It's that time of year again . . . a lot of things are blooming, and as always, they all look beautiful! This first bunch is all from the 13th, so here we go! Cherry blossoms: Plum blossoms: A leaf on the haskap berry bush, holding droplets of rainwater, and some blossoms from a nearby bush of the same kind: Some pansies growing nearby, under the raspberry canes: And a sparrow near the pond. I'm pretty sure this is a Savannah sparrow. On the 14th, we were about to leave to pick up our chicks, and I decided to snap a picture of the May tree, which was full of blossoms and shining in the sun. And later when we got home: our day-old chicks and poults, along with three ducklings that my sister wanted to try raising: Sunrays shining through the clouds later that evening, and then another shot of the young leaves seeming to glow in the sun. And while I was mowing that evening, I got a very up-close look at the tiny new growths starting on the blue spruce tree. From the 15th; the first tulip to open, and then later, a goose walked through our garden. The way he was acting, he looked like he was lost and had absolutely no idea what to do. And now asparagus season has started, so there will probably be some future updates (and maybe pictures) of that! Enjoy your weekend!
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Made it without skipping another week! 19 pictures this time, so enjoy! Sunset on May 7th: And then a whole bunch from the 8th, so until otherwise labeled, the next photos are all from the same day. First one is a robin likely enjoying the not-snowy ground. Then three all around the maple tree. I had gone outside to see what my dad and brother were doing, and my brother says, "You should go over to the maple tree." So I walked toward the tree, and as I got closer I started hearing a humming noise that was getting louder and louder the closer I got. I hadn't realized that the maple tree was so popular with the honeybees this year. While I was laying on my back on the ground taking pictures of the bees, I could hear the tree swallows chirping nearby and sometimes they'd fly over my head. So when I was done at the maple tree, I climbed over the fence and walked down into the ditch, and realized that the tree swallow pair was making a nest in the same location as they often have in years past. And I could be wrong, but since a male red-winged blackbird had just been perching nearby, I'm pretty sure this is a female red-winged blackbird. Then I saw a little chipping sparrow hopping around on the ground near the house: Young leaves on the May tree: Okay, that's it for the 8th! Then we spent the 10th planting about 2 acres of potatoes. Also on the 10th, I thought the very young leaves on the red stalk of the wild rose bushes looked pretty, so I took a picture. And then I noticed the bright green of the young poplar leaves on the western tree line. The way the sun was shining on them (and I noticed this same effect around the same time last year), they looked almost like they were glowing. Also, I unfortunately didn't get any good pictures, but I sat on the deck until nearly midnight last night to watch the northern lights. I think those lights are one of the most amazing things in the north, and it looked so neat last night, watching the green ribbons ripple over my head in waves, seeming to converge on a single point above my head before fading away. So keep an eye out, because it sounds like we might possibly be able to see them again tonight! God's creation is so amazing!
Okay, my apologies. So much for posting more regularly. Something has come up every weekend since my last post that, in some sense, kept me from sitting down and uploading my photos. So . . . sorry, and I have 36 pictures to share. The sun on April 8th: Rising sun shining on the field on the morning of April 9th, and pussy willows shining in the sun on the same morning: April 10th: Neat-looking clouds; robin sitting in the pussy willows Still April 10th: The pussy willows down our tree line looked almost like snow; male downy woodpecker in the tree April 10th continued: Drying-out field, soil almost ready to be worked; and finally the sunset. April 11th: Sunrise, and there's a robin sitting at the top of the mountain ash tree. He was singing for me :) And later, the sun shining through the spruce trees. I liked how these clouds looked on April 16th: Snow on April 17th, and that robin looked like he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Also, the snow had drifted across the deck and onto the top step of the stairs, which made it look like there was WAY more snow than there actually was. And then the snow was already melting later that day. April 18th. Our shipment of potato seed arrived! (My sister took the pictures of this delivery as well) Another neat sky on April 22nd: Sunset on April 24th: A heron flew over on April 25th and landed in our neighbours' pond. I went over there to try to get a picture of the heron . . . and while I didn't get a good shot of it, I did find out that the buds on the tree branches looked really neat up close! And then the sunset from that evening. April 29th sunset: Another (very wet) snowfall on April 30th: And there was still snow on the trees on May 1st. Sun in the clouds on May 2nd: And then out into the field to cultivate on May 4th! I was riding in one tractor with my dad, and my brother was driving the other tractor. They cultivated one side of the field, and then Dad and I disked the other side. I love how the dirt looks when there are alternating strips of worked and unworked dirt like that. Sunset on May 5th: And finally, a very rainy day. It rained a bit yesterday, but it's been coming down pretty much all morning now, and we've got puddles all over the place. (And there's a blue jay hanging out in the front yard, right underneath where the bird feeders were all winter, so he's probably found some grain.)
