimpse of the lake through the trees now and then. I love being out here in the morning, when not too many people use the trail.

Sometimes I want to capture the whole scene and at other times, it may be a single leaf that catches. my attention.

Later that day I headed out of town and was able to capture a harvest scene.It is even the right color of equipment.I was born to love John Deere and that has not changed. My Dad was a John Deere fan so that is what I became as well.

My closing thought today comes straight from my heart.

I am so thankful for the changing seasons and all the beauty which God creates for me to enjoy.

I'm also thankful that because of the internet,so I can share at least some of this with you ,my friends.

Thanks for doing me on this short walk.

Finding Fall Beauty

Well,my friends, it's time to look at some fall scenes around my neck of the woods.

We do not have a lot of reds as a matter of fact, this year the color seems less than it has been in other years. I'm not complaining, though,this means I just have to look a little harder to find beauty.

As I was going to check out Lake Minniwasta,one day,I was literally stopped in my tracks by what I saw. There was some dust in the air and that combined with the shafts of sunlight made a beautiful scene.

Yellow,is the predominant color around here in fall.

This is obviously in early fall, because of the lack of color.I always enjoy that winding road through the Pembina Valley.

There are pockets of lovely color.

The hillside is filled with lovely shades of yellow and green. Of course I always hope for more vibrant colours,but I do still like what I'm seeing.

Here are some rules we would all do well to obey:

Daily Rules to Live By:

Wake up

Be thankful

Help others

Trust yourself

Worry less

Keep going

Love unconditionally

Dream big

For The Beauty Of The Earth

On this first day of October,I invite you come for a walk with me through the English Gardens in Winnipeg,Manitoba.

I invite you to 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 the hour, Of the day and of the night

Indigo Bunting 

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 on earth and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild

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, our joyful hymn of praise

Thanks for joining me on this walk. May you feel refreshed and blessed as you ponder the love which God is showering on you and me.

Scenes Along The Way

As most of you know,I love to drive along the roads in my area, seeing whatever there is to see. Most of the time I don't have to go far to find something of interest and worthy of a photo.

Today's post is filled with many pictures, all of which have been taken on my travels around my area.

Milkweed is beautiful, whether in bloom or later as the seed pods open up.

I have seen more deer this year than probably at any time before.Usually the does are the only ones that I see.This fawn is feeling somewhat protected by the grasses and weed he is in.

I have actually seen and been able to photograph a couple of young bucks this year as well.

On a recent drive near to where we lived for 20 years,I saw this cow. I have called them Oreo Cows,but shortly after getting this shot,I heard on the radio that this is a breed called Belted Galloway. The things I learn while listening to farm news.

In a small hamlet where my mother grew up,I saw this house. It has likely not changed much in many years.I don't think anyone lived in it now. This is not the house my mother grew up in, that one burned down many years ago.

The house may be old but the Hollyhocks are still blooming beautifully.

The Western Meadowlark is common around here.This one was so busy preening he didn't mind me taking a picture.

He finally looked up to see what I was doing.

While waiting for the sunset,I spied this piece of equipment. I am  not a farmer and have never been, so I had better not name this, as it would likely be wrong.I just liked the unique lines of it.

I do believe this is a Swainson's Hawk.

A small butterfly on the Tansy.

This is a Black Swallowtail.He was far away from me so I have had to crop the image significantly.

These a re a few of the sights I have seen ,while driving on mostly back roads in Southern Manitoba.

Closing Thought:

Dear Lord,I’m so grateful that You love makeovers as much as I do!

You know my heart and You know my messes,failures and wounds.

Please create a clean heart in me today,Lord.

Would You do a new and beautiful thing?

In Jesus’ name I pray,Amen

The Many Faces of Manitoba

Living in Manitoba,is,if anything, never boring.The weather changes quickly and so do the scenes we see.

This past summer we had quite a bit of smoke in the air and that brought some interesting and unique sunsets, like the one seen below.

Summer storms often come with tall billowing thunderheads, but not always. One day as I was watching the weather,I knew I had better get out of town to where I could get better pictures. No we did not have those towering clouds, instead,it looked like a mountain range to the west.Those smooth dark clouds looked deceptive.

Here is another shot of this smooth cloud rolling in. In the end we had some rain, but nothing of great significance.

While watching the sky is a lot of fun,I must not forget the beauty around my feet.The wild Bergamot is very pretty.

Another wild flower, the Mexican Hat is very showy.

One last look at the sky.I find sky/cloud watching so enjoyable.Each day brings new beauty. This one looks like it could dump some rain on us so we had better find shelter.

Closing Thought:

It’s not how much we have,  

but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.