time stands still for no one...

The moments slip through our fingers like sand.

The days and weeks rush by...

...and like a 'poof in the wind' the years disappear into the distant past.

But the memories...they linger on!

On Friday night we met for dinner with a group of friends that go back a long time!

We were all part of the church youth group way back then...

and likely all at the campfire pictured above 'back in the day'.

We hiked the mountains together...

explored the lakes...

crossed the border to go roller skating...

and drove all the way to Shakey's Pizza in Bellingham.

Now we compared notes on grandchildren...

and our aging parents.

And we remembered the 'good ole days'!

Where did the years go?

On Saturday our niece stopped by for coffee.

It seems not so long ago that she was the wee lass pictured above...

and now she is the mom of teenagers.

We discussed the joys and the challenges of parenting teens.

I think she is doing a fine job of her role.

Again...I was struck by how quickly that role comes and goes.

Time stands still for no one.

Not even Corinne...

who was the winner of my cookbook giveaway last week.

After giving her a week to come forward...

I am moving on to the next number.

And the winner is...#26!

The 26th commenter was Janine VM.

Janine...send me your contact info and I'll make arrangements to get you a cookbook ASAP.

Time...it waits for no one.

Make the most of your day!

fall is in the air...

Though we are enjoying a beautiful summer over here...

and have had next to no rain since the beginning of July...

there are signs that fall is around the corner.  

Once in awhile...

I'm up early enough to see the first light of dawn...

and a blanket of low-lying fog across the fields.

That was 'my front porch' view early the other morning.

As for the back patio view...

where we often have breakfast...

this is how it looks this morning.  

We moved the heater out there last night...

since the mornings and evenings are a little nippy these days.  

I like summer...and am always sad to see it go.  

But fall is good too...and it's coming!

there is a season...

The seasons come and go! Summer has gone...but autumn is upon us. This is the season for corn harvest in our corner of the world. It is also the season for a new grandbaby to be born. Birth and harvest...all in His perfect time!

To everything there is a season, and
a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, and
a time to die;
a time to plant, and
a time to pluck up
that which is planted.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2

time changes things...

What a difference a few months can make!

Time changes things...sometimes it takes no effort on our part.

I gave you a tour of the stately homes in our community a few months back.

Those same places look quite different today!

St. Thomas Anglican Church is a landmark in our downtown area...built in 1897.

Wisteria Lane Gallery

Academy of Music

This lovely old heritage home once housed Dutch royalty. Maria...who now lives here...spends countless hours in her flower gardens and the place always looks amazing!

Our city museum stands tall behind a small park...beautiful in and out of season.

The trains still roll down the track...but it's a new season and everything looks different today!

Enjoy the weekend!

Snowday!

Our blizzard conditions ended yesterday afternoon...a few bright spots appeared in the western sky...the wind died down and temperatures rose.

Why, it began to look like a fun place to play!


And what was that coming across the fields? An unfamiliar tractor was making it's way to my back door...

but the cargo being towed looked very familiar! As it turned out, our vintage Ford 8000 is in the repair shop for some much needed r & r (restoration and repair)...so the guys are trying out a few replacements in the meantime. Of course, it needed to be tested in the snow!

The girls seemed to be having a hoot...and came running to give Grammy the lowdown!

Some pursue happiness...

others create it!

They just popped by to share a little happiness...and then they were off to finish their test drive!

wicked and wacky winter weather...

This is the view from my kitchen window this morning...it's snowing and blowing and there's not much to be seen! It looks like a good excuse to close the schools (we do that in response to a good snow storm on the west coast)...I haven't seen any school buses go by, but haven't actually heard that classes are cancelled.

Yesterday morning, amidst warnings of the coming snowstorm, I made a quick trip to the Sumas flats with Broni and Ryder. (That is not a place one wants to be when white-out conditions hit!) For Ryder's second birthday, we had made arrangements to have his portrait taken at a studio out in the country. Twice we had cancelled his appointment due to illness, so we were determined to get the job done this time...regardless of the weather. Not knowing we would be in a deep-freeze, we had bribed him with a visit to Birchwood Dairy for an ice-cream cone and a visit to their petting zoo, once he was done smiling for the camera! He co-operated quite nicely, but asked for ice-cream as soon as the photo shoot was completed. What's a grammy to do?

Off to Birchwood we went...the wind was howling and the petting zoo was closed for the season, but there was lots of ice-cream! And we were the only patrons on this blustery winter day.

Ryder enjoyed his cone...we warmed up with some coffee, and soon we were back on the road. While I drove, Ryder amused himself with his new mittens...he found them most intriguing! We made it home before the storm arrived.

In the afternoon Kris stopped by with Ranen. I'm sure she was hoping Grammy still had the 'playground' in her great room. A few days ago when they were over, Ranen headed straight for the 16 foot ladder sitting in the middle of the room and began to climb. She is a determined little girl of 20 months, and wasn't really thrilled to be rescued!

