Anyone want to take a guess at what this creature is?
And if you were to invite it over for supper, what would you feed it?
Pop quiz
5 Replies
Monthly Archives: October 2015
Autumns Days – part 2
Back in Quebec, the leaves turned brilliant shortly after Jonathan and I returned from Vermont. Thanksgiving Day was gorgeous. Jonathan, Evelyn, and I went out both in the morning and the afternoon to shoot a few photos. The northern tip of Lake Stukley is beautiful in the early morning.
We also went to the Eustis covered bridge. It looked quite different from the last time we were there!
The sunset on Lake Massawippi was beautiful too.
The changing weather motivated us to get some work around home done: cleaning up the yard, moving wood, etc.
Is that a dog on the balcony? đ
Our cute little “pet” was also brought to the GCH to bring some smiles to the residents. She certainly did that!
And finally, what shouldn’t be a surprise this time of year, the first snow arrived! It was beautiful while it lasted.
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Autumn Days – part 1
Fall arrived late this year. Usually the leaves are almost gone by Thanksgiving, but this year Thanksgiving Day was probably one of the most colourful days of the year.
At the beginning of the month, Jonathan and I drove down to Vermont to attend a CAPTURE workshop. The colours weren’t what everyone had hoped, but it was beautiful none the less. The predicted rain for all week evaporated leaving us with a gorgeous sunset the first night. Pictures don’t do it justice… or I haven’t figured out how to make my camera do it!
The second morning was cloudy but without any rain. A few trees were colourful.
Since the overcast skies didn’t allow for a beautiful sunrise or dynamic early morning light, we were instead given the challenge of taking 10 photos of an apple tree. It was interesting to see what creative ideas were exploited.
That evening it was also cloudy, but since waterfalls are easier to photograph under such conditions, the lack of sun was no problem.
The following morning only a few of us headed outside to capture the sunrise in a field nearby. The dog came along and even posed for me!
And I can tell you were not to walk around there! I removed 893 burrs from my clothing…
Since the sun was out, we headed out before brunch to get some shots of a pretty little church not far away. Here we were given the assignment of taking a photo at our longest focal length and another at the shortest.
After fulfilling my assignment, I quickly ran to the back of the church where there was a…
Cemetery! I really can’t explain it, but cemeteries draw me. Something about the sadness, stillness, waiting… for coming glory!
That afternoon the sun was again out and we went to a little barn to shoot. None of my pictures there turned out, but we did get a group photo that you can see here.
On the way home another beautiful sunset compelled us to stop in Shelburne…
It seemed a fitting ending to a beautiful weekend. And as Jonathan pointed out, what made it so beautiful was that we were looking not only on God’s creation that is visible, but also on that which is invisible.
“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: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The Hand I Trust
The thought running through my head lately: âI know not what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.â The hand that holds my future is no ordinary hand. It is:
Everlasting: âThe eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.â (Deut. 33:27)
Guiding: âHe leadeth me in paths of righteousness.â (Ps 23:3) âThy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.â (Ps. 139:10)
Incapable of weakening: âIs my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness…â (Is. 50:2) âBehold, the Lordâs hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.â (Is. 59:1)
Never releasing: âMy sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I gave unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (Jn 10:27-28)
Pain inflicting when necessary: âMake me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.â (Ps. 51:8)
Suffering relieving: âAll they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.â (Lk. 4:40) âAnd Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be though clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.â (Mt. 8:3)
Life restoring: â[He] took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again…â (Lk 8:54)
Receiving and blessing the unwanted: â[Jesus] said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God… And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.â (Mk 10:14,16)
Vicariously dying: âBehold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.â (Is. 49:16) âHe shewed unto them his hands and his side.â (Jn 20:20)
Perpetual joy giving: âThou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore.â (Ps. 16:11)
âSee now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.â (Deut. 32:39) Both the enemies of God and the elect of God are âtrappedâ in His hand. To the condemned, this realisation may give rise to terror, but to the chosen, this truth brings security.
The hand that holds my future, is an everlasting hand, a hand that will never let me go, a hand that leads me, a hand that cannot be weakened. This hand both inflicts pain and grants healing. This hand reaches beyond the threshold of death to restore life. This hand takes hold of the unwanted and blesses them. This hand was not only wounded for me, but died for me. And in its resurrection and eternal life, itâs continual presence instigates perpetual joy. How trustworthy is His hand!
Calves
For the past three weeks, life around here has circled a lot around four new bovine arrivals. A tiny Holstein, three-weeks premature, was given to us on the 14th of September. Given that he was so premature and weighed only 55 lbs, we were not surprised when he fell sick within the first 24 hours of life. Some “tender loving care,” which involved getting up a couple times during the nights to stuff a tube down his throat to feed him, soon had him on his feet.
No sooner was Ground Beef well again, than we received another email: there were two more calves to give away. This time there was a sturdy-looking Ayrshire and another sickly, three-week premature Holstein. I thought we could only take one since the van wasn’t available, however, we discovered that calves do fit quite nicely into feed sacks, so they both came home with us.
Except for needing to be taught to drink from a bottle, Steak, the Ayrshire, got off to a good start. He quickly understood halters and enjoyed promenading around on the lawn and visiting with Caleb! Though he didn’t escape disease entirely, his bout of scours was relatively short.
Wiener Schnitzel, on the other hand, has been in the CICU (Calf Intensive Care Unit) since he was born. Twice, he got scours, and now, though over the scouring, he appears to have pneumonia. It is amazing to see the way God is keeping this calf alive! Many times, we’ve thought he wouldn’t make it through the night, and each time, he has! (When a calf is running a fever and breathing 100 times/minute while it’s pulse is over 200 beats/minute, there isn’t much hope for it…) He is unmistakably God’s calf.
And all that week of picking up free calves, we were eagerly looking forward to the arrival of another calf, namely Mocha’s, which at that point was already a week overdue. Finally on the 21st, Mischief arrived. And she lives up to her name! She is lively, mischievous… and stubborn! She was certainly the most difficult to photograph – she wouldn’t stand still for more than a second or two!
Mischievous resembles her older sister Hershey a lot and so far has taken after her in staying healthy too! Here is a comparison of the two of them at a few days old:
And the story goes on… Wiener Schnitzel is still on not-quite-24-hour care. We have learned a lot through the whole process. As a side note: when caring for ultra sick calves, extreme attention to sanitation is highly recommended in order to avoid catching what the calves have… I thought I was being careful, but apparently I wasn’t cautious enough. đ Thankfully I didn’t get nearly as sick.
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. Â I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: and call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Psalm 50:7-15