Body Soul and Spirit

Big January Birding Totals- 2012

2012-01-31T21:52:00.002-05:00

January 1, 2012 in Nayarit, Mexico

It is 4,090 km from our home to my parents' home in Nayarit, Mexico. I estimated that I travelled close to 10,000 km this month while counting birds. I birded in subtropical, desert, ocean, Great Lakes, and snowy climates. I regret not taking my binoculars to Mexico as I missed many bird IDs by using just my camera zoom to view them. But when your suitcase weighs 49.9 pounds, something has to stay home.

Birding in the snow on January 29, 2012

This winter is unusually warm and in our area of Ontario, Canada, 18 days in January were above freezing. I really noticed a difference in local bird populations this year. Our bird feeders are very quiet and I have not refilled them this month. I looked hard but did not find more common winter birds such as Red-breasted Nuthatches, Cedar Waxwings, Rough-legged Hawks, Brown Creepers, to name a few.


Birding on January 31, 2012 on a beautiful sunny afternoon (7 degrees C!)

My monthly total is 93 birds, 54 seen in Canada (compared with 52 in 2011), 43 seen in Mexico, with 4 birds seen in both countries. We travelled to the Pacific coast on December 31, 2011 and it is tempting to add the 15 birds I saw that day, but that list has been kept separate. (There is a tab at the top of this page with all the lists). I added 20 life birds between December 31st and January 31st and I still plan to share more photos and stories about Mexico and Canada.

In the end, it not the numbers that matter, but the enjoyment of getting out and observing nature. After a stressful day at work, there is nothing more relaxing than going to a nearby park to be serenaded by Black-capped Chickadees looking for handouts. These gregarious little birds are my favourite winter species just for the trust they show by landing on my outstretched hand. They always bring a smile to my face.

The January count is just a kick start to a year of bird observation. It is interesting to note seasonal changes as well as variations in annual patterns. Since I started doing January counts in 2009, I have recorded 80 species in Canada in the month even though each year I have seen only 52 to 61 species.

"There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds...

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature --

the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter..."
Rachel Carson

January Birding at Burlington Bay

2012-01-28T23:46:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I made my annual January visit to Burlington Bay and Lake Ontario below the Niagara Escarpment (map) to find wintering ducks and birds. It was a beautiful sunny day and a light dusting of snow had fallen the night before. This area is always good for birding at any time of year and there are many experienced birders about who are willing to point out new species and share interesting information. The video above shows Burlington Bay at Lasalle Marina with the Burlington Skyway in the background. The lift bridge is behind the skyway. The Trumpeter Swans were in a very trumpeting mood.

Lasalle Marina is one of the few places where there is a good likelihood of seeing Trumpeter, Tundra and Mute Swans together. There were 13 adult Tundra Swans here according to a volunteer who counted their large yellow tags this day. There were many young Trumpeters around and the species is once again doing well in this province. The bay is usually frozen in January and the ducks are generally closer to shore. But with open water this year, the birds were spread out and harder to see. Some birders with scopes were looking at a Brant Goose and a White-fronted Goose and I saw some good pictures which were taken by others. I did not count them even though I saw a blurry form in the distance as I would never have picked them out on my own. I did see a few Cackling Geese, a subspecies of the Canada Goose, and they were a first for me.

Peregrine Falcons on the Lift Bridge

Burlington Canal, between the skyway and the light house, was filled with approximately 3000 Long-tailed Ducks along with several other species in smaller numbers. (I do not know how you count that many ducks but someone was doing just that). A pair of Peregrine Falcons live on the lift bridge and last year was the first time I saw them. Now that I know where they perch, it is easier to find them. This is one place where a birding scope would be very useful. In the picture above, the arrows point to the Peregrine Falcons, the larger female on the wire and the smaller male on the green wall. There were hundreds of pigeons on the bridge for the falcons to choose from for their next meal.

I took the picture on the left of the lift bridge and canal from under the skyway. Because it was a bright day, I was able to take pictures of the falcons with full digital zoom (840 mm). The bird on the right looks like it has a pigeon stuck in her throat, but it was likely the stiff wind ruffling her feathers.

I also visited the nearby Burlington Botanical Gardens and Arboretum and failed to find some usual winter species. Red-breasted Nuthatches are usually common around feeders (including mine) but I have not seen one this year. Surprisingly, I saw a Brown Thrasher, a Hermit Thrush and a Carolina Wren. It is the first time I have had a good look at a Carolina Wren. I live 45 minutes to the north and have never seen one around home. It was my favourite bird of the day as it sat all puffed up in the sunshine.

Carolina Wren

Burlington area bird count- 41 species

And now for some personal whining...

I have used Picnik, a wonderful online photo editor, for several years now to make collages, frames and for doing general touch ups to my pictures. Recently Picnik was bought by Google and the site is being closed down in April. We have the full Adobe Photoshop on our desktop computer but I never found it user friendly for quick editing. I let Google know what I thought about them and cancelled my Google+ account (which I didn't use anyway). Now I have to try and find another editing tool with the same features and simplicity as Picnik.

Rounding Up The Usual Suspects

2012-01-16T21:18:00.001-05:00

This is NOT a typical mid-January scene in our area. Where is the snow?

I am off to a slow start counting January birds in Ontario this year. Having missed the first two weeks entirely, my husband and I went out both days this weekend to the customary local hot spots to see the usual winter birds. But this winter is unusual. Temperatures have fluctuated greatly with many days above freezing and others well below. Overall, we have had very little snow and what has fallen has melted quickly. Many fields and lawns remain green.


Dark-eyed Junco

I hung some suet and seed outdoors before I left for Mexico and in three weeks, it has barely been touched. I have yet to see a Junco or Downy Woodpecker in our yard this winter.

Saturday was very cold and we went to a nearby park where I usually see many species of small birds, woodpeckers as well as a good assortment of winter water birds. A few Tree Sparrows, Juncos and Cardinals landed where visitors had left seeds but birds like House Finches, Blue Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatches and winter finches were conspicuously absent.

American Tree Sparrow

The next day we drove north of the city where Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harriers, Snowy Owls, Merlins and American Kestrels are generally easy to find in January. The only winter hawk we saw was a beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk which sat in a tree near a bridge over the river. The trip was worthwhile for that one bird, but I could not believe we did not see one Rough-legged Hawk.


Red-shouldered Hawk

Without snow cover, natural food supplies are plentiful for many birds for this time of year. My Ontario January bird count is only 27 birds so far this year. In the past 3 years, I have counted between 55-60 species in Ontario during this month. Hopefully the weather will allow me to make a trip to Lake Ontario on the weekend to improve my count significantly.

Nayarit Yard Birds

2012-01-14T08:50:00.002-05:00


Grooved-billed Ani, Hooded Oriole(f), Vermillion Flycatcher, Blue Grosbeak (m) (f), Painted Bunting

The five acres my brother, his family and my parents live on in Nayarit has a variety of bird habitats. There is a meadow where tree seedlings are planted, an orchard which had many ripe citrus fruits, a banana grove, a bamboo stand, a small pond and flowering vines. Sugar cane fields surround the property. I would take a chair, sit in a particular area with my camera and wait for the birds to come. I identified 30 yard birds yet I know there were several species I missed. Some birds, such as the Mexican Yellow-winged Cacique eluded my camera lens as they hid the the bamboo and banana leaves. There is a new tab at the top of the blog with my Big January list to date.


N.Mockingbird, Juv H. Oriole, W. Meadowlark, Loggerhead Shrike, Hooded Oriole(m), Say's Phoebe


Lesser Goldfinch, Common Ground Dove, Pyrrhuloxia, Say's Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lark Sparrow

Mexican Start for Big January Bird Count

2012-01-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

I have participated in a January bird count for the past few years. It is friendly "competition" which encourages me to get out during a long, cold month to look for birds in my area. My Ontario counts are very predictable, but this year I have spent the first eight days of the month in two very different parts of Mexico;- Nayarit and Coahuila. I have counted birds on the properties where my family live as well as one outing to the coast which included a boat ride through a mangrove swamp. Unfortunately I could not bring my binoculars and I really have to look for a good pair of travel bins. I have to look up a few birds when I get home so my count is unconfirmed at this time.

Many warblers winter here and I have been aware of them in the treetops but unable to get good views in the vegetation. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are abundant but I have also identified a few Audubon Warblers and a Nashville Warbler. Perhaps I will have enough information in some blurry photos to add to this category of birds.

I have learned to identify a variety of doves during this trip. The dusty town where my daughter lives seems overrun with grackles, house sparrows and doves. The smaller Inca Ground Doves have beautiful plumage which blends in well when they rest under shrubs in the sand.

In Nayarit the White-winged and Common Ground Doves were more prevalent.

As far as I can tell, all doves sound pretty much the same and they are all well adapted to areas of human habitation. The last dove arrived in North America fairly recently from Europe. A few Eurasian Collared Doves were introduced the Bahamas in the 1970's and the rapidly spread in North America.

El Dia De Reyes 2012

2012-01-06T09:40:00.001-05:00

I got this picture from a calendar in my daughter's home and it represents today, The Day of the Kings, which marks the end of the Christmas season. American culture is creeping into Mexico and I saw several plastic Walmart Santas, snowmen, and reindeer outside homes and businesses. Traditionally, Christmas gift giving is on January 6th with the three wise men as the benefactors, but the holiday is not as religious as the Orthodox Christian Epiphany celebrations also happening around the world today.

I sat in Stephanie's late afternoon English classes in San Pedro the last two days. Yesterday I interacted with the students for 20 minutes or so, asking and answering questions in conversational English. They were a very bright group ranging in age from 12 to about 30 years old.

At the end of the class, we shared a traditional treat, the 'Rosca de Reyes' (King's Cake). Shaped like a king's crown, this sweet yeast bread has a small plastic figurine representing the baby Jesus inside. The students told me the person who gets the figure has to make tamales for the special dinner.

I didn't get the surprise which is a good thing as tamales are very time consuming to make. Stephanie is baking a fresh Rosca de Reyes today (recipe here) and it will taste much better than the one from the store. And we had a delicious tamale meal in Tepic last week that will count for the celebration today.

New Year's Fiesta

2012-01-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

I am behind in posting due to slow/ absent internet service and travel days. In the past week and a half we have travelled from the north of Mexico, across the Devil's Spine to the coast and inland to Tepic, back to the coast for a day, and then north again through Guadalajara. We travelled overnight on buses so no days were lost (just under 30 hours in bus travel). Safety has not been a big concern and with appropriate diligence, Mexico is as safe as other vacation destinations.

A couple of days before the new year, we drove in from town to find a group of people running around the property. My 10 year old niece excitedly asked us if we wanted to help kill chickens for the New Year's Eve party. My brother has a number of free range chickens and an overabundance of roosters, so they were out to catch three of them. My initial urban North American response was "uggh!", especially since I have not eaten meat for a few years now. But these birds had lived a good life unlike the chickens we eat at home and I put aside my prejudices and judgments to watch the chase.

The job was done and my sister-in-law did the plucking and cooking and made an enormous pot of posole. Posole is a traditional soup in the Mexican state of Nayarit which is made with white homily. Lucy soaked the hard corn in lime to open the kernels and then cooked it with the chicken. It is served with fresh garnishes and lime.

Friends and family gathered for the evening and there were fireworks and a bonfire outdoors as midnight approached. I tried to stay awake but we had been at the beach during the day and my internal clock is still two hours ahead on Eastern time. I went to bed and left the celebrations to younger family members who can still sleep in.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

From the shores of the Pacific Ocean near San Blas, Mexico

Definitely Not A White Christmas

2011-12-27T22:04:00.001-05:00

This noisy rooster lives next door to my daughter and her husband in the city where they live in the north of Mexico. The same neighbor also has a pig and a cow in the backyard. Life is so different here, yet the same in other ways.

Christmas lights blink on houses and on posts on the city streets. Mexicans seem to prefer lots of colour and flashing lights. Stockings hang in the window of a house in the neighbourhood. The holiday season extends to Epiphany and gifts are given on January 6th. There are no Boxing Day sales here.

We stayed outside in the sunshine much of the day trying to absorb as much heat as possible. The cement floor and walls hold the cold which is a good thing when it is 40C outside. But this morning it was 4C when I got up and I layered all my tops and wore a scarf in the house. Our daughter washed out a wool hat and it hung frozen on the line. By afternoon it was 20C outdoors and very pleasant for taking a walk.

Winter weather finally arrived in southern Ontario today and I am very happy my travel day was yesterday. Cool as it is right now, there will be no scraping or shoveling my way into work tomorrow. And that is fine with me.

December 24, 2011

2011-12-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00


One of Santa's spies seen in a sycamore tree in Copley Square, Boston MA

I don't have any recollection of Santa before the age of seven or eight and by that time I was old enough to know he likely wasn't real. I do not remember putting out a stocking when we lived in South Africa. I remember Mom decorating a palm branch and spending the holiday at the beach with our family. An over-dressed Santa didn't seem to be a big part of a summer-time Christmas but when we returned to Canada, my brothers and I anticipated his arrival with great excitement. We listened to the radio to hear NORAD tracking his sleigh and woke up early to open our gifts.

