My first visitors this morning are a rather large red -headed woodpecker and a host of cardinals. I think the cardinals are trying to beat the squirrels to the feeders although there are enough feeders out there for everyone. I do the same thing on Sunday mornings after church. We try to beat the Baptists to the restaurants so we don't have to wait in line too long. (Yes, I'm kidding. Its the Catholics we have to worry about. They are the ones with the crowds. LOL)

I'm sitting here looking over my back yard and I can see it really is a mess. The poplar trees have put a lot of seeds and seed pods on the ground and the wind has broken off a lot of little limbs from the trees. There is easily a weeks worth of work to be done out there. But at 23° --- who wants to do that? As soon as it gets another thirty degrees warmer and stays dry, I need to get my tail end out there. We've always had the "show" yard of the neighborhood. But each year it gets harder to maintain as I get older. I think this year I need to not be a "Lazy-Larry", and put a dedicated effort into it instead of the sporadic efforts of the past. Heck, it might even work off a little of this "winter belly".

I have a list of things to do today. Yesterday was a successful day of writing: thank you Lord. We are waiting around this morning for a fellow to come and work on my sliding glass door that brings me out here to the sunporch. It is heavy as the dickens and really has become almost impossible to slide open somtimes. I suspect it was installed when the house was built in 1977, so it may just be that the rollers on it are worn out. But, that's why you call guys that know about such things. It's an Andersen unit so I know it is good quality. But even good stuff wears out after thirty years or so.

After he has come and gone, I have visitation to do, admin stuff to do at the churches, and then choir practice this evening. That should be enough running around for today I think. Tomorrow will probably be another day or partial day of visitation with Aunt Aleen and my mother. There seems to always be something or some one we need to be taking care of. But, God put us on this earth with no expectation that we would simply set on our hands and ignore those who need our help. And, --- as fully as God has blessed my life; I have no right not to share my blessings, talents, and abilities.

My coffee cup is empty for the second time and the bird bath out there needs to be filled again. It stays in constant use by both the birds and the squirrels. I can see that it is almost a gallon low. My morning contemplation and meditation is done and it is time vacate the recliner. I hope you have a truly blessed day and if you do, --- I pray you will take time to thank God who provided it for you.