"Hope Springs Eternal..."

...in the human breast; 

Man never is, but always to be blest. 

The soul, uneasy, and confined from home, 

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

 from An Essay on Man  Alexander Pope, English poet, 1732

 A few months ago no one knew the word corona; or if they did, they certainly never associated it with a global virus. I wondered about the word corona and did a little bit of Wikipedia research and learned: "A corona (meaning "crown" in Latin derived from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korōnè, "garland, wreath")) is an aura of plasma that surrounds the Sun and other stars. The Sun's corona extends millions of kilometers into outer space and is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but it is also observable with a coronagraph." 

My little mind finds no connection between this definition and the virus. Or maybe it does now. I read it again and four words jumped out at me: extends millions of kilometers. I guess it doesn't really matter - at least not in light of what is happening in our world today. Every time I hear another sad story related to this virus, I wonder how much longer this will continue.

Still, hope springs eternal, and on that note:

in separate pots

There's something very hopeful about going inside a greenhouse, when there's still snow on the ground and the cold has a bite to it. I always find greenhouses, burgeoning with life, therapeutic anyway. Now for the first time, I get to work in a house full of green hope.

Michael has been raising tomatoes as a hobby, for about twenty years and this year I get to help him. Oh the joy of having my hands in soil with the wind whistling a minus 20 tune! Little did I know, when I married Michael and moved to my new colony that there is so much to know about raising greenhouse tomatoes.

We planted the seeds in our home in early December, then moved the fragile little plants to the greenhouse about a month later. Shortly after that, they had to be transplanted into separate pots. Today our 76 plants are over six feet tall and are bearing lovely tomatoes. No ripe ones yet, though. Can't wait for that first fresh tomato sandwich!!

 

...................................................

my new orchid

My favourite house plants are orchids. I've been growing orchids for a few years, and have had the joy of watching a few orchids bloom again. Their exquisite flowers never cease to amaze me. On the flip side, I've also seen a few of my orchids die, one just recently. It was especially sad, since it was a gift from Michael. I tried everything I know to keep it alive, but alas... So, I was delighted when Michael gave me another orchid for Valentine's Day.                                                                                           A few years ago, I heard about an orchid greenhouse in Selkirk, MB. I promptly put it on my bucket list to visit it one day. I recently learned that greenhouse shut down. However, I found another one in West St. Paul, MB -Everspring Orchids, and got the chance to visit it. It's small but has many gorgeous orchids. The white ones there, had the biggest blooms I'd ever seen on an orchid. 

Michael and I enjoyed walking around and admiring all the orchids and talking to one of the workers there, a very friendly and helpful lady. I was grateful when she gave me some advice on what to do with an ailing orchid. I have four orchids and the leaves on one of them turned limp. With her advice, my little green thumb and a dose of good luck, it'll hopefully survive and bloom again one day. Michael, sweetly offered to buy me another orchid for my collection. We opted for one that's not yet blooming, because the other ones were too expensive. It also helped that the lady assured us that "it should get a spike any time now". Hope springs eternal...

I couldn't leave Everspring without taking a few more orchids home on my phone: 

 

 

                             

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;

All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;

All discord, harmony, not understood;

All partial evil, universal good:

And, spite of pride, in erring reason's spite,

One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

- Alexander Pope 

What gives you hope and inspiration in these turbulent times?

Cherry Blossom Time on the Prairies

A few days ago I visited a local cherry orchard. I didn't know the place exists, even though it's just a few miles from our colony.That's right, perhaps I should get out more, cruise around the neighbourhood a bit. (Thanks, Yolanda, for suggesting we stop by to see this place!) A cherry orchard in full bloom is an enchanting sight and has the most heavenly scent. The owner told us they have two types of cherries: Juliet and Romeo from the Romance series. And that this tart fruit makes excellent cherry pie filling, but can also be enjoyed fresh.

Walking down those lovely cherry blossom aisles, I knew Anne Shirley would come up with a beautiful poetic description for this grand view. As for me, I breathed in deeply, dug out my BlackBerry to capture the moment and share it with you. What a lovely spring evening!

Then, this morning we woke to a dusting of snow. Thankfully though, this will not do too much damage to the blossoms. Especially since it was all gone in an hour or so.

