Boo!!! I just know that scared you on this dreary Halloween morning. I would appear that it has sprinkled on and off throughout the ight. This morning it sprinkles for maybe five minutes and then quits; then it starts all over again. The weatherman said last night that we may get less than one tenth of an inch today but it will be just enough to be miserable for the kids out trick or treating and then they will go back to school Monday with colds.

One lone squirrel sits out there on a feeder; he not eating, just sitting there. I've had a few small birds here this morning but at the moment the squirrel has the whole place to itself. It's 48 degrees out this morning so the temperature isn't too bad and the air is still. I don't see a leaf moving anywhere which is a bit strange.

Ms. Kate and I had an industrious and adventurous day yesterday. We did our morning chores around the house; I got the back yard cleaned up and she worked on the Chistmas cards she's making. Then we went to Sam's and Walmart. That would normally make for enough adventure for a Friday but --- she and I used to just pick a place and go try and find it, or maybe we would see a road and wonder where it would lead to and go find out. Well, we are getting ready to do a vacation locally during Thanksgiving week with Julie and Jim and the pupperonis. I found a place on line that is a log home that sits right on the Ohio River in a little blink in the road called Magnet, Indiana. The broshure said it was only about an hour from home. We decided to scout it out and see where it was and what it looked like. We didn't really have a good map or directions to the place so we just "headed east". We knew it was off of Hwy 66 and was on the Ohio River. Well, --- we took the wrong way to get there for sure. We got to Hwy 66 just fine but did so way too early. That Hwy 66 has to be the most narrow, currvy and twisting highway we've been on in a long time. Our average speed had to be about 35 mph. Finally, we pulled out an Indiana map and saw that we were going the right direction at least. Eventually we found the place and it looks like it will do us fine; but we now know the easy way to get there. What should have been no more than an hour and a half drive took us almost twice that. The good news of course is that we had an adventure; we saw lots of deer and wild turkeys, we had dinner at a really nice resturant that we've eaten at before, and we did it together. So, in reality --- it was a successful day. In fact, putting it all in perspective; --- yesterday pretty much summed up our almost fifty years of marriage: we had an idea of where we wanted to go, we weren't sure how to get there, we've taken a few wrong roads along the way,  but the the scenery has been great and the adventure has been fun, and we've gotten to our destination. What else would one need?

With that --- Have a blessed day!  

I can't tell; is it partially sunny or is it partially cloudy? But, because I like to look at the bright side of life, I'll take the sunny side. It is 41 degrees regardless of what you might want to call it. The weatherman was talking frost last night but I saw no evidence of it this morning.

The cardinals are looking fat this morning as they puff themselves up against the cool wind. I have lots of activity this morning. I filled all of the feeders yesterday and they have taken a pretty good hit already. I went to Wild Birds yesterday and replenished my peanut, bark butter bits, and safflower supplies. I actually got out of there for under $40.00 which is extremely rare. It pays to stick to the list and not wander around the store "for whatever else" I might need. It looks like I might have to refill the barkbutter paste feeder again today though. I was happy to see a big ol' Pilated Woodpecker yesterday up in the redbud tree at the edge of the yard.  It obviously was getting what it needed there because it didn't come down to the feeders.

Julie made it home safely from her trip around midnight last night. We give God thanks for her safe travels. She had a conference in Cleveland Ohio which is a long drive from Louisville, KY. But, had she flown, it would have taken her just as long because she would have had to fly south to Charlotte, NC in order to get north to Cleveland. Yeh, it sounds dumb, but that is how it is. So, she picked up another store manager on the way in Richmond, IN and that way she at least had a travel buddy to keep her awake.

I got the John Deere out yesterday and mulched up the leaves in my front yard and then went over to neighbor Dan's yard and did his. My back yard will get done today. We're to have rain both Saturday and Sunday so I want to get this batch mulched up before the rain makes them soggy and brings more down on them. I thought my poplars were about done but boy, the one is only about half done. There are a lot of leaves up there yet to fall. So, this will be a mulch, -- repeat, process for a few weeks yet. The three big Maples that surround my property have yet begun to really drop much either, and a lot of those will be mine to clean up. I sure with I could get my JD in my back yard. It would be a lot easier.

Ms. Kate and I haven't had time to discuss any plans for today yet but it is Friday and that is my day off. At the moment, we haven't gotten past coffee time. So it is time to finsh my coffee and have a chat and see what the day holds. In the mean time, I wish you a blessed day.

A bright and sunny good morning to you! Today is a polar opposite to yesterday. The sun is shining brightly and there are no clouds in the sky. Only a slight breeze is blowing and the temperature is 57 degrees. Unfortunately that about maxes out our temperature for today since we are only supposed to reach 61 degrees. But the sunshine makes it look warmer anyway as aopposed to the gloom of yesterday. Yesterday looked cold, but actually it wasn't.

The robins have been busy at the Holly tree next door stripping all of the berries off of the tree. There isn"t the flock of hundreds that we have at time had here. That is okay because fewer robins means less poop all over every thing. But there are several dozen of them in this wave. I guess it is a migratory stop for them since this happens annually.

Since the sun is shining so brightly, I'll go fill all of the feeders up today. I also want to blow off the sidewalks and perhaps much up the leaves agan with the mower. Yesterday afternoon I pulled up the tomato plants and collected my last four small tomatoes of the season. If it isn't too muddy, I'll cut off the asparagus today too. It is a good day to be outside breathing some clean rain washed air.

I did my visitation yesterday at the two nursing homes. My 102 year old lady was soundly sleeping and I didn't wake her. Seeing her lay there reminded me of seeing Ms. Kate's grandmother many years ago as she lay in a nursing home bed. She would never be awake when we got there and she had shrunk down in size to the point one could hardly tell she was in the bed. She was like that for a very long time. I don't wish that existence for my parishioner. Her mind has been gone for several months now and she has zero quality of life. I know that everything works on God's schedule and there is a purpose and a reason for God's actions. Sometimes though we have to really search for meaning, and sometimes we simply never find it. And so for this lady I only pray that she can still recognize the warmth and comfort of God's love.