Santa sign in Boston's North End

The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge MA has many Santa portraits available in prints, books and other gifts. We really enjoyed this stop on our trip last week. The artist captured the magic of a child's Christmas imagination in many paintings. Norman Rockwell published many poignant Christmas pictures which capture an adult's heart too.

Our children sent hand-written letters to Santa and I still have some of them in a scrapbook. Today's child has email and texting options as well and Santa has to keep up with the latest technology! After all there are three stages in life;- you believe in Santa, you don't believe in Santa and you are Santa.

gonna chk my list 2c

if ur nawT or nice

bgfgs!!!!!! hhh

'Tis the year's midnight

2011-12-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

The best thing about winter solstice is the fact that the daylight hours will start to lengthen, barely, but the march toward spring has begun. Fog fastened sky to the earth today and rain fell light then heavy. Nothing inspired outdoors until darkness fell and holiday lights shone against the black of night. Even people who are of usual good cheer felt weighted with the heaviness of this dull day.

Our patients had to let staff know their plans for Christmas by the beginning of this week. Some families will go out of their way to make sure a disabled loved one will have a few hours outside the hospital for a meal or gathering. In the end, very few will be going out and many of our elderly patients would have no one to spend Christmas with even if they were well.

A local church has a "Longest Night" service on winter solstice each year. It is geared for people who are going through challenging times and do not feel the merriment of the season because of bereavement, illness and loss. Each person in the congregation holds a lighted candle against the darkness that threatens to envelop them and there are songs, readings, and scriptures of hope, joy, peace and love. I listened to the service on the radio this evening and enjoyed the encouraging reflections that were shared.

Today I heard about a program called Santa for Seniors for the first time. There are toy drives for needy children and food hampers for needy families but I have not come across a program that reaches into the lonely rooms of our elderly who are separated from family by distance, disinterest and death.

'Tis the year's midnight...* and for some it is a season of loneliness and personal darkness. I must take the time to shine the light of caring and friendship their way. Perhaps I will be the one needing that light in the future.

*A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day by John Donne

Sing a Song of Christmas

2011-12-20T22:09:00.000-05:00

Grandma gave us money to buy a stereo component set the first Christmas we were married. The speakers were three feet high and the large amplifier supported a turntable and cassette deck. We enjoyed LP records for several years and accumulated many cassette tapes as well. I still have our vinyl collection but the cassettes were not as durable. The knobs broke off the old stereo and we gradually stopped using it when we started buying CD recordings. This year our CD player gave up the ghost just before Christmas so I bought $20.00 speakers for my iPad, loaded our CD collection onto iTunes and enjoyed hours of seasonal music in a new portable fashion.

There are many timeless Christmas compositions which most everyone recognizes at this time of year. I have heard one too many recordings of "O Holy Night" and will leave the room if I hear "Christmas Shoes" again. (The movie is worse than the song). But I love listening to Christmas music performed by British choirs, Sarah McLachlan, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, The Carpenters, Anne Murray, and many other contemporary and classical artists. I enjoy playing anything that is not too difficult.

A highlight of our Boston trip was a visit to Symphony Hall to hear the Boston Pops holiday concert. We watch it each year on television but it was a pleasure to see the grand, acoustically perfect building. Part of the performance we saw was recorded for a new live CD to be released in 2013. I believe some of next year's concert will also be included. The program included readings of The Grinch, The Night Before Christmas, carols, classical selections as well as the traditional sing-a-long.

In the past 35 years we have gone from vinyl to cassettes to CDs to mp3 and other digital recordings. I wonder what we will listen to 30 years from now? Live performances may be the only thing that stay unchanged.

Advent Four

2011-12-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Gas Lantern, The Breakers Mansion, Rhode Island

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham

and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”

Mary's Song- Luke 1:46-55

The Breakers Mansion

We visited The Breakers this week, the opulent summer home built by Cornelius Vanderbilt who enjoyed it for only a short time before he died of a stroke at the age of 55. The mansion was decorated extravagantly for the Christmas season in a late 19th century style with numerous decorated trees and enormous arrangements of fresh greens and flowers. I left the self-guided tour half way through and chose to walk outdoors in the fresh air around the grounds which led to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Advent reading for today includes The Magnificat in the first chapter of Luke's gospel. Mary gives thanks because God has lifted up the humble, fed the poor and sent the rich away empty. God incarnate was coming to walk the streets as a servant bringing good news to the socially disadvantaged and sinners. He invited the rich too but asked them to give their wealth to the poor and follow him.

Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston

A couple of homeless women sat on benches outside Trinity Church in Boston. Tourists focused cameras on them as their poverty contrasted sharply with the fine old and new buildings around the square. We were enjoying a tour of the city at the time and our guide described the recent disbanding of the Occupy Boston movement. She was sympathetic with the group who say they represent the 99% of the population who are not like the Vanderbilts and other wealthy Americans.

"There will always be poor people in the land..."

Later in the week we visited the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. I was young when he was assassinated and had never heard his speeches nor read his writings. He came from wealth and certainly had human weaknesses, but his social conscience and ideals were not typical of his place and time. I watched him speak eloquently on an old newsreel,

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."

Fifty years later, we still live in a world full of persistent myths, half-truths and and plenty of opinions. The myths which envelop the Christmas season can hide the true reason God came to dwell among mankind. Jesus calls us to follow him in humility, to be generous servants, to love our neighbours and our enemies, to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile, to be peacemakers in our world.

If Jesus was here in person today, he wouldn't be shopping at the mall or admiring the "Christmas" tree. You might find him sitting on a park bench in the square in the centre of the city, looking for the poor, the sick, the broken-hearted, the lonely as he offered them salvation, hope and peace for eternity.

Boston MA

Christmas Vacation

2011-12-13T22:23:00.001-05:00

This month is different than most Decembers. It is unusually warm and sunny unlike last year's prolonged winter storms and heavy snowfalls. My husband and I decided to take a week's vacation in New England as our gift to each other and we are now in Boston. (He is at a Boston Bruins' hockey game and I am at the hotel where I splurged and spent $12.95 for 24 hours of Internet) The weather is spectacular!

On the way here today we visited Stockbridge MA and the Norman Rockwell Museum. The altitude was 3000' and there was a light snow cover. There is no snow at all in Boston and the ocean was beautiful this afternoon under clear skies. And if the days were longer, one could believe it was October.

This is my first post from an iPad. The blogging app will take a while to get used to!

Advent Three

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Rehearsing for tonight's program

Weeks of preparation come together tonight in the annual Christmas cantata at our church. Our music director put together a wonderful program including children, youth and adults in the performance. I have the small part of getting microphones to the actors and cueing them for their entry to the sanctuary which is much, much easier than memorizing lines and songs.

I have memories of many Christmas pageants;- repeating lines in acrostic poems, playing a piano duet with my brother, dressing up for a nativity scene, singing in a Christmas tree. And I remember well the years our children participated in school and church concerts.

Our little shepherd and her sister the sheep took part in the church program in the mid-1980s. What fun it was for little ones to dress up and then get a bag of treats. As the choir practiced this week, I held up a 25 year old photo of our girls and their classmates crawling up the same aisle after visiting the manger and baby Jesus.

A family favourite Christmas book and movie is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. The story captures all the charm and unpredictability of a traditional Christmas play and communicates a valuable lesson as well.

Do you have a special Christmas concert memory?

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11

From today's Lectionary reading for the third Sunday of Advent

It's Christmas Time in the City

2011-12-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Clock Tower December 1, 2011

My dad and mom used to bundle all five of us into the car every December for a drive around the city to look at Christmas lights. We would ooh and ahh at the extravagent displays on big houses in rich neighourhoods. The energy crisis of the early 1980's dimmed many Christmas lights as utility rates soared. But people gradually started decorating outdoors again and our city parks and downtown areas now have lovely light displays at this time of year. The clock tower from our old city hall was moved to the park when the building was demolished in the 1970's. (It is unfortunate that such a fine old building was replaced with a shopping concourse which is now half empty.)

Kitchener City Hall Circa 1964

This old picture from the 1960's was taken by the man who was responsible for putting up the lights at city hall each year. His daughter shared it with me last year. The clock tower sat in its original location on top of the building.

We still enjoy driving around town looking at lights or walking in our neighbourhood at night to see decorations. Some homes are decorated more tastefully than others, but to each his own at this festive time of year!

Who cares about the hydro bill!

Children at Christkindl Market

2011-12-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Our city hosts Christkindl Market every December. It opens with carol singing in the park followed by a candle light procession to city hall led by Mary and Joseph and their miniature donkeys. It is one of the nicest Christmas events I enjoy every year. The market has many traditional gifts and crafts, plenty of good food, ice skating, choirs, dancers, and a live nativity all weekend long.

(Here is a link to a short video of the Philharmonic Choir singing during the opening.)

Children wait to follow Mary and Joseph to City Hall

Klaus, the Organ Grinder shows a young boy how to play carols

Handmade toys


Lots of fun for young and old alike

Peace on Earth

2011-12-07T17:06:00.001-05:00

One of my patients made several origami crane mobiles and gave them to the staff (instead of chocolates) when she was discharged recently. An old Japanese legend states that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish such as long life or recovery from illness.

A young Japanese girl named Sadako became ill with leukemia as a result of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. She started making origami cranes to pass the time in hospital with a goal of making 1000, but she died with only 644 completed. Sadako's classmates made the remaining cranes, and all 1000 were buried with her. (Sadako was a real person, but there are several versions of this story). The following quote is from Wikipedia.

"In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads:

"This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth."

There is also a statue of her in the Seattle Peace Park."

Because of Sadako, folded cranes have also become a symbol of world peace. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr is written for elementary aged children. I smiled at some of the one star reviews on Amazon.com. Here is one by a young student entitled "The best book that I've ever read".

"I would not recommend this book. It is an amazingly sad book. I would never read this book again. It's so sad because there is a lot of dying. But I will tell you about this book..."

The absence of peace makes us all amazingly sad. Christmas brings hope that peace on earth will be a reality for all mankind.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour

Festive Foods

2011-12-06T06:03:00.009-05:00

I usually get only one cold a year and it is invariably at Christmas time. My immunity is lowered by eating sweets, over-tiredness and stress. So I aim to make Christmas food this year that is festive yet healthy. Yes, we have done a little baking, but there is no freezer full of cookies and squares. I look forward to seasonal boxes of clementines and juicy, red pomegranates. And when I eat this salad for breakfast, I feel good all day long.

And I am (almost) full when treats like this star cookie Christmas tree tempt me when I come home from work!

Saint Nicholas

2011-12-05T06:40:00.017-05:00

St. Nicholas, Christkindl Market, Kitchener 2011

St. Nicholas visited Kitchener's Christkindl Market this past weekend. When I asked to take his picture, he quickly found his wife and they posed together. St. Nicholas day is December 6th and many children in Europe put their shoes outside the door in the days leading up to tonight in hopes of receiving a special treat. Naughty children could expect a lump of coal or a tree branch. (The St. Nicholas above has several branches in his hand.)

I looked at my footwear and decided there was nothing suitable for storing things I would later eat. Then I cleaned one Croc with a disinfectant wipe and checked to see what might fit in it. My size nine shoe held (with difficulty) one clementine, a small package of pistachios and one chocolate bar. No wonder St. Nicholas has such a small bag. The real St. Nicholas gained a reputation for gift-giving by putting coins in other people's shoes. Perhaps coins are a better idea than food or small toys.

I shared the picture of this card from Grandma's Christmas scrapbook a couple of years ago. In 1907 St. Nicholas was evolving into Santa Claus in North America with a more colourful costume and bigger presents. He certainly is very fit as he appears to be walking to deliver gifts rather than riding through the sky in a sleigh.

It is interesting to learn about Christmas traditions in other countries. St. Nicholas and related (caucasian) benevolent gift givers are not celebrated everywhere in the world. I like this quote from Dick Gregory, a black American comedian and social activist.

"I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew

no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark."

To those who believe...

HaPpY Saint Nicholas Day!

Advent Two

2011-12-04T00:32:00.020-05:00

"Advent" means the coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important. People waited hundreds of years for the promised Messiah and when he arrived, few recognized him. We have a homemade felt Advent tree and when our children were young, we read through the Old Testament scriptures which told of Jesus' coming. The girls took turns putting a corresponding symbol on the tree each day. We still hang the banner every December.

Advent is a time of anticipation, reflection and realization of what a world without Christ is like. Psalm 126 is one of today's Advent readings. May you experience the joy of salvation today.

...Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!

Restore our fortunes, Lord,
as streams renew the desert.

Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.

They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest.

A Prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent

Almighty and most merciful Father, we come to the season of Advent with the brokenness of the world in our eyes,

the cries of our fellow human beings in our ears and our own sinfulness in our hearts.

We come to Bethlehem, as those who need a Savior. We come to the light because the darkness has almost overwhelmed us,

but the darkness can never overcome You.

We come to Bethlehem as invited guests; to see, to wonder and to be changed by the Child Messiah who is Jesus.

For his sake, and by his grace, forgive our sins.

Give us hope and eternal life. Help us to move through a worldly holiday of excess

to a worshipful Advent and Christmas.

