Golden Trees and Two Bears

Once upon a time....okay it was a week ago Saturday night Ron came home from work and I anxiously waited for him to get ready to go for a walk.  It was such a beautiful evening.  The sun was getting lower in the sky and there was a promise of a beautiful sunset over the lake.  The colours in the trees were brilliant and I was excited to go for a nice fall walk before it got too dark.

I grabbed my camera and off we went.  First through a little path in the woods because the sun was just right for a nice shot.  When we got to the end of the trail and back out on the main road the sun hit the top of the trees and it was brilliant!


 I was so excited about the sights and sounds of Fall and was happy that I had my camera along to capture such beautiful colours.

As we got closer to the lake, well let me just show you the pictures:

 

What an amazing night!

 

The next evening it was a little windy and not such a great night for photos so I left the camera at home and we went out for our regular jaunt.  As we turned to leave the lake and make our way back to the village I put my hand out to stop Ron.  Ahead of us on the road was a bear.  No camera, no bear spray!  The bear sauntered off into the woods and we kept our eyes on the spot as we made our way back home.

Fast forward to this weekend.  On our way home from getting groceries I again found some beautiful golden trees and couldn't resist sharing these shots with you.

 And then we found this guy and I took these pictures from the safety of our truck.

 

 When we got back home we went for a walk to the dock to get a little fresh air and on our way back we were stopped by a lady in a vehicle who told us to be careful of the bears.  Apparently we weren't the only ones that had seen a bear along this stretch and he was a little bit scary.  We have decided that we may put a few miles on our treadmill until hibernation.

And they all lived happily ever after as long as they used their treadmill.





 



But Who's Counting?

1,577,923,200 Seconds

26,298,720 Minutes

438,312 Hours

18,263 Days

 

 

What?  How did that happen? 

 

Our friends??? surprised Ron and I with a shared 50th birthday party when we were in Ontario and I have saved the pictures until now.

 

They gave us some "wonderful" gifts to remind us that we are getting old....maybe not getting.....perhaps, arrived.

 

Aren't they sweet???  By the way, I ate all the anti-aging pills and they didn't seem to work.

 

And I have enough Centrum Select to keep me healthy for awhile and I can now put my magnifier glass away to do the book of puzzles.

 

 

 

 

 I have decided that I'm really not getting old....I am gaining experience:

4 years at being a Nanny

24 years at being a Mom

30 years at being a Wife

50 years at being a Daughter & Sister

 

Listening to the 60's music today! 





Favourite Season

I enjoy living in an area that has four distinct seasons and I like each one for different reasons:

• Winter....the first snow fall or the snow falls that look like you are in a snow globe....it makes you excited about decorating for Christmas.
• Spring....that first fresh smell of spring...watching the buds form on the trees and the snow melt away.
• Summer....that wonderful warmth of the sun....canoeing, reading on the back deck.
• Fall....has always been my favourite....the leaves changing colours, the crispness in the air...the walks through the crunchy leaves at the hunting camp.

Taken in 2009 at my Dad's
hunting camp

Curley, Stephen's dog



Leaving the hunting camp for the
last time.

Flin Flon

 We had so many great walks through the hunting camp trails.  I always walked away from there tired but feeling so refreshed from a day in the woods with the vibrant colours of fall surrounding us.

Ron and I went to Flin Flon, Manitoba this week for groceries.  (Don't you just love the name Flin Flon?)  Ron found a neat little area to walk through and it brought me back to the years at the hunting camp.

It was an old campgrounds   that looked like at one time had been well used but has been neglected for the past few years.  It was an interesting place to hike around.  It was a pretty walk but I don't think anything can compete with the colours from the hunting camp as seen below:

 

Yes, Fall is a wonderful time of year!

Courtesy...WITHOUT THE SMALL PRINT!

Who doesn't like being treated with courtesy?  

One of the first things that we noticed when we moved to Saskatchewan from Ontario a few years ago (okay, maybe second...we did notice a very flat land) was that pedestrians had the right of way.  When you walk to a corner, or sometimes anywhere along the street, vehicles usually stop.  Sometimes it is almost a dangerous stop....screeching tires with the hope of not hearing metal on metal; but most make the stop and give the pedestrian the opportunity to safely walk across the street.

From the Saskatchewan Driver's Handbook:
Section 3:21 Pedestrians:

• When approaching an intersection, you must yield the right of way to any pedestrians who are crossing the street.
• You must stop your vehicle before the crosswalk, which will either be painted on the road or be an imaginary extension of the sidewalk.
• If a traffic light changes while a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, the pedestrian has the right of way.

Well, why am I impressed? 

Ontario is the only province where motorists are not required to stop at pedestrian crossings.  Sometimes when I go for a walk around my old stomping grounds I have this uneasy feeling that cars may even swerve towards you just to let you know who is boss.

 

So for the rest of Canada....BEWARE!  It could be dangerous if you are visiting Ontario and expect the special pedestrian treatment.

 

BUT WAIT!  We were in Ontario visiting last month and found this sign:

 

 

Let's just say we were impressed at first.  Courtesy crossing....good idea!

 

This sign happens to be located right outside the emergency entrance to a very large hospital.

 

BUT WAIT....what does that say below the sign?

 

CAUTION:  VEHICLES NOT REQUIRED TO STOP!

 

Bad news if you don't read the small print.

Good news....it's right at the emergency entrance of the hospital!

 

Courtesy is always a nice thing especially when it doesn't have small print!



Making a Difference

“You are not here merely to make a living.

You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision,

with a finer spirit of hope and achievement.

