The sound of a gentle rain on the roof of the sunporch is enough to put one back to sleep. With my lap throw across my legs and my warm cup of coffee sitting beside me, I'd say I'm pretty well set. And since I'm up an hour and a half earlier than normal for no particular reason, other than to check the weather, --- yep, a "drift-off" is pretty much guaranteed.

It is 35° outside and it has been raining for most of the past twenty-four hours. I haven't heard the official totals but I'guessing we have had a minimum of three inches of rain so far. The snow has been washed away and that is a good thing. However, we are just in phase one if a wide winter storm that is again sweeping the mid section of the country. In another couple of hours the temperatures are expected to start dropping and it will then begin sleeting for an undetermined period of time. This will be followed by snow with an accumulation of six to eight inches by midnight. It will be a two-pot day for the coffee maker. Tomorrow will be "dig out day".

I filled the feeders yesterday so there is plenty of food at the backyard buffet. Probably half of what I put out yesterday is still there. Perhaps I should go top off everything this morning before the ice pellets start falling from the sky. These rascals will go through what's left today and then tomorrow there will be no food and six inches of snow and ice on the ground. It isn't raining that hard at the moment so I guess I could go do that, and then come back to another cup of coffee and my chair, knowing I had done the right thing for the creatures that God gave us dominion over. After all, with dominion comes responsibility. One thing is for sure, I won't have to fill the bird bath!

The rain washing away the snow gives me a glimpse of my daffodils for at least today. They continue to grow despite the weather and the cold. God does some amazing things with this earth. Come dry weather though, I have so much yard work to do. Several small limbs have fallen from the trees and there is so much raking to do. It will be good exercise to stretch out the winter muscles that become very used to being lazy.

Let's take a moment and give God thanks this morning for the one "spring-like"day that we experienced yesterday. Despite the rain, it was a bit warmer and the slate has been cleaned off for new snow etc. It's kind of like our souls after a prayer of confession; --- yes, we'll pile more bad stuff on it because that seems to be our nature, but for a brief moment, all is washed clean. And for that. --- I give God praise this morning. Have a blessed day.