For Jesus’ sake, and through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Michael Spencer

Let There Be Light

2011-12-02T20:01:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday The Becka and I arrived at the community centre where we help out three times a month preparing food for the needy. We are getting to know our team as we work together under Ed's direction. Ed can come up with delicious menus with any variety of donated groceries. Sometimes we have boxes of produce to cut up or pizzas left over from local outlets. There is always fresh soup and stew to go with sandwiches. Last month a school donated 21 uncooked apple pies left over from a fundraiser and I learned to use a convection oven, baking 6 pies at a time.

It isn't hard to see from these pictures that something was missing this week. The power was out and we worked with one emergency light and several candles. The Becka and I made a couple of bread puddings with 15 cups of milk, a dozen eggs, and other measured ingredients in each one. What a challenge to use a measuring cup with minimal light! The gas ovens and grill were in working order though. After a while the power came back on and our job became much easier.

I expect our lights and appliances to work and often take Canada's well maintained utilities for granted. Many in our world do not have reliable power, appliances, safe water or enough food.

Light is essential for life. As the northern hemisphere heads toward its longest night, we decorate houses and trees with lights to hold back the darkness. And we are reminded of Christ, the Light of the World who came to illuminate the path for those who live in darkness and have lost their way.

The Best Gifts

2011-12-01T20:04:00.002-05:00

His brain was injured in an accident at work and he spent weeks in intensive care. Now alert, he has big gaps in his memory. Impulsive and distractable as a three year old child, he struggles to regain his ability to eat and walk and make sense of the world around him. His wife has scarcely left his side since that day their lives changed three months ago.

Holiday advertisements flash on the television screen and she says to him,

“I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping.”

With a rare flash of insight he replies,

“We don’t need presents. We have each other.”

She looks at him with surprise, her eyes filled with tears.

The gift of life is priceless. The gift of love is eternal.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

Heaven and Nature Sing

2011-11-30T20:41:00.002-05:00

The trees in the nearby woods are bare, branches reaching to the sky, leaves frozen to the ground by the light snow. A walk in the woods is infinitely better than a walk in the mall, especially in December. For the first time since we got our new puppy, I take the time to look for birds in the canopy.

Raven (now almost 9 months old) is becoming a good trail dog and she waits patiently for me when I stop to look about. The first bird I see is a female Pileated Woodpecker, then a Red-bellied Woodpecker passes by with a loud call. Chickadees sing while feeding on pine cones and I see a White-breasted Nuthatch after hearing its nasal honk. A Brown Creeper, Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker bring my bird count to seven in one small section of the trail.

Heaven and nature sing on the eve of a long winter.

Christmas Time Is Here

2011-11-29T22:47:00.004-05:00

We have a shelf full of "must see" Christmas movies and A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of them. So when I saw this tree on sale at our local hardware store, I had to get it for one of our daughters. I pasted some of the movie script about this poor little tree below.

What is your favourite Christmas movie? I don't think I could pick just one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucy Van Pelt: Get the biggest aluminum tree you can find, Charlie Brown, maybe painted pink.

Linus Van Pelt: [after Linus and Charlie Brown discover the little tree] Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?
Charlie Brown: This little green one here seems to need a home.
Linus Van Pelt: I don't know, Charlie Brown. Remember what Lucy said? This doesn't seem to fit the modern spirit.
Charlie Brown: I don't care. We'll decorate it and it'll be just right for our play. Besides, I think it needs me.
[picks up tree; a lot of needles fall off]

[Charlie Brown and Linus return with the puny little tree]
Violet: Boy, are you stupid, Charlie Brown.
Patty: What kind of a tree is that?
Lucy Van Pelt: You were supposed to get a *good* tree. Can't you even tell a good tree from a poor tree?
Violet: I told you he'd goof it up. He isn't the kind you can depend on to do anything right.
Patty: You're hopeless, Charlie Brown.
Frieda: Completely hopeless
Charlie Brown: [upset] Rats!
Lucy Van Pelt: You've been dumb before, Charlie Brown, but this time, you really did it.
[pause; then everyone bursts out laughing]
Lucy Van Pelt: [laughing] What a tree!

Linus Van Pelt: I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.

[Charlie Brown hangs an ornament on the tree; it bends over]
Charlie Brown: I've killed it. Oh! Everything I touch gets ruined.

Charlie Brown: I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree. Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about.
[shouting in desperation]
Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.
[moves toward the center of the stage]
Linus Van Pelt: Lights, please.
[a spotlight shines on Linus]

Linus Van Pelt: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

[Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown]
Linus Van Pelt: That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Hush, not Rush

2011-11-28T00:25:00.026-05:00

The Becka surprised me with this Advent wreath last week and we lit the first candle as we ate a simple soup supper together. Yesterday was the first year anniversary of the death of our good friend Jim and the grey, rainy day matched the sorrowful memory of his untimely passing. The Advent reading included the passage from Revelation 21 which says,

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

I have happy, much anticipated events planned for the next month yet I want to feel the hush, not the rush of the season. I want to recognize God as he dwells among mankind knowing that I may find him in the least expected places.

Advent One

2011-11-27T00:01:00.011-05:00


My favourite seasonal card

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the Christmas season is already in full swing. The wait for Christmas Day is endless for a child but for adults it sometimes means an over-full calendar, last minute rushing around and resentful obligation. I keep this old Christmas card with its peaceful winter scene and retreat there in my mind when I feel overwhelmed by the excesses of the season.

I enjoy the cultural aspects of the winter holiday season, the legends, decorations, feasting, and entertainment. I don’t care if people say Happy Holidays, Yule, Season’s Greetings, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa. But as a Christian who celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, I also look for ways to make the season more meaningful spiritually.

As I get older I appreciate the extremes of emotion brought on by our society’s high expectations at this time of year.

Joy and sorrow
Companionship and loneliness
Abundance and poverty
Hope and despair
Health and illness
Good memories and regrets
Contentment and depression
Peace and disharmony
Blessing and obligation
Faith and cynicism

Christmas 2011 will be different for our family this year as people move about and family dynamics change. Change can be good. I plan to post often this season;- a picture, a story, a thought, as I look for something special to celebrate each and every day.

When (Jesus) came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home,
he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.
The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him.
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,

and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down.
All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them.

“The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Luke 4:16-21 (NLT)

11/11/11

2011-11-11T07:56:00.004-05:00

I woke up this morning to see the first light dusting of snow this season. It is time to put away the gardening tools, do a final clean up of the yard and put up the bird feeders.

Five months of winter weather starting...

My old Christmas Cactus plant is bursting with blooms, cheering the room when the sun sets by 5 PM.

The days continue to shorten...

Our elderly war veterans who are in hospital will do their best to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies in their wheelchairs, rising from their beds to honour those who fought for our freedom. I am honoured to help them.

I will remember and give thanks for their sacrifice...

We Are What We Eat

2011-10-26T23:04:00.006-04:00

I see the health effects of poor lifestyles every day at work. Excessive smoking, abuse of alcohol, street and prescription drugs all cause predictable problems. But our biggest health threat is undoubtedly food. I was taught that smoking and drinking were sinful habits, but somehow gluttony never made the list. We receive daily messages in the media about the dangers of too much fat, salt, sugar, processed food and too few vegetables, fruits, whole grains which contain essential nutrients. But for many people, the advice falls on deaf ears even when they suffer from diabetes, arteriosclerosis, fatty liver disease and a host of other food related ailments.

From Feeding Frenzy

Our dietary department is small and the dietitians are kept busy looking after people with exceptional needs such as tube feeds and special textured diets. There is little time for education and “food therapy”. One of my patients who had a severe stroke recently was enjoying a fast food hamburger and a large poutine for lunch this week. Her family brought it in as she didn’t like the hospital meals. Our daughter is a RN on a cardiac surgery unit in a large teaching hospital. Patients receive little or no teaching about heart healthy diets. Instead, medications are dispensed to patch up symptoms rather than dealing with root causes of problems. We expect that people will resist lifestyle changes.

The hospital provides staff treats for special occasions. This week our newsletter reminds us to buy cupcakes for a local charity. The cafeteria has a special Halloween menu of Bat Wings (chicken wings), Spider dogs (hotdogs), Witches Brew (chili), Ghostly Cupcake and Graveyard Pudding...definitely a graveyard menu for staff, visitors and patients!

From Family Fun

Our neighbour is a middle-aged man of German background. He was raised on sausage, schnitzel, the best cheeses and rich desserts. He had an inevitable heart attack a few years ago and had a stent inserted in a narrowed artery. He was on a load of medication and still experienced angina regularly as well as negative side effects from his drugs. He read The China Study as well as books by Dr Esselstyn and Dr. McDougall and decided to eliminate all meat, dairy, fat and processed food from his diet for 12 weeks. I could not imagine a more unlikely person to try a low fat vegan diet. He lost weight his excess weight quickly and with his doctor’s blessing, was able to come off ALL his medications. He feels energetic and healthy and plans to continue his eating plan forever as he really enjoys his new food choices. He is enthusiastic as he shares his journey when people ask why he looks ten years younger and is getting so trim.

His doctor told him to write a book but he stated, “The book has already been written. You just have to read it.”

People can change. They just need to know how to do it.

Some of our backyard vegetables this summer

I wish I could go back and feed our children differently. I would have more courage to eliminate the sweets, processed foods, hotdogs, much of the cheap meat, unhealthy fast food, and the holiday excesses. We always ate plenty of healthy foods, and plenty of unhealthy foods. There are many fun and delicious ways to reward youngsters and celebrate special days that will not set them up for chronic illness. Fortunately it is seldom too late to make changes that will benefit us for the rest of our lifetime.

Easy to make, fun to eat

Sunrise, Sunset

2011-10-24T21:05:00.002-04:00

I took these pictures on the same day earlier this month, the first a little after 7 AM and the last a little before 7 PM. The days are shortening quickly as we head into winter and morning frosts beckon the snow that is sure to fall before long. The skies reminded me of the lyrics from the song Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof.

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

From the rising of the sun to its going down

The Lord’s name is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

Elizabeth Rieke Hefley- Nature Artist

2011-10-17T21:41:00.002-04:00

Chickadee by Elizabeth Rieke Hefley

A while ago I was contacted by Nebraska artist Elizabeth Rieke Hefley requesting permission to paint one of my photographs which was posted on Flickr. Today she sent me a print of the painting and I love the tones, the detail and the life in the picture. It looks much better than the photograph and I can hardly wait to frame it. Here is her own description of her work.

My work is a combination of my interests in biology and art as I have always enjoyed wildlife. My paintings highlight animal diversity, capturing their character and spirit. I particularly enjoy working on endangered and threatened wildlife. I work with oil paints from reference photos. Particular attention is giving to portraying the textures of the skin, fur and feathers of the animals. The paintings are not only art pieces but also a way to educate on the incredible beauty of animals. I am particularly fond of frogs and am currently working on a show that will be all frog oil paintings. I am primarily self taught after going to college for math and biology and entering graduate school in Entomology. I became very passionate about conservation and education. Painting animals was a way to combine all my passions.

Five Minutes from Home

2011-10-12T20:57:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed summer-like weather over Thanksgiving weekend with clear skies and warm sunshine for several days in a row. Ontario is a great place to visit to view spectacular fall colours, from the Agawa Canyon in the north to the Niagara Peninsula in the south. Huntsville and Algonquin Park are favoured destinations in Central Ontario and anywhere along the 900 km of the Niagara Escarpment between Hamilton and Tobermory you are guaranteed to find superb of autumn vistas. I read the colour reports in the newspaper and planned several road trips in my head and then discarded them due to time constraints and the price of gasoline.

While driving to get groceries for Thanksgiving dinner, I took note of brilliant red and gold stands trees right in the city beside the shopping centre, the local library and the nearby Tim Hortons restaurant. I decided to drive around our end of town within five minutes from home and look for the fall beauty here.

The next morning before sunrise I took a thermos of tea to a nearby park and watched the golden light illuminate the trees along the river.

Why do we tend to think things will more
beautiful...richer... inspiring... somewhere else?

Canadian Thanksgiving Prayer

2011-10-08T13:49:00.005-04:00

Almighty and gracious Father,

we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season
and for the labours of those who harvest them.

Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty,
for the provision of our necessities
and the relief of all who are in need,
to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord...

Amen.

Book of Common Prayer

Fear Not...

2011-10-05T21:30:00.005-04:00

She walked into the coffee shop and sat at the table next to me.

“Hello!” she smiled brightly in my direction.

I looked past the bright pink jacket, fashionable sunglasses and short, stylish white hair and recognized an old patient who was headed for the obituary column the last time I saw her.

“This is the first time I have driven myself into town,” she said proudly.

She was a loner, crusty and irritable at times with staff. Untreated cancer gnawed her flesh and spread to her brain... two falls, two broken bones and two surgeries to fix them. But she refused any treatment for the cancer.

We recommended a move to a nursing home but she insisted on returning to the old farm house and her cats. She had run the farm alone since she found her young husband dead under the tractor decades ago. There were no children, just neighbours down the road who could not be there at her beck and call. She was not religious, nor was she delusional, but fear was a stranger to her. She was accepting of life or death on her own terms.

“I don’t think about what is inside me,” she said. “The doctor told me the cancer is not growing...”

“You know,” she said, “I do my own cooking, cleaning and shopping.”

Behind her smile she reminded me that we predicted she would always need help with these things.

She ordered lunch as I finished mine. I could not stop looking at her, sunken flesh filled out again, healthy, strong and independent.

