Winter Project

      



One of my winter projects is puzzle building. The challenge of completing the puzzle thrills
me. I usually build the border first and then choose an unusual shape or colourful object to
build next. The large parts like water, grass and sky usually get left to the last. They take a long time to complete and I want instant gratification with smaller areas.

In this puzzle I chose to work on the quilts first. That challenge complete I took a try at the
 barns and silos, my second choice. Sheep, my favourite farm animal came together easily.
 The large tree on the right, a challenge in itself, came together without too much frustration.
 Not so easy, the variety of flowers. With each piece the puzzle began to take shape. Lastly,
the water, trees and sky. My puzzle is complete.

Due to poor weather conditions, I am home for the day. Today is the day I photograph
my puzzle and take it apart. I think about all the hours it took to build the puzzle as I  drop each individual piece into a plastic bag. With the lid on the box and puzzle pieces safe inside, I think
about who I could give this puzzle to. My next challenge.

                                                                Ringette Memories


     After work on Friday, I packed a few belongings and headed to King Township to
     spend part of the weekend with my daughter, Mamie, and her hubby, Jordan. Mamie
     was playing in a Ringette Tournament that started on Friday night. I looked forward
      to seeing her on the ice again. Mamie started playing ringette at the age of eight and
      remained active in the sport for a number of years. Hockey, then became forefront
      in her life, but she returned to ringette this year.
      
     

      Mamie  shared with me earlier in the day, that her cousin (my niece) Paula was to join
       Mamie's ringette team that night as the team was a player short. Mamie and Paula grew
      up together playing on the same ringette team. I was blessed to have been able to enjoy
      those years.



      As I sat in the stands with Mamie's husband, I shared memories of ringette games from
      the past. Unforgettable moments that filled her childhood. On the ice pad in
      front of me, a team of younger girls had started their game. My eyes filled with tears,
      as I found it hard to believe that Mamie was that age not so long ago.
     

     


     An hour later Mamie's team took to the ice to warm up. I didn't need to know her jersey
     number as it was easy for me to pick her out from among her team mates. She hadn't
      lost any of her ringette skills. The familiar stroke of her skate blades and the snap of her
     wrists that sent a shot high into the net, hadn't been lost over the years.




      Tears slid down my cheeks as the King Township sign faded from sight in the rear
       view mirror of my truck. Memories of  years gone by and new memories created this
      past weekend, played out before my eyes. Moments made to cherish.









   



     
    
    
     
     
     
      

     
   

                                     

                                                               Sun's Rays


     Today was a beautiful day for a walk. I grabbed my little camera and truck keys and headed
out to a  quiet part of the country. A "No Winter Maintenance Beyond This Point" road was my destination. The road had been plowed to the first and only house on the road. I parked on the side
of the plowed portion and began my walk.

     It wasn't a particularly interesting road from a photographer's view but I enjoyed the lack
of vehicles and quietness. I walked to the edge of the unplowed portion and spotted two woodpeckers in search of a branch suitable for pecking. The snow looked deep on the unplowed portion but I decided to continue on. A jack rabbit scurried along the ditch as I had disrupted his routine.

     I followed a snowmobile trail for half a mile before I stopped and took this photo. My intention
was to write about the snowmobile trail and where it might lead. When I returned home and downloaded my photos onto the computer I knew the snowmobile story would have to wait. My
little camera had captured the sun's rays. I was shocked as I had not been able to do this before.

     My winter excursion turned out better than I ever could have imagined. The beautiful sunshine
warms the heart and soul. A promise that spring is just around the corner.


  

    

The Rural Route

  
                                                            The Rural Route

The Rural Route is a local, rural magazine that is published  on a monthly basis. I have
been blessed to have numerous stories published in this magazine. Thank you to
 the magazine's editor and staff for all the hard work they put into the publication
of  this local magazine.
The first story I had published was in The Rural Route. It was in February 2011 that I
discovered the magazine in my mailbox. I noticed there was a call out  for stories to be
published in the magazine. As I look back now, I think I was pretty cocky at the time.
 I thought, I can do that. I sat down, prayed for God's guidance and started to write.
As the  pen  flowed across the paper, a story formed in front of my eyes. I submitted
my story and was shocked when I received an email from the editor that stated my
story would be published in the next month's issue.
I decided not to tell anyone about my story as I thought no one would like it. I waited
to hear everyone's comments. To my surprize I got a lot of compliments. I have been
writing on a regular basis since my first story was  published.
Thanks Rural Route!