A First

Our bow hunter got a coyote ... in his first season out.


One less chicken predator.

Winter's Lace

Winter has arrived with mounds of white stuff. The sparkling snow on a sunny day or the swirling snowflakes floating down all make the landscape so pretty & pristine.

I'm reminded of God's words,

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

and

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as snow." Isaiah 1:18



Then ...

I liked this bit of poetry that Jaynee shared on her blog. I thought it relevant to share with you:

Snowflakes are like children.
Each one beautiful.
Each one unique.
Each one designed by our Lord!

You were once a child, so was I. In fact everyone was. We are all beautiful, unique, designed & loved by God.

... and that thought is so amazingly beautiful!

Enough Already!

Oops, that's a little much ...

Our funny guys took the opportunity to set up a pose ... they overwatered with a little jug?

Waterfall @ Klasse Woods

While we haven't been receiving the torrents of rain that surrounding areas have been -- like six inches within a week just South of the Souris River -- we did receive a good inch this morning within just 20 minutes.

It made our own private waterfall just out the back door -- sound effects and all!



At times like these, we're thankful to have sandy soil -- not much damage to the gardens & field because the water soaks away quite quickly.


Since we haven't gotten a lot of rain this week, we're thankful for this moisture.

To date, we've also not been in too dire need of intermittent rains sufficient to nourish the land.

Maker of the Mystery Marks

If you guessed that a turtle made those tracks in the sand, you are right!

Our boys were thrilled to see this little guy. It was the highlight of their Sunday evening drive.

Dandelion Delights

Dandelions are a seasonal thing. They bloom for a couple weeks and then they are done for the most part. I refuse to chemicalize my yard to get rid of them for in doing such I also put the health of my children at risk. Instead, they delight in picking flowers for Mommy -- and I put them in crystal vases to brighten our home.

Did you know that dandelions are also VERY healthy? Add the tender greens leaves to salads, the powdered root cleanses the blood and even the bright yellow flowers can be use to make Dandelion jelly -- a local entrepreneur that we've met at Farmer's Market & homeschool functions is known worldwide for her "Dandelion Jelly".

Dandelions can also be FUN. Brayden's brilliant idea blossomed:


Then our littles spent delightful hours in the dandelion patch -- enjoying the sunshine, the flowers and being creative.

... making dandelion shields with the tennis racket reminded them of the fun at Grandma's house too. They've spent hours playing SnaPics at Grandma's house (SnaPics were a toy made by Tupperware in days long ago).


It never ceases to amaze me ... the things little minds can come up with.



... and as usual, the cheapest things make the best toys!

Mystery Marks

Can you guess what kind of creature made these tracks?

Poplar Prime Time

The oldest three of our young men have been busy felling & peeling poplar logs.

There is a small window of time in spring that is prime time for this project ... which will make it possible to finish the project later in the year. Grandpa told them they had to wait until just the right time to harvest the logs & peel them - in spring.

Throughout the summer, the logs will dry out & then they will be ready to be used.




It's a lot of work, but interesting and fun ... not to mention a great use of their time and a great productive way to enjoy the outdoors in early spring.


Can you guess what project they have in mind?

Look Up ... And Praise God

Even these tiniest of flowers are lifting their faces to glorify their Maker!

All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
Psalm 145:10

Signs of New Life

We see signs of new life popping up all around us these days:





This last weekend we remembered & celebrated Christ's crosswork. The new life that began through the death & resurrection of Jesus is the best of all.
I pray that those who see & know me will see the signs of new life that Jesus has given my soul. Thank you Jesus, for paying the price for my new life!

Sprucing Up

Pinecones abound at Spruce Woods.

I enjoy using pinecones to "spruce up" my home ... and I use the greens also.

I've seen bags of pinecones and bunches of greens offered for sale at almost every supermarket so I figure I'm not the only one who likes to use pinecones to
"spruce up" my home for the CHRISTmas season.

Filling a special basket with cones and adding a bow is simple enough.


A nice way to add a festive look to my home with a basket that was gifted to our family filled with fresh flowers when my younger sister went to Glory just over a year ago. It reminds me of her simple, beautiful life.

This year we shared our pinecones with our CSA garden members. They each got a mesh bag filled with pinecones with their last garden basket of the 2009 season. It was for the express purpose of decoration and creative uses ... of course they also make nice starters for cozy fires in winter or backyard firesides in summer. One member sent me a picture of her little boy enjoying his craft - see it on my Facebook profile.

Really the ideas for using pinecones are endless ...

Years ago I made pinecone wreaths and kept this one for myself.


I never tire of it. Someday I just may make more of these again, now that we have a fresh yearly supply of pinecones on our own yard.

Adventures in Taxidermy

The results of a couple adventures in taxidermy that our big guys have worked on.

The weasel that got caught in Brayden's gopher trap did not go to the cats:



This is one of two racoons that were in the wrong place at the right time -- they're planning to make the second one into a coon-skin hat:



Our basement is a good place for those rough & rugged displays for now, but a remote hunting cabin will be the ideal place for these displays someday hopefully.

The Gopher Guys

After a brief sabbatical during the summer, the Gopher Guys are back in action. This time their operations are covering about 350 acres of pastures & hayland.

Brayden's catch was rather interesting today. A GOOD catch on a chicken farm! Weasels are a major predator of chickens - they could wipe out our whole flock in one tragic night!

Area farmers are very appreciative of their efforts. Few words needed: repeat customers says it all!

Come See What I Found!

Casryn found this fledgling red-tailed hawk out in the pasture when he went out to check the gopher traps.

There is always something new and interesting just waiting for our young men to discover.

Flora @ Klasse Woods

These are pictures of the flowers in the meadows and woodlands at Klasse Woods Natural Farm.

Pet Pleasures

Wally, one of our grey tabbies, had five kittens yesterday:



Goof, our other grey tabby, had three kittens the same afternoon:



Then Corbyn came home from a volunteer work project and nearly drove over an Eastern Painted Turtle on the road. He brought it home to show his brothers because they had never seen one like that before. We had a pet painted turtle for two days, then let it go out into its natural habitat :



The same evening, just as we were heading to bed, Misty, our dog, caught a kangaroo mouse. Though it was a dire end for the mouse, it was an interesting event for us ... and a tasty snack for one new mama cat:



It was an interesting day from start to finish!!

In case you hadn't guessed, our young men enjoy the fawna of God's green earth!



Watch for a flora post ... they enjoy that too!

It's a Hummer

A hummingbird at rest in our flowerbed. We've never had such a close-up view before.

Simply beautiful!!!!!!!!!!

Flowers for Mama

My young men treat me like a queen. I enjoy flowers and they know it. The older boys bring me offerings of amazing pictures of beauty. I love the perspectives they capture.

Sometimes they add Scripture to their image giving it true eternal value:


My little men gallantly venture into the deep grasses to gather up a large cluster of golden treasure - just because I said one time that those brilliant yellow flowers are actually kind of pretty. They heard that and now they know how to please Mama:

Beautiful Blossoms

Did you know that spruce trees "blossom"? I didn't until I saw this:












The blossoms progress to this (new needles with clouds of pollen when the branch is bumped):




One of our own beautiful beds of tulips:



The pink tulips almost look like roses:

Critters & Skitters

Our young men enjoy discovering nature. Here are a few of the critters they've found:














The skitters? Well, they find us! You won't get a picture of one of those here though cause they moment they land ... they're history if at all possible!
We're thankful that there are not yet too many of those. Perhaps the swallows are keeping the skitter population under control? Or is it the cool spring?