Outdoors – Page 7 – Organizing Threads

February 16, 2016February 24, 2016

Today’s Miracle

This morning when I was ready to leave for work I went to get my keys from the little dish I keep them in — my car key wasn’t there. It’s often in my coat pocket – not this time. Then I remembered that I wore my other coat earlier when I took Billie outside (and started the car to be sure it would). No, not there either. Did I put them somewhere else? But I couldn’t find them anywhere. I have only one key, without it I can’t drive. The only thing I could do is try to follow the footprints Billie and I left in the snow an hour earlier. It had been snowing lightly for hours, both a blessing and a curse – blessing because we left footprints, curse because they were beginning to fill in. Out into the park I went, trying to figure out which were our prints and which were made by someone else. Then I saw a little indentation in the snow, similar in size to a Billie print but with no other dog prints nearby. I dug into the snow — and found my car key! Thank God!!!

(I really need to get a spare key made.)

February 14, 2016February 18, 2016

Billie’s boots

With the temperature at -19C, wind chill -33, Miss B does not like to go outside. But she must! So I put on her sweater, coat and boots. She does NOT like boots and tries very hard to shake them off. I have learned to cinch that velco tight!

Billie’s dance from Barbara Burkard on Vimeo.

February 6, 2016February 24, 2016

A Cold Walk

January 27, 2016January 29, 2016

Amaryllis

Before heading to Australia brother John gave me a few plant to look after. A fern, 3 bonsai trees and 2 amaryllis bulbs. Over the last couple of days I’ve been enjoying the first amaryllis blooms. Here are pictures of the progression.

The second amaryllis bulb is doing nothing. But I’ll keep watering it for now, maybe something will grow yet.

Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time! Mark 4:26-29 MSG

November 30, 2015

A Stump

Back in December 2013 we had an ice storm that brought down a lot of the Russian Olive trees that line on side of our street. After City workers cleaned up the fallen trees there were quite a few stumps left behind.

In August 2015 I noticed some marigolds growing amid the litter in one such stump:

Then a month later there were zinnias blooming as well:Now, when I walked down the street I would look for the stump, to see how the flowers were doing.

The end of October and fallen leaves add more colour to this tree stump, the flowers undeterred by the cold:Notice that someone has removed the litter out; wasn’t me.

Finally, in the third week of November we have our first significant snowfall. Looks like the flowers are finished for this year:And then, just days later, the City trucks were back. The stumps have all been removed. I wonder what will happen with the marigold and zinnia seeds. Will they grow some place else? Who put them there in the first place?