We thought she was in denial of the reality of her prognosis. Maybe we were in denial of the power of fearlessness and determination in the face of a dreaded diagnosis.

I gave her a hug as I left and returned to work, less inclined to judge based on facts and appearances alone. Some things cannot be explained.

The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?
Proverbs 18:14

Do You Want Change?

2011-10-04T22:36:00.000-04:00

A provincial election is a couple of days away. Some are quick to point out the inadequacies of the current party in power and call for change. Personally, I do not see anyone offstage who would do a better job. Canadians as a whole do not have the political polarities of our American neighbours. We do not claim a particular party as a birthright or a representative of our religious faith. Our Conservatives sit well left of America’s Republicans and Canadian Liberal policies also travel the middle of the road. The New Democratic Party shakes things up a little and they do enjoy growing popularity with our young adults. We accept our social programs and accompanying taxes without much fuss. Canada is a good country to live in and we have avoided the side effects of global economic woes to degree.

Change on a personal level often brings more reaction than change on the political level. And small changes seem to upset people more than large changes. I hear more complaints about changes to Facebook (a free and optional service) than from a patient who has lost a leg and his independence. Our hospital received funding for new beds requiring staff line shifts and new hiring. There is more whining going now on than when we had bed closures and big staff cuts in the past.

Recently Blogger informed me via a pop-up window that the new “Dynamic Views” template was now available. I fiddled with the latest settings and promptly reverted to my old familiar design. Then I asked myself why I was not willing to give a totally new look a fair trial. After all, the pages load much faster, the template is compatible with all browsers and has more potential with mobile devices and tablets. The clean, minimalist views compete with new micro-blogging sites like Tumblr. (If you really like information in your sidebar or have a commercial blog, these changes are not recommended).

I like it!

Our local paper featured an article on drabble last week. What’s a drabble?
A drabble is a fiction story that’s exactly 100 words long. One of our universities held a competition for the best drabble and the winners’ entries are in the article. The stories are different, even strange and quite a change from the prose I am used to reading. I find the idea very compelling in a world that wants information and entertainment in a nutshell. It matches the new, pared down blogging interface.

After listening to the recent election debates, I wish our politicians would change their style to non-fiction drabble. There is nothing minimalist and clean about this campaign.

Cyberspace Birthday Celebration

2011-10-03T07:06:00.001-04:00

We celebrate two birthdays today, a special day shared by our twins who now live thousands of miles apart. A laptop computer, webcam and Skype allowed us to sing Happy Birthday to both of them simultaneously and they "blew" out the candles together on the weekend. They are young, but when they were born we would never have envisioned such a celebration. After all, we were still listening to vinyl records and had just bought our first microwave oven which was the size of a small garage. We sent my parents a telegram to announce their birth and it took several days for the message to arrive in Mexico.

The view out our front door has changed little over the years. I see them run out to play with friends. I wave goodbye as they leave for elementary school, high school, university and then to make their way in the world. The years tumble together and memories leave their mark on the walkways of my heart.

Happy Birthday to you!!

Changing Seasons

2011-09-25T20:54:00.003-04:00

What doesn't belong in this picture?

We drove north of the city this first weekend of autumn to get apples and passed this Old Order Mennonite meeting house. A large funeral service was underway and it was odd to see a car parked between the horses. A row of black cars lined the gravel roadway and at the bend in the road, a large yellow school bus was parked at the edge of a field, undoubtedly hired to bring mourners from another county. The 85 year old man who died had a family service in his home and was then moved to the meeting house for another service and burial in the cemetery. I listened to the congregation sing in four part harmony with no musical instruments as the horses snorted and pawed at the ground outside.

Fall is in the air and the trees are starting to turn to red, orange and gold. Nights are cool and mist rises from the warm ground in the early morning. Apples hang heavy on branches in the orchard and Cortlands, my favourite applesauce variety, are finally available. We carried away pie pumpkins, fresh squash and plums from the farm stand which was decorated with bright pots of mums.


Early fall colour above the apple orchard

The meadows have their own special fall hues with yellow goldenrod alongside purple and white asters. Monarch butterflies gather on the blossoms as they begin their long journey south. Even with shortening days and the surety of five months of ice and snow ahead, I enjoy autumn more than summer (definitely more than winter). There is certainty in the cycle of seasons...rebirth, growth, harvest and death in a world that seems uncertain economically and politically. Life has its ups and downs but it is a wise person who lets go, patiently sits back and allows things unfold as they should.

Photographic Memories

2011-09-17T19:17:00.003-04:00

Our girls and their friend planted giant sunflowers in the garden in 1988

On May 25, 2011, Taylor Jones, a 22 year old resident of our city started a new blog on Tumblr called "Dear Photograph". His idea went viral and he has received worldwide recognition for his work and has signed a book deal. Do take a look at his blog as it is a very interesting blend of old and new photographs. Today I pulled some photo prints from an album and experimented with the concept. It was harder than it looked to line up an old picture in a current context.


My youngest brother visited our family in Canada after his wedding

Raven is not interested in the big salmon my husband caught in 1989

We had our dog Thor from 1990-1999 and the Becka thinks this is around 1998. Somehow we count time in dogs.

A National Day of Service

2011-09-11T09:19:00.003-04:00

Ten years ago today I was visiting a home care patient and remember watching with incredulity the TV images of the first attack on the World Trade Centre. Our world has changed much in the ensuing decade with ongoing wars, suspicion, fear and uncertainty.

This week our Prime Minister declared September 11th to be a National Day of Service in Canada. In his words Stephen Harper expressed "hope that this National Day of Service, observed hereafter on September 11, will inspire Canadians to once more show the same kind of compassion to strangers in need, by engaging on that day in charitable activities, fundraisers and community service for worthy causes ...."A National Day of Service will be a fitting way to pay tributes to the 9/11 victims and their families, to honour those involved in the rescue efforts, and to turn an infamous date into a day of hope marked by a communal outpouring of warmth and generosity."

I admire the many people in my community, country and around the world who quietly demonstrate charity and compassion to strangers on a daily basis. We do not have to look far to see those in need. For some time I have wanted to get involved in volunteering in our downtown core among the poor, ill and needy who live there. I worked in the area for five years when I did home care and was sometimes judgemental and cautious around my clients.

There is a large community centre downtown which provides a daily meal, a food bank, used clothing store, laundry and shower facilities, counselling and spiritual care for the needy. Monday was my first evening to assist with the meal. I was expecting to see the average "street person" there, addicts and homeless types. To my surprise, there were those with physical disabilities, the elderly and single family poor, skilled workers without jobs, and disadvantaged young adults. The centre feeds between 150 to 250 people a day. Various churches and charitable organizations take turns buying, preparing and serving the meals and local businesses and food outlets donate excess inventory.

Yesterday, after four hours of hard work, the meal was ready and the doors about to open. The volunteers took time to pray for those about to enter. An hour later, there still was a line to the parking lot of people waiting to enter but they would find physical and spiritual nourishment.

I give credit to the volunteers at this centre who quietly donate many hours each week without the urging of our Prime Minister. They are not fearful of those who are different and they work to break down the barriers which keep the needy from having a meaningful role in our community.

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.

1 Timothy 6:17, 18

The Old Man and the White Horse

2011-09-02T08:19:00.000-04:00

Our pastor read this story a couple of weeks ago from Max Lucado's book "In the Eye of the Storm". I don't want to forget the wisdom of this parable and wish to share it here.

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before –such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend.” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in his stable. All the village came to see him.

“You old fool,”they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been to high. Now the horse is gone and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”

The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, and old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again, the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke.

“Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was
a blessing. Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of one phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase? Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is one fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned. With a little work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken both his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

“You were right, old man,” They wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows.

Two Months Later...

2011-08-12T07:58:00.003-04:00

Raven doing Pilates

It is two months since we brought home our new puppy and she has certainly changed our daily routines. Mornings before work and evenings after supper are spent exercising and training her. The only time this summer I had time to blog and was when we were away on vacation. What we invest in her early training will pay off handsomely as she is becoming a big dog and must learn to behave. She rewards us with love, affection, total devotion and many good laughs. Yesterday I noticed her trying to imitate me as I did a Pilates routine on the floor. She knows the red mat and the lady talking on the TV mean I will be doing some strange moves and she wants in on the action.

The highlight of the day is a romp at the leash-free dog park. She no longer hides under the bench but rushes out to play with her friends. It is in this environment we are teaching her to "come!" when called, and like a child in a playground, she chooses to ignore us sometimes. She is improving though.

Raven thinks the recycling bin is her toy box and she takes out every plastic container and amuses herself by flattening and throwing them about. We let her get away with it and are thankful she hasn't taken a liking to treating our shoes in the same way. She is at the peak of teething right now.

Pets are lots of work, but everyone in this household knows the benefits outweigh any inconvenience.

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.

George Eliot

Raven at 12 weeks and 21 weeks...She has grown out of her red collar and gained a lot of confidence

Canadian Summer

2011-07-30T23:15:00.002-04:00

My cousin and her family just returned from a week at a cottage near North Bay, Ontario. I love this picture and she kindly allowed me to post it here. It shows everything I enjoy during our Canadian summers...water, beautiful skies and sunsets, bonfires and good company. And the moon is just a spectacular bonus.

Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-21T23:12:00.000-04:00

We have now had Raven for 6 weeks and she is growing quickly, gaining 2-3 pounds a week. We could hardly believe how much she changed in the two weeks we were away on vacation. Our vet laughed when he saw her this week for her last puppy shots and figured she was about half way grown. At four months she weighs 38 pounds and stands 24" tall. As a cross-breed, there is no way to accurately predict her adult size.

She is well behaved, affectionate and friendly with other people and dogs but we do plan to enroll her in obedience school at the end of the summer. She does have a willful streak and needs to learn to listen 100% of the time. Right now it is too hot to work hard as we enjoy a midsummer heat wave, thankful for a well-cooled home to rest in after a romp at the dog park.

Western Canada Slideshow

2011-07-19T06:48:00.002-04:00

I took hundreds of pictures on our trip across Canada and am still in the process of organizing them. I put about 300 of them in this 20 minute slideshow for people who may be interested in a broad overview of the territory we covered. (The imbedded slideshow does not appear to work well on this site. Here is the link to the movie on You Tube. I will have to try and fix this page after work.)

Vacation Postcard #12

2011-07-14T11:06:00.001-04:00


Totem at Duncan BC

"Indian Art broadened my seeing, loosened the formal tightness I had learned in England's schools. Its bigness and stark reality baffled my white man's understanding...I had been schooled to see outsides only, not struggle to pierce." Emily Carr, GROWING PAINS

Vacation Postcard #11

2011-07-12T18:57:00.001-04:00

Harbour Seal, Victoria BC

I can think of 100 reasons why I would like to live in Victoria or somewhere on Vancouver Island...

Vacation Postcard #10

2011-07-11T23:04:00.000-04:00

Our lodgings on this trip have been comfortable but unremarkable. Yesterday we pulled into 3 Valley Gap Chateau just outside of Revelstoke BC for the night and wished we could have stayed in this scenic spot for a week. The gardens were beautiful and the mountains rose above us on all sides. On a seemingly vertical rise of rock behind the hotel, we spotted a black bear. In the morning there was a female and two cubs in the same spot.

Vacation Postcard #9

2011-07-10T23:28:00.000-04:00

We visited Lake Louise AB this morning under heavy, grey skies. The mountains were beautiful and the masses of Icelandic Poppies blooming around the Fairmont Lake Louise Hotel caught my attention. I have never seen poppies in so many colours.

Lake Louise AB

Vacation Postcard #8

2011-07-09T23:50:00.000-04:00


View from the top of Sulpher Mountain near Banff, Alberta

We finally reached to Canadian Rockies and spent the day around Banff, Alberta. I have never seen these mountains except from an airplane. We took the gondola to the top of Sulpher Mountain. The grey skies finally opened and sunlight illuminated the snow-covered peaks. It is very cold here and I would have welcomed a winter coat. Some people arrived in shorts and t-shirts. My husband walked all the way to the peak of Sulpher Mountain but I turned back after going 3/4 of the way because of the cold wind and freezing drizzle.

The walk to the peak of Sulpher Mountain

Vacation Postcard #7

2011-07-08T23:36:00.001-04:00

We are at the Calgary Stampede all day today and I will not be on the internet this evening. We stayed in Medicine Hat, Alberta on Wednesday night and the entire front lawn was taken up by a colony of "gophers". Gopher is a general term used for a number of burrowing rodents and I do not know what exact species this is. The hotel receptionist told us they were not prairie dogs. They were amusing to watch but I am sure no one would want 100 or so living in their yard.

Vacation Postcard #6

2011-07-07T22:31:00.001-04:00


The Calgary Tower

We had dinner tonight in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Calgary Tower. The weather is sunny and warm and the view was beautiful. As we ate we watched the crowds gather to watch William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leave the nearby Hyatt Hotel and travel the short distance to the BMO Centre near the grounds of the Calgary Stampede. We will spend the day tomorrow at the stampede. And here is a little bonus...