I only have a few pictures again, but I need to try to post more regularly, so here we are. Sunset on April 2nd: Sunrise through the mountain ash tree branches on April 3rd: And then here's the big surprise. Or not. When I got up this morning, it was snowing and clearly had been doing so for a while. There was probably half an inch of snow on the ground already when I went out to take pictures of the eagle around 11AM. And it kept on snowing for a while after that, though it's stopped now. And yet it was still warm outside - a nice 0°C, so the snow was already kind of turning into slush.
Anyway, the first picture is one I took around 9AM. (What a contrast to the first picture, eh?) Then later, closer to 11, my mom saw an eagle sitting in one of the trees. So after I went out to take a look, I came back and got my camera. But when I walked closer to the eagle, for some reason he felt threatened by that, even though he has wings and was probably seventy feet off the ground, and I don't have wings and was on the ground. So he flew away. Well, I did not know that the bean seeds were arriving today, until about five minutes before the truck showed up. But they did, and here are a few pictures, courtesy of my sister! (I was keeping an eye on supper and asked if she would take some pictures for me.)
Okay, first I have a bit of a comedy for a picture. I took this on the morning of March 24th, but the incident had happened the night before. Red arrow: The path we made through the snow to get to some of the outbuildings. Yellow arrow: What the cat does when he thinks he's about to get fed and decides that it wastes too much time to run around the corner. The sun behind the clouds on March 26th: Sunrise on March 29th: Very spring-type scene that same day - all the grassy and muddy patches between the stubborn spots of snow and ice - and then the sunset later that evening. Snow sparkling on the morning of March 30th, and then the sunset that evening. And March 31 - Easter morning - dawned beautifully bright and clear, which I thought was so fitting! Jesus is alive! We serve a risen Saviour! The sunset Easter evening was also gorgeous. I already love Easter because it's celebration of Jesus' resurrection, but when I see a scene like this on the same day, it's just amazing to me! " . . .Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen . . ." ~Luke 24:5b-6a
The weather here in March - or at any time of year, for that matter - is predictably unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen next. Nothing out of the ordinary happened this time, but I do remember a couple of incidents in the past where it was snowing, thundering and flashing lightning all at once - in May, if I'm not mistaken. That was a little bit weird. I titled this post "Typical Alberta Spring" because that's exactly what this March has been. We went from the single-digit minuses at the beginning of March, to having some beautifully warm days. Almost all the snow had melted, and a lot of the resulting mini-ponds had mostly dried up. Then BOOM, I woke up the other morning and there's snow on the ground again. I think it's been lightly snowing almost non-stop for two or three days now. And I am absolutely fine with that! We've had such a mild winter that I'm not quite ready for spring yet, though I do enjoy spring as well. Anyway, that's enough of my rambling about the weather. I've got 12 photos this time, so here you go! Sunset on March 15: Pussy willows; spruce needles; a snow-drifted path through the trees; and the sunset reflecting off of a puddle in the field, all on March 16. Blue jays on the 20th. (It's not the greatest quality picture because I was taking it through the window screen.) And the sunset from the same day. Snowing again on the 21st, and after it stopped, the sun came out and was making the fresh snow sparkle. I love it when that happens; it looks so pretty. And finally, three from today. The top two are just pictures I took in different directions, of the falling snow. And the last one is of some icicles that I thought looked neat . . . and also kind of murderous, so hopefully they don't unexpectedly fall on anyone!
I have another small batch - only six this time - but anyway, enjoy! Hockey rink on March 9th: Close to sunset on the 11th: Ladybugs on the 12th. Every year without fail, a low spot along our tree line near the house floods, and I'm not sure where exactly the ladybugs hibernate, but in any case, every year a lot of them end up in that icy water. Ever since I was a little girl, I've gone down there every spring to fish them out of the water. They're good for our crops. And I needed some fresh air anyway, so it worked out well! I'd counted 100 by the time I went back to the house, but there were a few incidents where I wasn't sure if I'd double-counted one or not. So there are more or less 100 ladybugs in my hand here. Sunset on the 12th: Redpoll on the 13th (I think some birdseed had been spilled there): And just this afternoon, a male house sparrow hanging around the feeders.
I just realized the other day that I'd never done a photo of the month for either of these two months, so here they are now! January 28, 2024 - Sunrise on Cornerstone Acres February 26, 2024 - First real snowfall of the year
I've only got five photos for today, so this isn't going to take very long... A downy woodpecker on the bird feeder on March 4th: And right after the woodpecker, I took a picture of this. I thought it looked really neat how the sun was right behind those trees, so that the trees were silhouetted against the gray clouds. Sunset on the 6th: Sunset on the 7th: And then yesterday morning, my brother suddenly yells, "There's moose out there!"
We all went running for the window, and sure enough, there's a couple of moose quite close to the house, wading through the asparagus. |
AuthorHi, I'm Leah! I'm a college student, and I'm the Shop Supervisor here at Cornerstone Acres. I love to read, write, play hockey, and spend time out in God's creation. I'm looking forward to sharing our farm experiences with you through this blog! "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." ~Colossians 1:16, KJV
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