We ran the bulletins and monthly newsletter yesterday and then stayed around the church for choir practice. The cantata is coming along. Some songs are harder than others but we are working our way through them. I am so blessed that the people of the churches respond positively to almost everything I ask of them. I chose this cantata music and how we should do it and it is taking some extra practice time for several people, but they come out and they do it. Likewise, we are running two charity funding drives at the churches and people once again have stepped up and responded very well. We have two weeks left of our Operation Christmas Child drive. On the 15th of November, we will assemble the shoe boxes and fill them. Last year we filled fifty seven shoeboxes and I think we mught have enough stuff to beat that this year. The people of this parish are truly wonderful people with a strong mission heart. As I said, I am truly blessed to be their pastor. I know of a lot of churches that do not have this kind of relationship with their pastor.

So, that is just one of the things that I lift up praise to the Lord for this morning. I also lift up thanks for this beautiful fall day and all that it might bring. I also lift up prayers of gratitude for those of you who read my blog. I would write it even if no one read it; but it is nice to know that you and I spend a few moments of our day together. I pray your day will be blessed and full of peace and joy. Shalom.

It isn't raining at the moment but looks like it could any moment. I don't really know how much rain we had because the "official" report said two to four inches and I had seven inches in my rain guage, but the guage was dry before this started. I do know the ground is pretty waterlogged.

Mr. Squirrel is frustrated this morning because most of the feeders it can rob are empty. That's what it gets for being a pig-a-saures yesterday and eating it all. I have no pity. It is out there looking for sunflowers seeds on the ground and having to eat soggy ones it can scratch up. Poor thing; maybe a hawk will swoop down and take it away and put it out of its misery. I did go out and replenish the bark butter paste for the woodpeckers though this morning. I keep that here in the sun room and the feeders are basically two steps out the door. It didn't take the woodpeckers long to discover that the feeders were full again. I've had both downy and ladderback woodpeckers here already.

The leaves are falling like snow today due to being wet and there is a fairly steady breeze. Hopefully tomorrow it will dry out some and I can clean it all up again. There are six large trees that surround my yard on the neighbors properties and I have my two large poplars. So, I get a lot of leaves in my back yard. That doesn't include the row of twenty foot high fire bushes that line my south fence line back here. But, while it does cause me a little extra work, they also keep my house cool with all the shade and provide a marvelous sanctuary for my birds. So --- no complaints here.

It is Wednesday and of course that means an afternoon at the churches, visitation, and choir practice. We also have to do a little banking and we need to go to Princeton and check with a lady that we are going to have re-upholster a couple of chairs. We picked out the fabric back in June and she said at the time that she couldn't get to us before October or November. So, we need to check with her and see where we are on her list. I guess we could call her except we only know where she is located and not her phone number. We aren't very smart about some things. So, we'll drive up. I have to go right  by her shop for my visitation anyway.

I did get my sermon done that I was working on yesterday and took time to practice on my trumpet. The rest of the day I just enjoyed a lazy rainy day. So far today I've had a cup of coffee, and sat here inmy recliner. I listened to a great UTube sermon from Max Lucado and read my scripture, and offered up my praise to the Lord for yet another day on this world. I call that a successful start to my day. I hope your day goes well. I give thanks to God that Julie made it safely to Cleveland despite the rain and crappy traffic, and pray her journey back home will be even better. Take time today to give thanks to your creator for your bounty of blessings. Reach out, take the hand of the Holy Spirit and walk on towards tomorrow. Peace.

The red, orange, and yellow of the leaves in the neighbor's yards look beautiful even in the rain this morning. Our's --- not so much, as most of our poplar leaves are down now and they are never really a pretty fall color any way. I thought most of my bird friends would be seeking shelter this morning but they appear to be hungrier than ever. I've had a couple of cardinals so far but lots and lots of the small birds such as finches, wrens, titmouse and nut hatch. There will be more cardinals in another forty five minutes or so. It is still a bit early for them. I'm hearing some kind of bird out there with a totally unrecognizeable call. I'm hoping it will fly in so I can identify it.

We are supposed to have rain, heavy at times until tomorrow. Forecasters are saying two to three inches for parts of the area. So, it is going to be a dreary fall day around here. The temperature is currently 53 degrees and won't go above 70 degrees today. Frankly, it is a good morning to pull my chair blanket up over me and take a snooze. I was up earlier than usual this morning for no known reason, so a nap could happen.

It is also a good day to spend writing. I'm half way through the sermon that I'm writing and I'm stuck. So, I could maybe work on writing the narrative for the cantata; (I wrote the small parts for the children last night), or I could start on a different sermon. I also need to practice my trumpet number that I'm working on. I have two and a half weeks to have that ready. I'll be playing it for the prelude at my St. Lucas service on the 15th of November. So, --- rain oor no rain, there is always something to be done.

One of the benefits of this rain is that I have a volunteer poplar tree out front in a flower bed that I want to transplant to a different location in my front yard. This rain will help to loosen the soil so I can dig it out. The location we have picked out for it will provide nice shade for the front yard in a few years. When we bought this place back in 2001, we had a really nice Black Gum tree in the front yard. It provided good shade and the leaves were beautiful in the fall. But they are a tree that just keeps on giving. They give those little gumballs by the thousands to trip over and step on. They give lots of leaves to rake, and those gumballs contain seeds that sprout into hundreds of more little sapplings that I'm still trying to get rid of even though I cut that tree down ten years ago. Now there is a nice raised flower bed where that tree used to be. That little poplar is about three and a half feet tall. In ten years it will be easily twenty five feet tall.

It is raining a little harder now. The small birds have all gone and the cardinals are pretty much have the place to themselves with the exception of old Mr. Fuss-a-lot, the bluejay. The cardinals are hiding in and out of the fire bushes for cover. They fly to a feeder, get a seed or two and fly back to cover. They brighten an otherwise gloomy morning. So, I give God thanks for my cardinals this morning and thanks for the rain that will loosen the soil so I can dig my tree up in a few days. Finding the joy in the little things and recognizing them as blessings in my life is what it is all about as far as I am concerned. We sing a hymn at church  called "God Will Take Care of You". And God certainly does take care of us. My prayer today is also that God will take caare of Julie as she heads to Ohio for her meeting in this rain. And, I pray your day will be full of love and peace. Shalom!

Happy new week! It is 52 degrees this orning and a partly cloudy, breezy morning that is blowing is some rain for later and then the real rain comes tomorrow and Wednesday. We are expecting a couple of inches between now and Wednesday night. It's all good though.

