To the Colorful Point-settia

In the current outdoor season of browns and greys, heavy between the brilliance of autumn leaves and the dazzling sparkle of winter snowscapes, the rich crimson of these traditional flowers on the store shelves is a welcome sight, indeed.

First Anniversary

Happiness: Seeing your children beginning strong marriages and homes of their own. Yesterday we had the privilege of these two lovebirds - Ricky and Jas - joining us for supper at our house on the day that marked one whole year of their Mr&Mrs status!

The Coming of Advent

The preparations for the Real Meaning of Christmas have begun, too. Last evening we at Grace Church met in a sanctuary, hushed and hopeful. Encircled by lamplight, we listened to the beautiful text and music of Those Waiting. Our own hearts joined the yearning..."Even so, come Lord Jesus!"

Less Than a Month Away

The preparations have begun. Christmas is coming! 

Dusted Dove

This mourning dove settled on our deck railing one damp day this week. The temperature outside was far enough above freezing to begin melting the snow/sleet that had come during the night, but still cold enough to make the bird wish to fluff its feathers for warmth. With the fine snow on its back and tail it looked as though it had been lightly dusted with icing sugar. 

Turkey Cake

Kerra is "big sister" to a spontaneous, creative young lady who loooves all things turkey-decorated. Last night during their bi-weekly activity time together, Kerra and Little Sister made a chocolate cake. They iced and decorated it while it was quite fresh out of the oven, so LS would be able to take the finished product home and share it with her family. Five colors of sugar and several types of Christmas sprinkles were enthusiastically applied and, of course, the chocolate turkey was given center stage.

Second Gratitude Opportunity

The landed immigrants in Canada get to celebrate two Thanksgivings, if they choose. I choose. Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends in the States! "I have learned in whatsoever state (or province) I am, therewith to be content (and thankful)." Phil. 4:11 (with dani additions)

Wednesday Evening Breakfast

It's just us 3 ladies around here for the next few days, since Ken is off to Italy to attend an exhibition called Interpoma (featuring apples) over the weekend. Tonight, Kayleen offered to get supper on the table. In keeping with our Wed. evening tradition of having breakfast food, she made a delish skillet of fried potatoes, bacon, eggs, onions and peppers. Kerra and I highly approved!

States Pretzels

It's hard to find pretzels rod style in stores around here, so it was a treat to have this bag handed to me tonight. Much more delightful is that daughter Kayleen brought them in person! She gets to be home for a whole week, thanks to Faith Builders granting a nice long holiday for the US Thanksgiving celebration.

Impressions at a Funeral

Today at the funeral for Edith, the mother of our dear friends, I thought...how precious it is to see a baby at a funeral when I sat near enough one to hear its cooing and to smell its clean baby scent...how comforting it is to share old griefs and new - even with strangers - when I held the hand of a young mom who lost a came-too-soon wee one recently and wept with her...how reassuring it is to know that in heaven, Edith is truly "delivered from evil" (her lung disease and all the other sorrows in this life) and is "safe in the arms of Jesus"...how needful it was for me to hear the reminder that the way to inherit eternal life is to Go, Sell, and Give; in other words, to be emptied of self and to be filled with Jesus. Yes, it was good for me to be at the Service of Worship and Remembrance today.

Beaming Birthday Bear

The (early) 70th Birthday Party we had for Bear this afternoon was a success: he was as pleased as Pooh with a honey pot! We served cupcakes as part of the refreshments at the Open House, but the feature dessert was this himbeer kuchen, a German raspberry cake, made by Bear and yours truly.

Curious

This little multi-colored flock was hanging out near the barn at my in-law's place where their owner rents pastureland. The sheep seemed as interested in me as I was in them when I stopped by the fence to catch a photo.

Eighteen on the Eighteenth

It seems like we couldn't have ordered a nicer late fall day than we had today. The highest temp I saw on the thermometer was 18 degrees Celsius, which is about 65 in Fahrenheit, I believe. The weekend is to bring colder weather and snow flurries, but wow, we will certainly accept and rejoice in this beauteous warm season while it's here.

New Friend King

Tonight we had a unique and fun mix of people (Mom & Dad Schrock, Mom & Dad Martin, Mac & Marilyn Clemmer, Bear and we3) 'round our table, sharing food, stories, singing, laughter and tears. Bear definitely made another friend; he now has one more reason to keep coming back to Ontario. Mac, whose full name is Manasseh, hit it off with Bear from the get-go. Bear calls him King because the only other Manasseh he knows is the biblical king in the Old Testament. Mac and Bear could relate to each other's challenges, frustrations and blessings in life since they are both vision-impaired. Bear describes Mac as "quite a character" and Mac and his wife "both a delight". He said if he were a bear-cub, he'd call them "cool"!

