Once all the Christmas decorations are taken down and put away, have you ever noticed how much more space you have? We have a large home, so even with the holiday decorations, it is not cluttered. But still, I am always taken by surprise …( read more )

The time had come for the passing of the light at our Christmas Candle Lighting Carol Service. As the light passed from person to person, it finally reached my row. The gentleman beside me held his candle so that the flame caught my …( read more )

When my sister's husband became ill, she had to learn to do many things around the house which she had never done before. There were decisions to be made by her alone, which had once been jointly made. There were items to be fixed that …( read more )

Christmas is creeping up upon me again. Each year it seems to come around even more quickly than the year before, and every year, I seek to remember and pray about the best way to honour the King of kings who was born in a manger so long …( read more )

My mare, Mama, was walking very stiffly. As she is very old, with the recent drop in temperature, I simply deduced that age was catching up with her. When the problem persisted, however, I asked our farrier, Dani, to check her out. As …( read more )

As I grabbed my ringing telephone, I heard my daughter saying that Frank was in the greenhouse. Dropping the receiver, I made a dash out of the house, arrived at the greenhouse, and confirmed that Frank had indeed broken in and was …( read more )

This summer, I received an unexpected and surprising email. It was from the husband of one of the writers of the PresbyCan Daily devotionals. In Walmart, he had met my cousins, with whom he had been friends for many years, and he had …( read more )

I heard the geese fly over the other morning as they were en route to their southern home. My heart was saddened to hear them go, for it is the forewarning that summer is ending and fall has commenced. With the commencement of autumn, …( read more )

My two-year-old granddaughter is not clumsy by nature, yet she goes through periods where she is continually tripping, stumbling, and falling. This occurs because she is constantly growing, and her mind has to be forever keeping up with …( read more )

A number of years ago, my brother moved onto my property with me. When we were children, he, being two years older, helped me to learn my alphabet, and taught me how to tie my shoes and ride a two-wheeler bike. Now that we are adults, I …( read more )

A lady I once worked with was complaining that her muffins never turned out. I shared that I had a no-fail recipe and would bring it in to work for her. She was quite pleased. I did take the recipe in, and she asked me if it was …( read more )

The other day, I was doing a word puzzle and got stuck. I was looking for words that began with the letter "f". I turned my tablet sideways, as this gives me a different perspective, but still I had no success. I was just about to click …( read more )

Living where I do in the north of British Columbia, Canada, makes gardening difficult. Our growing season is not only shorter, but also our soil often lacks the necessary nutrients for healthy plants. In addition, we live two hours …( read more )

My two-year-old granddaughter, Adelyn, was outside with me one evening while I was working around the yard. The day before, we had been rock-picking and building a pile to throw into newly dug post holes. We had been gathering the rocks …( read more )

It was Canada Day once again, and my gelding, Frank, was pulling our cart in the annual parade. I was riding in the cart with my sixteen-month-old granddaughter, while three of my large dogs ran behind. All was going the way it should …( read more )

A lady here in town had just come back from having cataract surgery. While out and about, she met a friend and excitedly exclaimed that she could actually see her friend's eyelashes! She was quite thrilled with this new clarity of sight …( read more )

While I was using a bar of my homemade goat soap, I was once again amazed at how such a lovely, gentle cleansing agent comes forth from using the caustic substance, lye, to produce it. To make the soap, I add a considerable amount of lye …( read more )

The other day, I was sitting reading, when the sun burst forth, streaming through my window. The window held a recent stained glass piece that I had hung to allow it to dry fully. As the sunbeams hit the already beautiful glass, every …( read more )

My year-old Labradoodle, Denver, gave me quite a scare not long ago when we were all out for our daily walk. As we were approaching the final phase of the path and drawing closer to the roadway, all the dogs fell into line behind me as …( read more )

Travelling is not my thing. I find it extremely stressful and rather scary, yet every once in a while, I am enticed into a little jaunt here or there. During one such short foray this past summer, God continued to teach me to trust in …( read more )

This past summer, my brother, Jim, built us a large greenhouse. When he was finished, we all followed him inside the new structure to admire it. On either side of the doorway, he had fitted large plate glass windows which we had picked up …( read more )

Recently, I began renovating a small cabin on our property. Everything needed doing from top to bottom. Sanding, filling, scrubbing, painting, and trim work were part of the redo. Everything had to be done in a certain order, and …( read more )

Every day, my seven canines get a treat to help them maintain strong and healthy teeth. They never receive the treat at the same time on any given day. I hand them out when I fill up their food bowls for the evening meal. Sometimes, I do …( read more )

I hate cleaning up after the horses in the winter. Everything sticks solid to the icy ground and is a real chore to pick up day after day. It is an even greater chore when my desire to do it in my own strength gets the better of me. I …( read more )

During the winter months in the north, it gets very dark. In the mornings, it stays dark until 9:30, sometimes 9:45, depending upon the weather. I hate the dark, so I have lots of large windows, as well as lights. I also work best in the …( read more )

Sophie is one of my mature dogs. She is a great help to me, especially on winter's icy paths in the corral, when I steady myself by holding on to her collar. There are times, however, when I don't want her in the corral with me and I …( read more )

My friend and I had the opportunity to house-sit for her sister this past summer. Her sister lives on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, so we figured that this would be a great opportunity to enjoy a little get-away. …( read more )

The friend and customer for whom I had finished a stained glass commission was extremely happy. He had brought me a small oil painting of the Holy Family and asked me to recreate it in glass for him to hang in his window for Christmas. …( read more )

Once a year before Christmas, I write a family newsletter, which I then send to friends and relatives. It depicts the major as well as some of the minor happenings of our life throughout the year. I always begin the letter with a …( read more )

Early this year, my daughter, her husband, and baby granddaughter came to live with me. A business opportunity in town had presented itself, and they decided to buy it and move home. How wonderful is this! was my first thought. My …( read more )

The first time I saw the mother grizzly and her three cubs, I remember thinking what a privilege it was to see such a wonder of nature. The next time I heard about them, I had very different thoughts. This time, they were not out in the …( read more )

When I took Denver, our youngest puppy, up to the veterinarian for his final vaccinations, it was an extremely cold and bitter day. As I had several hours of errands to complete while I was in the city, I decided to board Denver at the …( read more )

While out walking with the dogs the other day, I experienced a moment of great concern. Some of the dogs were running along the trail ahead of me, while some were walking with me. My collie, Bonnie, was one of the ones out front. I could …( read more )