It's the most wonderful time of the year

One in my mouth.....

two in the bowl.....

two in my mouth......

one in the bowl......

29 years

Yes....that's right. I've been married all my life.

Happy Anniversary Dave. You're the best and I love you!

Spring Things

Summer is right around the corner (whether it feels like it or not), so I am providing you with some pics of spring things from around our home, before they are out of season. If you think I enjoy birds and flowers, you are very observant.

I'm not sure how I feel about chipmunks now that they've chewed a hole in the roof vent, chewed the window frames, and many of them can be seen tearing around the outside of the house (not inside....yet), and running along the brick walls. My heart softens when I look at their pictures....but when I see four or more at once in the garden, sending birds scattering in all directions, and scampering back and forth to the neighbours with their loot....I'm reminded they are rodents...rodents with pockets that desperately must be filled. And to think only a few years ago, I had never seen a chipmunk in our neighbourhood and longed to catch a glimpse of one....

Enjoy the show.

Storms 'n rainbows

This evening was one of those weird weather nights. It had gotten dark before sunset and started raining steadily. I saw a flash of lightning and heard thunder so I went to have a look out the window. The sky had turned a strange orangey/yellowy colour and the air had become very still after having been quite windy. I always think 'tornado' when I see such things.

But as I looked out my east facing window I realized a rainbow was appearing. I went outside, camera in hand, and stood on the front porch.

In the midst of the lightning... the thunder.....and the rain....

the sun was shining in the west......

while a rainbow shone in the eastern sky.

It's confusing to see lightning, rain, sunshine, and rainbow all at once!

It brought my mind back to a weird feeling last summer when I was pulling some weeds in the garden. It was very hot in the blazing sun, but it suddenly started raining in the midst of the sunshine beating down on me. I stood up and looked for the cloud that was raining on me, and there wasn't one anywhere to be seen! The sun was still brightly shining. I was very puzzled, but welcomed the cooling spray....wherever it was coming from! (No, my husband was not spraying me with the hose....it really was rain!).

If you've flown in a plane, you will also love that exhilarating feeling of leaving the ground on a dreary, rainy day and suddenly bursting through the clouds to see that the sun was there all along. You leave the dreariness below and rise above to be warmed and heartened by the sun's rays.

It's a gentle reminder to me that even when the winds are swirling, the rain beats down as the storm rages, and that's all I can seem to see..... the sun really is still there....I just can't always see it at that moment.

Sometimes waiting for the breakthrough from the dark clouds can seem like forever. But don't ever let go of hope. A rainbow doesn't follow every storm...but like the sun, hope is always there. One day you will rise above it all and be warmed and heartened.

(Here's an account of the most frightening storm I've experienced.)

Moment of Awe

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm an obsessed bird lover. Today when I came home from work, I had a near-perfect moment for a bird lover. Let me backtrack a bit before I tell you about it.

I've always wanted to be able to watch the activity of a bird's nest up close, but the placement of denser trees and windows at our place have never seemed to allow it. But just over a week ago we realized with all the commotion and chasing of blue jays and such, that Momma Cardinal was nesting in a tall bush just beneath our bedroom window. If we strain, we can catch a glimpse of the nest below us, but the camera can't capture it from inside. My husband sensed my eagerness for a picture from above, so when Momma flew to the bird feeder (which I eagerly keep topped up for her and her mate), he removed a window pane - no easy feat with our big old need-to-be-replaced-but-can't-afford-it heavy sliding windows. I popped my head out into the fresh air and snapped several pictures of the eggs in the nest directly below. Within moments, Mom and Dad were flapping and squawking at this intruder hanging out the window.

Five beautiful eggs! We had noticed this week however, that Momma seemed to sit on only four, as the fifth egg was always visible. Maybe she knew she could only manage four mouths to feed or perhaps birds know when one isn't going to hatch?? It's been kind of cool to know that as I settle down in my 'nest', there's another momma just on the other side of the wall.

I have enjoyed watching the interaction between Mom and Dad. He's always guarding...flitting around nearby and diving at anything that gets near, making sure Mom has moments to stretch, get food and water - he'll even pass some food to her. Both Mom and Dad fly furiously at blue jays, hitting them until they fly off. That's one disadvantage of keeping the feeders topped up - it attracts all the 'enemies' too. Blue jays and crows are particular culprits for robbing nests of eggs and baby birds.