We had a good weekend, busy -- but good. Each church had a Halloween party for the youngsters and the oldsters as well. The food was good and the kids were all cute in their little Halloween costumes. Ms. Kate made two apple pie this weekend and now there is a half of one left. We also went to Sam's Club yesterday afternoon and picked up a three layered Coconut Cake to take to last night's party. Half of that is sitting in my kitchen. So -- the blood sugars are in danger this week as is the calorie intake. But, besides sweets, we also have a bevy of other party leftovers to eat this week.

Last nght we had the most gorgeous closing sky. It was a scarlet red and the cloud formation to go with it was magnificent. I took a picture of it with my phone and I see that others did too and posted them on Facebook. Even my cousin, 125 miles away, spoke of it on Facebook; it was that spectactular. I think that sometimes we need a reminder that says "I am still God" pasted across the sky for all the world to see.

I spoke Saturday in my blog about the hurricane that hit Mexico and prayed for safety for those in the path of it. God is good, and prayers do get answered. The hurricane hit the coast and baically fell apart. Yes, there was destruction, but so far, I have heard of no deaths associated with this storm. So, I raise my prayers of praise and gratitude this morning. The rain we are getting in the next couple of days is from the outflow of that storm.

This morning we have cardinals, a couple of woodpeckers, some house finches and goldfinches, a couple of sparrows & nut hatches and even one starling all at the backyard buffet. And one fat squirrel sits out there hogging one feeder. Old Calico cat came through and the squirrel fussed at it the entire time. I think that is pretty cool because old squirrel sounds the warning to all of the birds and they stay off of the ground. Cooperate and graduate, as we used to say. I can't tell for sure but it looks like I may have to go fill a couple of the feeders today. Certainly the bark butter paste feeders have been emptied. The robins just came in for their baths so I may have to go fill the bird baths too; although, I just might let the rain fill them back up. I see the junkos are starting to return too. That is a sure sign of fall.

Julie is off to Cincinatti OH this week for a meeting so I pray for safe travels for her. This week is also Halloween week so her days of haunting at the Baxter Avenue Morgue are rapidly coming to a close for another year.  She does love doing that; but she wears her self beyond worn out. So, I'm glad to see the season come to an end for her.

The coffee cup is empty and I need to take the mail to the box so I reckon it is time to sign off for today. I pray your day will be pleasant and that you will recognize all of the blessings that God is laying on you this week. Peace.

Good morning and a happy Saturday morning. I'm back after two days of a great class. It was called ASIST; (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), and was held locally at Deaconess Hospital. We had 33 people in the class and the interaction from the class was really good. If any of you reading this ever get the chance to take this class, I highly recommend you do so. Our class was mostly educators, nursing students, social workers, and clergy; but it is a class that anyone can use. I'm sure you could look it up on line and find a location near you that might be sponsoring it.

My yard has filled up with leaves again although the amout is getting less after each time I rake and mulch them. We are supposed to get rain today, and tonight and that will bring down a lot more. While most of my leaves are about done falling from the trees, the fall foliage is really starting to be beautiful around the area. I heard it is supposed to peak in this area next weekend.

I have robins again this morning. They were up on the bird bath which is full of leaves and water. I wondered if they were going to try to bathe in that water and leaves or just drink. They just drank and looked around  as if they were wondering why I haven't cleaned it out for them. Some times, I'm not a very good host. Heaven forbid that I wouldn't rush to insure the comfort of the robins and other birds. This is the sanctuary for the spoiled ya' know.

I haven't heard any news yet this morning and so I don't know how things are going down in Mexico with the hurricane. I know it hit land last night at 200 mph and is the worst hurricane ever recorded in this hemisphere. That has to be terribly frightening. I lift up my prayers for the people of Mexico and south Texas as well because that is where it is headed next. We are supposed to get just minor outflow from the wind and rain mid week next week. The news was all about all of the US Citizens that were caught up in the storm and how bad it was for them. And while I am concerned for their safety --- they paid to be there instead of vacationing at home. The 20 million Mexicans in the path of this storm stand to lose everything and will be years re-building. I pray no lives are lost, although that is a lot to pray for given the severity of this storm.

Sneaky Calico Cat was here again this morning when I came out to the sun porch. It quickly went running off as soon as it saw me. That was probably in the best interest of its rear end. My BB gun sits right by the door. I haven't seen Yellow Cat yet today.

We have Halloween parties tonight and tomorrow night at the two chuches. Ms. Kate is going to make  something to take tonight, a dessert and soup was the suggestions for tonight. One of the fellows is tasked to bring the brats. I don't know what is planned to take tomorow night. I do know that whatever is there is at either church is going to be good. Church lady cooking is just hard to beat.

It is time to get busy on today's list of chores. The wind is picking up as our rain and showers move this way. It shsould provide a good watering for the plants that we put in recently, so, I say thank you to the Lord who provides all things.

Have a blessed day.

Good Thursday evening. This will probably be my Thursday and Friday blog. I'm attending an all day class again tomorrow so there is no sun porch time. It is a really good class and is on Suicide prevention and recognition. We have twenty eight people in the class and three of us are United Church of Christ ministers. The fourth minister in the class is a Catholic Priest. There was really good  discussion today and there were people with all levels of experience with suicide. Some of us have had people who work for us commit suicide but more than half of the class have had either friends or relatives that have "suicided". That's the term being used instead of saying someone committed suicide. And at least one of the class members has attempted suicide at some point in their life. So, I'll need to be in class early tomorrow for another full day.

My only view from the sun room tonight is darkness. But today was a beautiful day, oor at least what I saw of it during class breaks. This evening I have watched a little TV, played my computer games and had my supper. That's about it.

Yessterday we went to the churches and ran the bulletins, and then we stayed for choir. We worked on our number for the 22nd of November and also the Christmas cantata. Before choir, Brenda and I went over the song that I'm using for my trumpet solo on the 15th of November. It went really well for a first run through together.

So, I'm now ready to watch the news and head to bed. I pray your Friday will be a blessed as well as your weekend. Blessings.

A very good morning to the world this morning! Gosh, it's beautiful out again this morning, although I'm a bit fuzzy brained and bleary eyed yet. Per my usual habit, I got out of bed and went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot; put creamer in Ms. Kate's cup and waited for the pot to finish. The pot signaled ready and I poured a cup and headed to the sun porch and was just about there when I realized I had poured Ms. Kate's coffee cup full instead of pouring my cup of black coffee. So, back to the kitchen, poured her coffee in a thermal cup to keep it warm until she got up and then poured my coffee. That's how it is when actions become creature habits and automatic. But here I am, with no danger of creamed coffee crossing my lips. I shudder at the thought.

