It seems as though winter never arrived this year. Sure, we got bits of snow all along, in fact we’re expecting a bit more tonight, but we received none of those get-you-stuck-in-your-driveway storms and the piles that usually mound up during snow removal season were only a few feet tall at most.

Yet despite winter’s non-arrival, spring is just around the corner! The birds are returning: Canada geese fly overhead regularly, mallard ducks were seen today, song birds in large numbers show up at the feeders.

purple finch

chickadee

pine siskin

song sparrow

The red-winged blackbirds and robins have not yet been caught by my camera, but they are around as are the less colourful starlings and grackles. The squirrels too have been feasting on the seed the birds drop. They are cute little creatures and quite friendly too!

Everyone is enjoying the longer days and warm sunshine… including the cat!

Saturday, several of us tuned up our bikes and went out for a short ride. It was a lovely day for it: bright sun and no wind!

Meanwhile, the guys were busy solving a computer issue… It looked complicated.

And then yesterday, we had a special event to commemorate the coming of spring, but I’ll tell of that another time… 🙂

Looking through pictures is usually a good way of finding just what we have been doing, but this time there were remarkably few revelatory photos. After all, who goes about shooting a dripping bathroom drain, a leaking faucet, another leaking faucet, broken stove tops, a non-functional oven, water coming into the basement due to to much ice outdoors, and a river flowing through the barn for the same reason? Yes, we really had all of those in the past month or two! But the Lord is providing solutions for which we are grateful.

But the photos didn’t reveal that angle of life. Primarily what I find here are the joys of little ones! They are so special!

Keziah smiles so much!

Elizabeth loves her little sister

Reading to several little ones

Evelyn and I recently embarked on some large projects: Making quilts! It is slow work, but I’m sure it will be rewarding in the end!

Figuring out colours

Consulting the expert

This winter has been an odd one with little snow and many thaws. The driveway literally became an ice rink. William got out his skates!

As always, the outdoors draws cameras like a magnet. Numerous birds gather at our feeders… Can anyone tell I like chickadees? 🙂

And a few excursions draw out the beauties of our northern winter – despite the pathetically small amount of snow!

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24