Writing Nook

This is my favorite place at which to journal these days. Several years ago Ken gave me the black wicker bistro set for my birthday; I was delighted with it then and have been many times since. I love setting it up on our front porch in the spring and using it throughout the warm weather months. It's such an inviting place. Tea and a very cheerful verbena call me there, too.

Just Ducky

Yesterday I had a very nice, relaxing time at Stratford Park, picnicking with M'Love between morning church and afternoon choir program. While at the park, I saw another couple - this pair of mallards - enjoying the water and sun (as were a lot more birds and people). Two details I like in the pic are the way the drake's tail feathers curl and how the lady duck looks metallic. She could be a bronze statue!

The Bow in the Cloud

"That is the brightest, clearest double rainbow I have ever seen!" I'm pretty sure I have said this numerous times in my life, but I could say it again tonight. After the storm (which was a lot more wind than rain here) Ken and I stood on the deck in a few remnant raindrops and gazed at the brilliant arch spanning the orchard. In such a place, how could one not worship the Bow Maker and Promise Keeper?

Farewell Welcome

If the plant would have been meant for only last evening's party, the sign should have said "Farewell" instead of "Welcome". The way it was - a bouquet of friends saying goodbye to a lovely Sandra-flower among them - the sign will work just fine. She'll likely put it on the front porch of her new house near Tara, ON, and welcome our visits or anyone else's.

Three Cousins

When our children were young, they sometimes read books from a series called "Three Cousins Detective Club". I thought of that title when I saw the above scene on the farm this morning. Except I would dub it "Three Cousins Productive Club" in this case. These three Martin cousins were born the same year, within just a few months and days of each other. They've done a lot together over the years, but I'm pretty sure they had never done this particular activity as a threesome before: removing spent tulip plants and replacing them with geraniums in the windmill flowerbed at Martin's Family Fruit Farm.

Have A Heart

Bleeding Heart: one of my favorites among the spring flowers in my flowerbeds. This white one has its own charm beside the more familiar pink-petaled species dwarfing it. 

Troop Out For Lunch

Today's pic is another "family" I had fun observing. I was at Waterloo Park chatting with a friend at a picnic table when this gaggle waddled over. We tried to figure out the family dynamics here - seventeen young'uns with the one goose couple, only two goslings with the parents in the background and five adult geese somewhat apart from these, off-camera. Whatever the puzzling situation in our eyes, they all seemed perfectly at ease.

Intriguing Nuisances

For a little while this afternoon I pretended not to know that these creatures are definite pests on a fruit farm and I ignored the fact that their species have caused me gardening frustration in the past...as I enjoyed watching this groundhog family.

Fish Fry

We had glorious weather for Grace Church's annual Victoria Day Social today. Besides the usual activities such as a ballgame and potluck supper, we had a special treat. Mr. & Mrs. Sunrise from Hay River, Northwest Territories were on hand to fry fish to complement our meal. They brought 80-85 pounds of whitefish (from their native waters) with them on their flight to Ontario from the far north. The Sunrises and their helpers pan-fried some of the fish and cooked the rest of it over an open fire. Absolutely delicious!

Sunday Pulpit

Inspired by the urging of my sister-in-law Laurel to enjoy the spring flowers in the woods on the farm where she grew up, Ken and I went for a walk tonight. We saw this smartly-dressed green-suited fellow named Jack standing in his pulpit - a very fitting pose for a Sunday, I should think!

Mother Robin

While I dug up the flowerbed below her, she didn't move, except to blink her gentle eye and regard me solemnly. I returned the thoughtful gaze briefly and then went back to my planting, feeling a glad little sort of kinship with her - us two mamas doing our spring worship/work at the same time.

Handy Nurse

It's great to have a nurse in the family. Joy, our soon-to-be daughter-in-law, took out Ken's stitches tonight. A week ago, an ER doctor put the 3 stitches in, after Ken got an elbow right between the eyes during a guys' volleyball game. (his neighboring player came down hard after spiking the vb) An interesting fact about the tools Joy used tonight is that Ken is the one who gave her the suture removal kit - when he had her name in the Martin Family gift exchange at Christmas! How's that for planning ahead?

Apples To Be

This is a sight that gladdens the heart of The Fruit Farmer and his family for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that these blossoms and many others like them came through this week's frost unscathed!