Ms. Kate and I sat up and watched back to back episodes of Survivor last night until a little after 0100 hrs. We've been having trouble with our cable. The picture stops and then starts again; it comes in all pixilated and the On Demand feature actually says we are in "time out". So, stuff that we have recorded on the DVR has just been terrible to try to watch. I called Time Warner yesterday and they have allegedly "fixed the error", But we still have already recorded programs to watch and catch up on from vacation. The On Demand feature still didn't work properly yet last night so I may be calling them again today. I find it amazing that I can call them --- where ever they might be and they can flip switches and do key strokes at their end and it fixes stuff on my cable box.

Neighbor Dan and his wife got home froom California last night. I picked them up at the airport around 2200 last night. They have been gone for forty days to visit her family in CA. They do this every year. I would go nuts being gone that long. I get too paranoid about what might have gone wrong with the house. My folks used to be "snow birds" to the Phoenix, AZ area for six months out of every year. She loved it; him, not so much because I think he got a bit claustrophobic in their small trailer. I couldn't even consider asking someone to look after my house that long. One of my long time friends and his wife just bought a motor home and they are taking a year and just going where ever they go. That sounds wonderful, but I'm more tied to "my stuff" than I want to be, and besides --- some of us gotta work. But, it is good to have Dan back across the street. It's good to have someone to stand in the middle of the street with and solve all of the world's problems.

My coffee cup is empty and it is time for me to stop watching my robins and cardinals and squirrels and get on with today's list of chores. It's Wednesday and that means spending a few hours at the churches and choir practice this evening. I pray your day will be filled with love. My sister goes back to work today for the first time since the funeral and I hope she has a good "first day" for that routine.  No matter what you are doing today --- never forget that God walks with you through the Holy Spirit. Have a blessed day.

It is a much warmer morning that greets me today. The temperature is 57 degrees and will hit the 70's today. That's fall in southern Indiana. It's a breezy morning though. There aren't a lot of my bird friends out there this morning. One lone fuzzy tail hangs from a bird feeder as a squirrel has breakfast. I filled all of the feeders again yesterday and it dawned on me that this was only the second time since we got home from vacation three weeks ago that I have had to fill them, and they were not really all that empty. With harvest season going on, there are plenty of place for them to eat. And, the fact that the grackles and the blackbirds haven't been around has helped the feeders stay relatively full. I haven't had any robins in a couple of days either; but then they never eat from feeders. Nor have there been that many squirrels around. But, everything will be back in full force as soon as it starts to remain cold.

My yard looks pretty good this morning. I did my raking and mulching yesterday. I filled my compost barrel with mowed up leaves. It won't take long and they will disolve into a fraction of what I put in there. I just keep throwing in the scraps  and it all breaks down.

I broke way from my blog for awhile to try to scout out some cabins somewhere for our next vacation. We know we could go to the Gatlingburg area and find a place very easily. However, it can get a bit more dicey when one thinks cabins in the woods and mountain areas during December in the mid-west. So, the search is on. We aren't hard to please and all we are really looking for is a quiet place to relax --- that isn't my sun porch. Last year we found such a place over in the Lancaster PA area and even though it rained most of the time, the fireplace was cozy and we enjoyed just being there. There is a place that is close to Julie's home that we really liked. I wish it were pet friendly so Julie and Jim could maybe sneak over for a couple of nights.

I got some good work done last evening but still have a lot to do. I completed some worship services but now I need to do some sermon writing. Thank goodness I don't have to rush doing them and working on two and three weeks out. That give the thoughts a chance to swirl around in my old brain and maybe come out so they are comprehensible. I sometimes feel as if I'm just saying the same thing over and over and perhaps I am. But, on the other hand, the message is pretty simple; love God, love your neighbor as yourself, follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior.  wonder what people would think if some Sunday I got up in the pulpit, said those four things, wished them a blessed week and said we're done. That would be an interesting experiment.

I've been in this chair too long and I need to get busy doing something else. I pray you will have a wonderful rest of your day and will take the opportunity to get in touch with God. It's a great thing to do. Peaee.

Welcome to a brand new week. The sun is shining brightly  and illuminating the brilliant red on the cardinals sitting out there on the bird baths. I think they must be having a staff meeting because there are so many out there this morning, despite the fact that it is thirty seven degrees. They look like a bunch of office workers standing around the coffee pot or the water cooler.

There are a couple of squirrels out there too on the feeders. The calico cat came strolling through the yard earlier until it saw me and then its stroll was a bit more hurried. The squirrels barked at it all the way across the yard. It went slinking off under the picket fence. It would seem though that my yard has become Route 66 for those two cats as they pass through my yard at least a couple times a day. There is another squirrel sitting out on the end of a branch of the poplar tree swishing its tail like a kid with a new toy bull whip. I expect there is going to be a fight out here on the ground shortly as they challenge each other for feeders. See what an entertaining life I lead in the mornings?

We had a good weekend. Church attendance was good yesterday at both churches. I can tell that the harvest is winding down a bit because some of the guys are back in church. It has been an excellent harvest again this year. We give God praise for that. The weather has been staying dry for the most part so there is no problems for the guys to get in the fields. Actually, they could use some rain to hold down the dust accumulation in and on the machinery and prevent the machines from catching fire. But, I am seeing fewer combines and more tractors with discs etc as they prep the ground for the next crop. I guess some will still plant winter wheat. I don't know if it is too late for that or not. I wish I knew more about all of that.

I finished my Wm. Young novel and have passed it on for a read by someone else. I think that is the way to show respect for a book and its author. I have yet to decide whether I liked the book or not. It was really complex and it stayed true to the Biblical version of the creation of God's earth and universe. I think the hesitancy on my part is the "other-worldliness" of the characters and their relationship with God. Biblical literalist will hate the book just as they did "The Shack". But, if the reader just remembers that this is a fiction book; --- yeh, it's a good read. Besides, it's kind of neat to open my mind and try to imagine what existence is on God's level before there was an earth.

