Creation Calls

He says to the snow,
'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' Job 38:22

The rain we had yesterday turned into snow later in the afternoon and although I wasn't going to broadcast the fact: there is not a blade of green grass to be found here, and no indication that Spring is just around the corner.
It was, however, a beautiful drive to church this morning with the blue skies and sunshine glistening on the freshly fallen snow as we passed many horse and buggies on the road. It is difficult to capture on camera the beauty of this area, but I don't take it for granted and am so thankful for this little corner of the world that I live in.
The other day my friend M sent me an email with the title:
Magnificent, which I really wanted to share with all of you as it is so beautiful.
You can watch it here: Creation Calls sung by Brian Doerksen

It reminds me of the song that we sang this morning by Chris Tomlin:

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God...

Spring Rains

With normal spring temperatures expected for the entire province, much of Ontario should see above normal precipitation amounts, thanks to an active weather season expected for the U.S., which will see more storms track into the Great Lakes basin than usual....10-15mm is expected today
~~~The Weather Network

Yes, we awoke to the sound of pouring rain outside, along with gray and dismal skies.
But I rejoice because the rain is washing away the snow, to reveal green grass!
I won't mention that the forecast for tomorrow is snow again
because I don't want to discourage you.
Spring is surely going to arrive in all of her splendour.
We just have to be patient...

"March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in."
- Susan Reiner, Spring Cleaning

Saturday's Simple Joys

This is what we awoke to this morning....
Another blustery, snowy, blowy day with increasing wind chill factor, white outs, drifts and snow-covered roads as I made my way to the library for my shift.
Despite the weather, there was a lot of activity today.
I always enjoy a bustling atmosphere with a steady stream of patrons coming in out of the cold.
The general consensus at the library, other than those who ski and snowmobile, is that Spring can't come soon enough.
We are all craving warmer temperatures along with sunshine and blue skies.
Our car reads the temperature each morning, and this was the reading yesterday:


Thankfully, although the weather outside is frightful, it hasn't stopped us from enjoying some lovely days this past week. This past Thursday evening my hubby and I went on a date along with several other couples to hear a Canadian speaker, humourist and author by the name of Phil Callaway.
If laughter doeth good like medicine (Proverbs 17:22), we sure got a good dose while listening to him. He is both very funny and yet very serious at the same time.
You can visit his website here. He has written many wonderful books, some of which we carry in our library system.
I also spent some lovely time with a dear friend at a 'new to me' place called The Robin's Nest.
I was so thankful to have spent time with her as we shared our hearts over coffee and the best baked goods. I have never had such wonderful date squares before...they came right out of the oven so were so fresh and yummy. If you are a local reader, you must pay a visit to this adorable Coffee Shoppe described this way:

'The Robin’s Nest is a quaint and comfortable coffee house in the town of Elmira. It is a relaxing and familiar place to visit, browse for a new treasure and have a coffee. An eclectic setting of reclaimed furniture and the aroma of freshly brewed fair trade organic coffees and teas create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for this cafe.'

Although Robin is just in the process of creating her web page, you can check it out here


And, you know you are desperate for Spring, when you would climb any mountain just to hang your laundry outdoors...I couldn't wait until the snow piles disappeared so I did in fact climb through snow that came up to my knees just so we could have air-dried fresh sheets at night. They smelled so good and I slept like a bear!

I also took some time to browse thrift and antique shops this past week.
Well, I was out anyway so why not, right?
And tell me, would you not rescue this lovely crochet afghan from a corner at the thrift shop if you spotted it? I can't believe all the work that went into it and just couldn't leave it behind.
I washed it when I got home and as it was drying over chairs, my daughter walked in and exclaimed over it so...it now has a grateful home/owner!

And a touch of Britain, along with my favourite healthy snack, our own fresh farm eggs, boiled then sliced on rye crackers along with a strong cup of tea...just perfect!

We are going out tonight to visit friends,
but I wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Stay warm and cosy if you are still
in the thick of winter like we are!
If there are signs of Spring, enjoy!
If it is summer where you are,
may your days be pleasant and lovely!

Farm and Garden

It has been an unusually dry, warm Spring season with record highs recorded this week alone. I was chatting with one farmer this morning (R&L are my local farmer's almanac)
and he said that it has been a concern here for the farmers that there has been so little rainfall. We talked about the dust bowl of the 30's and don't ever want to experience that here. If people complain about the rain, I use that example as a reminder of what could potentially happen if we didn't get the rains....food for thought! This afternoon the clouds broke and the rains came down in torrents for about 20 minutes, not alot of rain, but something to be thankful for.
Everything seems to be in bloom at the same time here, and the fragrance is just wonderful!
I took a little walk about my yard this morning with my camera for the latest in the gardens, and thought that I would share just some of the blooms with you.
Come and join me on the garden tour:

Weigela and Lilacs:

Sweet Woodruf:
Allium:
Pulmonaria:
Chestnut tree:
Of course the dandelion blooms/seeds without fail here:
Solomon's Seal:
Bleeding Heart:
Mountain Ash:
Purple Columbine and Cornflower or Bachelor's button: Narcissus:
The farmers have been busy this week working in the fields to fill silos (silage/haylage), making the most of this dry and warm weather:

Rows and rows of hay: Sunset after another hot and humid day:

Sweet Violets (Viola odorata) and Syrup

The sweet, unmistakable scent of the violet has been used during the Victorian time period for fragrant perfumes and cosmetics. The French are known for their violet syrup, most commonly made from an extract of violets.

It's a wonderful discovery when the sweet, fragrant violets are blooming here again:

They grow in profusion at the back of our property near a wooded area:

When my daughter was younger, we gathered the violet flowers in a basket then took them inside to make the most wonderful violet syrup:


We removed any trace of stem, and placed the flowers in a clean jar, then added boiling water just to cover the flowers, setting the jar in the window for 24 hours or overnight, then cooked down, adding 2 cups of sugar and a squeeze of lemon before pouring into jars:

You can also follow these directions:
Sweet Violet Syrup

4 cups stemmed violets
2 cups water
About 2 cups sugar

Combine the flowers and water in a saucepan. Simmer the contents, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a dampened jelly bag. You can squeeze the bag, when it’s cool enough to handle, to extract more liquid. Then measure the volume of the liquid, and combine it in a preserving pan with an equal volume of sugar. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Raise the heat to high, and bring the syrup to a full boil.
Remove the pan from the heat. Pour the syrup into a sterilized bottle or jar

We created a label which we attached to the jar with ribbon and lace for a nostalgic and old-fashioned look.
Makes an adorable gift for a tea gathering:

April Showers Bring.....

This past week has been a very rainy one.
We awoke several mornings to the sound of the raindrops pelting against the window panes and sills of our home.
It was a very welcome sound as it has been rather dry in these parts, and it has turned everything green overnight or so it seems.
This was the scene on Thursday and the photo journey
I took as we went into town to do our grocery shopping.

Raindrops on Windows:

Hyacinths waiting to bloom:
Faithful Forsythia:
Elegant Tulips:
Flooded Farm Fields:
Fast-Flowing Creeks:
Skies Filled with Cumulus Clouds:
Sun making an attempt to break through the clouds:
Green Grass Everywhere:

April Showers
April showers bring May flowers,
That is what they say.
But if all the showers turned to flowers,
We’d have quite a colourful day!
There’d be bluebells and cockleshells,
Tulips red and green,
Daffodils and Chinese squill,
The brightest you’ve ever seen.
You’d see tiger lilies and water lilies,
Carnations pink and blue,
Forget-me-not and small sundrop
Glistening with the dew.
We’d have fireweed and milkweed
And many more different flowers.
Mexican star and shooting star,
Falling in the showers.
And if all the showers turned to flowers
On that rainy April day,
Would all the flowers turn to showers
In the sunny month of May?
©Karen Chappell

Getting Braver....

Although I love this print by Norman Rockwell, I just had to show off the stunning tulips I captured today so I made some changes.
Same blog, different layout, getting braver.
Stay tuned for more April Shower photos....

Magnificent Magnolia

On Easter Sunday we were in the Niagara area visiting my Mother.
It was a lovely drive, and the closer we got to Grimsby, the more we noticed the bright green of the grass and the beautiful blooms of Spring!
I had my window open (old-fashioned air conditioning) when suddenly I told my husband to stop the car, which he did rather abruptly! He is getting used to my impulsive ways as he has been married to me for a very long time! I opened the door, got out and told him that I could stay here, right in this spot, forever!
He also knows how dramatic I can be!
But...the fragrance... was unbelievable!
And it was none other than the
magnificent magnolia tree in full bloom!
Heavenly!
Now if I could only figure out how to bottle it up...
(click photos to enlarge)

Rails to Trails

The Trans Canada Trail is the world's longest network of trails. When completed, the trail will stretch 22,000 km from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic Oceans, linking 1,000 communities and 33 million Canadians. The trail is being used for cycling, hiking, horseback riding and in the winter for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

Most of the rail trails were abandoned railway lines that have been resurfaced with fine gravel, and converted to trails for recreational use.

Kissing Bridge Trailway
This is the Kissing Bridge in West Montrose, part of the trail system. This scenic covered bridge was built in 1881 by John and Benjamin Bear, and is the last remaining covered bridge in Ontario.
































On the weekend, we loaded up our bikes and headed to the Kissing Bridge Trailway, a section of abandoned rail line or trail that stretches 45 kms from Guelph to Millbank. The weather was, dare I repeat, perfect for biking and the cyclists and walkers were out enjoying the wonderful afternoon! We started in Elmira and continued through to Wallenstein and then on toward Millbank.























As we were cycling, we were greeted by a groundhog wanting to enjoy the Spring-like temperatures.























The common red-winged blackbirds were making their presence known along the pathway.
We also spotted many killdeer, a unique plover known for camouflaging well on gravel pathways and in fields. They are so quick, running in spurts, that I had a difficult time capturing it, so the photo is borrowed.























We passed many walkers and cyclists, enjoying the wonderful weather.























As we were crossing over the road toward Millbank, I had to capture a unique yet common scene in our area: the Mennonite horse and buggy.