"After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."

Which blooming wonder is decorating your area these days? Does it bring to mind a song, story, favourite character or some special event in your life? I'd love to hear about it.

Sweet Maple Syrup Memories

Every year when my sister, Sonia starts collecting maple sap, I tell myself that I should write about it. And every year the season whizzes by before I can sit down and pen a story, then the urge to write disappears. For some seasons it's not quite the same, writing about them after the fact, like writing a Christmas story in February. I'm sure it can be done, and is being done often by some people, but I find it better to write about seasonal topics, right when I'm experiencing them. Should you want to submit such articles, there's always a better chance when the season, in this case maple sapping, is still going. Beside a few blogpost blurbs, nothing of substance came from my pen...or keyboard. Till this year, where I got on it right away.

I was fortunate enough in that The Manitoba Co-operator accepted my piece and published it this week. You can find it by clicking here. The article is on page 29. The newspaper can also be downloaded so the pages are easier to read. This works best.

Are you, or someone you know involved in maple sapping? I know there are quite a few colonies into it. I'd love to hear about it! How do eat maple syrup, just on pancakes? Or do you have some yummy recipe, like the maple butter I mentioned in the article. My sister sometimes makes maple candy.

Here's wishing you a super sweet spring, even if it doesn't include maple syrup!

Dance of the Flowers

It's that time of year when some of us get the itch to be outside, get our hands dirty digging up flower beds, rake lawns, trim shrubs, start flowers...and hope that they will bless us with beautiful blooms for a few months. On that note, enjoy this breath-taking video as you dream of your own flowers this spring and summer. (Thanks, Yolanda, for sending this my way.)

 

Sweet Maple Syrup Season

Looking out the window, as I'm writing this, I see fat snowflakes twirling in the wind, a gentle reminder that winter is not ready to bid us adieu just yet.Which is fine, at least on one front - it extends the maple season a bit.

Every spring, my sister, Sonia is busy collecting and cooking sap, which she's been doing this for a number of years now. It's obvious how much she enjoys this sweet season, especially cooking it over scrap wood. Throughout the year my brother, who works in the carpenter shop, saves some scrap hard wood for her. (Hard wood is perfect for this task, as it burned longer.) If it's going to be burned, it may as well be used to produce something sweet and savoury. 

This year has been strange, with spring being nice and mild one week and much colder and wintery the next. These changes caused the sap flow to be much slower than usual. 

Still, she managed to get a fair amount of beautiful and tasty syrup thus far, putting smiles on the faces of many maple syrup fans around here. Now for some hot-of-the-griddle golden-brown pancakes and saskatoons to savour the syrup with.

Wishing you a blessed and meaningful Easter!

Blessed Mother's Day

For every Mom reading this

I hope your day is extra special!

And along with the an Irish singer bringing you a song,

a traditional Gaelic blessing:

(Irish, for no apparent reason. Just stumbled upon this clip and loved it.

Never even heard of Daniel O'Donnel before. But, I enjoy his music!)

 

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
 

 

Snapshot Muse #16 - Maple Syrup

 Pure, sweet homemade goodness!

My sister, Sonia loves to tap Maple trees, collect sap and make syrup. This year, for whatever reason, maple sapping didn't go so well for most people who do this every spring. Was it because of the long, cold winter we just had? Quite possible. The sap flow was slow to begin with and the season rather short. Thus she collected only eighty gallons of sap, which yielded three gallons of syrup.

Maple Syrup season always takes me back to my childhood, reading the 'Little House on the Prairie' books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They were some of my favourite stories. One day, back then we had a group of USA retirees, traveling by Airstream trailers, come for a tour of our colony. One couple was Alan and Leona Bullock from St. Louise, Missouri. We ended up being pen pals for many years after. One year for Christmas they sent me the book "Little House of the Prairie', telling me it reminded them of our way of life. I still have the book - tattered and torn from years of being loved adds to it's charm.

Without further ado, enjoy "Maple Syrup' via You Tube:

Blessings, as we Celebrate Our Risen Saviour!

