An Old Order Mennonite Sunday

The past few days have been cold, windy and damp, with snow flurries each morning and afternoon. After church and dinner yesterday, I felt the need for a long walk, but it was far too chilly to ask my warm weather adjusted parents to accompany me on a trail.

We went for a drive north of the city in an area of the region that has many Old Order Mennonite farms. I am not sure if Easter Sunday is more special that other Sundays for these Mennonites. Sunday meeting is a long affair, and afterward is a time for visiting friends and family.

There were many horse drawn buggies on their way home in the late afternoon, as the farmers returned to do their evening chores. Their tidy farms had huge woodpiles and tall windmills for the water pumps. One farm, with no electricity service, boasted four large solar energy panels on the roof of the farmhouse. It is not unusual for the Old Order Mennonites to have electricity in their barns, but they will not have this convenience in their homes.

This happy looking family did not mind being in an open two horse open carriage with a cold north wind blowing down on them. They are bundled up for the weather. From a distance, I could see the steam rising from the horses' backs and they hurried along the shoulder of the highway.

These two women were sharing a good story and laughter just as girlfriends anywhere will do.

This picture was the best of all. As we passed by this family, we noticed their three small children sound asleep in the back of the buggy, leaning over as they supported each other. One big seat belt held them together under a thick quilt. Our children would fall asleep in the car very quickly when they were young, and a horse drawn buggy must provide the same soothing comfort for these little ones.

Wouldn't greenhouse emissions be reduced if we all lived like this? We were impressed by their obvious joy and contentment in the simple way of life they have chosen. There is a lesson here somewhere for all of us.

(My dad took all these pictures through the car window as we were driving.)

He is Risen

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 11:25, 26

Today, many Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The celebration of Easter has become far removed from its Jewish roots and the link to Passover. Jesus died on the day of the Jewish Passover and became the fulfillment of Old Testament ritual and symbolism. The resurrection message was central to the gospel of the early Christian church and the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ was preached by the apostles.

Centuries after Jesus' death and resurrection, the church distanced itself from the Jewish religion and incorporated the celebration of Oeastre, the Teutonic goddess of spring and dawn, in the celebration of Easter. Like Christmas, its spiritual message is frequently lost in the commercialism of the day.

This does not really matter as Christians can celebrate the resurrection on any and every day.

As nature renews itself in the spring season, we are reminded of the promised transformation that leads us from death to life. In the busyness of our days and our own efforts to extend our lives, we often forget that our hope is not in this world, but is based on faith in the risen Lord.

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:

"Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:53-57

Photos taken at a family cemetery in Canada and from my parents' home in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.

Friday Flowers: Red Maple

Early spring in Ontario is devoid of much landscape colour. If one looks closely under the cover of dead grasses from last season, green shoots are visible and new vegetation is growing. For most of this week the skies have been grey and the earth brown. (Yesterday everything was once again covered in a spring snowfall and we will have a white Easter!). I was walking in a field near our house and came across this red maple tree in bloom.

The beautiful and delicate red flowers were just opening up. The red maple blooms very early in the spring, about the same time that pussy willows are found. The leaves will not develop for a few more weeks, usually around the first of May in this area.
Canada's arboreal emblem is a generic maple leaf and it features very prominently on our national flag. "Of the 150 known species of maple (genus Acer), only 13 are native to North America. Ten of these grow in Canada: Sugar, Black, Silver, bigleaf, Red, Mountain, Striped, Douglas, Vine and the Manitoba. With the exception of four species, native maples are large trees. At least one of the ten species grows naturally in every province." (source)


Yesterday we were driving north of the city and noticed many maple sap collection pails in the woodlots. This is peak maple syrup production time in our region. Last Saturday, 70,000 people attended the annual Maple Syrup Festival in nearby Elmira, Ontario. Many Old Order Mennonite farmers sell maple products and small sales tables are often seen at the end of their laneways. The sugar maple is used primarily for maple syrup, but red maple sap, although lower in sugar content, can also be used.
This tree gives early spring a red start and ends the growing season in a fall blaze of red leaves.
The weather gives the impression of a slow start to spring, but nature is opening up on schedule if we take the time to observe.

Good Nature Guides Needed

With my parents visiting from Mexico, I have taken a few days off work to be with them. They have become unaccustomed to cold Canadian weather and are being "treated" to a return of winter. Snow is forecasted for the next several days, the sky is grey and the wind, damp and cold. This morning I knew there were just a few hours before it would start snowing, so I took a 4 km hike on my own for some exercise and to see what I could see. I have seen some birds for the first time this week including Tree Swallows, Cowbirds, Goldfinches, a Kildeer, an American Kestrel and a Bufflehead duck. I was hoping to identify some sparrows other than the house sparrows that are always in my yard.

I think I saw a Song Sparrow. Am I right? The sky is so overcast that it is hard to get a decent picture. And the wind was so strong that the branches were moving wildly. I have never identified a Song Sparrow before, even though I hear them frequently.
There were a number of hawks about and I watched a Red Tail pursue and catch a small bird.

This hawk flew close to me and I am not sure if it is Cooper's or a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Again, a little more light would have been helpful.

