Kaleb's First Birthday!

Yeah for the cutie who's one!

He's not too sure about the fire...

but the icing is great!

Chad's Wedding

Chad and Sharon

The Guys

Jordan and Anna, Ashley and Tim

Zinnia Opening

I planted zinnias for the first time this year, and I enjoyed them so much I'll definately plant them again. I don't know why I never planted them before - perhaps I didn't like the name. I think it sounded like an old lady flower to me- but then, maybe I qualify to plant them now!

I found the progression of them opening fascintating and took some pictures:

I won!

Carstairs had a sunflower contest and I entered mine for the biggest and won $250! It was almost 17" across from petal to petal. This picture was in yesterday's paper. I was amazed - it was in colour, and took up 1/4 of the page! I guess that says something about what is big news in a small town! I get my prize at the Pumpkin Festival later in the month.

This is the actual photo I entered. The sunflower was just barely opened.

This is it in June. It had a hard beginning. It was so rainy all June that it just about drowned.

There's a story behind this: Mal had preached a sermon on "Extravagant Giving" about the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet, and he talked about the beauty of extravagant giving. I wondered what I could give that was uniquely mine, since I don't have income that's all my own. I thought about the sunflower contest, and at that point I decided to give the prize money to God if I won.
However, it appeared to be a rough go for the sunflower because of the poor weather. But I gave the sunflower to God, and when I was worried it would be drowned, I prayed, "Lord, it's your sunflower, so please take care of it."

They got piles of rain , lots of wind, and very little sun. At night I covered them with pails to protect them from the rain and wind, but during the day I had to uncover them because they needed the light. Finally in July they got some sun and started growing. But they were behind, and the picture had to be entered by August 15th. The week before Mal and I looked at the biggest one, and were sure the flower wouldn't open on time. It looked so small.

I had to enter the picture on August 13th because we were going away, and it began opening just before then. On the 12th I thought, "Is it worth entering? It seems so small." But I thought, if it's God's sunflower I should at least give it a chance, and everyone was growing under the same weather conditions. On the 13th it was not completely opened on one side, and only 11" across, but I took the picture and entered it. Within several days it grew to almost 17" across. A few days later I got a phone call that 2 ladies from the horticultural society were coming to see it, and when they came they measured it and told me I'd won.

This picture was taken on Aug 13th. The one I entered is on the right. It's not as big as last year's which grew to 9'4".

This has been a fun experience!

Hummers

Last week we saw more hummingbirds than previously in the summer. I suspect they were just visiting us on their way south. Anyway, we enjoyed them while we had them.
We have a decorative birdcage near our hummingbird feeder and a hummer enjoyed resting there. It seemed he was guarding the feeder.

He seemed to enjoy the geraniums on our deck.

Dandelion

I got this poem from Mal's mom this summer and thought it was cute:

O Dandelion, yellow as gold,
what do you do all day?
I just sit here in the long green grass
till the children come to play.

O Dandelion, yellow as gold,
what do you do all night?
I just wait here in the long green grass
till my hair turns long and white.


And what do you do when your hair turns white
and the children come to play?
They pick me up with their dimpled hands
and blow my hair away!