A few days ago, part of my morning was spent painting with five cute and lively Kindergartners, two boys and three girls. They thoroughly enjoyed getting their hands full of vibrant colours and creating beautiful pictures! Their masterpieces turned out so nice, I decided to use one of them to wish all my Blog, Twitter and Facebook friends a blessed Easter. 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  

1 Peter 1:3

Snapshot Muse #15 - Winter Ade

We've seen many months of winter in all its glory - cold, wind and tons of snow. While I didn't get to move mounds every single day, I do somehow feel I developed a strong bond with our shovel. Thus, this is sort of an ode the shovel post. We have the 'easy on your back' variety - its curved handle supposedly makes things easier on your back. That's probably true when there's only three inches of light snow on a tiny porch. However, removing four feet of wet snow (and we got lots of that this year) from a big deck with rails, (also our reality) there is no 'easy' - one practically gets back spasms just looking at the stuff.

Nevertheless, I love our bent handle shovel and can't hold it against it, that it's not a real wonder tool. It's such a big part of my life for months on end, I can't help but be attached. It stands beside the door waiting, always ready for the next snowfall, beckoning me and every other person who passes by, to pick it up and heave some snow. OK, fine, it does make shoveling a tad less bad breaking... or maybe it forces people to lift and pitch snow in a manner that's not so strenuous - if there's such a thing as perfect posture snow pitching. And in that case, perhaps this latest model of the lowly shovel is a wonderful invention.

Still, I'm quite happy to tuck this steel and plastic apparatus away in the garden shed. Rest you weary wonder, and I won't miss you at all till the next snow season falls upon us. And I am extremely grateful to see warm temperatures remove our snow.

Interestingly enough, while working on this post, I found an article: Science of Scooping Snow 
Don't you just love the title? - Next thing we'll know it will be part of the curriculum here in Manitoba.

The song I chose for this posts brings memories from my childhood. It's on the first page of the Witter's Zweite Lesebuch. Although, back then, I was probably not aware that it's a song: Winter Ade

Snapshot Muse #12 - Joy is Like the Rain

As much as I love winter, with it's brilliant whiteness, blustery days and yes, even the extreme cold - I'm ready for vivid colours, spring showers, balmy days and going barefoot! Today marks the first day of spring and my hope springs new, that warmer days are not too far away. We'll try not to think about that -20 forecast for Sunday. Let's all post spring/summer pictures, for apparently today is also International Day of Happiness - so yes, spread some joy - lots of it - everywhere!

Speaking of joy, here is one of my favourite songs from the Medical Mission Sisters. I learned this one, along with many of this group's other songs, in school many years ago. Mr. Patrick Moore was our teacher at the time. He was the last non-Hutterite teacher to live on the colony while teaching here. After school he worked in the barns. His wife, Sandy, even had a cook week and took part in all other work the women did. Coming to think of it, Pat celebrated a birthday on St. Patrick's Day. (I hope you had a very special day, Pat! Thank you for introducing me to the Medical Mission Sisters!)

 I always remember it, because my dad's birthday is on the 18th. For quite a few years now, dad has been celebrating his birthday in heaven and we here are content with all our precious memories of him.

Anybody Home?

At this time of year it's very common to find bird's nest, and some in very peculiar places. Case in point, there's a duck nest beside a tree on our school yard, but we never see any ducks. Don't they usually settle near the water? Or is it even a duck's nest? Any thoughts?

Whoever these feathered friends are, have they abandoned the nest for some reason? Could be, as one of the boys touched the eggs upon discovering the nest. Good time to reinforce that you never touch the eggs or the babies. Rather sad, should the nest really have been abandoned. Would be cute to see a family of ducks waddling around the playground.

There are just five eggs...seems to me they usually have more. But maybe I'm mistaken. We'll see what happens. Will keep you posted.

        ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Another Nest:

 My reason for including this picture is that I love the bright lime greens. And that wasn't even what I was trying to capture! I was trying to get a shot of the other nest that we're watching - on top of the pillar. But more on that in another post...when I can add all the details. This one, I'm happy to say, was not abandoned.

‘I’m So Glad I Touched Shoulders With You’

           Joshua started school at five years of age, like every other child in our school. In many ways he was just like the other children. He lived on the same Hutterite colony and was able to walk to school. He took his meals in the children’s dining room in the communal kitchen. And he wore the same type of clothes as the other boys; dark trousers and a homemade shirt under suspenders.

