The Rock & Gem Show

The first weekend in April, the Rock & Gem Show takes place in Paris, Ontario. I don't go every year, but Michelle and Barry always takes the boys. It's been tradition since they were little. They love going and since Michelle is laid up recovering from her surgery, I told her I would take them.

We entered Paris and the main street was jammed up with traffic, so I made a detour and took a back street along the Grand River. The town has made a place to pull off the road for an overlook and so we decided to stop. The Grand is quite high right now from the recent rains and the rapids were boiling. A nice view of the walk bridge and there is a trail here that I didn't know about. We plan to go back and take a hike.

We arrived at the Rock & Gem show about 12:30 pm and the first thing we saw was the table above. These were all labeled as diamonds. Some of the rocks were for sale and most of them were very pricey.

When we stepped into the main auditorium, this is the first thing we saw. All kinds of jewelry made of amber and the colors varied quite a bit. I prefer the darker colored pieces. We also saw pieces of raw amber. It is rough and very light. Do you know what amber is? Fossilized resin from ancient forests.

The large purple pieces in the background are amethyst, which is Michelle's birthstone. She had asked Jordan to buy her a piece and he found a nice sized one about 2 inches square for $4.99. Brandon gave him $2.50 and they went together to buy it for their mother. What nice boys.
One of the display tables. Jordan loves the colored pieces. He buys one every year. This year he bought a red piece. It cost him $5.00, which isn't bad. He wanted the very large red one, but it was $20 and he knew that if he bought it, he wouldn't get anything else.

On a table were surprise bags. They are filled with sand and rocks. The boys each bought one. Then this nice man helped them put the contents of the bags through a sifter.
Brandon also enjoys doing this. It's fun to see what you get. Both boys got a fossil that is over 300,000 years old. They come from Ontario and another man at the table told the boys where to go to look for them. I think that will be on the agenda for summer holidays. They are both rock hounds.

The above display was very pretty and so unique. I love the large stone on the back right. I also liked the blue one in the center.
A close up of the shimmering stone. Can't think of the technical term for it right at the moment. This rock came from Labrador. I would love to find something like that and so would the boys. It was awesome. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

There was a Native Canadian man there carving stone. I asked him if I could take a photo of his art and he was quite happy to let me do so. We saw him carving a bit and it was very interesting to watch.

Quartz crystals in the foreground and amethyst down the right side of the table.

All kinds of beautiful items from jewelry to animals. There were even wooden stacking dolls.

Lots of beautiful colors on this table and almost any kind of stone you could want. These are already polished and are perfect for making jewelry. You just glue them into the settings. This man also sold jewelry that he has made. Some pieces were quite nice.

As you can see, there are some nice pieces here. And yes, they remind you at every turn that they take Visa.

Brandon and Jordan back at the van. It was a beautiful day and we really didn't need our jackets. Brandon bought a turtle for $1.00 and another piece for $8.00. Both boys enjoy this show a lot and look forward to going every year. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful stones and minerals that the Earth provides for our pleasure. What awesome things the Earth can turn out.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with the boys and I to the Rock & Gem show. There is another in October in Ancaster, Ontario and if you Goog*le, you will come up with some that are taking place in your area. Have a great week. ~Blessings, Mary~

Memories of the Farm in Spring

I remember the farm in spring. It was a time of rebirth. The hens would sit on their nests and defy you to come near to try and fetch the eggs. More than once, I was sent to bring in the eggs and would be attacked by a pecking, scratching hen that had decided it was time to nest.

Besides the baby chicks, there were many other births in springtime. The geese and the gander were never more contankerous than when they were nesting. That old gander chased me to the house one day, wings beating the air behind me and yes, I could feel the wind from those wings. He was honking his head off and I was emitting blood curdling screams. Grandma dashed out of the house, slamming the screendoor and waving her apron at the gander. I wrapped my arms around her, pressing my cheek against her bosom and sobbing in fright.

Calves and foals arrived in the spring. I loved watching the foals as they stood on spindly, shaking legs. We usually had about six baby calves in the calf pen during this time of year and each one was beautiful. I always had a favorite and quite often it had a white face and big brown eyes. Those eyes were liquid and seemed to peer right into my soul. One of my favorite things was feeding those calves milk after they'd been weaned. They slurped the milk and then, when it was gone, butted the pail with their heads, hoping for more, just as they had when they were drinking from their mama's teat.

Across the road, baby lambs frolicked on the hillside. Our neighbor raised sheep and the lambs were precious. The lambs would run, kicking and jumping, making games of their own to pass the day. The ewes would keep a careful eye on them, allowing them to enjoy a bit of freedom, but bleating when the lambs strayed too far.

Springtime on the farm also meant that there were many species of wildlife that gave birth. Baby raccoons, squirrels, red fox and a wide variety of bird fledglings were all part of a normal spring day. My favorites were the eastern bluebirds that always visited the farm, along with robins, meadowlarks, killdeer, Baltimore orioles and a wide host of others. I also enjoyed the killdeers that built their nests along the side of the road. When my siblings and I would approach, they would swoop away from the nest, floundering in a false act of injury. They wanted to lure us away from the nest. Of course, Dad had taught us that we should never disturb any wild creature. A lesson that I still abide to till this day.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons. It is a time of rebirth for the Earth. Babies are born, flowers come out of their state of dormancy and the world comes alive with color after the drab winter months. It's a wonderful time of the year.

What changes occur in spring in your part of the country and what is your favorite thing about spring?

Today would have been Aunt May's birthday. It was also the day of Grandma's funeral. So with the joy of spring comes a hint of saddness that neither of these great ladies are with us any longer. However, there is joy because they have been reunited after 35 years of being separated. Grandma has been gone since April 1974. Aunt May passed in November 2008. Mother and daughter, together again.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks to all that have asked about and prayed for, Michelle. The surgery went fine and she was home by 4pm. Today she is getting up and about a little, but resting lots. ~Blessings, Mary~

Living with Autism

April being Autism Awareness Month, I was surfing the Internet and found these videos about Will, who is living with autism. Take a few minutes to view them and learn about how those who live with autism look at the world.







Many families are not as lucky as Will's. The waiting lists for help are long and treatment is very expensive. Please be aware that autism effects approximately 1 in 150 people. I love one of those people and chances are that you do too.

Sunset

Today was a beautiful day here in southern Ontario. The sun shone all day with very little wind.

Tonight, the sky was golden, blue and pink. It was a nice ending to a lovely spring day.

The colors deepened as the sun sank lower in the west. Dakota and I enjoyed spending time outside because it's to rain all day on Friday and the weekend is to be cooler.

This afternoon we took Dakota to the vets for his distemper booster and his rabies shot. The vet says he is in great health. He weighs 23.6 lbs now...a far cry from the 5 lb. puppy that we brought home in February.

Michelle is having surgery tomorrow to repair her hernia. It will be an out-patient procedure. I will be picking the boys up from school. If you have time, drop by her blog and leave her a bit of cheer.

Enjoy the weekend. I'm not sure what is in the works yet. It will depend on how Michelle's surgery goes and how she is doing. ~Blessings, Mary~