Pandadorable

The students in Kerra's class at school did demonstration speeches as part of their Oral Communication course this week . If anyone's speech topic involved food, he or she was to provide samples for all the classmates. Kerra demonstrated how to make mini cupcake pandas in her speech, so this cute menagerie went to school with her this morning.

Easy Company

How grateful I am for this couple in my life! My mom and dad, along with all of our family (but the one at college) and a certain Minnesotan bear who seems like family, shared supper tonight at our house. Lots of laughter and good conversation ensued around the living room circle afterward.

                                                                                    (photo credit: Kerra Martin)

Grounds For Reflection

One of the things we did with Kayleen on Saturday was to visit a cemetery. It was a large and beautiful place in which to stroll, be awed by the scenery and contemplate what has been as well as what will be. In all of that, I was grateful to be spending the present with living loved ones.

Almost Abandoned Abode

While Ken and I were on a stroll around the Faith Builders School grounds yesterday, I spotted a nest I wanted to photograph. I took a shot of the summer "house", thinking its tenants had moved out long before. But there was the brown leaf body and red berry head of a bird perched on the edge of the nest when I viewed the picture later on. And I could almost hear cheery notes coming from its wide-open stem beak!

At Home Here

We are having a lovely time visiting our eldest daughter at Faith Builders in Guys Mills, PA, this weekend. Here Kayleen is sharing her winning smile with us from her desk in the students' study room.

Dessert, Namely

Although this brand of pudding has been out for at least a few years now, I can still be momentarily surprised when it calls my name from the grocery store shelves! 

Sharing a Birthday

Some of the applepeople gathered last evening to celebrate my bro-in-law's and his niece's birthdays, which happen to fall on the same day. One of my favorite moments of the evening was when the 40-year-old scooped up the 2-year-old and they posed with their fitting cakes.

Habit-Forming

When I was a substitute teacher today, I asked someone in Grade Six about the Gratitude section of the bulletin board in their classroom. I found out that the students get to write what they are thankful for on these erasable white papers  and display them. Every Friday they each get to put up something new. What great idea to make recording gratefulness a weekly exercise. My hat's off to that Grade Six teacher!

Shortest Ferry Ride

Today Ken and I went to Toronto to pick up some friends who needed a ride to our area for a funeral. It was our first time at TO's island airport. The official name of the airport is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and it is separated from the mainland by a relatively narrow channel. The primary ways to get to and from the airport across the channel are via ferry or pedestrian tunnel. Today we chose to do the ferry ride, which takes 90 seconds to go the distance of 121 meters, making it one of the shortest ferry trips in the world. We had a great view of downtown Toronto from the ferry.

Golden Days

This photo was taken on a warm, sunny day about a week ago, but it could've been taken today - the gorgeous weather has continued into this week, as well. I kind of forgot how the color yellow takes the stage near the curtain closing of the trees-turning-color production. I love it!

Traditional Offering

Yesterday I took jars of applesauce, the last of 2016's canning, to the basement. After arranging them on the shelves in the fruit cellar, I sat on the steps and offered my thanks to God for His good gifts lined up in rows before me. It's my annual end-of-canning ritual, and it contains mostly gratitude but some satisfaction, too - and even a bit of relief.

His Kai-ness

This morning I got to attend a baby shower for The Li'l Prince, aka Kai. He charmed all the ladies there. His mom, my niece Tamara, is quite endearing herself.

Wild and Wooly

I know it's just a weed, and likely some farmer's nuisance to boot, but that doesn't keep me from being struck by its uniqueness and beauty enough to photograph milkweed in autumn. Besides, there's nostalgia for me in this common plant. I used to pick its leaves to feed ravenous Monarch caterpillars on their way to becoming butterflies, stare in fascination at the milky sap that oozed from the stem wounds and break open the pods for the scaly seed "fish" inside which made wonderful exotic additions to outdoor "soups" we children concocted.

Applesauce Day

Kerra didn't have school today because of the CCS teachers attending a convention, so she helped me work up two bushels of Cortland apples into sauce. What a great kitchen teammate she was, and what a fabulous November day we had in which to do our apple project. It was plenty nice enough outdoors for setting up the applesauce maker on the deck, and doing the "cranking through" out there.

Reading Corner

If I were in Grade Four, and didn't already like books as much as I do, this inviting classroom area would compel me to take up reading. I just know it. That wonderful fabric flag banner would be the clincher! (Or would it be the dear little blue wooden bookshelf?)

Harvest's Last Hurrah

Shortly, (probably sometime tomorrow) the apples on this farm will all be picked off the trees. Yay! The orchard workers had a warm and sunny First of November in which to begin the final step of harvesting the crop: picking up the drops from under the trees. Today I saw numerous loads such as this one on their way up the lane to be transferred to a trailer. The apples will be hauled to a processing plant where eventually they'll be turned into juice or sauce.