So I have developed an affinity for this couple and a hope for their little family.

Tonight when I came home from work, had fed the dog, filled the bird feeders and had dinner on the BBQ, I decided to take my camera out for another shot of Momma and the nest from a safe distance.

As I took the picture, I suddenly realized the nest was on an extreme angle pointed downward, and the nest appeared empty except for that one egg that Momma had not been sitting on. She was out of the nest. I quickly moved and looked below the nest and my heart sank. There on the ground lay the tiniest little fleshly bodies. Something must have suddenly attacked and upset the nest to cause these new born babies to be flung to the earth. I put my camera in the house and went in behind the bush to take a closer look. Momma was in the bush flitting around and watching me. Such a pathetic little motionless heap that lay there. I felt profoundly sad.

As I knelt down to examine more closely, suddenly there was movement in the heap! The heaving of a tiny chest, the beating of a heart. At least one was alive! I shook off the thought that this was going to feel like picking up a worm, and cautiously picked up this tiny piece of flesh in disbelief. It opened its tiny beak. I allowed a fleeting thought to leave my mind - a thought to grab my camera for an amazing picture of fragile life in my hand. But I couldn't delay. Momma was becoming very distressed at my presence and I didn't have the heart to watch her be so alarmed. I paused long enough to savour the moment of holding a day old baby cardinal, less than two inches long in my hand. Then I moved over to the nest as Mom hopped around and loudly squawked at me. I righted the nest as best I could, though the cedar branches were not too sturdy, and I placed the baby inside. Then I picked up the next tiny mass of flesh. Still moving! The third - also alive! I tried to remove the pieces of mulch off of their bodies and placed them in the nest. Then I made a hasty retreat into the house so Momma could calm down. I peeked out the bedroom window to see her back in the nest sheltering her little ones.

It was not until a little later that I realized there was one baby unaccounted for. I carefully looked around again outside but alas, it is gone...unless...examine that picture of the nest above and see if you think that might be another bird next to the egg??

Time will tell whether these little rescued ones will make it. It must have been a hard landing for them. I read tonight that adult cardinals are on to building a second nest for another brood soon after the first batch are pushed off onto their own. If these little ones survive, Mom and Dad will feed them, teach them how to fend for themselves ("here's where the feeders are and this lady will keep them full for you"), and then they'll be busy starting all over again.

The cycle of human life is much different than this 'automatic' instinct we observe in nature. It requires our interaction, love, sacrifice, caring and action in the meeting of each other's needs.

The cycle of life in the bird world.

Normal.....but not without wonder.

It will always be a marvel to me.

It does not require my intervention....but it was an awesome experience to hold a moment of it in my hand!

Congrats!

Graduation day! Today we congratulate you Bethany, our daughter, for four years of very hard work, as you receive your Bachelor of Theology degree.

It's not the piece of paper that you receive today that is of the most value, nor even all the reams of knowledge that have been crammed into your brain in four years.

You have had four years out of the shelter of your parents' home to make decisions about every area of life, from food, money, travel, home, and time management; to coping with pressures of a job; deadlines for school assignments and projects; tests and exams; organizing school council functions; church involvement; interaction with people of a broad range of cultures; building a network of peers, profs, pastors, and mentors; job interviews; and having a social life in the midst of it all. But even all of that, as important as it has all been to your maturity and success in a job, it is not the most important thing you've received in graduating.

Rather, you have told us how your soul and passion have been impacted by the life you've seen lived out by your profs, pastors, and mentors, the challenges presented by them and the valuable tools, support and prayers by them for you to be more like Christ and impact the world.

I remember you e-mailing me a few months ago after you had a particularly awesome day at school. Some individuals who are impacting their community were brought in to speak to your class. One was a woman who runs a centre that provides practical, emotional, and spiritual help to people suffering from AIDS, cancer and life-threatening diseases. She asked the students in your class point blank how they are going to help people like these who need them. She brought with her a man who shared that he had been abused as a child, lived in the gay community and on the street, and has suffered greatly with AIDS and rejection. His life has been turned around and he is now helping out at this organization. Both challenged you and your classmates, asking how you are going to help a hurting world, and reminded all of you that it's all about loving people and building relationship with individuals. You mentioned also that you heard from a youth, individual and family therapist. At the conclusion of the day, you poured out your passion for youth in your e-mail and asked me to promise to remind you of this day at any time in the future when you might get tired or doubt your calling.