When he started school, we knew that he’d require special help, since he wasn’t as strong and well-coordinated as other children his age. He had to work a lot harder and it took him longer to master most things.  For example, the s in his name was a real challenge. He bravely practiced for many weeks, on paper, whiteboard, and jelly bags till he finally printed a somewhat shaky s. It was much the same with cutting out a circle. I had tears in my eyes the first time he did it.

           I’m an educational assistant and was hired especially for him. Every achievement was a mini celebration. It didn’t take long for him to have his own place in my heart. Over the years we’ve learned a lot from each other, but it’s probably me who has learned the most. He still faces challenges and sometimes, its simple things that for his peers fall under fun:

June is Track and Field month and Joshua had just turned twelve. Everybody had been excitedly practicing races, high jump, long jump, javelin, discus and shot-putt. Everybody except Josh! He does not enjoy sports, because it’s difficult for him to keep up with the other children and he does not like crowds. To make matters worse, it was a windy day. He doesn’t like wind, either. Still, he tried to be a good sport and bravely took part in some events.

            He stood at the starting line of the 200 Meter race with three other boys. There was a crude track with white spray-painted lines on a country road, stretching out in front of them.   "Almost like at the Olympics!" Josh proclaimed. A pistol shot signaled the boys to dash for the finish line. Joshua’s competitors charged ahead like hares, leaving him to trail way behind them like the tortoise.

I was waiting for him at the finish line with some other teachers and parents. “Is there anybody from our school running now?” one mother wanted to know.

            “I don’t think so.” I answered, “But you can cheer for our Joshua.” Which she did with enthusiasm, along with all the others standing with us.

 “Go Josh, go! Go Josh, go!” This was all he needed to keep going -- friends, teachers and total strangers, cheering him on. He was the only one toiling on the track, his face resembling an over-ripe strawberry and his feet seeming too heavy for the rest of his body. “Go Josh, go! Go Josh, go!”   This chant took him all the way to the finish line! “During practice, I always gave up.” He panted. “This time I did not!” With pride shining from his face, my heart knew he did not need a medal dangling from his neck to be a winner.

              This is for you Joshua.  At fifteen, you are taller than I am and bravely facing yet another challenge-- high school. Even though you’ve changed over the years, your strongest qualities are still the same:  your love for books, your infectious laugh and your endearing personality.

‘...And I’m still touching shoulders with you.’


(I wrote this about a year ago, stumbled upon it today and decided to post it. So Josh has been in High School for that long as well and he's doing quite well with his adapted program.)

 

Golden Bouquets

I got my first golden bouquet of the season today!

Stems all to short, so I couldn't put them in a vase.
I was left with no other choice but to leave these golden wonders
lying on my computer desk,watching them wilt by the second.
Pretty sure there'll be more where these ones came from.
Lots more.

Like a sure sign of spring,
Little feet clomp down the hall, towards my classroom.
Excited voice, "I'm giving mine to Linda!"

My enthusiastic,
 "Thank you, they are gorgeous! Where did you find them?"
Means I'll get many more.
Sometimes I jokingly tell these kind-hearted kiddies,
"Pretty soon I'll have enough to make wine."
They don't pick up on the fact that I'm kidding,
So, they tell everyone they meet.
"She's going to make wine!"
Which generates some chuckles...
And yes, funny looks.

(No, there will be no wine-making classes anytime soon.)

We mostly look at these flowers as pesky weeds,
that keep springing up in our yard,
no matter what we do to try and get rid of them.
They seem to have a mind of their own,
and don't really care what we think of them.

Still...

...looking at one of this delicate bloom closely,
it's actually very pretty
 velvety soft, golden.
Hundreds of thin petals
with tan-tinged ends,
held together by a green cup,
perching on a flimsy stem.

Hmmm,
Yes, gorgeous up close.
But looking at them from a distance
millions of them spread on the lawn,
waiting to turn to seed
 spreading yet more dandy love,
Is the phenomenon that
 changes our perspective.
And all we see is ugly weeds,
that you just want to get rid of.

No matter,
When little hands bring these bouquets,
I love them,
And the dear hearts that still see them only as the
Wonders of spring that they truly are.
Beautiful blooms placed here by their Maker
To pick, share, enjoy.
And marvel at their splendour!