Shower Gift

Another pic from the party we had last night in honor of the Joy-girl: A unique gift from Aunt Rose and daughters. This old-timey herb garden was accompanied by a mezzaluna, a tool to chop the herbs for use in the kitchen. "Mezzaluna" is Italian for half moon (ah, yes, luna gave that away), a phrase that describes the shape of the tool blade. It fell upon me - no, not the blade; the responsibility - to care for the herb garden until Joy's own kitchen is up and running. I hope the herbs will thrive until she comes home from her honeymoon and can use them along with her new halfmoon tool!

Joy-ful Celebration

One of the activities we did at the bridal shower tonight was playing a game called Wedding Outburst. This group was privileged to have Joy, the bride-to-be, on their team. I would like to say that they won with their inside track, but that wouldn't be true. What I can rightly say is that a good time was had by all!

Evening Beauty

I love the simplicity of this photo: the contrasts of light and dark in tonight's sky as a spring rain storm approached.

Evidence

If you were to ask this little fellow if he enjoyed the fellowship meal we had after church today, he'd probably say, "Of course! Why do you ask?"

Lunch With The In-laws

What a treat to celebrate birthdays and Mother's Day with these lovely, fun and observant ladies today. I'm blessed to feel like I belong in this group - my husband's family. We shared lunch and great conversation at a restaurant called The Upper Room, which I thought was a fitting name for a place where friends could gather to eat and talk. (Photo credit goes to our waitress whose name I believe is Kayla Shoemaker.)

Tulip Time

A flowers pic...again! I guess it's because I never get sick of them. Their design, brilliance of color and their fragrance intrigue me.

Martin's Apple Chips

It's always nice to see a familiar face in the grocery store!

Spring Chore

When the offshore workers prune the apple trees in the orchard during spring, they eventually get to the trees in our yard. Then it becomes our duty to pick up the fallen twigs. Over the years, the time this job takes has dwindled considerably as we, for one reason or another, get rid of the fruit trees in the yard. Now we are down to one tree, which works out to only two cart loads of branches. We can actually call it fun!

NY Barn

I saw this farm from the New York toll road on our way home today. I can't quite explain the feeling it gave me. Among all the fascinating sights and experiences we had out East on this trip, this scene stood out to me with its 

simplicity and down-home-ness, a welcoming beauty all its own.

Living History

He looks like Moses or some other Old Testament patriarch but he's actually a character in the Plimoth Plantation who played his part very well. He looked, talked and acted like an authentic Englishman who had just landed in the Plymouth area in the 1620's. Fascinating!

Lighthouse on the Hillside

This is the sort of New England scene I expected to see on this trip. Even though it was chilly and cloudy when we stopped at the Portland, Maine Head Light, the beauty of the place made it a worthwhile stop. I didn't get to see any of my children on Mother's Day, but they rose up and called me blessed through their emails. That and traveling with their father made a very special day for me.

The Maine Event

Oasis Chorale's music was a very special part of the Why Jesus? Conference in Bangor, Maine today. We were definitely led in worship by their offering of song. The guest speakers, including Ravi Zacharias and Lee Stroebel, delivered truth in some very powerful ways such as the telling of their personal stories of coming to Christ. We are blessed, indeed, to have been a part of this conference!

The Mountains Rise

I'm posting this from Bangor, Maine, where Ken and I are planning to attend a Why Jesus? conference this weekend. (I know, how fortunate can one be - to get to go on TWO trips in one week?!) When we first crossed into the state of Maine from the province of Quebec this afternoon, I was awed by all the mountain beauty. It made me want to sing the mighty power of God!

Parliament Hill

We had such gorgeous weather in which to enjoy walking along some Ottawa streets and touring the Parliament buildings on the middle day of the class trip. I decided that our own country's capital is quite beautiful, too. (not just places in Europe)

Ottawa Visitors

The whole lovely lot (CCS Class Trip 2016) on the steps in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in downtown Ottawa.

Within the Halls...

...and along the walls of the Center Block part of the Parliament buildings: our school group on tour. We also saw the Library and went up the Peace Tower. The most interesting part of our time on Parliament Hill was sitting in the House of Commons during Question Period. Then our group had 5 minutes to meet with Harold Albrecht, an MP whom some of us know personally. I'd say it was a great day!

Class Trip

I'm posting this from Ottawa, Ontario, where one can visit Parliament, museums and, among many other things, unique sculptures/structures along the streets. Ken and I got in on Countryside School's Grade 11 &12 students' class trip since Ken is driving the bus.

Cake to Take

I regret that I wasn't able to attend the birthday party our church ladies put on for two lovely Syrian ladies this afternoon, but I really enjoyed making and decorating this cake as my contribution to the event.