My day must get started beyond the confines of my very comfortable recliner and excellent view if my micro-kingdom outside the windows and doors of my sunporch. I must first offer my gratitude to God for yet another excellent day and another week to somehow make a difference in somebodies life, even if it is just mine. I heard a man last night talking about the loss of his sister who was killed in a traffic accident here a couple of weeks ago. The woman was from Haiti and the man said it is hard for Americans to imagine the impact of her loss. She was sending most of her earning from her American job back to her large extended family. He said not only did they lose someone they loved dearly, but they have lost the only source of income for a lot of people in a country where there are no jobs.  So, my prayers also go up this morning for that woman's family and all of the families like hers.  Count your blessings today because I can guarntee you that your cup runs over with the goodness of God. Peace!

And a happy sunny Saturday to you. It is 48* outside with a bit of a breeze. I was out a minute or two ago to clean the leaves out of the birdbaths and to add a gallon of water to one of them. That water that is already in the bird bath is cold!! And yet, the robins are here this morning and one would think it was a water park or "Splash City" for them as they jump in the water and take their baths this morning.  Well, it is Saturday after all.

God has presented us with another day of beauty as the sun slowly creeps over the roof of my house and lights up the back yard.  It would appear we had our first light frost last night bcause I see patches of frost over on Ms. Margret's roof. The sun hasn't hit her roof yet because of the trees blocking it. I expect it won't be long and the sun will top the trees and that frost will be gone. Our high tempeerature today is only going to 57 degrees. That is definitely jacket and sweatshirt weather, espeecially with a breeze. Our weather guy said we have seen our last eighty degree day for the year although some upper seventies aren't yet out of the question. That is typical fall in our region. He also said the National Weather Forecasters predict that we wil have a warmer and dryer winter this year. That is exactly the opposite of what the Farmer's Almanac says. I reckon whoever God has put in charge of the weather will decide. I just hope it isn't somebodies wild and crazy Uncle Guido. We'll get what ever we get and deal with it.

I don't know that we have anything specific on our schedule today. Tomorrow of course will be a busy day as we get back into the normal schedules we keep. I'll do two church services, followed by a church council meeting and then lunch. Then we'll come home, do our Sunday nap and then I'll get busy working on planning services for November. I could do that today but I'm determined to take this last day off from working unless some member of the parish needs me for somethng today. Next week will be busy as I have a two day class on Suicide Prevention with the local Hospital/Clergy group at Deaconess Hospital.

It is a "no smiley face" day for Julie. Her best friend has been down from New England for this week and has to head home today. She is a really nice person and she and Julie totally compliment each other. I'm glad Julie has a friend  like her. I think everyone should have that one best friend and yet I'd be hard pressed to name one for myself beyond Ms. Kate. I know a lot of people and yes, I have a lot of friends whom I love and am loved by; --- but having that one "best friend" or BFF as they call it, I don't think so. I think that makes me a bit sad.

My prayers go out this morning for some specific members of my parish who have had recent surgeries and hospital stays. I've watched as a couple of them who are older than me have really slowd down and just don't look healthy. I pray they don't let the winter get to them as so often happens to the elderly. I also lift up my sister who should be heading back to work come Monday. This should be her first day back to "normal" expectations and life since Byron's death. I expect she will immerse herself in her job in order to delay the the full on set of loss. Her grieving process began months ago, as it did for all of us, when he was first diagnosed with the cancer. I pray God will comfort her and the kids too.

Time for me to pour a second cup of coffee and sit and watch the robins and the cardinals challenge each other for the water in the bird bath. I pray you will have a most blessed weekend. Peace!

One lone robin was here this morning again. However, we have sevral Cardinals enjoying breakfast ttoday again. I came out around 0700 and there was a danged cat in the yard again, obviously waiting for one of my birds to make a fatal mistake.. It took off as soon as it saw me come out to the sun porch. This is a second cat, a young calico. It has been the receipient of a BB or two in the past which might explain why it took off when it saw me. We've never had a problem with stray animals until recently and I don't like it. One thing though is that we've never had any stray dogs running the neighborhood. Of course, my back yard is fenced so they wouldn't be in here anyway. But most people in this subdivision are very good about walking their dogs and also picking up after them. And, bless Julie and Jim's heart, they do poop patrol before they leave when they come over and bing the Barkingtons.

I had a delicious piece of apple pie for breakfast again this morning. The first pie Ms. kate made is gone already. I post a lot about Ms. Kate's pie baking on Facebook and my "friends" must think I eat pie every day of my life. The reality is that Ms. Kate basically makes pies twice a year; peach season and apple season. Well, and of course at Thanksgiving and Christmas she might spring out a pumpkin pie. The rest of the year if I want a piee of pie, I'll get it with a meal that we eat out. Then, I generally will get a piece of coconut merengue. We have some good pie making eateries around here and that can't be said for a lot of the places we have lived. But --- I'll take a piece of pie over cake any day of the week. Cake is generally just a crust to put under a couple of scoops of ice cream.

We finished filling the new flower bed yesterday. Today I need to go to Lowes and pick up a couple of large bags of mulch and put that down. Or maybe, I'll wait for Jim to bring my truck back and go to the co-op and get a scoop from there. We have put in a lot of hard work this week so I think we will just take it easy for the most part today. I need to practice my horn solo and I also need to practice my  solo part of the choral anthem for this Sunday. I'm about three fourths of the way through my novel that I'm reading and I want to maybe finish that today too. Admittedly I'm a slow reader. Julie would have read three books in the time it has taken me to read this much. But -- when I read; I devour. I can put the book down and leave it for as long as I want and pick it back up and know exactly what was happening when I put it down. But as I said yesterday, this book has me hooked and I want to get to the end. I think I know by now where it will lead me but I have to find out if I am right. Fictional theology is a tricky genre to ingest. I was hoping it might make a good book for a Bible study/book discussion at the church; but I don't think most of our folks would like it or even understand it. I'm having a little trouble with it and I like this kind of stuff. I'm going to ask one of our ladies at chuch to read it. She led our last Bible study/book discussion and it was on "The Shack".  I value her input and she is a wonderful teacher.

My coffee is done; my pie is gone, and the birds have flown off for now. Time for me to get busy. I hope your day is filled with blessings. Well, I already know it will be --- I just pray that you will take the time to stop and notice them and enjoy them. God is good and the Holy Spirit will be with you regardless what kind of day you might think you are having. Peace!

Another Thursday has arrived and it is a beautiful one. The sun is shining brightly, spotlighting the brilliant red on the cardinals and the orange breast of the robins. Yes, the robins are back this morning. One was siting on the bird bath as I came out to the sun porch. I think it was debating as to whether it wanted to get in the water or just drink some of the water. It is fifty degrees out, I wonder if birds actually feel cold when they experience it. The robin was all puffed up against the cold but I suspect that is an involuntary reaction that God built in to them, as opposed to any kind of thought process. It finally just took a drink and flew off.