Recently amid all the decision making about your future, you said, " If I can just build close relationships with the young people that will be within my influence...I want to do all I can to impact their lives."

We could not be more proud of you Bethany. You have persevered when the going was rough and have not been distracted from the goal or deterred by the obstacles. But more importantly.....MUCH more importantly......you GET it. There are some hurting, growing, awesome young people out there who are waiting for you, and you are anxious to meet them. Knowledge and learning is good and useful - never wasted and spurs you on to keep learning. Earning a degree helps open doors that might not otherwise have opened. But it's God who will always equip you...He's more than enough for what you need. It's His love for people that will remain as your inspiration. Keep His passion for people alive within you and He'll direct your path into theirs.

Congratulations Bethany! We love you!!!

Underdog

So much talk of the underdog these days. I must admit I had not followed the fame of other 'underdogs' from the infamous 'Britain's Got Talent' show, and only became interested in it as I poked around on the internet after viewing Ms Boyle's performance. I was moved when I watched the first audition of Paul Potts who won it two years ago (where was I? I've never heard of him! Mind you, I hardly ever watch TV!). I was a little misty-eyed when I watched Susan Boyle though everyone else seemed to be sobbing. But....Paul Potts....he made me cry. Must be the mother in me or something. It's his face.....the puppy dog eyes...so shy....no confidence....but loves to sing opera. I hate opera. But Paul Potts mesmerized me in his first audition. Something makes me wish that these ordinary people who are suddenly pushed into the limelight, would just say no to all the money and the fame and the promises, and simply say, "Thanks. But all I wanted was to prove I could win it", and then just go on to use their talent wherever and however they would like....no agents required. To become rich and famous and 'Hollywood' instead of just ordinary kinda ruins it, don't ya think? It is the ordinary that makes them attractive. We don't need more celebrities. We need more real people.

Here's Paul Pott's initial audition....and I've thrown in one other audition by Andrew Johnston below that. Here's to ordinary people. Like you and me...maybe not with exceptional musical talent....but we are all unique and valued and extraordinary in who we are. Most of us just don't know it yet.

Simon Cowell got it right.... "You're better than you think you are...you are good!"

(Please turn off My Playlist at right before viewing!)

Are you one of the 7 million??

Over seven million people have now watched this YouTube video of Susan Boyle. Susan who?? If you're one who hasn't seen this yet, I dare you to watch it and not have a tear or two in your eye. Many weep and watch it over and over. Why? Perhaps we're reminded not to judge a book by it's cover. Perhaps we are reminded of how quickly we jump to conclusions when we have no right to. And perhaps most of us relate to the underdog with a dream. Don't ever stop dreaming.

Enjoy....and keep the kleenex handy.

The video is not able to be embedded, so I provide a link for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Irreducible

The Irreducible Minimum.

Somewhere in the recesses of my school memories I remember struggling with math questions - factoring until you reached the minimum - couldn't go any farther - the finale - the finish. Irreducible: impossible to reduce to a simpler form of expression.

That's kind of how I view Christ willingly laying himself down on the cross.

God.... the Creator... brings His love down as far as He can go. Agonizing.... but choosing to become 'one of us' to give everything.....everything. Impossible to go any farther than giving all He had. It's finished.

Did you catch the significance of that curtain in the temple that ripped from the top to the bottom at the moment of His death? That curtain used to separate the ordinary person from the presence of a holy God. It's finished. We now have direct access. We have direct access.... to a holy God!... who loved us enough to follow through right to the end!

Does that astound you?

After all the working and searching and calculating we do...

It all comes down to this. He's the final answer.

At the cross we're all equal

He knows us..... but there's no condemnation

Forgiveness....paid in full

There's no great significance to the tree....the pieces of wood on which Christ died. But if I ever lose the wonder of what happened there....I'll be struggling with questions - toiling and factoring until I come back to the irreducible minimum.

"...May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it
like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left
speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross...."

Written by Vicky Beeching 2007

Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.

