Happy last week of 2015! It is 47 degrees with a 17 mph wind constant this morning. It rained most of yesterday, last night, and will again today. However, we are so blessed because the really terrible weather that is ravaging this country has missed us. So many lives have been lost this week due to tornadoes and other weather related phenomenon. I offer my prayers for those who have lost loved ones and those who have lost homes and all of their possessions. I ask that God will lay a calming hand upon the winds and calm them. While it is 47 degrees here this morning, my daughter Heather is having 28 degrees in Southern California with frost warnings. How strange is that? They are going to need swim suits that will cover up goosebumps out there this morning.

We had a good weekend around here. We didn't do much after Julie and Jim left on Saturday morning.  We've just kind of chilled out. Yesterday of course was church and we had a fairly well attended couple of services considering the weather was crappy. Ms. Kate and I usually go to our favorite resturant, (R'z), after church on Sundaay but they were closed yesterday for the holiday. In fact, the owner, Candace and her family came to our St. Lucas service to worship with us. They don't get a chance to go to church on Sunday's because they are always open for business waiting to serve guys like us who want to eat after church. They also came to our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service.

We don't have a lot of birds out there this morning. There isn't much sunflower seed left in the feeders at all. The bark butter paste feeders are empty and I don't have suet out there. I'm just a bad host this morning. The wind is strong enough this morning to give the squirrels a run for their money as they try to hang on to smaller branches as they travel tree to tree, and it is raining again now. It's not "fit for man nor beast" out there and this man just ain't going out there. The safflower feeder is mostly full which the cardinals like and the squirrels don't. There as still a mesh feeder mostly full of peanuts for the woodpeckers, and the caged cylinder feeder has a mostly uneaten feed cylinder in it and the squirrels haven't figured out how to get into either of those. So, there is plenty of food there, but the squirrels are just going to have to find another restaurant this morning.

Today has to be a writing day. I have only finished half of my message for this coming Sunday and have done no work ahead. I guess I lazed around too much enjoying the Christmas season instead of keeping up or keeping ahead. So today and most of this week is crunch time because I also have end of the month and end of the year reports to work on to get ready for Congregational meetings coming up in two weeks. As a former boss and friend of mine once said; "keep it to the Pac Man theory; one bite at a time." So, having said that, I reckon I will sign off, go pour Ms. Kate another cup of coffee and make a fresh pot, and get cleaned up for a day's work. As I do so, I offer prayers of gratitude for blessings received and thoughts of love for friends and family. I pray your day will be fully blessed. Have a great last week of 2015!