The wind is calm today for the most part. The sun should warm the air fairly quickly to our forecast 72* today. Ms. Kate and I only got a couple of iris planted yesterday and a couple more peonies. But -- we got most of our other stuff on the "to do" list done and best of all ---  she made two apple pies. Hopefully today we will get most of the iris moved that she wants moved. I should wear a sign that says: "Will work for pie!"

Choir practice went fairly well considering that we had as many people missing as we had there. We'll be singing this Sunday for the 10:30 service. We've also begun working on the songs for the Christmas Cantata. This year we pulled out some old music that the choir last sang in 1974. It isn't a cantata per se, but we are going to turn it into one. I will write the narrative for it and I'm sure it will go fine. I hope to find a way that I can work in our few young children to be a part of it. We always do the Christmas Cantata as a combined parish worship service, and one of the things my old mentor taught me me was to do things that will give people a reason to come to the service. Having children participate is one of those things that brings in the family and relatives. It might be a bit of a shameful "tactic" but a full sanctuary raising their voices in praise to God is about the best sound on earth. It rates right up there with the first cry of a newborn child or the belly laugh of a toddler. You just have to smile and have good thoughts during any one of those events.

I have to get back to practicing my trumpet today. I was doing good with it until we took off for vacation and haven't been back to it since. I have promised myself that I will play sometime during November and plan to play "My Prayer". It is a little difficult for an asthmatic with an out of shape lip. I've asked our organist to bring her music for it next week and we will give it a go before choir practice just to insure we are both thinking the same way about it.

My coffee cup needs to be refilled and I must go have a piece of apple pie for breakfast. Ms. Kate is having her leftover chicken gizzards for breakfast. We went out to the Log Inn for dinner last evening before choir and she brought half of her plate of gizzards home.  That girl has always loved her chicken gizzards. On our wedding day we took off for our honeymoon to Nashville, TN and stopped for the night in Madfisonville, KY. We had supper in the resturant in the hotel. She ordered gizzards. I convinced the waiter to bring us a glass of champaign since it was our wedding night, even though she was only 18 at the time. I don't recall what I had, --- but she had chicken gizzards and champaign.   That's the way it is with us "fancy folk".

Have a blessed day.

Robins!! We have robins this morning to go along with our 48 degrees and sunshine. There were only a couple here but we haven't had robins here for about three months, or late spring. So maybe they are beginning to migrate back through. I haven't checked the holly trees to see if they are full of berries or not. One a year the robins flock in by the hundreds and strip all of the berries off of the holly trees. It is not only amazing to watch, but they leave a heck of a poop mess everywhere. They generally stay a couple of days and then move on. So, I don't know if this is an advance party to the migration or if they are going to stick around. We'll see what happens.

Yesterday was Byron's funeral. It was well done by the minister of the church in which he was raised; then he was buried at the cemetery down the road from the church. The cemetery sits on a hillside, --  and from his grave point, you can see the house in which he was raised. So, his body has come home and his soul has gone home; very fitting. I was honored to do the commital at graveside. Now, -- that  chapter is done; it is time to turn the page. Life's story for each of us is not yet over. But to find out how it ends, we must move on. Our memories are how we can go back and read favorite passages again.

I am reading a new Wm. Paul Young book called "Eve". You may remember that he is the author of "The Shack" that caame out a few years ago. "Eve" is a fictional novel as was his other books, but it is as enthralling as the last one. I'm not sure where it is leading me but it has certainly drawn me in. While "The Shack" dealt with the concepts of the Holy Trinity and God's grace and forgiveness in a totally new and fictional way, --- "Eve" is dealing with God's creation of the worls and mankind in a whole new and fictional way. I'm half way through it and it is one of those "hard to put down" books.

Back to the more mundane issues of life; today is laundry day, rake and mulch some leaves day, and transplant iris and more peonies day. Then this evening we'll go to choir practice. Yep, the vacation that wasn't ---- is now over. I'm going to put my bagger on my little lawn mower today when I mulch up the leaves. I emptied my compost bin the other day and need to start putting new stuff in the barrel. That thing really works well and it is amazing how table scraps and leaves and vegatables peelings transform into dirt. It might not be way up there on God's list of wonders; it it is still amazing to me.

My coffee cup is empty, my morning devotional has been read, my silly Facebook games has been played and I'm caught up on the happenings of the world and my family through Facebook chat and messenger. The only thing left is another cup of coffee and some quiet contemplation and prayer. Please know that you, where ever you are, and whoever you are, are included in those prayers. I pray you will have a blessed day; and I pray you will experience the love and grace of Jesus in your life. Shalom.

Ahhh, Monday morning and I'm up early today. I woke with a vicious headache, which for me is really unusual. I have hedaches so infrequently that I guess any headache feels vicious to me. But this one was a two Advil Gelcap variety. Thankfully it has diminished over the last hour somewhat.

The sky is cloudy; the wind is blowing and it is sixty degrees. A low pressure front  is coming in which most likely accounts for my headache. But, it is supposed to warm to 81 today, so we shall see what happen. In the mean time my coffee cup is still about half full and good and hot. I have one of those Mr. Coffee cup warming plates sitting here and it does an excellent job of keeping my coffee quite drinkable no matter how long I might set here.

I'm still officially on vacation, although I did go downstairs and do some sermon work last evening. Everything is fully ready for this coming Sunday but there is always a "next" Sunday to prepare for. Tomorrow is Byron's funeral and I will do the graveside portion of that. Then Wednesday is choir practice and since we are singing this coming Sunday, Ms. Kate and I need to go to choir practice and catch up on what we might have missed last week. So, --- on vacation or not --- I think we are back to work. The only thing on my actual schedule today though is to take the car in for servicing. My instruments tell me I have only 5% oil life left and I have an appointment at 1600 hrs to have it serviced. The Cadillac uses nothing but synthetic oil so I'm glad that my required servicing is free. That is some expensive stuff. On the other hand, I only have to have it changed every 7,500 miles.