You are here to enrich the world,

and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924)

 

The police in our community went to work in a different way yesterday.  They hauled barbeques, food and drinks to the elementary school and set up for a lunch for the community.

 

 First the kids came.  They loved the big brown boots.  They thought that the policemen looked like cowboys.  I thought they just forgot to bring their horses.  It is so important for the police to be viewed out in the community in a positive way.  After the children were done, the Mounties continued to barbeque with smoke flying and the sun beating down to feed others from the community.                                          

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”                                                   Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 

Of course being happy is nice too!  Some kids were happy to have a picture taken with a few dressed up police officers; others were happy with the stickers that were given out.

And who doesn't like a man in a uniform:

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others,

you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

  Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

 

 

Great job guys!

“Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.” - unknown



Interesting Photos

You might be sick of my canoe pictures but once again we had another perfect day.  It was so nice and warm and very little or no wind.  A perfect September day.


The sun and the wind cooperated nicely in helping me get some great reflection shots.

Did you notice it yet?  I put this picture upside down...now that is a good reflection day.  Here is the right picture:

We canoed 11 km down to the narrows.  That is a long paddle but it was such a perfect day.

The only thing about canoeing 11 km one way is that you have to canoe 11 km back to the truck.  It's a good thing Ron doesn't mind it when I take breaks to take pictures (or whine a little bit).

We got to see a little bit of colour along the way....not like home (Ontario fall colours) but it was still pretty.

Another successful canoe trip!

It's Saturday!

Back in the day when I worked full time (two and half months ago) I would be so happy when Saturday rolled around.  It was the day to catch up on all the household duties that I didn't have time to do through the week and get ready for the next week coming.  Then, when I got everything done I would reward myself by doing nothing at all.  Now.... I know that it is Saturday by crossing off the days on the calendar and after Friday...it's Saturday.

So what to do this Saturday?  First Ron and I went for a morning walk to the dock.

(Picture was taken on another day)

 It was such a beautiful morning with hardly a breeze and it seemed very quiet in the community and along the road.  We sat at the end of the dock for a few minutes to enjoy the scenery and the morning sun.  Quite a ways out a flock of pelicans were resting along an island.  After a few minutes of this peaceful setting we headed home.

Ron left for work and I began to think about my day.  Since Ron would not be coming home until later I decided that I would continue my exercise in the house and did another 20 minutes on the elliptical.  I really did it just to fill in a little bit more of my day but it did make me feel better physically and mentally.


Next....let's do some baking.  I have always wanted to be able to make bread but never had any luck.  One of my daughter's friends gave me a recipe recently and so this is my second attempt at making her bread.  No bread maker for me...let's scratch out those ingredients and get to work.

And after mixing, kneading, letting it rise twice and baking, voila....homemade bread!  Thanks Nicole!

(Picture taken by Catherine)

But while the bread is baking....call Catherine of cornerofcatsmind .  Catherine was my work tea partner 

(Reenactment)

and is the reason that I started blogging.  She is the one to blame.  Unfortunately we couldn't go for a tea walk like we use to (since we are now 8 1/2 hours apart) so we did the next best thing.  We made our teas and I called her at 2ish and we chatted for about one hour.  Her and her hubby just got back from their special 25th Anniversary trip and I am sure that there will be some great blogging going on in a few days on her page.  Oh, I forgot to ask about her new ring...I guess I will have to call another day to hear all about that.  It was really nice to catch up and hear about her special holiday. 

Well now, it is time to quit procrastinating and get to work.

My two on line courses start next week and I have some reading to do.  Time to get at it.

Happy Saturday!

                                       

My Grandchildren

How did that happen...one day I was getting married and then a few short years I had my own two great kids and then....I'm a Nanny!

And guess what....I have the cutest grandchildren ever!!!

They are blue eyed beauties....okay, one is handsome!  They truly have won my heart completely.  As all children they are uniquely different and so totally loveable.

Sarah is the big sister.  She's my little "Tigger" because she has so much energy.  From the time that she gets up to the time she closes her eyes she is ready for action.  She loves to go for a "little walk."  I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and the answer was very simple, "A Princess" of course, she also said that she wanted to buy a garbage truck.  She is a great little shopper and just "loves" everything that is cute, pretty or sparkly and jewellery and nail polish is a must.  She starts Jr. Kindergarten tomorrow and if they have a Miss Congeniality competition she will win.  When I talked to her today about starting school her one wish was that her sister, Emma could go with her. 

Emma...she's my little "Piglet."  Oh she loves to snack but she is always moving so she is a tiny little

thing.  She has the best little personality.  She always tries to keep up with her big sister but is happy to play with her little brother.  She has a sparkle in her eye that just lets you know she is up to something.  She takes her time to check you out and if you pass inspection she will share hugs with you.  She loves to cuddle when a book is being read and she doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.  If one of her family is missing she will constantly do a roll call...."Where's Jacob?"...Where's Sarah?...Where's Mommy?"  AND don't leave her behind!

And there is the little "Pooh" man.  He is just so huggable, squeezable, loveable.  His big blue eyes light up when someone looks at him.  Even though he is the younger brother of two big sisters he is totally a little man.  If there are wheels to look at or vehicles going by, he is interested.  He's at that age where he can pull hair and then smile about it.  He is so totally adorable!  Jacob and I really bonded this last time I was visiting them.  He always wanted to come to me and it made me feel so special.



I'm sure that if you have grandchildren you consider them cute and I'm sure that they probably are but I really have to think that my three are the cutest grandchildren ever!