Top left: Yours truly with DH Top right: BMO Centre, the Royal entourage and welcoming bands
Bottom left: Calgary Saddledome Bottom right: Glass floor of the Calgary Tower

Vacation Postcard #5

2011-07-07T00:11:00.001-04:00

A visit to CFB Moose Jaw - Maryse Carmichael second from the left

It is getting harder to pick one highlight each day for my postcard feature. We saw so many interesting things today and I will write more later. My husband received money for a trip from his workplace as a bonus for 20 years of service.We wanted to go to Western Canada and considered driving ourselves, but the distances are great and it would be very tiring to do the trip in 2 weeks. So we signed up for a bus tour with Great Canadian, a company based in our own city and hoped we would like it. So far we have been very pleased with the tour guide, driver and our accomodations. Today, we had a surprise luncheon at the 15 Wing Moose Jaw, also known as CFB Moose Jaw. One member of the forces sat at each table and discussed their job, answering our questions as we ate our meal. We had the privilege of meeting Maryse Carmichael, the Commanding Officer of the CAF aerobatic team, the Snowbirds. In 2001, she became the first female pilot to fly with the Snowbird team. She spoke to our group and was warm, personable, very intelligent and had a fine sense of humour. We do not live near or know anyone associated with the Canadian Armed Forces and found today's presentation to be very interesting and a highlight of the day.

Vacation Postcard #4

2011-07-05T23:27:00.001-04:00


Red River at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba

My initial impression of Winnipeg when we arrived last evening was not great, but I changed my mind after a tour of the city this morning. Canadian history would have been so much more interesting if we had taken field trips to each province. We stopped in St. Boniface near the tomb of Louis Riel and viewed the famous Esplanade Riel pedestrian bridge crosses the river. The steps lead to the river walkway which is obviously flooded at this time. The Assiniboine River is in flood due to above average rainfalls this year and the Red River is also very high for this time of year. (Wikipedia has all the details here)

P.S. My computer time is limited to public internet locations in the evening so I will have to catch up on other blogs when I get back to Ontario.

Vacation Postcard #3

2011-07-04T22:10:00.002-04:00

Northern Ontario Mascots

We finally made it to the Ontario-Manitoba border this afternoon, 1823 km from our home. It is exactly the same distance from our house in south-western Ontario to Jacksonville, Florida. We are spending the night in Winnipeg, Manitoba and go on to Regina, Saskatchewan tomorrow.

Many northern Ontario communities have decreasing populations as some pulp and paper mills and other industries have closed down. The economy is definitely hurting in many locations and summer tourism is very important for local businesses. Some towns have famous (or infamous) mascots which remind me of statues of patron saints or deities in other countries like Mexico. Today's postcard shows some mascots we met along the way.

Top left: The Wawa Goose- Wawa, Ontario
Top right: Maximillian Moose- Dryden, Ontario
Bottom left: Family of Bears- Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
Bottom right: Husky the Muskie- Kenora, Ontario (a very beautiful town!)

Vacation Postcard #2

2011-07-03T22:12:00.004-04:00


Terry Fox Memorial just east of Thunder Bay, Ontario

Northern Ontario is vast in size. We drove 700 km between Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay and saw endless expanses of forest and water with a few small communities inbetween. There are so many lakes that it appears too difficult to come up with original names for all of them. We passed Mom Lake, Dad Lake, Baby Lake, Old Woman Lake, and Rabbit Blanket Lake. The flowers at the side of the road were beautiful and flowering Lupins filled ditches and berms as we approached Thunder Bay. We saw the Terry Fox Memorial in July 1982 when it was first erected but it has been moved to a park just off the Trans Canada Highway. Interestingly, I am reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks while we travel.

Bonus Postcard-Lake Superior near Wawa ON

Vacation Postcard #1

2011-07-02T21:46:00.000-04:00


The St.Mary's River- Sault Ste Marie Ontario and Sault Ste Marie Michigan

I never thought about the name of this city until I saw the St. Mary's River today. "Sault" is an ancient French word for a cataract or rapids. The boardwalk on the Ontario side of the river is lovely for an evening stroll and it is still light at 9:45 PM. Westward we go!

Puppies, Parenthood and a Psalm

2011-06-18T20:39:00.005-04:00

After one week of new puppy ownership we are all rather tired and out of routine. Raven has a lovely temperment and is learning quickly, but we cannot take a break from being super vigilant when she is awake. Unfortunately, she still howls for company at night and doesn't sleep past five to six in the morning. The Becka asked if babies were this much work. I assured her that she and her sisters required far more attention and their training took years, not the weeks or months it will take to teach a dog all it needs to know.

Parenting is the toughest job anyone can undertake!

Leash training

This is the sixth dog we have had since my husband and I were married. And each new dog has benefitted from our past animal training experience. Most of us get one, maybe two chances to raise a family to adulthood and we have to do our best to get things right the first time.

At the dog park

We are working harder at socializing this puppy with other people and dogs. Fortunately we have a large leash-free dog park at the end of our street and Raven is learning to be more confident even though the picture doesn't look that way. She now runs with the other dogs and expects all humans to pet her and tell her how cute she is.

Photo by The Becka

Would I do some things differently if I had a chance to raise our children again? Of course!

But we did the best we could at the time and now know that perfect parents do not exist. As imperfect people we must admit our mistakes, love and forgive while upholding a consistent standard of responsible and disciplined behaviour. While we do not get second chances in raising our families, we can usually access the wisdom and experience of older adults, parents, grandparents or other mentors to help guide the way.

Happy Fathers' Day

to my dad, husband, brothers and all men who invest time and love into the lives of their children.

Praise the Lord.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

who finds great delight in his commands.

His children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,

who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken;

a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is secure, he will have no fear;

in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn will be lifted high in honor.

Psalm 112

A New Puppy

2011-06-14T07:24:00.002-04:00

It is about three weeks since we lost our well-loved dog Dakota and while there are benefits to living in a house without a dog, we knew we would be getting another one eventually. I have been watching ads and found Kijiji the best place to view a great variety of pets for sale. Our last two dogs have been pound rescues but lately our local animal shelters have been featuring older dogs, many with health and behaviour issues. We are partial to larger dogs who can romp across fields and in deep snow.

Raven's mother

This weekend we visited a farm an hour or so away where Labradoodle pups were for sale. The family raised a few puppies at a time and they were well cared for in roomy pens in the barn. The mother of this litter was a lovely black Labrador with a very calm temperment. The father was a white standard Poodle and we did not see him.

Outside at 6AM

We brought home a 12 week old female who had never been in a house or out and about in the big wide world. Everything was new and a little frightening but she is adjusting quickly to our routines. I commented to our vet that this was the fourth dog we had brought to his clinic and he laughed saying he didn't need reminders that he was getting older. He declared her healthy and likely to grow considerably. She is already 24 pounds.

Life is busy right now but Raven is learning her boundaries and her place in her new pack. The Becka and her dad picked out the name because of her shiny black coat and her inquisitive, intelligent behaviour.

If something is a little scary, there is always a bench or table to sit under while trying to figure it out.

You cannot replace a dog you have loved, but there is always room in your heart for another.

Murdoch Mysteries and Ruthven Park

2011-06-06T23:13:00.003-04:00

Ruthven Mansion picture taken by me when I was looking at Bluebirds and Orioles

Early last year my friend Lesley introduced me to the Detective Murdoch Mysteries by Maureen Jennings. Set in Toronto, Ontario at the end of the 19th century, they feature Detective William Murdoch, a forward thinking man with an interest in new forensic methods. She also told me about the TV series and her 85 year old mother raved meeting the handsome star of the show at a reception. I did not really take note of the details as I am not one to watch much television.

Set for Murdoch Mysteries at Ruthven Park (Riversong*)

Fast forward to May of this year. I was at Ruthven Park for bird banding and I noticed that the house and grounds had been used for filming an episode in season four of the Murdoch mysteries. I took more interest and found that our local library had seasons one and two available on DVD. My friend's mother was right. Yannick Bisson is very good looking and well suited for his role as Detective Murdoch. I recognized many places in various episodes including Webster's Falls near Hamilton ON and areas of Cambridge ON in our region.

Bird Banding station at Ruthven Park

I love a good detective story and these are fast paced with a thread of historical interest. Season Four premieres on Tuesday June 7, 2011 on City TV. I see that the DVDs are well received on Amazon.ca as well as Amazon.com. I started to watch the pilot movies but found them plodding and dark. Here's hoping the new season is a snappy as the first two which we watched over the past couple of weeks.

*Riversong -Newsletter of the Lower Grand River Land Trust December 2010

Friday Flowers: Rhubarb and more

2011-05-27T07:51:00.003-04:00

One flowering rhubarb patch after thinning

The weather and events of this month have kept me out of the garden. I took time yesterday between rain showers to walk around our property and see what needs to be done this weekend. My husband dug up the raspberry patch and I have a place to plant vegetables, but other than that clear space, the wet weather has encouraged jungle-like growth of the perennial beds. The rhubarb leaves are so large and sturdy that they could be used for Adam and Eve's wardrobe. The ferns are as thick as any I see in the wet understories of the woods, squeezing the hostas out in this back corner.

Our flowering bushes and plants are not doing well because of the lack of sunshine. Lilac blooms are turning brown before opening and the tulips were crushed by heavy rain. Lily of the Valley have spread wildly with many more leaves than flowers. But the Bleeding Heart is blooming and Forget-me-nots have spread in every open space with their tiny blue faces creating a carpet of colour.

Yesterday our recreation therapist and a group of volunteers helped our patients make rhubarb squares. Several patients had fond memories of rhubarb plants and rhubarb desserts and the activity stimulated interesting conversations. The squares turned out well and were enjoyed in the afternoon by everyone. I made stewed rhubarb and rhubarb coffee cake this week, but still had plenty of cut up stalks in the fridge. So I made the rhubarb squares and posted the recipe in my recipe blog Come Home for Supper. They have only five ingredients and are much like my rhubarb custard pie, only faster and easier to make.

Other than chives and tarragon, there is not much else edible in the garden. I hope to get some vegetables out soon but wonder if they will grow productively. We do have regular rabbit visitors who are particulary fond of new pea and bean shoots and lettuce. The short term weather forecast looks grey and dull but ...

...maybe June will bring the sunshine we have been craving. I hope the weather forecasters are on track this time.

Goodbye Dakota...You were the best dog ever!

2011-05-25T20:26:00.000-04:00

If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it;

to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and,

prospectively, to equally profound sadness.

Marjorie Garber

Close to Home

2011-05-24T08:03:00.000-04:00

Mute Swan nest at Rattray Marsh, Mississauga ON

May is quickly coming to an end and the majority of migrating birds have now moved north of us. Time flies when you are busy. We enjoyed a visit from my brother Philip who came to SIAL, a large international food show in Toronto, to promote his business in Mexico. The Becka and I did our best to assist him in promoting his products and set up a new blog for him called The World of Guava. I also spent two enjoyable days volunteering at the bird banding station at Ruthven Park and was outdoors dodging the rain while looking for birds most other days. After all, May only comes once a year. And now it is time to spend a little more time close to home to catch up on spring time chores like cleaning and gardening.

Purple Martin, Ruthven Park, Cayuga ON

The birds which have stayed in the area are also close to home making nests, incubating eggs or caring for their young. Here are a few pictures of nesting birds taken in the past 2 weeks.

American Robin, Rattray Marsh

A Kildeer tries to lead me away from its nest

Black-capped Chickadee nest near our home. The hatchlings have already fledged.

Baltimore Oriole building a hanging nest at Ruthven Park

Sandhill Cranes barely visible on their nest at a marsh south of Cambridge ON

Rainy Days and Wednesday Warblers

2011-05-18T07:34:00.003-04:00


Nine of the worst bird pictures you will see this spring! Can you ID them?

I am sitting here watching the rain hit the window for the 5th day in a row in an already sopping spring season. Mid-May is the peak of spring migration in southern Ontario and the best time to look for warblers. I tried a little birding in the pouring rain on Saturday while my husband sat in his vehicle. There were lots of birds around but with water on my glasses and binocular lenses I soon quit my search.

Rattray Marsh, Mississauga ON

On Monday I took my brother to the airport in Toronto (in the pouring rain) and then drove to Rattray Marsh which is along the shore of Lake Ontario in Mississauga. Experienced bird watchers reported seeing 23 species of warblers there the previous day. I cannot even identify half that number with any confidence. I got out of my car and walked a few metres into the trail and was surrounded by warblers of all kinds at eye level. Apparently the wind, rain and fog has forced them down from the treetops in search of food.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

The dull drizzly day was brightened by many colourful, singing warblers, many of them life birds for me. My camera was ready but there was not enough light to get pictures of rapidly moving targets. I finally gave up and just enjoyed the walk with my binoculars.

American Redstart- one of the more photogenic warblers

Closer to home, the local park where I am doing a seasonal bird count is also alive with eye level warblers. I counted seven species yesterday on a stop after work. Rick, the head bander at Ruthven Park wrote in his blog yesterday that the persistent rain and cool temperatures are hurting early nesting birds like Tree Swallows and Bluebirds. There are not enough insects around because of the weather, especially for swallows. And it is forcing other migrating birds to ground level for food.

The long weekend is coming up and I do hope for better weather, not just for me, but for farmers and vacationers. Local sports parks are closed because fields are too wet for baseball and soccer. Everyone would like some sun, especially the birds. I will even wish for a big hatch of flying insects (preferably not mosquitoes) for them.