We planted ten new peonies in the new and expanded flowerbed on Saturday. Maybe today we will get some of the iris moved in to it too. Today is also Columbus Day, the day that Christopher Columbus bumped into the Bahamas. I 've studied the glorified history of the event and still don't understand the big deal, and understand even less why it is a federal holiday. It's not like Columbus actually knew where he was; and he wasn't where he intended to be. Nor did he "discover" anything, --- because there were already indigenous people here and had been for a thousand years or so. When Moses was walking people across a parted Red Sea, there were people native to this country paddling across what would become named the Mississippi River. I'll bet you never ran that thought across your mind. See what getting up early does to me???

The clouds are lifting and the sun is burning off any haze that is out there. The cardinals are having a breakfast of sunflower seeds and peanuts. The woodpeckers are at the barkbutter feeders, and the squirrels are chasing one another from tree limb to tree limb. The back yard is a busy place this morning. As I sit here and enjoy all of this I continue to lift up my sister in prayers for comfort. I think they may be coming in tonight but don't know for sure. The funeral visitation starts at 0900 tomorrow morning and it is a five hour drive down here. Like all new widows and widowers, she has some tough times ahead for awhile. So, I'm just asking that God continue to be the strength she needs.  I also continue to lift up the people of South Carolina as they wait for the flood waters to fully recede and they can get in to their neighborhoods and homes and try to salvage something of thier lives. The same goes for the 1600 or more homeowners in California who are without homes that were destroyed by ravaging forest fires. These problems don't go away overnight just because the news reporters no longer cover the story.

I bid you God's peace.

Saturday morning and the sky is a brilliant blue and the sun is bright. The 55* temperature just adds to the flavor of fall. Today is the last day of our Fall Festival on the west side of town and it is a great day for it. I have no doubt it will be packed until closing tonight. The Fall Festival is the second largest street festival in the country, second only to Mardi Gras; and it is all done for charity. There are food booths lined up and down Franklin Street sponsored and manned by volunteers from every conceivable organization, church, and fraternity/sorority. Most of those booths have been there for years, and the food is always great. There are people who actually take vacation just to spend every day at the Fall Festival. I think this is the 94th year for the festival. The only "for profit" things are the carnival rides and booths. As a kid, I always played in the talent contest; sometimes with my sister, sometimes as a solo act. We/I usually won. We had an accordion and trumpet act that was unique for its time. Well, --- and we were cute too!! I also marched with the Reitz High School band for four years in a row playing my trumpet. Seems like we always got stuck behind the horses.

Ms. Kate and I got a lot of work done yesterday. I got everything that was on my list completed and that was a tall order. The new flowerbed is ready for us to plant the new peonies today. I want to wait until it gets up to at least 60 degrees though. Ms. Kate gets chilled easily and that won't do. If we get those in the ground, I also need to dig up some of the iris that way under the Japanese Maple tree and getting no sun at all. We'll put those all in the new bed too. I hope I've made it big enough.

In the mean time, we need to go to the grocery store and pick up some fresh veggies and stuff. Sams's is most likely calling our name although I'd rather be beat than go to a Walmort or Sams's on a weekend. And, we'll grab a bite to eat while we are out.

I talked to my sister this morning and she is adjusting and coping at the moment. The funeral visitation up there is all set and the visitation and funeral service here is all set too. Their grandson Alex will be doing part of the very short service here and I'll do the graveside comittal. The weather is forecast to be like today and that will help to heal the heart.

My coffee cup is about empty for the second time so it is time for me to vacate the very comfortable recliner and get busy. God has presented us with a wonderful day and I don't want to waste any of it. I hope your day is filled with blessings and a sense of peace that comes from the presence of God. Shalom.

God took Byron home yesterday. His struggles are over with that stupid cancer and all of the stuff that accompanies being treated for it. Sheila is going to the funeral home this morning to handle the arrangements. They live up around Springfield, IL and have for many, many years; but their cemetery plots are down here so that complicates the amount of things she'll have to do. Our prayers are certainly with her and the family. These few days will be a whirlwind of things to do and then the void will set in when everyone has gone home, the last casserole has been eaten or tossed out, the last of the flowers have wilted, and his chair is empty. I think that is when we need prayers of support the most. I watched my sister-in-law Karen go through the same thing several years ago when Kenny died. Then come the "firsts"; first Thanksgiving, first birthday, first Christmas without the loved one sitting there beside you. And the hard part is looking up and seeing everyone else going about their "normal life". Every one of us knows that for the living, death is a hard thing to survive sometimes. I've found that faith and prayer are the best remedies and the most comforting medicine. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who give me help." I totally believe that.

Our work day today is weather dependent. Yesterday we worked out in the flowerbeds and even got the new one scraped and outlined with bricks. I want to take a couple of wheelbarrow loads of my compost and spread on it and then take the tiller to it and get all of that worked up. I'll also put some Preen on it to kill any weeds that might be left. Although --- Ms. Kate did an excellent job with her sprayer in killing off the grass. She is the Round-Up queen. Then we have several new peonies to plant as well as a bunch of iris to transplant into the new bed. After that I'll get a couple of large bags of mulch and put down. This new bed has been planned all summer and now the weather is right to do it.

My poplar trees are about at the 50% point in their leaf dropping. Today's wind and moisture will help that cause too. The gusts have been doing a jood job of clearing off my roof. Thank you God for  making it so I don't have to get up there. That will come soon enough when it is time to put up the Christmas lights.  I do need to rake some leaves out of the back flower beds, finish trimmimg off the peonies, and mow/mulch up the fallen leaves.The fall clean up is a lot more work than sitting and watching things grow in the springtime.

So, I guess it is time for me to get busy. First though I must stop and give glory to God above for the blessings in my life. I look around at the changing seasons and realize that they are a constant that have been effect since God set it all in motion. God's creation is perfect; it is only spoiled by what we humans do to it. If I have had a part in destroying any of it --- I ask for God's forgiveness. I pray you will have a most blessed day. Take time and do something for someone today. It will improve your life.

Good morning from our "alternate vacation location"; --- my sun porch. By design and planning I am supposed to be sitting on the beach this morning watching the waves roll and in having my coffee. However, that is not the case and Ms. Kate and I are back home. And, while I would really like to be in Vero Beach Florida this morning --- we are safe and home without any further incident. The weather for the drive home was perfect. I was watching the news last night and while the rain may have stopped down there in South Carolins, thousands of homes are still under water, lives have been lost, roads, as many as 500 of them are impassable, and they continue to suffer. My prayers continue for them and I have no right to complain because I'm not on a beach somewhere.

