A Blue Heron and Canada Geese

On Tuesday, I picked the boys up from school. While I was waiting for the boys to get out, a pair of Canadian geese flew right over the road beside the school. They were very low in the sky. It was as if I could reach out and touch them. I put my hand in my pocket when I saw them coming...no camera. I remembered that I had taken the camera out of my pocket to recharge the batteries.

Brandon asked me if I would drive him to the grocery store. Michelle is still recuperating from her surgery and is unable to drive. I told him sure. Jordan stayed home with Mom and Brandon and I set out to do our shopping.

On our way home, we passed the pond where the Canada geese have been hanging out. We figure that they are going to nest there. I told Brandon I thought the geese I had seen over at the school was the same pair. We stopped by the side of the road to see if we could spot them. They weren't there.

Just as I was getting ready to pull away, Brandon said, "Grandma, there's a big bird in there. I just saw it flap its wings." He pointed it out.

A beautiful Great Blue Heron was standing in the marsh and moving slowly toward the pond. We watched it for between 10 and 15 minutes. How interesting to see this magnificient bird searching for a meal. Brandon couldn't believe that it could stand perfectly still for such a long time.

"If it hadn't flapped its wings, I wouldn't have seen it," he told me. We marveled at how close its colour was to the marshy wetland.

It was an interesting moment for both of us and one that neither of us will soon forget. This is something that I really should write in Brandon's journal. Since the boys were little, I've been keeping journals for both of them, but haven't written in them for sometime. It's time to dust them off and make some notes to help them remember one day when they are older.

I also want to start a family journal for each of them that tells of family history. Who was who, when they were born, who they married, how many kids they had and when they passed on. I really need to get at this, as once Mom is gone, I will have lost a fountain of knowledge.

Do you keep a journal for your kids or grandkids? If so, what kind is it? Is it a family history journal or a memories journal?

Well, tomorrow is the day when the plumbers come to dig up the flower bed, chip away the foundation and replace the broken pipe. Then they will have to mix cement, patch the foundation and replace all of the soil. They are to be here at 8:30 AM. It's going to be a stressful day and another day of searching out a washroom at the gas station. I will be glad when it's over. I'm going to try to get some photos. We shall see. ~Blessings, Mary~