1. Magnolia Warbler 2. Bay-breasted Warbler 3. Chestnut-sided Warbler 4. Black and White Warbler 5. Yellow Warbler 6. Magnolia Warbler 7. Cedar Waxwings 8. Northern Parula 9. Male and female Blackburnian Warblers (only I know where they are!)

Rainy Days and Mondays

2011-05-16T08:47:00.000-04:00

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come

It rained solid on the weekend and the forecast is for showers all week. This little Common Yellowthroat cheered me as it sang its spring song in the soggy swamp. Life is very busy right now but in a good way. Have a great day!

Happy Birthday Grandma, Happy Mothers’ Day and a Northern Parula

2011-05-10T16:53:00.013-04:00

Grandma Devins was born on this day 115 years ago. It sounds unlikely (to me) that I could have spent 35 years of my life with someone who was born in 1896. I wrote a post on May 10, 2007 about Grandma’s 48th birthday birding party in 1944. She and her friends counted birds at the family farm near Aurora Ontario and her list was quite impressive. I have seen most of the birds she recorded that day, but the Northern Parula has eluded me as not many sightings are reported around here. I was at Ruthven Park this past weekend and Peter Thoem, who doing the census on the grounds that day, took a picture of a Northern Parula near the banks of the Grand River. He gave me directions and I headed off along a creek in search of Grandma’s bird. And I was not disappointed, although my photographs were the worst bird pictures of the year. I watched the bird flit and sing in the canopy for a good ten minutes. (Thanks Peter for allowing me to post your photo)

Happy Northern Parula Birthday Grandma!

My blurry but very meaningful picture of the singing N. Parula

My eldest brother has some of Grandma’s books and this week he sent me a copy of a letter found in one of them. Grandma treated a sick baby and 52 years later the mother sent this thank you note.

May 1986

Dear Dr. Devins,

Just a short note with your card. I often think of you from a long time back and as

I saw your birthday was coming up and I do want to say “Happy Birthday” to you...
It is fifty two years ago this summer you were so good to us when our baby was so sick.

I still remember how patient you were with me and he was so sick

but you knew exactly what to do for him.

He still has red hair...and has four children. One boy is married with two little girls...
We wish you all the best of health and happiness and thanks again for your kindness in 1934.

Sincerely W. and W. G.

Happy Birthday Grandma! After 115 years you really do live on. We can live on through the deeds we do and the people we love and care for in our life time.

Mothers’ Day is always May 10th in Mexico so I will wish my mom Happy Mothers’ Day again. She continues to invest in the lives of others around her and is enjoying improving health and strength. It was a year ago she had two surgeries for cancer and a course of chemotherapy afterward.

Spring Beauties

This is my most wonderful time of the year. The leaves are opening here and apple trees are beginning to bloom. The world is young and beautiful again and I am out and about as much as possible enjoying the season.

Leaving with a Song

2011-05-05T08:06:00.005-04:00

Singing Myrtle Warbler

My husband called me at work yesterday to tell me a friend had reported a fall out of migrating warblers at a park near our home. He encouraged me to go there before coming home saying he would look after getting his own dinner. And as it was a lovely sunny afternoon, I did just that. A variety of warblers darted from the bare tree branches feeding on insects for their long, uncertain journey. The sound of bird song filled the air.

A lady I know finally found out why she has become more muddled in her thinking and coordination. She is recovering from a fracture received because of a previously unexplained fall. A large, rapidly growing tumour has invaded her brain and she will soon be transferred to another hospital for a surgical assessment. She knows that there may be no treatment available for her type of tumour.

Last week she asked if I could get her a keyboard so she could enjoy some music during these long days. Yesterday she played for me, sitting in her wheelchair while struggling to read the notes in front of her. But she managed to finger out a few tunes with a good sense of rhythm. For some reason, she always missed the last line of notes on the page, perhaps not seeing them due to her condition.

"It will soon be Christmas", she told me before she played "Silent Night" and "O Come All Ye Faithful". And she smiled, thanking me for being her audience.

I am busy and my piano is often neglected for days on end. My friend reminded me to make music every day, to journey in life with a song and a smile.

Twitter and Twitter

2011-05-03T23:28:00.003-04:00

The weather has not been the greatest for spending time outdoors after work. Constant spring rains have left the ground saturated, trails muddy and slippery and the atmosphere damp and chilly. The price of gas has also dampened my motivation to travel to my favourite trails in the region. (This week it is $1.39 a litre and a fill up for my Honda CRV is well over $60.00)

There is a lovely pond at a water pumping station near our home. When our daughters were young, we used to bike there in the evenings to see “the ducks and geese”. In those days I did not look for the many other birds which pass through or nest there seasonally. Yesterday I spent time looking for new arrivals around the pond and adjacent bush. The frogs were in chorus and many bird tweets were recognizable. I sat on a bench with my binoculars enjoying the peaceful evening and counted 21 species in a few minutes. And here are my evening twitterers...

Eastern Phoebe

FOY sightings: Eastern Kingbird, Myrtle Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Grey Catbird, Pied-billed Grebe, Spotted Sandpiper

Other sightings: Eastern Phoebe, Belted Kingfisher, Tree Swallow, American Robin, Bluejay, Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Canada Geese, Mallard Duck, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, House Finch

Yesterday was also election day in Canada. We voted earlier and the polls did not close until 9:30 PM. This is the first federal election where social networking has been widely used by candidates, news outlets and voters. Elections Canada banned posting or tweeting election results in the east before all the polls closed in the west. But Twitter is ungovernable and thousands of tweets spread news of local results. One user in Australia offered to post information on Twitter sent to him by email from Canada. The hashtag #tweettheresults was used heavily.

I have never had a Twitter account and the thought of posting my every move and thought (or reading the same from other people) was obnoxiously narcissistic in my opinion. But this year it was apparent that social network use was an invaluable tool in organizing the uprising in Egypt. The attack on Osama bin Laden’s compound was reported on Twitter by a user who did not even realize what was going on near his home. Twitter finally tweaked my interest enough that I set up an account in order to monitor the election results.

And I was intrigued by the real time commentary of ordinary people across our nation. The election results varied greatly from what the pre-election polls predicted and I wondered how much influence the tweets had in the end. It was a good night to start using Twitter in order to gain an understanding this network although I did rely heavily on my teacher, the Becka.

I am not looking for followers but I am following a few sites of interest. Already I see that twitterers have the attention span of fruit flies as trending topics around the world today are far removed from the discussions of yesterday. But they are a force for change in our ever-changing world.

Horse Auction

2011-04-30T23:52:00.002-04:00

In my North American travels I have yet to find farmers' markets as big and interesting as the ones in our region. Our local markets are open year-round and have become more multi-cultural over the years. But Mennonite culture is still predominate at this particular location. On the last Saturday of each month a horse auction is held at the largest market near St. Jacobs, Ontario. It is a big event for the Old Order Mennonites as they gather to buy and sell their primary mode of transportation and farm labour. I put the video together with still pictures and video taken today, a day which turned out to be one of the nicest of this soggy, cold month.

Bloodroot

2011-04-25T16:57:00.002-04:00

Easter came late this year and spring also decided to wait until the end of April to let us know it would stay. It is four days since the last fresh snow fell on Maundy Thursday and cool north winds still blow our way. We walked in the woods last evening and amidst the dead leaves on the ground, Bloodroot blooms rose, their leaves a shawl of warmth against the cold. Leaves of other ephemerals poked up in a fast growth spurt, racing against the time to complete their short reproductive season.

Fuzzy Wild Ginger flowers are developing at ground level below heart-shaped leaves which have yet to unfurl.

One Blue Cohosh plant bloomed at the south end of the woodlot, where the wind was blocked by a leafy knoll and the sun shone longer each day. Nearby, a precocious Trout Lily clump stood with buds ready to open on the next bright day.

But Bloodroot bloomed here in large clumps, the flowers standing like caped sentinels facing the light, the first ephemeral flower show of this spring season.

TO A BLOODROOT FLOWER

Bloodroot in the leafless wood,
Companion of gray Solitude,
When the birds begin to sing,
Thou, frail welcomer of Spring,
Dost thy white ray’d star unfold,
With its seed heart of green gold,
And remindest us how Faith
Blooms victorious over Death.

Spring now from her slumber waketh,
And unto each lover speaketh,
Breathing through her flowers and birds
Joy too deep for human words...

Excerpt from "To a Bloodroot Flower"
by Paul Shivell in his book Stillwater Pastorals

Remembering the Persecuted Church

2011-04-24T17:00:00.008-04:00

One of my patients is an elderly Iraqi lady who speaks no English. By her bedside she holds this rosary and prayer book for she is an Orthodox Christian, a descendant of one of the most ancient branches of Christianity in the Middle East. She fled her homeland in 1990 with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren as her grandson was of age to fight in Saddam Hussein's army during the Gulf War. They waited for a year in a refugee camp in Jordan and then came to Canada where they worked hard to build a new life from scratch. The grandmother's physical needs are great now, but she is grateful when we assist her, kissing our hands in thanks when we understand what it is she wants.

Christians in Iraq are persecuted for their faith, more so now than ever since the current invasion of Iraq. Our newspaper featured this article yesterday and it is pasted at the end of this post as the link may become obselete quickly.

Two of the children in my Sunday School class are from Eritrea. While teaching in a Christian church in that country, their aunt was arrested and remains imprisoned at this time. Her young nephew told me today he hopes he gets to see her again.

As we sang Easter hymns in church this morning, I wondered how many would gather for worship if our lives were at risk for the faith we proclaimed so openly on this holy day? Would I be there?

Christians remain besieged and fearful in Iraq at Easter

BAGHDAD, IRAQ — Iraqi Christians marked a restrained Easter weekend as fear of attacks kept many from openly celebrating their most sacred day of the year and church officials urged them not to give up on the country.
At Our Lady of Salvation, where gunmen and suicide bombers killed 52 worshippers and guards last October, the church was tightly locked, guarded by Iraqi police who said the doors would be opened only moments before the Saturday evening mass.
“It’s more like a museum than a church,” said one of the police officers. He said they tried to keep out those who were simply curious or, he implied, there to gather intelligence.
Only the arch and cross on the church roof were visible behind 10-foot high concrete walls like others that have turned most churches in Baghdad into miniature fortresses.
“Our churches have become like prisons,” says Monsignor Pious Casha, who arrived at Our Lady of Salvation during the siege moments after Iraqi special forces stormed the church. “The barbed wire and concrete are new. Yes they protect the churches, but they make the worshippers spiritually constrained.”
Monsignor Casha, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in the relatively affluent neighborhood of Mansour, said the church had been packed on Palm Sunday a week ago with families doing a procession through the streets around the church.
He said, however, that of the 1,300 families that had been in his parish in 2003, only 500 remained—with a few more leaving every week—most of them to Turkey.
“It is a disease of emigration,” he said.
With traditional escape routes closing as more countries in the Middle East are engulfed by unrest, Turkey has become the default route for Christians fleeing Iraq. Of more than a million Christians in Iraq before 2003, there are believed to be only about 650,000 left. The exodus has raised fears about the future of Christianity in the region where it first took root.
Casha said his Easter Sunday sermon would urge parishioners to remain in Iraq.
“Let’s stay here and try to build our country—everything old is finished,” he said.
He said there had been no recent attacks specifically targeting Christians after a wave of them claimed by al-Qaida early this year. But there continue to be threats, he said, pulling out of his desk drawer bullets wrapped in black tape that had been placed on the doorstep of a Christian family recently as a warning.
“I think they wanted the house,” he said.
In Baghdad and in the northern city of Mosul, the site of biblical Ninevah and the burial place of the Prophet Jonah, many Christians were watching mass on television rather than risking public celebrations.
Iraq’s state-run television broadcast evening mass live from the half-filled Virgin Mary church in Karrada.
“I ask you to be patient because the coming days will not be easy,” Cardinal Emmanuel Delly, the Patriarch of Babylon, told the small congregation.
Like other minorities, Christians, because of their small numbers, have been disproportionately hit by violence in Iraq. Many blame the United States for the chaos that replaced the relative security they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein’s repressive regime.
Some who remain are a testament to resiliency.
At St. Joseph’s Church in Mansour, among the faithful trickling in was Vivienne Matti, whose husband and three children were killed four months after Saddam was toppled when American soldiers, thinking they were a threat, fired on their vehicle.
Matti’s youngest child, six years old, had been seated in her lap.
“I’ve seen death myself. I’m not afraid anymore,” she said.

By Jane Arraf, McClatchy Newspapers -Sat Apr 23, 2011

Good Friday

2011-04-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.

We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Yet the Lord laid on him

the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,

yet he never said a word.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.

And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,

he did not open his mouth.

Unjustly condemned,

he was led away.

No one cared that he died without descendants,

that his life was cut short in midstream.

But he was struck down

for the rebellion of my people.

He had done no wrong

and had never deceived anyone.

But he was buried like a criminal;

he was put in a rich man’s grave.

Isaiah 53 NLT

Competing with the Other Woman

2011-04-15T22:03:00.000-04:00

For the past week my husband has been telling me about a female Northern Cardinal who has spent time every day trying to get rid of the competition she sees in his truck's side mirror. Neil is the co-worker who took these shots today through the office window. He posted them on Flickr and has been kind enough to let me share them as well. The vehicles are parked here every work day so I hope she finally figures out that her mirror image is not really invading her territory.

