Summer 2010

Well. I just checked our weather station and we have had 11.51 inches of rain so far this year. Wow. I think about 6 inches is normal for us. I haven't been watering my garden and flowers very much. Our crops are growing well, but every storm makes you hold your breath hoping there is no hail damage. I don't think I can hold my breath until after harvest!

We have had family around to visit after their 10k runs in the Moose Jawg on July 1st. I'm so proud of Roy, Monica, Melissa and Robert! I had the fun of entertaining the grandkids and a few other little friends and relatives while that happened. It may turn into a yearly event. We got away to Cypress Hills for a couple of days with Robert, Melissa, Josiah and Abby. Is it fun to go to a favorite spot with Grandkids that used to be the camping spot with our little kids. How sweet it is! We have never seen the hills so green. It is just south of Maple Creek that had the major flooding. We went on into Medicine Hat to visit my brother, Allan and have lunch with his family. We took a little time to try out his little tractor creations. We had a lot of fun checking out a few of his fleet of tractors.

For now we are busy getting fungicide sprayed on our crops so all this rain and humidity doesn't take them down. As usual, I look forward to harvest. If it ever stops raining, we will be harvesting, durum wheat, canola and chickpeas. I have sadness for those people affected by all the rain. We are blessed by the beauty around us and continue to pray for good health and the energy to appreciate the abundance of another growing season.

The empty nest!

 

 

 

Well, the time has come. I was away for two days and thought I would have missed flight school for the baby robins. I looked out this morning to see the last little robin gripping the railing of our deck, Mom come to feed him there and then he flew back to the tree. Good job! The nest is empty and it's time for a new hobby. I hope you enjoyed this little session of bird watching with me.

Most recent, Sunday afternoon

 

 

We need a bigger nest!!!!

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the nest is getting pretty crowded. Mom still manages to sit balanced on the top when it's raining or as protection but she's running out of room, too. I finally caught a picture of Momma and Pappa as they both bring food and scold me from a nearby tree when I'm on the deck doing a photo shoot. I have enjoyed my little birds very much. I expect to see them on their way very soon.

One week!

 

I took this picture in the morning sunlight. It has been fun tracking these little robins over the past week. What a change. Both parents bring food now to keep up with the hungry little ones. Their feathers are less fuzz.

Newest pics cont'd

 

 

My babies are growing...

 

 

 

 

These new pics were taken over the last few days. I had a couple of bird watchers stop by to share the view. The last pictures show a larger, hungrier baby and wing feathers have shown up! I'm thinking I'll be going through the "empty nest" syndrom very soon!

and then there were THREE

 

 

 

 

Beauty in the eye of the beholder...

 

 

 

Beautiful Springtime !

It is a beautiful day in Southern Saskatchewan and the tractors are humming..or droning..or whatever sound they make. There is a meadowlark on top of every road sign and the first dandilions are smiling. What a great day. Isn't it funny how fast we forget snow? Even the endless clouds and drizzle have faded from my memory and I'm just in the mood to enjoy the beauty of now. Have a great day everyone.

It just got better! A robin is building her nest right outside my living room window in my Thunderchild. I'll be able to watch her from the deck. Nice!

Floyd Jacobs

 

Another special man in my life has gone Home. I recall being with Uncle Floyd and Aunt Marion in their home in Willen, Manitoba and spending time with them in their home after they relocated to North Weyburn to work for Western Christian College. To be with them was such a joy! Each of my kids had their after grad party in their house in Dauphin, Manitoba and we have always been an extension of their family. I will miss the little twinkle in his eye and hugs. Another lesson in appreciating those we love and regrets about too few visits too far apart. Thanks for your love for all these years, Uncle Floyd. I miss you.

Gianna and the sheep dog!

 

It is March!