My prayers are flowing for strength for my sister and her family. Byron has reached the point of last days and hours of life in this world. Death is imminent and each time the phone rings, I expect it to be "that call".  He has fought this battle hard and the medicines that they tried for him did in fact give him some extra quality time with his family and grandchildren. I thank God for that and I ask that God be merciful and release him from any suffering and allow him to continue his journey into eternal life. Death never wins; it only changes our plain of existence The caporal becomes the memories of us by those left behind and the soul continues to live in harmony with God's universe as it was before an "earth" even existed. To me, such is the "nature of heaven" and eternal life with Jesus Christ. While I may not rush to it; --- I certainly don't fear it.  God is good --- all the time.

We lost another member on our prayer list yesterday. She too has been fighting a very hard battle with cancer and God has taken her home. I also learned yesterday that one of my Air Force friends from many years ago, has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer.

My birds are certainly happy to see their feeders filled once again. There is a wren sitting out there right now just singing its little heart out.  The cardinals have flown in too. I think I had a dozen this morning. The small downy woodpeckers have discovered the bark butter feeders have ben filled and they keep coming back. The squirrels are still not here but they are circling the yard through the trees. And "yellow cat" came strolling through earlier this morning but didn't dally when he saw me looking at him. We have plenty of work to do today that won't seem much like vacation, but it needs to be done. Having said that -- I better get dressed and ready for a days work and quit just thinking about is.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

0900 hours: The travel saga continues for me and Ms. Kate. The rule is, and always will be, "Turn around --- don't drown". So, here we are, still in Goldsboro North Carolina for one more night. The great news is that we'll get to see Lisa and family for one more night. The good news is that we are safe and the wonderful folks at Seymore Johnson Air Force base have granted us an extra night in the Distinguished Visitor's Quaters despite some General Officers coming in; and we are supposed to have sunshine tomorrow. The bad news is that we have had to spend the morning cancelling reservations all along the way that we had planned to go. We will head back toward Indiana tomorrow. But --- I'm going to stay on vacation and Ms. Kate and I can just have a week or ten days at home.

We've ventured out but the rain still comes down. It isn't a hard rain but it is a nasty cold rain.  I think it is 60* out now and it chills a person pretty quickly. Of course if I were to wear a jacket --- well, you know. But, we were hungry sso we went to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch and then over to Cold Stone for a little dessert since Ms. Amanda was working today. She is such a cutie

1430 hours:  I been watching the news about the flooding. The governor of South Carolina has the entire state under a state of emergency. I-95 still isn't open so it is a good thing that we changed our plans. It is 1430 hours now and the sun hasn't shone through at all. I feel so sorry for all of those folks that are waiting for the water to go back down. Probably thousands or even hundreds of thousands of homes are flooded and people are displaced. But, people being the idiots that are are still getting out in that water to "play". The Governor came out on television a little while ago and warned people to stay out of that water because of all of the contaminates, snakes, and alligators that will be in it. But there is always the invincible that are convinced that they are stronger than nature; then they scream for help when they get overwhelmed. Despite those folks, I certainly offer my prayers for all of the folks that are sitting homeless tonight and will have to go home to water-logged, mud soaked, and molding homes and cars when all of this recedes.

I also offer up prayers for friends and family and ask God's comfort and peace to surround them. Have a blessed day.

It's Saturday morning and we are sitting at Lisa and Gary's business. Gary is behind on getting some of the vehicles out that he has promised for today so I reckon it is going to be a full day of under the hood for him. We are really pleased at the size of his shop and how much business he is bringing in. He even has other garages bringing him work which is really good.

We made it through all of the rain etc to get down here. Yesterday we drove from Asheville, NC to Goldsboro and made it in five hours which really surprised me. We were really blessed with the travel weather yesterday. NC was alleged to expect torrential rain, flash floods, and even "deadly rain." But we probably only had any bad rain for less than an hour. However, the really part was the overspray from the tractor-trailers. But, we just kept on driving and got here eventually without incident and safely. Yea --- for safely.

I don't know what is going to tbe on the agenda for today. Probably will end up over at the outlets and Ms. Kate, Lisa, and Amanda walking around through the Coach outlet store. That won't be cheap. But --- the really good news is that Coach is next door to Bose!! We all have our vices. Right now we are kind of sitting around waiting for Amanda to get here. Last evening we went to her place of work --- Cold Stone Creamery. It is easy to see why her boss likes her so much. She is a customer service professional.

It was nice to be on an Air Force base again. We are staying in the DV quarters at Seymour Johnson Air Force base. It is one of the few "perks" I take advantage of being a retired Air Force Colonel. It isn't free but it is really nice. We could stay at Lisa's house but with their hours of coming and going, this was so much easier, and it is not far from their house. And again, it was nice to be treated to a taste of  Air Force courtesy again.

My prayers today go out to those people who have been caught up in the hurricane and the accompanying rains and storms. A lot of people have had to evacuate their homes. I also still lift up prayers for the 1600 plus folks in California who lost their homes to the wildfires. People tend to forget that while the rest of us move on the next story, those folks are still suffering the loss of their homes and eeverything they own. One of the missions that our denomination, the United Church of Christ does is at Back Bay in Biloxi MS. They are still rebuilding and helping the residents of that area rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, and that has been ten years.

So, as I close and have my prayers, I'll also lift up any of you reading this, and pray your day will be filled with blessings. Shalom.

It's Thursday night and we have had a couple of busy and long days. Yesterday we loaded up the furniture that we had for Julie in the truck, and the furniture we have for Lisa in the Caddy, and hesded to new Albany. Julie finally got the keys to her new house and we got our load from our storage unit in to her house. We stayed the night in New Albany and then waited until Joshua flew in from Massachussetts. We finally got to hug his neck and then it was time to head east. We left new Albany at noon and got here to Asheville, NC at 1900 hrs. We ran into rain from Knoxville, to here. Leave it us to decide to go ahead and take their vacation during a hurricane. We are hoping that we can get to Goldsboro without a lot of hassle tomorrow. I'm of course keeoing my eyes glued to the weather. The governor of North Carolina has issued a State of Emergency for all 120 counties due to the flash flooding threat. We will just see what happens. If we get past the weekend in good shape then it will be on to Florida.

So, that is it for today. The blog will be short for a couple of days and maybe when I get to the beach in Florida, --- who knows what notes can come from there.

I send God's blessings and a prayr for shalom.