Time to Tango

2011-04-13T21:46:00.006-04:00

She is almost 92 years old and still has determination written on her lined face. At first she appeared cranky and demanding but after our first few sessions, it was apparent that was just her protective front. She has led a fiercely independent life since coming to Canada from Eastern Europe after the Second World War.

“I didn’t speak a word of English when I arrived”, she tells me.

She attended night school after work learning to write a new alphabet and speak a new language. She remains conscientious, arriving for her therapy sessions thirty minutes early and working diligently at her exercises. She completes her leg exercises quickly and I tell her to slow down.

1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4...

She learned to dance in secondary school in the old country and the tango was her specialty.

“If you have the right partner and the right parquet the dance is easy”, she tells me.

1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4.

“Do you think my legs will be ever be the way they used to be?” she asks.

I wonder if she means before she broke her hip on the church steps, or before her stroke a couple of years ago. Surely she is not wanting to do the tango on her next birthday.

I tell her she is one of my favourite patients and she grabs my hand, her eyes filled with tears.

“Do you really mean that?” she asks.

I assure her that I am being honest and tell her I wish she could do the tango again.

“If you have the right partner and the right parquet the dance is easy”, she says again with a smile.

1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4...

New Arrivals

2011-04-12T22:20:00.001-04:00

I took one of my elderly patients to the front entrance of the hospital for a ride to an appointment by wheelchair taxi. She waited for me without a jacket or hat thinking the weather was as warm as what we experienced on the weekend. Today's bright sunshine was deceiving as a strong, cold wind blew from the north. In the past week we have had snow, rain, thunder and lightning, hail, and temperature variations of 20 C.

Eastern Phoebe

We walked through a local conservation area on Sunday afternoon. It was short-sleeve warm yet the lake was still frozen over. This is the time of year to see nesting Bluebirds and Tree Swallows, yet things were very quiet, perhaps because the weather was very unsettled. My husband has a good eye for bird movement and he noticed this Eastern Phoebe taking short flights from an old apple tree in pursuit of emerging flying insects.

Savannah Sparrow

A short distance away, Savannah Sparrows were flitting about in a ditch and an Eastern Meadowlark sang from a distant tree. A loud Northern Flicker flew by and a few Tree Swallows circled overhead along with a kettle of Turkey Vultures.

The water along the edge of the lake was open and a few Common Mergansers with a Trumpeter Swan swam beside Canada Geese and Mallards. But I wanted to see Eastern Bluebirds, a species that is generally elusive in our area.

This tree is completely surrounded by suckers growing up from the boggy soil. The habitat is ideal for many small birds and I caught sight of one Bluebird in the area. It flew off as I tried to get closer but we found it again along the roadway. What a lovely bird!

My 2011 spring count is off to a slower start than last year, but the birds will soon arrive faster than I can count them.

Eastern Bluebird

FOY Species April 9-10, 2011

Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Meadowlark, Tree Swallow, Northern Flicker, Osprey

Spring is sprung

2011-04-09T14:50:00.002-04:00

After a dull, uninspiring week comes a beautiful Saturday with sun and spring-like tempuratures. We walk along muddy pathways in the park and the immediate impression is bare, monotone, brown. But look again and find colour, life and song bursting from the ground, the trees and the sky.

We walk beside a dead tree, its main branches bare and reaching V-shaped to the sky. A Red-tailed Hawk sits like a perfectly proportioned totem of wood, unmoving, a near invisible extension of the stump, watching us, watching the ground for food.

As of yesterday, the Juncos and Tree Sparrows are gone north and the summer residents of the park stake territories and build their nests. The birds who followed us for food a week ago are scarcely found and even the Chickadees have little time for visiting.

Spring came late and there is much to do now that it is here.
And what should I do first?...

S-O-S! Signs of Spring

2011-04-02T22:00:00.001-04:00

Ice and snow in gradual retreat

Young Mennonite boys sell maple syrup outside the grocery store

Three lambs, like all children, eat snow in the field

Paired geese on the ice wait to choose a nesting site

Flowers appear once again!

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

William Shakespeare

Farewell to March

2011-03-31T00:14:00.004-04:00

I cannot decide if March is exiting like a lamb or a lion, but I do know the month was not very spring-like. It was more like January with lots of snow, sunny skies and very cold temperatures. We had our largest snowfall of the year one week ago and it has not melted under the arctic high pressure mass. But a full week of sunshine is always welcome, even if winter coats and mittens are needed.

Mrs. Northern Cardinal looking for handouts

I walked along a trail in a city park when I got out of work the day after the big storm. People put generous amounts of bird seed on platforms and feeders along the boardwalk each day and the birds are used to their human benefactors.

No food for Mr. Cardinal

I usually have seeds in my coat pocket but had put on a warmer coat this day with empty pockets. Surprisingly, all the bird feeders were empty and either no one had come out in the snow, or the birds had eaten everything in an effort to keep warm.

My first Song Sparrow of the season

I was literally mobbed by Chickadees and even the more cautious birds watched me expectantly from nearby shrubs. I had nothing to offer them and felt like I had invited guests but had not prepared a meal. The park has plenty of natural food sources but these birds are accustomed to finer fare.

American Tree Sparrow

I returned on Friday afternoon and again, the feeders were empty. This time I was prepared with plenty of peanuts and black sunflower seeds. Now here is a happy group of birds!

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Song Sparrow

We have American Robins all over the neighbourhood and the cold weather has kept them from digging in lawns for worms and grubs. They gather in groups around crabapple and mountain ash trees which still have frozen fruit hanging from bare branches and clean them off in a few hours. These Robins were looking for fallen fruit in the snow.

Daffodil shoots in the foreground

From a bird's point of view, March has been a lion for most of the month. But they greet each cold dawn with spring songs because winter will not last forever.

Water, water everywhere

2011-03-26T10:42:00.011-04:00

World Water Day was observed earlier this week on March 22nd. Water- so essential to life yet so abundant in Canada that we take it for granted. According to Nature Canada "each (Canadian) uses about 57 gallons (260 litres) of water each day - about 10 times the global average."

This month we have had days of rain, warnings about dangerously swollen creeks and rivers, and our largest snowfall of the season. My tap water is safe to drink and our water pressure is always good.

I downloaded Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner to my Kindle. Most everyone has heard the line,

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

The parched Mariner, cursed by Night-mare Life-in-death, lived on after all his ship mates died. He survived the harshness of the ocean's 'too much-too little water' and went on to roam the countryside telling others his story of death and redemption.

This wetland is located adjacent to one of our city's water treatment facilities. I come here often to look for birds who are drawn to the shallow swamp during migration or as a home to raise their young. A city subdivision surrounds it and a few irresponsible people use it as a trash dump. But local schools teach students about the life these waters bring to fish, birds, amphibians, mammals and people.

I am certain our family does not use 57 gallons of water per person a day. But heavy water users in our community add to our daily average.

Industry, agriculture, energy production, car washes, supermarket produce sprays, hospitals...

We wash our hands 100 times or more a day at the hospital. Infection control monitors stand in the halls with clipboards checking staff compliance with hand cleansing each time we enter and leave a patient's room. Now we use alcohol foam rather than soap and water but large amounts of water are used in health facilities daily. I watch a patient, hands feeble, mind dulled by dementia as she cleans her dentures at the sink. The tap runs for 10 minutes. I say nothing as she goes through one of the few rituals she remembers.

Some patients I see can no longer swallow water, their throat muscles weakened by strokes and degenerative disease. We scoop sweet flavoured and thickened goo into their mouths when they ask for a drink.

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

It is good to be reminded of things we take for granted. I am grateful for health. I am grateful for the abundance of fresh water in Canada, the beauty of our lakes and rivers, and will be a responsible steward of our resources.

Here is Nature Canada's website with more information on water supply and conservation.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-03-22T16:58:00.000-04:00

Vermilion Flycatcher- Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico

This is the only time of year when people in the north get excited about seeing Crows, Canada Geese, Blackbirds, and Grackles as they return for the spring season. I saw my first three Turkey Vultures this week, beautiful in the air yet so homely up close.

My dad has shared pictures of colourful birds he has seen on their property in western Mexico over the winter. This week he sent me another beautiful photo, this time a Vermilion Flycatcher. Our flycatchers here are feathered in brown, olive and pale yellow at their brightest.

My best bird picture of the week looks sinister in comparison, but I was strangely happy to see this noisy pair on the bare branches of the tree.

Common Grackles- Southern Ontario, Canada

Miracle or Providence?

2011-03-20T19:25:00.012-04:00

There are several definitions of the word miracle, but it usually brings to mind a supernatural, inexplicable occurrence that is divine in nature. We all want a miracle to make up for our human shortfalls or perhaps to show we have special favour with God. The word is often over-used to describe what are really natural events.

It was a miracle that our team won the game
We keep in touch through the miracle of the internet.
Conception and life are miracles.

Miracle drugs, vitamins, foods and lotions are supposed to erase the effects of age and disease. It doesn’t matter if you have smoked for 50 years or if you have a lifestyle related illness. People will rush out to buy a “miracle” ingredient to compensate for the abuse of their body. Those in need may be quick to ask others to pray for a miracle on their behalf. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t receive a request like that online or from people I am in contact with each day.

For a long time I have observed that miracles are very rare events. While I believe they can occur, I cannot say I have ever seen one even though I have heard many people claim them. Within my faith background it is pretty much a heresy to say that. A miracle is an event that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. It is a visible demonstration of supernatural power that reveals or confirms God’s will. The Bible records many miracles in the Old and New Testaments and believers are told that if they have faith as a grain of mustard seed, they can move mountains.

Working in a hospital I see disease at work every day. People get sick, some get better and others die. We all experience age related decline. Some cancers grow quickly, others respond well to treatment or go into spontaneous remission. Other diseases such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by relapses and remissions. Disease follows a natural course and has the same effect on those with faith or those without faith. The laws of nature explain earthquakes and other natural disasters which have claimed many lives in recorded history.

While I may not observe miracles around me, I am aware of the providence of God on a daily basis. Divine providence is defined as "the divine intervention in the affairs of man within the confines of natural law," or "the foreseeing and guardianship of God which shows itself in a manifestation of His divine care or direction." What we may consider a coincidence, beating the odds or a lucky break, may be seen in retrospect to be God’s provision and guidance in our lives. There are many scriptures which speak of this such as Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 23 also conveys this same idea. Our path in life will inevitably lead us through difficult, trying experiences. There may not be a divine miracle no matter how much faith we have. Our goal should not be deliverance, but acceptance of God’s work and direction through natural events in our lives. He does not dole out miracles as a reward for good behaviour and that kind of thinking can lead to spiritual pride. But he is God, the provider of all that we need. Often he uses people around us to meet our need and we in turn can bless others in the same way.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,

nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8: 35-39

The words of Fanny Crosby's hymn All the Way My Saviour Leads Me come to my mind as expressing the truth of what I believe..."For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well."

HaPpY SpRiNg!!

2011-03-20T01:14:00.001-04:00

The super full moon arrived just before the spring equinox which is the reason Easter is so late this year. Our skies were mainly cloudy on Saturday and I was disappointed that I could not see the full moon rise at dusk. Anvilcloud wrote from the Ottawa area,
"Just saw it very low over the horizon on our way home. Very big and orange. Hope you get to see it too."

My husband stepped out around 10 PM and noticed the skies had cleared and the moon was finally visible. By this time it was high in the sky but it was large and bright. There really is no way to show that this moon is closer to earth than it has been in 18 years.

I am happy that the spring is here with each day bringing more light and new life. A couple of weeks ago I brought some pussywillow and forsythia twigs indoors and forced them to open in the warmth of the house. They sit in an arrangement beside me as a prelude to the season ahead.

"Come, gentle Spring! Ethereal Mildness! Come."
James Thomson

Here are some amazing pictures of the Super Full Moon from around the world.

How to Make Greek Yogurt

2011-03-17T20:42:00.004-04:00

Plain yogurt has been a favourite food of mine for many years. It was about 1970 when a friend gave Mom some bacterial culture and taught her how to make yogurt in a thermos with sterilized milk. Later, I bought an electric yogurt maker which was used for years until the plastic exterior deteriorated. I visited Israel around 1977 and remember the delicious pots of thick, white, creamy yogurt which were staples at the breakfast buffets we enjoyed. I never developed a taste for sweetened versions, many of which are thickened with other starches. My dairy consumption is down to a minimum in recent years but I do eat cultured milk products from time to time.

There is a Greek yogurt craze at the moment. Containers of no fat Greek yogurt boast 20g of protein per 175 g portion and grocery stores cannot keep them in stock. We used to call Greek yogurt “yogurt cheese” and I made it as a substitute for sour cream or cream cheese. Yesterday I ran into a friend at the grocery store who was looking for Greek yogurt as it was recommended at her Weight Watchers group. There was one 500 ml container on the dairy shelf and it cost over $5.00.

So I decided to make some for myself and it was well worth the effort and was considerable cheaper too.

A 750g container of plain no fat yogurt cost me $2.99 at a discount grocery store. This plain yogurt is better tasting than similar products sold by our major dairy companies.