It has been such a long time since I wrote on the blog. I welcome the days getting longer. Last evening was my first after supper walk and it felt so familiar. Ahh. This morning is one of the few that hasn't been foggy! The soft glow of sunrise on the snow makes a pretty picture. We were away for a week from Feb.7th through Feb.14th. We were at Negril which is on the west end of Jamaica. We had a wonderful time or relaxing and taking in scenery we haven't seen before. We enjoyed the snorkeling and hobie craft sailing. It does my heart good to see such green leaves and beautiful flowers in the winter! It feels like a different world. You know that somewhere there is still snow. Somewhere there is a list of things to be done to get ready for seeding. We got home in time for me to attend Ladies Retreat at Kenosee Lake. What a wonderful weekend of being with old friends and meeting new ones. The theme was about letting God Lead Us. It is always a blessing to be there. I love the times of singing and enjoying the snowy park. Jamaica is excited about their sunset but I must say, our "living skies" of Saskatchewan seem to me of equal or greater beauty :-) Good to be home. I am now anxiously waiting for family home at Easter. That makes my heart sing.

Happy New Year from the Bells

Hi there. I'll not post too much tonight except to wish you all a happy and healthy new year. We have been blessed by having our family home with us and we enjoyed a wonderful time together. We appreciated Robert and Melissa bringing home their photography equipment to update our family photos. We are happy to show you how much all the little ones have grown. They were sweet last year and even sweeter now :-)

How things have changed!

I had written my yearly news letter a couple of weeks ago with full intentions of getting my usual batch of Christmas cards in the mail. I had baking in the freezer and plans to head up to Saskatoon for a week to look after two little grand daughters. Within the course of an hour on Dec. 2nd, I heard that something was wrong with my father-in-law, Elford Bell, and then that he was gone! Life certainly changes in a moment. We will miss his visits to the farm. It was great that he was still so very interested in what was going on our here and loved to show up for a little visit or a combine ride. I'll miss telling him about the kids and how everyone is doing. I will miss getting a hug on Sunday mornings and having him over for a meal. He was a wonderful part of my life for 35 years and I don't let go of him easily. He has been my other "Dad" for all my married life and am grateful for his love and support of our marriage and our family. His strength and gentleness made him such a wonderful example of a Godly man!

Casey At Bat

Casey At Bat

"There is no joy in Mudville! The mighty Casey has struck out!" Okay, so it's a different game and Riderville is not Mudville, but I see a parallel here! Check out the last verse...

Post harvest

Well, it has been noted that we have not been updating the blog. That's a good sign I think that life has been busy and productive and pretty normal. We are thankful to have put the last of the chickpeas in bins and now is time for other fall projects. If you're not a farmer you will think we are all done now until seeding :-) Not quite.

This week is Gianna's 1st birthday. She shares the birthday of my Mom, Grace Jacobs. It makes a difference to me that instead of a sad day of missing my Mom, it is also a joyful day of thanking God for a special little life that blesses us again! My Mom loved children and I'm always sorry that she never got to cuddle these sweet great-grandchildren of hers. I still have a stash of her fabric and each manages to get a little piece of Grandma Jacobs stash!

I'm off to a ladies bible class this afternoon. It is called "Giving For All It's Worth" What a wonderful book to study, wonderful ladies to fellowship with and wonderful lessons to shake me up and inspire me to do more! Last week was about money and the widow's mite, this week is about looking for talents we can use and share as illustrated by Dorcas. You have talent you know! Just think about what you enjoy doing. Must go. I'll think on this and write more and maybe add pictures next time.

Before and after flower shots. Can you tell the difference??

 
 
 
 

Uncle Stephen is home and Josiah's first combine.

 
 
 
 

It was so great to have Stephen back to the farm. The visit was too short and the days were full of harvest activity. It was still a special time for him to be in Canada to reaquaint with the nieces, Linaya, Gianna and Abby and the nephew, Josiah! They all love Uncle Stephen. It won't be long until Christmas and hopefully we can all be together at the same location for a new family picture.

Harvest is going well. We have been stopped only twice for repairs. It feels like we're a couple of weeks into harvest. You reach a point that a nap is not enough. It is exciting to be see all the progress around us. Sometimes at night, the fields in the neighborhood look like there are fireflies. Combines and trucks. On a repair run to John Deere I happened to find a combine for Josiah. He loves the combine SO much and was very excited when Grandpa gave it to him. The next time he rode on the combine, he had it sitting on the combine floor beside him pointing out the window. We have also rewritten the song to "the reel on the combine goes round and round" (There are MANY verses :-) )