Sharing Our World...

...here in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba is an opportunity for the people of various cultures in area to share their world with others. Those taking part, can choose what all they wish to share. All have a booth where a variety of things can be displayed. Some bring cultural food, for people to sample. There's also entertainment all afternoon, provided by the different culture. There may be singing, step dancing, musical instruments being played...depending on what people choose to do that year. Towards the end there's also a time for some to take the stage and showcase their cultural dress and explain what they signify or where they originate from. This year we showcased a Hutterite wedding dress and an Austrian Dirndl, which our dress style is modeled after.

At the very end Aboriginals did a friendship dance and invited people to join them. As they make their way through the audience more and more join the line, holding hands with the person beside them and doing a little step dance, with drummers helping them keep time. I always think that's a fitting way to end the event. Because that is what it's all about - no matter what cultures we all belong to, we can all be friends, respecting each others differences and celebrating the fact that we're all humans created by a loving God.

This is the fourth year we've taken part...and the event seems to be growing each year.

Glass mosaic pieces depicting Hutterite History on display at our booth

Another part of our booth

Daria (left) in a Hutterite wedding dress and Nicole (right) wearing the Austrian Dirndl


Of course we totally enjoyed visiting the other booths, sampling their food and listening to their music.

the Ukrainian table

I loved seeing this mom walk around with her baby on her back.


If you'd like you can see previous posts on Sharing Our World here are some links:

God Keep Our Land...2011

Sharing Our World 2012

and more picture from this year as on Portage Online

Oh Yes, I Live on a Farm

Hutterite colonies are big farms - most raise cows, pigs, turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens. I don't think I've ever posted anything on farm animal, except for dogs. It's safe to say that being in school all day, I almost forget that I live on a farm. (Yeah, more like a zoo around here some days.) Besides, I hardly ever go visit the animals. Having lived here all my life, well, it's just not on my list of things to do anymore.

However, today some of that changed - there was excitement in the air, and it was contagious. One of my students was happy to tell me, "There are twin calves in the cow barn where my dad works." Of course we had to go see these 'cute babies'. On our walk to the barn, my students informed me about the cats living in the barn. I'm thinking, 'Sorry kiddos, can't get too excited about those rub-against-your-leg-friends.' Cute on pictures and all...but no thanks, don't like the real life ones. No matter, the kids love them and could play with them all day. "But the dad cat is scared of us. He always runs away when we come visit." Hmmm, I'll be just fine with that cat.

So here then is a glimpse of our moo-moo, meow-meow life:

The Twins - a few days old

a closer look at the smaller of the two

And on that farm there was a cat...

The 'scared' father cat.

We can't leave without petting the new babies, with Mama Cat standing guard.

 

 

 

Bye-bye twins. We'll come back again.


I'm not sure I'll ever feature pig babies. (-:

Our 'Amish' Visitor

Earlier this school year I introduced my K- 3 students to Life with Lily, a book by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher. They were quickly drawn into the life of this little Amish girl and were excited with each chapter I read to them. I think part of the reason they love Lily and her family and friends so much, is that in many ways they can relate to them - can be indentified by the way they dress, help with farm chorus and live in tight knit Christian communities...

Right now we're enjoying the second book in this series, A New Home for Lily. And yes, they still love Lily. Besides savouring the story, I find these books are a great way for children to learn about the Amish culture and to compare and contrast it with their own.

As we're nearing the end of this book, I told my students last Friday, "We're going to have an Amish visitor around 2:00 today." Of course the first question was: "Is it Lily?" To which I had to reply 'no', of course. No matter, they were still very excited and kept watching the window and door. Just after I had finished reading a chapter from the Lily book, our 'Amish visitor' arrived.

All heads turned towards the door. Some were stunned for a few seconds, and some started laughing when they realized who it was. Our 'Amish visitor' was one of our grade six students dressed Amish. My sister, Elma, our principal acquired the dress from a girl at another colony, who had an Amish penpal at some point and got it as a gift from her.

I'm glad that we got the dress...it provided a fun little activity to do while reading a Lily book. We're all looking forward to book three!

