...the month before Christmas

On this 'Christmas Eve'...

let me just give you a wee glimpse into December...

'as it happened' in my corner of the world.

We enjoyed some crisp and clear days...

with views I wouldn't trade.

The sun set far too early for my liking...

and the days seemed too short to fit it all in.

But to have sunshine and clear skies in our valley in December is always a joy!

Every December for the past dozen or so years 

we have taken the pre-school grands on a Christmas outing to 'Dickens Village'.

This year we took our one and only pre-schooler on a solo outing.

Lucy had a fine time watching the train at Little Mountain Garden Centre...

and riding the horse at Dicken's. 

We had lunch out...

and savoured the moments of our last 'pre-school Christmas outing'!

I have so enjoyed watching the doves from the kitchen window all month. 

It seems the majority of the photos that I took this past month were of doves...

so I thought I would share a few with you.

Apparently they are not mourning doves (as I thought)...

but rather a collared turtledove that is new to the area.

The trumpeter swans are not new!

I took this photo while I was out walking one day...

and texted it to my hubby.

I knew he would not be thrilled to see they had taken up residence in one of our fields...

since they do a lot of damage.

December was also the month of concerts and school programs.

Lucy played Mary in her pre-school play...

and a sweet Mary she was!

She took her part very seriously and even sang a solo.

We took in two school concerts in one day...

Ranen played violin...

Micah played bells...

Ryder sang with his class.

They all did a great job!

One cold and rainy night...we took Maggie and Lucy to see the CP Christmas Train in Agassiz.

Though it is quite a sight to see the decked-out train pulling into the station...

by the time it arrived we were a little too wet to muster up much enthusiasm.

The kiddos enjoyed it!

December was filled with parties and dinners and family get-together's.

Our dining room table has been set and re-set several times this month.

The kids and grands will be joining us here soon.

It is always a fun and special time of year!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas...

full of comfort and joy!

november ~ as it happened

What can I say about November?  

It seems  a long time ago since we flipped that calendar page over...

...and much has happened in the last thirty days.

The leaves that hung on for dear life for the first few weeks of the month...

are all gone.

And no...

we never rake leaves over here.

They just get swept away by the winds...

and land up in someone else's field.

I like that. 

But I don't care so much for the other results of the wind that blows through here in November!

We had a major storm two weeks ago...

and were without power for a day.

Some of our friends had no power for three days.

Roofs set sail...

semi-trucks on the freeway blew over...

and broken trees still line the roadways.

Though many birds have headed south...

the swarms of starlings clearly have no intention of going anywhere. 

We have our favorites that we are feeding in the backyard..

including some mourning doves.

The last week of November has been sunny, cold and beautiful!

It doesn't get much better than this!

Early in the month...

we escaped to our favorite place in the desert of California for a bit.

My sisters were all there when we arrived...

and we enjoyed a few days together.

It is not often that all five of us are in the same place at the same time.

On the morning when Bev and Mary Ellen were on their way to the airport...

they came to say good-bye.

We suddenly realized that we had not taken one group photo of all five of us.

We handed my brother-in-law the camera and thought he could quickly snap a photo for the record.

Now I know why there are very few pictures of the five sisters!

How hard can it be so hard to take a photo?

Kathy was trying to organize us...

we were all laughing...

and Terry took pictures before we were ready.

I guess we never were ready...
since I can't seem to find the good one!

Our one full-day-trip took us past the Salton Sea and through Imperial Valley.

The Salton Sea was once a resort area.

Wow...how things have changed!

The sea is receding...

the settlements along the shore have mostly been abandoned...

and the fish are dying.

 What looks like sandy beach from a distance is actually dried fish bones.

It is rather a sorry sight!

The rest of our day was spent touring the Imperial Valley...

where most everything is about agriculture.

Hundreds of workers dotted the horizon...

all working together to provide fruits and veggies for the tables of America.

Miles of irrigated alfalfa and wheat fields were punctuated by stacks of baled hay. 

The guys stopped to check out the hay...

and the adjacent solar energy farm.

 

 

Where everything was about about growing crops in the past...

acres and acres of cultivated land are now covered by solar energy plants...

supplying green energy for much of southern California. 

While we were out and about touring the desert with Jim and Kathy...

Dot and Terry were leaving for home.

We said our farewells in the morning and gave them the key to our unit...

so they could use it once they were checked out of their room.

When we returned to the resort at the end of the day...

we had no trouble figuring out who may have TP'd our suite.

:)

We have three grands with a birthday in early November.

The girls remind us often that we are NEVER home for their birthday.

That is just how it seems to work out.

But we celebrated all three birthdays as soon as we returned home!

And each one got their own ice-cream cake.

Micah is six...

and the girls are fourteen.

They still call me 'Grammy Beana' on occasion...

a name they came up with when they were two.

 

Did I ever tell you that being a grandparent is a lot of fun?

I am so blessed to call them my grands!

The three grands from next door spent a few nights here last week...

while their parents were out of town.

We baked Christmas cookies, played games, watched a Christmas movie...

and stayed up late.

They had to slip home in between to hug their dog...

who missed them a lot!

And now our thoughts are turning to all things Christmas.

The outside lights are up...

and the mantel is done.

I copied the Noel sign which I first saw on Dawna's blog last Christmas...

and quite like it. 

