72° with rain showers this morning. Julie is sitting in the other recliner snoozing and the pupperonis are out here too and they are also snoozing. The three of them gently snoring is almost hypnotic especially when combined with the gentle pitter patter of the rain drops on the roof. Ms. Kate is at the computer playing bingo and I'm watching the robins taking their bath despite the rain. So it is a peaceful morning.

We had a big disappointment this morning. Just a mile down the road there is a gas station called The Windmill. It has a bakery as part of the place and has made the best donuts and pastries for at least fifty years. I remember it being there when I was a kid. Jim went down to get donuts this morning and they have now stopped making their own pastries and have contracted with Krispy Kreme. How sad!!! First of all, I know that millions of Americans swear by Krispy Kreme donuts. However, --- neither Ms. Kate nor I like Kristy Kreme donuts. They are just too sweet. But secondly, it is another "mom and pop" business selling out to corporate America. Maybe they couldn't keep a baker or something like that, maybe it just became cheaper to contract it out; but I will miss smelling those donuts being made late at night when I had to stop in late for gas. I'll miss seeing the baker standing outside of the back door of the place, covered in flour smoking his cigarette; a routine that is now history.

I've been two hours getting this far on my blog today. All the while we have had showers on and off. Some times it is just a drizzle and once in a while it comes a downpour. And, --- those silly robins are still coming in for baths. There must be a big robin dance this evening and everyone is getting spruced up. But, all this rain will certainly help all of the plants I have put in the ground this week. Yesterday I noticed that most all of the flowers I had planted out front were really laying over flat becase they were dry. So I watered everything and within an hour, they were standing back up looking refreshed. I'm sure that at some point between showers I'll need to go cut the asparagus because it could have been cut yesterday evening and I just blew it off because by then I was bushed. I spent yesterday putting down more mulch and cleaning out my gutters and then cleaning up after that mess. Boy, --- I have been a regular "Homer Homemaker" this week. I wish I could say I'm done but there is still so much to do.

I'm sure that I tomorrow some of my farmers will be telling me that either they didn't need this rain yet; --- or they will tell me how much it is going to help make that newly planted corn grow. They are so funny. Their satisfaction rating depends totally upon how far they are with what they need to do. But, they should have zero complaint because God has given them a good ten days of perfect planting weather. For that I offer my prayers of gratitude this morning.  The rain has now momentarily stopped and the sun is shining. I pray your day will be a glorious as that sunshine.