webs

It is autumn and the spider webs are everywhere.

Joy and Woe

Joy and woe are woven fine,

A clothing for the soul divine;

Under every grief and pine

Runs a joy with silken twine;

It is right it should be so;

Man was made for joy and woe;

And when this we rightly know

Safely through the world we go.

William Blake

Safely with your hand in His.

and just like that

the sun comes out

and everything looks different

rain

chickadee shakes the rain from his tail feathers

droplets rest on the morning glory

It is an inside sort of day

but even on inside days

we need to poke our heads outdoors

the anishaabe

Deep in our side yard, under stately pines and spruce trees, near the birch tree a few Anishaabe children are camped. Maangoonhs (little loon), Waaboz (little rabbit) and blue eyed boy Wawashkeshiinhs (small deer). The latter is a hunter and has hung toy beaver by the tail in his wigwam. Waaboz is also a hunter but has his puppy on his lap as he listens to his mother's stories. He prefers to take his spear and fish in the flower gardens. Maangoonhs is preparing herbs for the midday meal. The wigwams are shabby and the sheets and stuffed animals get collected quickly as the rain comes.

Lessons are learned as imaginations soar.

Lessons will be completed in front of the fireplace inside.

(names taken from anishinaabemdaa.com/diminutive.htm

where the language can be listened to.)

worship inside and out

And Jesus, in anger, swept out of the temple those who used God's house as a place of business and exploitation and also those who willing purchased their perceived salvation and who were thereby equally devoid of truth.

So who are we? The sellers or the purchasers or the children who shouted out the truth? Perhaps all our hearts need to be swept clean till the bare truth remains. Turned inside out. No longer to solely travel to our weekly place of worship and to practice our rituals of devotions but to truly understand and to live it out moment by moment each and every hour of every day. We and our children and our friends and our community.

These are the thoughts J. vanPopta left with me Sunday morning from inside our church

and I carried them with me outside during my walk with the children. Outside where God also speaks through the wind as it dances gold and purple through the wildflowers. Outside where birds soar and the grass hoppers leap. He speaks through the love of little ones as they gather blooms and shinny up trees. Here the breeze sweeps clean and fresh the corners of the mind and allows time to reflect.

Sweep out our hearts Lord! Fill our minds with wisdom!

sunflowerseeds

Norah took the photo of the blue jay.

someone asked me why I planted sunflower seeds...

I suppose because

they look exuberant

and cheery-

they grow fast

and they attract birds.

leaf, bloom, web

Lines, contrast, shape, repetition, colour

design

Creation speaks its Maker's Name

thunderstorm during breakfast

Outside the morning is dark, lightning startles and the distant thunder rattles the windows.

Inside the morning is cozy, candles flicker, yesterday's play dough Inuit Igloo glows as the centerpiece and quiet music calms us as we sit around the breakfast table. We thank God for the storm that displays his grandeur. We thank God that we sit here comfortable, dry, and filled with food. Abundant blessings!

And I remember that yesterday we started off with music, with peace and with God, and that a few hours later the children were fighting, and mom was shouting and the quiet cracked wide open and peace fell into pieces. Explainable but never excusable. Forgivable and with grace forgettable.

Oh that today we be gentle and patient and wise. Pick up peace and quietly try again.

mornings

These are the mornings that I love.

Quiet time spent in devotions.

Children coming down the stairs one at a time

to be welcomed to this new day with a hug.

Music playing softly.

Nutritious breakfast served to hungry little people.

A gentle way to start a new day and a new work week.

sunday

The meadows are full of yellows and purples and the autumn sun shines warm.

The september season is beautiful. Two little ones and I go for an afternoon stroll.

red breasted nuthatch

Since we have been refilling the bird feeders

the yard is a bustle with activity.

Chickadees, american goldfinches, bluejays,

purple finches and the adorable little nuthatch.

The Nuthatch (sitta canadensis) has short legs with large back toes, a flat body and has a short tail all of which enable it to climb head downwards on tree trunks.