Wishing you all a blessed advent season...

and a Christmas filled with joy, hope, peace and love.

 

 

 

October remembered...

I too am glad I live in a world where there are Octobers! 

It was a lovely month in my part of the world.

My view through the kitchen window began with the red oak cloaked in leaves.

As the month comes to an end...

the leaves have all but disappeared.

Mushrooms and maple leaves...

...and fall clematis were all signs of the season.

I've been watching this pair of mourning doves from my kitchen window this past month.
On occasion they have friends join them in the red oak tree...
sometimes a dozen or so.
I rather like them...
so hope they aren't planning on going south anytime soon.

The farmers who thought they were done cropping for the year...

quickly cut the grass one more time.

Though Thanksgiving came and went in Canada...

the thankfulness continues!

We had a lovely time with family gathered around the table

Just down the road from us...

the cranberry harvest has been in full swing these past few weeks.

I've stopped to watch on several occasions.

Last week Lucy and I went for a walk.

She requested to ride in the stroller...

like she did in days gone by when visiting Grammy.

We stopped on the freeway overpass...

where we had a good view of the cranberry fields.

Then we waved at the trucks passing below us...

and a few friendly drivers honked their horns.

Lucy always gets a kick out of that!

We carried on down the road...

stopping to check out the curious cows on the other side of the fence.

We also had a discussion about which side of the road to walk on.

Suddenly Lucy asked if we were on the right side of the road...

because a police car was coming.  

I assured her we were.

The police cruiser stopped in front of us...

and the officer got out.

It seems someone had reported people on the overpass...

and he had come to check it out.

Had we been on the overpass?

Well, yes we had.

But we were only on the pedestrian sidewalk...

and Lucy never left the stroller.

Was there a problem?

He assured us that we had done nothing wrong...

but he needed to file a report.

He now has all our personal information...

and Lucy is 'known to the police'!

Who knew a leisurely country walk could get us into trouble?

Last Saturday we took part in the first ever Rosedale Harvest Brigade...

a community event which included a parade...with lots of representation from the agricultural community and fun for the whole family.

This brought back memories of yesteryear...

when our neighbour John Spencer would organize a parade in Rosedale

every Canada Day.

Our thanks to Chris Kloot (City of Chilliwack Councillor) and his team for resurrecting the parade...

and organizing this most successful event.

The plan was for us to have our old Monarch in the parade...

along with all the other vintage cars and farming entries.

And...thanks to an official photographer of the parade...

I have proof that we were there!

It seems the Monarch did not like idling along that slowly...

and stalled half-way along the route.

We may not have crossed the finish line...

but drove the car back home again after a little pull-start. :)

I already know...

always wear comfortable walking shoes when riding in the car that has been around for nearly seven decades.

The days are getting shorter.

The nights are getting longer.

And we are spending more time indoors...

where it is always cozy and warm!

Don't forget to turn your clocks back on Sunday.

Thanks for stopping by...

september...as it happened

September...the end of summer and the beginning of another school year.



The dandelions seemed a little confused as to the season!

After a long, hot and dry summer...September began with some much needed rain.  The rainbow was a nice touch...captured with my iPhone from the balcony of my dad's eighth floor deck.

My sister Bev came from Texas earlier in the month.  We spent some sister time at Harrison Hotsprings...and enjoyed brunch there with a lovely view lake.  We lingered around the table long enough...that we could justify ice-cream cones on the beach for dessert!

Our next stop was Cheam Lake Wetlands Park...

... peaceful and beautiful in every season.

We celebrated my dad's 93rd birthday while Bev was here...and gathered the family for a BBQ.  His favorite birthday gift was the Blue Jay's cap...of course.  He has been a fan for years...before they were a sensation! As you can tell...Dad still likes telling stories.  He had a hard time interrupting his story to pose for photos.

We celebrated a few other birthdays this month as well.  Elmer slipped quietly into his next year of senior-ity! LOL

Our dancing, twirling, laughing Maggie turned seven...and celebrated with friends and family.  Where do the years go?

And then there was the party for my sister Dot and brother-in-law Terry...both celebrating their BIG  Six-Oh!  It was a fun time of reminiscing...good food...good fun with 'good' friends and family!

Before the grands all started school this fall, I took the four oldest girls shopping for some new back-to-school clothes.  There was no room in the car for Lucy (who started pre-school this year)...so I promised her an outing all of her own once the others were in school.

She picked out a Hello Kitty outfit and then chose to go to Wendy's for an early lunch.  From there I drove her to her pre-school.  Who knew I needed a four-year-old navigator to help me find my way?  I couldn't quite remember which street her school was on, and turned one block too soon.  She was all quiet in the back seat of the car, minding her own business until I made that turn. Then she immediately piped up that I was going the wrong way and needed to turn around!  Who needs a GPS if you have a Lucy?  I had a good laugh at that!

Last Sunday was another beautiful fall day...and we returned to Cheam Wetlands park for a hike with Ranen and Micah.  Though they were a little disappointed that we never came across any snakes or frogs...they had fun on the leaf covered trails.



Fog.  September.  Synonymous!

Most every morning began with a layer of fog in the valley.




And most every evening ended with a beautiful sunset.

The last crop of grass  for this season is being harvested this week.  Farewell summer!

Autumn is upon us.  Enjoy!