april ~ the month in review

Where to start? It seems a lot has happened since April 1st...the morning I heard that Canada was reverting to the imperial system of measurement.  Since I actually still have a foot in that camp...it wasn't too upsetting.  And besides...I have learned not to trust anything that I hear on April 1st.

Our local tulips were blooming as the month began...

...and Heidi and the girls joined me for our annual outing.  We all came prepared...for rain or shine! And we had both.

 It's always a pleasure to tiptoe through the tulip fields...and enjoy the 'crowning glory' of spring.

Then there was Easter...with Easter services, Easter dresses, Easter egg hunts, the decorating of the Easter egg tree and the traditional gathering of the clan around the Easter table.  A little sunshine...a little rain...and an Easter egg hunt held indoors this year.

And on Easter Monday (a holiday on the Canadian calendar) we made a trip to Kelowna and back...about a 3-hour drive over two high mountain passes (with a stop at Tim Horton's in Merritt for coffee, of course).  We weren't expecting this...

...but should know by now that it can snow up there anytime of the year!



The snow was short-lived and soon we crossed the floating bridge to Kelowna...one of only nine floating bridges in the world.  We had last been there in December...and knew that our brother-in-law Vern was not doing well.  We thought we'd bring lunch along...and enjoy a meal together at their table since Vern was no longer able to go out.  As it turned out, he was admitted to hospital on Easter Sunday...and so we spent a few hours at the hospital instead. We were so glad we went...as it was the last time we would see him.  Last week he passed away...and once again we made the trip to Kelowna to be with family and 'remember Vern'. 

Not that we could ever forget Vern...he was a kind and gentle man, always willing to give and help...a brother-in-law with whom we have shared many wonderful  experiences throughout the years.  He wasn't afraid to die...and is now rejoicing in glory.

Though we have had a lot of rain in April...we had a few beautiful hot days mid-month and managed to harvest all the winter wheat on the farm.  The grass fields are still waiting to be cut.

In other 'farm news'...I had an inside scoop that the 'Dairy Farmers of Canada' had a new ad campaign out his spring.  So off I went to the newsstand to see if I could find the ad.  There it was...full page.

Though the farmer and his daughter are looking away...I could recognize them anywhere. The ad's will be featured in Best Health magazines this year as well as in the July edition of Canadian Living magazine...

...and on billboards in major cities as well as digital ads. 

 

Also farm related (though that is a bit of a stretch)...I was part of a 'ladies getaway' in Whistler this week...an event sponsored by our feed company.  We went on our annual 'business trip'...and what fun we had.  Rain or shine...warm or cold...in or out...we always enjoy this time together with other farm women. 

And so ends April 2015.  The good and the bad...the happy and the sad...the easy and the hard...we had it all in April.

 I'll leave you with a reminder of one of the amazing sunsets we enjoyed here this month. 

And a quote from a poet extra-extraordinaire...

 April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

...William Shakespeare

Wishing all of you all of you who stop by 'my front porch' on occasion...

a wonderful weekend and a 'merry, merry month of May'!

march memories...

After one of the warmest winters ever recorded here in the Fraser Valley...

spring came early.

A full month early!

The grass fields are not normally this green and tall on March 1st!

Nor are the cherry trees in full bloom so early!

We worked on the yard...

and did some gardening with the help of the trusty JD.

After 10 years it is time to do some 'selective culling'.

The bees came calling as well...

drawn by the fragrance of the white heather.

On a lovely Sunday afternoon we hiked up Mt. Thom...

with its views of  Cultus Lake to the back...

...and the city of Chilliwack on the way up.

We usually visit the tulip fields sometime in April...

...but this year it was March.

It was a fun outing...

and though the weatherman promised us rain...

it held off until we were done traipsing the fields.

It looks like she came prepared for rain...

though the rubber boots were missing.

Pretty as a picture!

We had a hard time co-ordinating the 'spring break' wiener roast to suit all the grands this year...

but we tried!

First we hiked up to Bridal Falls...

and by then it was drizzling.

Most of us took cover to eat our roasted hotdogs.

Emme took her cover out to the fire and stayed there.

She loves fires!

I've been having fun trying out the 'panorama' feature on my iPhone.

I'll leave you with a shot of our 'home on the range'...

from mid-March 2015.

Wishing you all a blessed Easter!