I finally found a skunk cabbage growing in a swampy area, but I don't know what left these dry and delicate cases along the river bank. Jennifer has ID'd them as wild cucumber and Africakid calls them wild cucumber skeletons.

It is time to visit the library again for some good guides. Bev, from Burning Silo has posted some links to online guides. I would love to participate in the Blogger Bioblitz, but would have a lot of homework to do.
Even if winter is returning for a short while, I have seen that spring has really arrived.

Blackbird Swamp

At the end of our street is an old landfill site that was covered over in the early 1970's. It has naturalized as a meadow with some swampy areas and each year I have noticed more birds and other wildlife making the area their home. My father just bought a new camera and I decided to give it a try, as the sun was out and the birds were active. Becka and I took the dog (not the best birding assistant) and explored the swampy centre of the field.


There are many Red-Winged Blackbirds nesting here and they topped the shrubs, trees and rushes in spite of our proximity. Dakota had a wonderful time exploring the swamp as I took pictures. This female never left her perch while we watched her quietly from a distance.
We noticed Dakota rolling in something and found the remains of a Red Wing Blackbird who likely met his fate with a hawk, his bright red wing prominent in the pile of feathers on the ground. Becka was not happy with the dog's behaviour, or our discovery, but we had to remember that we had eaten chicken for dinner.


My dad's camera is a Kodak Z650 Zoom with a 10X optical zoom. It was reasonably priced, and is lightweight and very user friendly. I have been using a small HP PhotoSmart R818 for the past year and like the size and convenience it affords. It takes great macro shots and is good for landscape scenes. My newest camera is a Canon PowerShot S3 1S and I am still figuring out the various features it offers. It is a little big and heavy to carry around with me all the time, but the 12X optical zoom is great for identifying birds.
The Kodak camera has an excellent lens and I was pleased with the pictures taken this evening. I have posted three of them on my Flickr page.
Whatever digital cameras are choosen, they offer the user almost unlimited opportunities for that perfect shot.

~Post Script~
I went back to the swamp this afternoon and saw this Red Tailed Hawk flying above the spot where I took the photographs. I have no doubts about what happened to the bird in the last photo.

Bright boys and Waldo

The weekend was cool and rainy, hardly inspiring for outdoor activities. My husband and I went out in the late afternoon and walked a section of the river where the trail climbs high on the bluffs, allowing for better drainage and less mud. The dreary day was not inspiring for birds either and all we saw were robins, geese and red winged blackbirds. I took a picture of a couple walking on the opposite bank. Why is she wearing white pants?! except to catch my eye for a photo.
The sun came out briefly as we returned to the car and so did the birds. Larry wrote recently about the difficulty in photographing the hyperactive and tiny Golden Crowned Kinglets.

Where's Waldo? I mean the Golden Crowned Kinglet?

I took many pictures of bare branches and almost discarded this photo as well until I noticed that I had actually captured a picture of one of them. (I have a larger image on Flickr).
Last evening I received a couple of emails from the 10 year old son of my first cousin. I have only met Samuel once when he was about 4 years old. He has a great interest in birds and nature and is a very intelligent boy. Here is a summary of his first two messages.

Hi, Ruth
This is Sam, Oma Lois's grandson. I read your blog sometimes and that bird of prey you saw over the feild, I think it was a immature Turkey Vulture. Have you ever been to Point Pelee National Park? Well, I think you should because I saw over 50 species of birds and over 20 species of other wildlife there. In fact, that was the first time I saw a Hairy Woodpecker. Its located in southern Ontario and I think this is the park's website.

I replied and told him about the Kinglets and he responded this morning with,

Hello, Ruth
Look for the book on The Sibley Guide to Birds for identifing tips. I have seen a Ruby-crowned Kinglet before but not a Golden-crowned Kinglet. I don't remeber the last time I saw you but I think I was 4 years old then. I noticed that Golden-crowned Kinglets spend more time on the ground than
Ruby-crowned Kinglets do.
Hairy Woodpeckers seem to like woods with less dead trees than Downy
Woodpeckers do. Or ''Downies''.
Bye, Samuel

Well, if this isn't an exceptional young man! I will have to direct him to Mon@rch and The Brownstone Birder for some male mentoring.

Sing Hosanna sing

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that
Jesus did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"
And Jesus said to them, "Yes, Have you never read,
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise?"
Matthew 21:15, 16

The Sunday School children have been practicing a song for Palm Sunday over the past few weeks. I took a picture of them this morning as they were lining up to enter the sanctuary with their palm branches. Their natural exuberance and enthusiasm is what Jesus was referring to in the above scripture. I love these children for their honesty, openness and accepting faith. Jesus was not of the school that dictates 'children should be seen and not heard'. In fact, He said that unless we become as little children we cannot enter the kingdom of God. And He also taught that anyone who offended a little one would be better off with a millstone around his neck, drowned in the depth of the sea.
It is hard to even contemplate the suffering of many children in the world. I have to believe that there will be a time for God's justice in the future, a time when the sound of children's voices, raised in praise, will be heard by all.

April

Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost
Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost
Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream
Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;
But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,
And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth
To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree
The drowsy cuckoo and the humble-bee.
Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring
In triumph to the world the youthful spring.

- Thomas Carew, The Spring, 1630