Good morning to you! I hope your day is as bright as mine is. It is a crisp cool morning outside and the sun is slowly climbing across my roof to brighten the back yard. It is interesting to note how much more sunshine I am getting in my back yard now that the leaves are falling from the poplar trees. Of course by the time I am getting full sun -- it will be too cold for anything to be growing out there anyway. Some time today or tomorrow I need to get out there and run the mower over the leaves. There are about a bi-zillion still hanging up there in the trees and of course the neighbor's trees will also come to my yard because that is just what happens. The only tree I don't really like around here is the cyprus tree over in Ms. Margaret's yard. The stuff that falls off of that is more dense and doesn't mulch up well.

I finisheed up writing the funeral/memorial service that I am doing tomorow evening. Now I'm working on the sermon for the last Sunday in September. Then I need to start on the sermon for the 18th of October. We are taking two weeks vacation in between that and I always try to work ahead enough that I don't have to scramble at the last moment when I return. But, it really front-loads my work and by the time I actually get to my vacation -- I'm ready for it. This vacation will take us to North Carolina to visit with youngest daughter Lisa and her family; then to Florida to sit on the Atlantic beach for a few days, and then over to New Orleans for some Beignets and dixieland music and oysters on the half shell. By the time we do all of that, this homebody will be itching to get home.

I still haven't had the time to get to the bird feed store and by now all of the sunflower feeders are empty. I still have enough peanuts to keep those feeders filled and I still have bark butter paste to put in those feeders. Beyond that --- I better go spend some money. Perhaps this afternoon I'll take a break from writing and go get some stuff to keep my critters all happy. It will give me a chance to clear my head and start fresh again. I also need to pick up a couple of batteries for my leaf blowers. The two I have just won't take a charge anymore. The Black and Decker 18v battery is notorious for that. I probably should have bought a different brand of blower but I was being cheap at the time and now it costs me more in the long run.

I'm lifting up the folks in California this morning who are watching their homes go up in flames as the forset fires ravages the Napa Valley. Just as extreme though are the flash floods that ran through Utah yesterday and swept people, cars, and homes away. So, I pray for God's comfort and peace for those folks. I also lift up Byon and Sheila as they continue to deals with Byon's cancer. He is at home now and is so glad to be riding his own recliner. I just ask God for good days for him.

I give God thanks this morning for the blessing I have and see as I look out over the back yard at the few remaining flowers, turning colors on the leaves, and the cool crisp morning. God is a constant in my life and I am so blessed for it. I pray you will have a most wonderful day, full of the love of Jesus Christ. Peace!