I lined a fine sieve with 3 thicknesses of cheesecloth, placed it over a bowl and dumped the plain yogurt into the sieve.

Within two hours, a little over 250 ml of whey was in the bowl and 500 ml of delicious Greek yogurt was in the sieve. It tasted even better after sitting overnight in the refrigerator and in my opinion, was superior to the container of Greek yogurt I did purchase.

What can you make with Greek yogurt? It is delicious as a parfait with fruit and granola. It can be used as a base for dips like tzatziki or raita. Or you can eat it in a traditional fashion, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with fresh nutmeats. A little goes a long way. Yummy!!

Neighbourhoods- Our Global Village

2011-03-15T20:41:00.004-04:00

This past Sunday the children's lesson was the familiar story of the Good Samaritan from the gospel of Luke. The definition of neighbour in the parable Jesus told included all people, particularly those with whom we have nothing in common. A neighbour is anyone in need of compassion and assistance. I introduced the Bible lesson with a few pages from Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who* with the repeated line, "A person's a person, no matter how small." Horton the elephant took responsibility for needs of the tiny Whos even when he was ridiculed and persecuted for doing so.

The attention of the world in on Japan and the devastation caused by last week's major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. Humanitarian aid has been offered from many governments and individuals as people reach around the world to assist those in great need. Some students in my class had not seen any pictures from Japan and young children should be shielded from graphic media images. But I wanted to share something about the country, its people and culture so the children could identify with their global neighbours who are suffering at this time.

We made onigiri which is a simple rice ball with or without a filling. Each child took a triangle of sticky rice and garnished it with their choice of nori, sprouts, vegetable and fruit cutouts and edamame. They ate the bento rice balls and asked for more. I was pleasantly surprised with their acceptance of new foods and their interest in people beyond themselves.

We prayed for those in need and talked about ways we can help neighbours close to home and far away. Problems in our world are ever present and it is hard to know how our small contribution will make a difference. We cannot help everyone but that should not stop us from helping someone. As technology shrinks the world, we feel the impact almost immediately when a global neighbour is in trouble. Doing to others as we would have them do for us if we were the ones in need is the golden rule we must practice.

*Dr. Seuss dedicated this book to a Japanese friend and apparently wrote it as an allegory for the American post WW2 occupation of Japan.

Donations for Japan and other needy areas of the world can be made through:

The Red Cross

Doctors without Borders (MSF)

Mennonite Central Committee

Neighbourhoods- Within the big city

2011-03-14T21:01:00.004-04:00

We celebrated the Becka's March birthday with a trip to Toronto on a sunny but very cold and windy day. I used to live in Toronto and have been within an easy drive of the city for forty years, but had never been to Kensington Market. Toronto has several ethnic neighbourhoods such as Chinatown, Greek Town, Little Italy, Portugal Village and Little India. As the city grew, it incorporated smaller communities which remain unique in the metropolitan area giving Toronto the distinction of being "the city of neighbourhoods."

Kensington Market is pedestrian friendly and streetcars run on the main roads which mark its boundaries. I believe you could purchase anything you wanted in the many small shops and businesses crowded together here. La Tortilleria sold the first fresh, hot authentic corn tortillas I have found outside Mexico. We bought half a kilo along with fresh green salsa and ate them for lunch.

I recognized streets featured in TV shows such as Sharon, Lois and Bram, The Rick Mercer Report and the 1970's sitcom, The King of Kensington. In keeping with its history, several shops sell vintage clothing that would undoubtedly be one-of-a-kind for the wearers.

The many restaurants and specialty food stops make a supermarket boring in comparison. I found great variety and reasonable prices in the fruit and vegetable markets, bakeries and bulk stores.

This isn't Amsterdam and street marijuana is not legal in Canada. But I think there are baby boomers here who have never moved out of the flower child era of the 1960's and 70's.

I like things colourful and interesting and a return trip to Kensington Market will be on my agenda on a warmer day. I am not sure I would want to live in a tiny apartment above a store here but I do like the idea of an urban neighbourhood where a car is not needed. The personal connections would not be as close as in the Paris Plains Church community but it would be possible to intersect with some people on a daily basis.

In these days of rising fuel prices we have to consider ways to decrease our dependence on the automobile. My life would be very inconvenienced without my vehicle because we live in an area of suburban sprawl and conduct all our daily business away from our neighbourhood. There is no easy solution for us at this time in our lives.

Neighbourhoods- Monuments in Stone

2011-03-13T21:01:00.002-04:00

This historic church is a thirty minute drive from our home. I came across it on a cold Saturday afternoon last month while looking for Horned Larks along the gravel road. The cobblestone structure was completed in 1845. The congregation gathered stones from nearby fields and gave freely of their time in its construction. I walked around the building admiring the fine workmanship and thought about the amount of cooperative labour involved in such a project.

The West Dumfries Chapel, now known as the the Paris Plains Church, was part of the Methodist Conference until services were discontinued in 1921. A run down school house stands on the same large property and I imagined the picnics, concerts, weddings, funerals, church, school and social events that were held here for the farming community. Everyone was known by name and made a contribution to the local social scene.

An old cemetery which predates the church building is also on the property. The tombstones in the first row were erected in memory of five children from the same family, none of them living to see their first birthday. They are still part of the neighbourhood one and a half centuries later. I walked through the snow reading the names on the markers noting names, relationships and epitaphs of people who had settled in this new land from Europe in the early 19th century.

We had a heavy snowfall last Sunday and my husband was away in Ottawa. I started to shovel the driveway and two neighbours I had never met came over, started our snowblower and cleared the snow from our large corner lot. I knew the previous owners of the houses they now live in but in the two or more years they have lived on our street, I never had the opportunity to meet them. There are more strangers on our small street than acquaintances. We back out of our driveways each day going our separate ways, our paths in the city never crossing.

No wonder I marvel at the workmanship of a church in a windswept, icy field and dream of the cemented connections represented by each field stone.

Sing a Song of Spring!

2011-03-08T07:40:00.001-05:00

The sun shone bright and warm over the snow and ice yesterday. A cold north wind blew across open fields so I chose a sheltered trail near the river for an afternoon walk. I was greeted by robin songs as I got out of the car and followed the sound into a nearby bush. A tangle of berry bushes attracted the songsters. I threw some bird seed on the snow and stood still while I counted.

30 Robins, 3 Cedar Waxwings,

A different angle on a Cedar Waxwing

many friendly Chickadees and Nuthatches, a Brown Creeper,

singing Cardinals, exuberant House Finches, 3 Downy and 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Tree Sparrows, Juncos...all in one spot, singing the same song....

SPRING!

I count my first spring robins as the entrance to the spring season. Peterson Field Guides published this on their Facebook page yesterday.

"Though the American Robin has become widely recognized as a harbinger of spring, in southern Canada and most of the US the species resides year-round. Individuals usually gather in flocks during the winter months, feeding primarily on frozen berries and other fruit. Some of these flocks can be quite sizable, numbering in the hundreds of birds. Our perception of the robin's return in spring is oftentimes actually the disbanding of the winter flocks and return of individuals to their summer territories. The only fully migratory populations are those of the boreal and subarctic. Have your local birds come back yet?"

I know this flock of robins was likely one of the groups I saw locally in January, but their behaviour in March is very different than in mid-winter. Their migrating cousins will be hopping on our lawns in the next couple of weeks.

Greetings from the "Village"

2011-03-05T10:24:00.024-05:00

Click the picture to enlarge, or follow this link to Geekologie where this map is posted in an eye-friendly size. I like geography and challenged myself to name as many countries as possible. The meanings of the country names provided several helpful hints but I am glad it was not a test.

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In Hiding

2011-03-03T21:50:00.001-05:00

A Northern Cardinal sat motionless in a tangle of red dogwood branches as yet another snow fall blanketed the trees and ground last weekend. I walked along a beautiful trail which wound around eskers, drumlins and kettles created by retreating glaciers eons ago when global warming began.
Seasonal warmth is slow in coming this year, but March is often a drawn out farewell to winter like a guest you wish would leave at the end of a long evening.

February was a short but eventful month. The hospital is busier during winter months and the past few weeks have been no exception. My online time has decreased to the point where my mother wondered if I was unwell as I was absent from Skype and Blogger for days at a time. No, I haven't been hiding, but in semi-hibernation at times with ...

my new Kindle. I had a hard time deciding between a Kindle and an iPad as an eReader. Overall, I am pleased with my choice as it would be easy to get distracted by all the other applications on the iPad. I read more books in February than I have in a long time. The Kindle has a very poor and unnecessary web browser, but it is almost too fast and easy to purchase and download books from Amazon. I like the font size options, the highlighting and note making features, and the portability of the unit. Like other electronic devices it can freeze. I took it into work one day as a co-worker was interested in getting one for his wife. Wouldn't you know, the screen froze and I could not access the help menu to figure out a fix. I had to wait until I got home to look up the problem on the internet. A hard reboot was required and there have been no further glitches. But my friend decided it was too complicated to give as a gift. A large number of books are available for download, many of them free of charge. Not every author has agreed to e-versions of their books so some recent best sellers are not available in this format.

We went to Toronto yesterday and spent time in the World's Largest Bookstore and a BMV shop. Both bookstores are near the Eaton Centre just north of Young and Dundas. I left without a single purchase and questioned the future of large book sellers like this. The Kindle has a grey scale screen so books which rely on graphics, colour charts or photos cannot be viewed properly. So I will still be tempted to buy hard copies of birding guides such as The Crossley ID Guide.

Thanks to all who commented on the last post concerning our dog Dakota. His mouth and face have healed nicely and he is doing well for his age. I will end this rather random rambling with a picture of a bird feeder found hanging along the winter trail. The childish paint job and message reminded me of what is really important in our busy, busy world.

To treat or not to treat...

2011-02-23T20:06:00.003-05:00

Dakota enjoying a walk in the woods in November 2010

We almost lost our dog three and a half years ago and at the time wondered if we were doing the right thing spending a good amount of money on a 9 year old animal. Dakota has done very well since then and other than increasing stiffness in his joints, has been healthy and happy. Over the past few days we noticed him scratching his face and thought he had a skin problem. The Becka called me at work yesterday to say his face was swollen and bleeding so we took him to the vet for an assessment. It turned out to be an abscessed tooth and we had to consider our options for a now 12 year old dog.

Infections of the 4th premolar (carnassial tooth) can cause problems for older dogs. They often appear as skin sores and can spread to the eye as well. To leave the infection untreated would be cruel so we had the choice of extraction under general anaesthetic or euthanasia. I asked for a complete blood screening in order to assess Dakota's liver and kidney function. Surprisingly, his results were near normal and much improved from his blood work in 2007. (We now feed him a primarily home made diet and no longer give him heart worm medication.) So we booked the surgery for today and he came through it very well. He had two infected teeth removed, the area was well irrigated, a dose of IV antibiotics was administered and he is on oral antibiotics for 10 days. And doggie dental work is no cheaper than human dental work.

Groggy, but glad to be home today

Time will tell if we made the right decision, but for now he is more comfortable and happy to be home. I wish dogs lived as long as cats or ideally as long as people. We have had several dogs over the years and it is always hard to lose them.

This week the spring on our automatic garage door opener broke and the dog developed this infection. Both events took time from our work day and money from our bank account. And they are totally irrelevant to many people in the world who don't have a car, garage or money for their own dental care. I look at the news and see the losses suffered by people in New Zealand and the countries where poverty and repression have spawned revolutions. How fortunate we are to have the choice to give our aged pet good medical care.

Friday Flowers and Kathie's Poems

2011-02-18T07:46:00.004-05:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed the two amaryllis plants my husband gave me for Christmas. Their blooms peaked this week and so these are the last pictures I will share. Once they are done I will be tempted to buy potted tulips and daffodils until my garden starts greening in April. This winter has been long, grey and white for the most part. Now we are coming to its bipolar days of teasing warmth followed by yet another blast of arctic air.

Kathie Brown is a blogger I have followed for a few years now. In Sycamore Canyon, she shared warm and inviting pictures of life with her husband Gus in Arizona. I envied her winter bird counts, her beautiful patio and desert jaunts. Last year they moved to Massachusetts and have endured cold and record snowfalls for weeks on end this winter. But she donned her winter woollies and worked very hard to count birds in January and is making the best of their change of circumstances. She now posts about life and birding at Kathie’s Birds.

Kathie also writes poetry, simple verse, artistry with words - the kind of poetry I understand and appreciate. Here are two recent poems posted on her blog Kathie’s Poet Tree. Do stop there and read more.

This Winter White

When the winter dark and dreary
makes me feel, oh so weary,
and my eyes get oh so blurry,
from looking at all this white!
I start to think of sunny things,
pretty flowers, birds with wings,
hiking on a sunny day
through grasses green
and fresh mown hay,
it lifts my spirits and my mind
and mentally I leave behind
this cold white cage that quells my song,
this winter white and deep and long.

~Kathie Adams Brown (2-5-11)

Abundance

Abundance is more than food
or drink,
It is a fullness of heart,
a thankfulness,
a contentment in the soul,
a serenity.
It is a warm and quiet place to eat your breakfast
On a cold winter’s day.

~Kathie Adams Brown (1-20-11)

Happy Friday with flowers and poems, warmth and friendship...