I'm doing things just a bit backwards today. We had to be up early today to get Ms. Kate up to her sister's house so they could get on the road by at least 0830. They are driving to Nashville to catch a plane to Las Vegas and will be gone for a week. So, once I dropped them off I stopped by the Donut Bank and picked up a couple of "tiger tails" to go with my coffee and headed up to the churches to run my bulletins for the week. That chore went swimmingly well and now I'm back home, having a cup of coffee in the sunporch while I wait on a fellow to return a call. I still haven't filled my birdfeeders so I don't have a lot of happy campers out there right now. It isn't as if there is nothing for them to eat; it's just that the "favorites" are all empty. Poor babies. I'll fill everything yet today so we can all have breakfast together in the morning.

I spent abouut five to six hours out in the yard yesterday unloading and spreading my pickup load of mulch. The weather was great for it. I don't know how other people do it but Ms. Kate has me put down several layers of newspaper first then cover than with mulch. She says it keeps the weeds down. I hope so. I spent enough hours bent over out there this week pulling God's "other flowers". One of the things I need to do tomorrow is tackle the black raspberry patch. We were gone when they came in season so we didn't get a one. But the weeds and the muberry bushes, which I fight constantly around this place have taken over the patch and I can hardly even see any raspberry plants.  My red raspberry patch is already a lost cause I think. Small trees and the snowball bush has taken over that space too. It is a dang jungle around here in one place or another all the time. Back in the the 1978-80 time frame we were stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. I had a yard-boy that came once a week. Every week he would mow my yard with a push reel mower; clean and clear and trim all of my bushes; wash my car, sweep my sidewalks, and polish my shoes and boots.  I think I may have paid him $125.00 a month. Man, I could sure use him now.

The rest of this day will be spent downstairs in my office at my computer. I've done nothing so far on September services or sermons. I did get the September newsletter done and printed and it is part of the bulletin inserts for this coming Sunday. But I still have my end of month reports to do too. So, all of that should keep me occupied while Ms. Kate is gone.

Well, the fellow that is supposed to call me hasn't yet so I reckon I will head downstairs and get busy. There's certainly a phone on my desk. As I close I lift up prayers for Ms. Kate and Karen to have a safe and fun trip. They haven't had any "sister-time" for at least eight months even though we only live about twenty-five miles apart. I call them the "Wild Women on the loose". I also lift up you, my readers, and pray God's blessing will cover you up. No matter how your day may be going, know that you have been in my thoughts and have been prayed for. Have a blessed day.