(II Corinthians 5:21 - The Bible)

96 Parts = 96 Hours

I like to feel that I'm not useless when it comes to putting things together - you know like building bookcases or a stereo stand. Especially from Ikea. Ikea instructions often have no words....just user friendly pictures with little Pacman-like faces with smiles or frowns to show how-to or how not-to-do it.

My dear, patient husband succombed to my pleas to purchase a heavy duty 200 pound exercise home gym, because I'm all trained in weight training but hate going to the gym to use only a few specialized machines. As soon as my son moved out....well.... I waited a day....I began to set up his old bedroom as an exercise room. Rather than being resigned to the basement, I can now exercise in a bright room designed for comfort....um, I mean sweat and hard work. I have piled up old classic CDs that I haven't listened to in forever, and this room becomes a place where great music meets physical exertion. Of course a great kickstart was my doctor giving me 3 months to get my cholesterol down through diet and exercise. Weight bearing exercise helps considerably....thus we struggled to bring home the aforementioned 200 pound box.

I'll spare you the details of how it went getting the thing home....although it was rather humorous hearing the paging system in the department store as we took the item through the jewellery section to speed up the process. "Carryout to Jewellery please! Carryout to Jewellery!" (Customers had visions of huge diamonds). They sent a tiny young teenage girl to help with carryout....who summoned additional help from a male.

So there's 96 pieces to this sucker. No Pacman-like faces here. No simplistic pictures. Lots of words. And numbers. My husband perused the 'book' of directions with a wild look in his eye. But soon he was up for the challenge and said, "Some people are challenged by crossword puzzles..... (that would be me, sometimes)....others...." His voice trailed off as he spread out the 96 pieces over the table and floor.

Check out Diagram 1.

Now Diagram 2.

Now 3 and 4.

.....aaaaaaand there's more.....number 5....

And finally Diagram 6.

I concede this is too much for me. My husband got a start on it, but only had a few hours before he had to leave for Montreal for the week, so it will definitely sit until he returns.

The great thing is, that once I'm in shape, if we buy anything else this heavy, I can lift it into the trunk while my husband returns the trolley cart. That's a fair exchange since he'll have to put it together...and really....a man's got to learn how to follow directions SOMEtime.

Support Epilepsy Awareness Day - Wear Purple!

Visit The Rocky Mountain Retreat here to learn more about epilepsy (and see some absolutely stunning photography!!!) God bless you Michele!!

Seeing red

This past winter I saw red.

Mixed in among all the finches and pine siskins on the nyger feeders throughout the winter, I noticed birds with little red caps.

No, they weren't toques for warmth but these little guys are built for winter weather.

Apparently, if they can eat constantly they will withstand bitter cold and can endure colder temperatures than any other songbird.

If they run out of fuel though, they can die of hypothermia.

So you know me.

I kept them well fed all through the long cold winter.

These little guys are called Redpolls and if they've been here other winters I can't say I noticed them. Apparently, they are temperamental and will show up when they feel like it, obviously if there's a good food supply.

This past week, they disappeared.

Unlike robins, they've gone to a colder climate which they prefer.

And that, my friends, is why I could never be a Redpoll.

(My apologies for the 'gaps' - Blogger can be frustrating for photo placement!!)

Bill and Myrtle sittin' in a tree....

Tell me again how much you love me??

Guess who woke up?

A sleepy someone decided to emerge from his slumber today. That's a sure sign of spring around the corner and a sign that the birdseed is going to disappear 5 times as fast.

I will admit I have missed my little friends as they slept serenely beneath the ground and the snow, on the mounds of birdseed and peanuts I supplied them with last year.

Squirrels have provided plenty of entertainment through the winter, but they're just not as lovable as chipmunks.

My hard drive is full of chipmunk pictures. Everytime I think I must not take one more picture of them, one of these critters will look in my eyes and I just have to get one more shot. But then, I guess I'm the same way with bird pictures.

I know I shouldn't love them. They're rodents who can cause a heap of trouble. (Two years ago we had one tearing around inside our house - if you missed it, you can read about it here.)

But who can resist watching their decision making skills when faced with so many peanuts, so little time? How many can I shove in my pockets? Maybe I can squeeze in just one more...maybe switch up the sizes to cram more in there....oooh I hate to leave that one behind....I'll be back in a flash for it!

Here's some poor quality video snippets taken last year when I hadn't learned the settings on my camera. You'll easily see why the birds have very little chance of snatching sunflower seeds when chipmunks are around.

