It could be a sleepy, snoozy, Saturday morning but the phone started ringing at 0730 so we are up and engaged in our daily rituals. Had I stayed in bed this morning I may have missed my two Wrens out here as they scurry around. And, --- I would have missed seeing my big ol, Hairy Woodpecker out there eating bark butter pellets.

It is a 51° cloudy morning and I have lots of aviary company this morning. I probably have a dozen Cardinals flying in and out of the fire bushes to the feeders and back to the protection of the foliage. Several Chickadees and Titmouse are also swooping in for a seed. They grab one and take it to the closest branch and break it open to eat. There are also a few Housefinches dotting this and that feeder. And, --- I've seen at least one Nuthatcher out there. So, it is a very good morning here in the sunporch. The only thing lacking is in fact the sun.

We had a wonderful day yesterday. It was our first really sunny and warm day in a couple of weeks. It got up to 75° and we took full advantage of it. We had several places to go and errands to run, so we got in the convertable and headed out. Our best stop was to go out to the apple orchard over in the next county where we picked a buschel of apples. Yes, it took longer to drive there than it did to pick them but we were out on a jaunt, so what the heck. The trees are so full of apples that it didn't take us more than ten minutes to fill our box. Ms. Kate is in the kitchen making something with them as I sit here and write. I suspect there will be a happy tummy sometime later today. I can smell cinnamon and clove so the magic coming out of the kitchen could range anywhere from applesauce to apple pie.

Its hard to believe but I still have a Ruby Throated Hummingbird out here. There are only a couple of blossoms on the phlox but there it was, trying to suck the last tiny bit of nectar out of the blossoms. Then it moved on over to the knockout roses. What a joy to see it this morning, although it better be heading to Arizona for the winter. Their migration should already have occured.

Despite all of our running around, I did get a micro-bit of yard work done yesterday evening. Today is supposed to be ten degrees cooler and mostly cloudy, so, it will be a good day to get some more done out there. I feel like the kid who has been sent in to clean his uber-messy room. The work needing to be done is overwhelming and it is hard to know where to start. But, --- none of it will get done as long as I procrastinate.

As I sit here, I must give God praise for the wonderful world of nature that surrounds me. My blessings are impossible to count, so I simply bow my head in humble gratitude for this life I am blessed to live. I hope you will take time today to take stock of your life and acknowlege our marvelous God who has made you life possible. Christ is our strength, God is our hope, and the Holy Spirit is our ever present guide. Have a blessed day.