No ladder today...and all her favorite books were missing. (All of Grammy's books have been sent away to be 'refreshed'...they are having the smoke smell removed.) We found some toys, and had a snack...and all was good. They headed for home as the snow was beginning to fall.

So it's been a week since I fumigated our home with a pot of hamburger spaghetti sauce. Bit by bit the smell is disappearing (or we are getting used to it!)...and the house is returning to normal. My area rugs are coming back today...and the rest of our belongings should be back in the next day or two. Last night we were invited out for supper...what a treat on a snowy, blizzarding winter day! Marg (my bloggy friend) decided she would show us what a real spaghetti dinner should taste like...since we never got a chance to try the one I was preparing last week. As soon as we walked in the door, I knew it was going to be good! It smelled great...not at all like what I've been smelling all week. We enjoyed a fabulous spicy meat sauce with pasta and Lovella's famous papaya salad...and finished off the meal with a yummy hazelnut dessert.

Once the table was cleared, we moved right into a rousing game of Rook. How fun to revive the old card game on a snowy winter night! Rook was invented by Parker Bros. over 100 years ago, and has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity these past few years. The game was apparently created as an alternative to playing cards and was sometimes called 'missionary poker'. At any rate...it's a fun game. The evening ended a little too soon though, since the guys came out on top...had we had a few more rounds, things would have turned out quite differently, I'm sure!

It was a wonderful way to spend a winter night! The storm brewing outside couldn' t touch the warmth we felt inside the home of our friends. Thanks for the good time, Marg!

a patio for all seasons?

It seemed the perfect morning to try out our new patio heater...our Christmas gift from all the kids. What a great gift!

They know we like having breakfast out on the patio...so now we can extend the season. Today was pushing it a little though! When the 'Western Producer' looked like paper mache, we knew it was time to come in.

The snow is falling once again...we're not used to having snow this often. Patio weather seems like a very long time ago!

Enjoy the day...

my winter garden...

It's one of those grey days out here today. The ground is white, the clouds are low and you can't really tell where one stops and the other begins. So there's not much to see...or so I thought until I actually got out there!

The poor little birds (pictured at the feeder on my sidebar) have been neglected over Christmas...their feeder was empty. So I donned my lovely new GREEN boots, and went outside to fill up their feeder. Then I went back to grab the camera, because it was actually quite pretty once I took a closer look.

There are still a few oak leaves hanging on for dear life!

And my favorite hydrangeas aren't looking quite so happy these days...but now have a certain winter beauty!

The 'don juan' rose is still trying to put on a show!

Ryder will be happy to know, we still have raspberries!

I love raspberries...but am really happy we just have this one little row! I'm thinking of all the years that I spent all of January and February in the berry patch, tying raspberries. We had over 50 acres at one time...too many!

Here's the last of the season's grapes...I'm not into ice wine, so they'll have to go to the birds.

The spiders are busy, whatever the season.

Even the barren red twigs of the blueberry bushes look beautiful against the snow.

And the heather is peeking out from under the blanket.

So if things are looking grey and bleak today...take a closer look. It's amazing what beauty we are given to enjoy each day!

I think it's time to get back inside. These green boots were not meant for snow!

I drove the Coquihalla

I drove the Coquihalla just to be with you... those are the lyrics of a song.

Well, that's exactly what we did yesterday. We took a jaunt over the Coquihalla highway, and drove to Meritt to have lunch with our Kelowna relatives. I must admit we did check the road reports in the morning, because the Coquihalla Summit isn't always the easiest to traverse at this time of the year! It was raining here, but we knew we would meet snow in short order.

By the time we got to Hope it was snowing, and soon we were lost in a sea of swirling snow.

There wasn't a whole lot to be seen...so I just pulled out the yarn and hook and got to work on a scarf. We listened to Christmas music and I had a wonderful trip through the winter wonderland. Elmer didn't have a whole lot to say...hardly answered my questions; I'm thinking his trip wasn't quite as relaxing as mine.

Once we were past the summit, things cleared up a little...

and just before Merritt the sun even peaked through.

We reached Merritt just in time for our 'rendezvous' at the Home Restaurant (if you can't have a home-cooked dinner...have a Home-cooked dinner!). We found ourselves a quiet corner and before we knew it, three hours had slipped by. How good it is to get together with family at Christmas time...even if you have to drive the Coquihalla highway to do it! The road conditions were much better on the way home and I even managed to get a few pic's out the window without getting snow all over the lens. It really was beautiful, even if the skies were grey.


So if you want a little trek through winter wonderland, you have a willing driver, and you have some good friends or family to have lunch with in Merritt....drive the Coquihalla highway!