You'll also notice the chipmunk on the same perch the hawk was sitting on a few blog posts ago.

Oh dear.

I guess we'll see who's fastest and wisest....but I don't think I want a video of their encounter!

Hot 'n Steamy

Back in February when we had been in a deep freeze for far too long, my husband randomly suggested that we just drop everything and leave for a warm, tropical vacation. It didn't take much to convince me, so we just went.

What a wonderful relief from the bitter cold! Warm...steamy....refreshing waterfalls...tropical plants....colorful birds.....beautiful butterflies.

Yah....... me, birds, butterflies, warmth, water and plants.....that's heaven right there.

It was absolutely wonderful. I let every moment sink in as my bones drank in the warmth they so craved.

Then after about 3 hours we came home.

Actually, the vacation was less than an hour's drive and cost under 25 bucks for the two of us. You guessed it. A butterfly conservatory. I highly recommend this mini vacation when you just need some warmth and beauty.

Mind you, when we walked back outside into the -25C temperatures, my husband remarked that we'd probably get a cold because of the drastic shock to our systems. I assured him that was all an old wive's tale because colds come from viruses. Three days later....I was flat out in bed for the next three days with a miserable cold.

But as I shut out the world and cocooned under the blankets to recover, (can't say I emerged as something beautiful), I still felt it was totally worth it to have gone on our mini vacation!

Remember what the birds know....warm weather is coming.

Make yourself a hot cup of tea, wrap yourself up in a nice warm blanket, and enjoy the show....

(Click on it for a closer view)

Foggy morning

I went to work in a fog this morning.

Just before going out the door my husband, who had quickly perused the obituaries, informed me that an acquaintance had passed away suddenly while on vacation. He was 53.

My mind immediately went back to the last moment I had spoken with this now deceased man - a great guy - and his wife. We had been standing in a very long line in a funeral home and some of our reflections together had been how so many younger people that we have known have passed away. In a few days, this man's family will gather in the same funeral home, perhaps even in that very room, to mourn his passing.

I drove to work in a blur, sat down at my desk blinking back tears, took a deep breath, and wanted to curl up in a fetal position and sob for this man's wife and his two sons, though I really don't know them well.

Death and separation stinks. We feel helpless when it happens and we can't change it. Some days it seems just too hard to handle. Grieving can last for such a very long time. We can't just 'snap out of it'. Life seems to grind to a halt. The sadness of the loss can be triggered very suddenly by memories, music, sounds, even smells, long after we think we should be moving on with life. Over time the memories will become happy ones to revisit, but for now, they elicit pain. But grieving is necessary. Weeping is necessary to bring healing. And friends need to stand alongside, grieving with the heartbroken, interceding for peace and hope to uphold them.

There is One who is very acquainted with grief and with death. He grieves alongside and will never leave us. Death makes us feel very alone, but we can trust that He is as close as the next breath we take, for as long as we breathe....and then for eternity. Here we live in an imperfect world of which death is a part. But it is the unseen world that is far more real than anything we can fathom.

Eternity.

Hope.

Expectation.

Reunion.

Right now life can be foggy. But then....we shall see clearly. Hope will be realized....and loved ones embraced.

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!
We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him
directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that
completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of
the three is love.

(I Corinthians 13: 12-13 The Message Bible)

(Note: The above photo is the work of Giuseppe Andrea Mosca. Click on the picture to see more of his stunning work on Flickr. Thank you Giuseppe. This photo captures such a beautiful thought!)

Uninvited guest at the table

I have a broken but adequate dish outside our front door that serves as a table for invited guests...of the bird variety of course. Birds of all kinds come to dine and I can hear their chatter when I pull in the driveway as they await my arrival home.

If I don't provide dinner right away, they sit at the empty table, looking in the window of the door....waiting.

After it is filled, they quickly pounce...often within seconds of the door closing as I retreat into the house again.

This morning I wasn't prepared for who was waiting for a handout.

I wouldn't mind feeding him if he would eat seeds or fruit. He might be handsome, but I wasn't about to provide any of my beautiful birds for him to eat. I purposely put out some peanuts for the crows today because they pester, chase and dive at this hawk.

Never thought I'd want crows in my yard, but I'm beginning to appreciate them!