It is named "nut hatch" because it can tuck a nut into a bark crevice and hammer it open with its beak.

Its diet consists of seeds of conifers, insects and spiders, as well as the sunflower seeds that fill our feeders.

(information taken from Hinterland Who's Who, which has wonderfully informative bird fact sheets)

flowers

It seems that the garden is buzzing with activity.

The birds are collecting energy for the upcoming migrations.

The blossom's last showing seems to defy the hints of autumn

and gives a lovely splash of colour to the gardens.

A Joyful Life

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Psalm 16:11

This is the path that we should follow: a single-minded pursuit of the character and will of God, a whole hearted devotion to the pleasure of His company and the beauty of His glory.

There is no real lasting joy in this world other than the joy of His presence.

(adapted from Chris Tiegreen's Walking with God)

Do we have this JOY? Perhaps God is not most important in our lives? Do we pursue his Joy in the same manner that we pursue our own imitations of joy? What is it that obstructs our path? Things? People? Work? Studies? Entertainment? Just plain apathy?

Lord, illumine our path!

backlit maples

For 100 years and more these maples

have been catching the morning light.

They stand tall along our property line

majestic in their old age.

unexpected resident of pioneer village

The restless little lads and I took a walk

and the observant one noticed the fox on the lane.

pioneer village day 4

At the flour mill we learned how the pioneers

had their wheat ground into flour.

At another place we saw how the pioneers

would make brooms from sorghum.

The cabinet maker showed us the tools used to make furniture.

But the favourite of the week...?

Unanimously... the "tin man"! The tinsmith.

The week is finished. It was great fun!

We did a lot, saw a lot, heard a lot...

and we have a newer, deeper appreciation for our Canadian Heritage.

pioneer village day 3

Today we learned about the pioneer's livestock; the cows, the geese, the sheep, the turkeys, the ducks, the pigs and the horses. We learned how the pioneers used every bit of a butchered animal, the skin, the meat, the bones, the feathers. We learned a folk dance- not the boys, they refused to pull their hands out of their pockets to participate.

The little ones are feeling more at ease at the pioneer village.

This is good because they participate more.

This is not so good because they are more rambunctious.

pioneer village day 2

Why is it that yesteryear intrigues us so?

pioneer village day one

Looking through windows into the past.

Little people dressed up learn about the pioneer lifestyle.

Butter churning, tin craft, spinning wool,

skills from days gone by.

end of summer

Today the weather certainly indicates that summer is passing and that kids go back to school and folks go back to work. And my to-do list hasn't been finished, rather it is barely started. And I wanted to do more with the big kids so that memories are made and that summer isn't just about working and earning but also a time to connect and to grow and to teach and to love. And today I yelled at the kids because I was frustrated and worried that connecting and growing and teaching and loving moments pass too quickly and that again we fail to grasp them as they blow by. And the wind blows yellow through the golden rod and the pines. And little ones notice my appreciation for the golden tossing yellow and pick 2 bunches that now stand in the kitchen window to remind me of time that blows through our lives. That spring palettes are replaced with end of summer palettes and that soon the flowers will be gone and that a passing glance is never enough to really see them.

an old place

The gate is closed, the driveway grassed over, but the old place still stands, hidden behind a grove of cedars. A few years ago, perhaps 4 or 5, I stopped here for a garage sale. The old white chair in our attic came from here, as did a child's rocking chair. It was a lovely home, tucked away between the fields. With tears in her eyes the woman agreed when I complimented her home. It was the family home, it had been for 150 years. They sold it. Sold it 10 years earlier, to developers, and then rented it back. Her husband had built a home in NB, on the ocean, a timber frame. The new place stood empty, for 10 years. The woman couldn't leave the family farm. She was afraid of the house falling into disrepair, of 150 years falling into ruin.

And so it did.

Crocus in September?

Remnants of a former garden.

It is a bumper crop for apples this year.

I wonder who it was that planted these and who it was that picked the fruit.