Spring Sweetness - no matter how late the season

With spring being so late here in Manitoba, my sister, Sonia is now right in the middle of maple syrup season. Other places in Canada are done already. She couldn't tap all her trees - only half of what she usually does, because there's too much snow around them. Even so, she had to crawl over snow banks to get to some trees when she first started. Seems to be worth it, though, as she's collecting a fair amount of sap. And has even cooked one batched already. Yummy!

 

 

 

 

 Pure, sweet, homemade goodness 

 

 

 

 

 

Earth Day - The Earth is the Lord's...

In celebration of Earth Day, I'm going to highlight a corner related to that concept right here on my blog. Click on the Recyling tab at the top of this page to read how Hutterites get involved in recyling. Or maybe you have already. I know many of you have seen these pages, because of the feedback I get from you. I appreciate it so much when you take the time to share your thoughts!

Blogs are great places to inspire others to recycle. One blog that comes to mind right away is: Bags for Darfur where the host recycles a variety of items to sew and sell bags. The proceeds are donated to help children in Darfur. Joyce making a difference on two fronts! Now here's an idea: Why not shop at this green and giving place? Hurry, before someone snags the bag you want!

You too can share and inspire and here's your chance. To celebrate Earth Day, I'd love to hear your recycling story. Or maybe you know of a blog or website that has inspired you. Or maybe even a book...whatever it is, you can share that here as well.

We can also draw inspiration from the Psalmist David: The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. By recycling instead of throwing out, shopping at a thrift shop rather than a department store, or creating something new from a piece of so-called junk.... we're taking care of the earth - the place God has given us to live.

 Let's keep our planet clean... 

                                                     one 'green' deed at the time!

Pentecost

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Acts 2, 42-47

Thus, Hutterites observe Pentecost over three days, which this year falls on May 27, 28 and 29. These are very important days, as it's a reminder where community of goods first started and why we adhere to it. These three days are treated as Sundays with a church service in the morning and another in the evening. The scripture readings for all three days will be out of Acts chapter 2.

A fellow Huterite's thoughts on  Why Hutterites live communally. Thanks Louie! Well said!

I'll leave you with this beautiful Pentecost hymn, written by Christopher Wordsworth in 1862

Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost,
Taught by Thee we covet most
Of Thy gifts of Pentecost
Holy, heavenly Love.

Faith, that mountains could remove,
Tongues of earth or heaven above,
Knowledge—all things—empty prove,
Without heavenly Love.

Though I as a martyr bleed,
Give my goods the poor to feed,
All is vain—if Love I need;
Therefore, give us Love.

Love is kind, and suffers long
Love is meek, and thinks no wrong,
Love than death itself more strong;
Therefore, give us Love.

Prophecy will fade away,
Melting in the light of day,
Love will ever with us stay;
Therefore, give us Love.

Faith will vanish into sight;
Hope be emptied in delight;
Love in heaven will shine more bright;
Therefore, give us Love.

Faith and Hope and Love we see
Joining hand in hand agree;
But the greatest of the three,
And the best, is Love.

From the overshadowing
Of Thy gold and silver wing
Shed on us, who to Thee sing,
Holy, heavenly Love.

---

Sights and Scents of Spring

It's this wonderful time of year when the world is turning into various shades of lush green. Gardeners are itching to get their hands dirty in black gold - otherwise known as rich soil. Pretty perennials are smiling in all their glory after their long winter sleep. Lilacs not only add a rich violet to the landscape but perfume the air as well. Floral fragrances are especially appreciated on a farm where an array of animal smells usually swirl in the breeze. And no amount of hearing 'smells like money' makes you appreciate these pungent scents more. To a degree, one gets used to it, but oh, lilac and lilies delight the senses so much more! But I guess, I shouldn't complain, as it comes with the territory and because I do know that pigs will one day be tasty porkchops and turkeys turn into mouth-watering cutlets. Hmmm, how did this turn into a barnyard beef, when I started out with beautiful bouquets? Oh well, enough said, you get the picture... in case you don't, here are some of our early bloomers. Enjoy! Sorry, the scents can't be sent.

I'm always amazed by this plant, with different colour blossoms.

pansies - my favourite flowers

iris

iris

lilac - Can't you just smell them?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field,

how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. Matthew 6:28


(And on a tasty note, I've added rhubarb recipes to the Recipe page.)