Happy Friday! Welcome to another day of God's love and goodness. It's time to take a deep breath and be thankful you are alive.

We're going to call this a partly sunny day. The sun was much brighter thirty minutes ago but now high clouds are starting to roll in. The weather dude is saying rain is coming. I wish it wouldn't. But, at the moment, it is still bright enough to make the cardinals look beautiful as they sit on the bird bath. I think it is time I put the electric bird bath in the shed and brought the glass one out. The glass one is really pretty and we are past the point where it might freeze and break. But this electric one is really great for the winter and gets a lot of use.

The backyard aviary and bird buffet is a bit sparse at the moment. I have maybe a half dozen cardinals and a few finches this morning. There were three or four starlings here but they didn't stay long. I'm really glad all of the bigger blackbirds have move back out to the fields. We saw lots of them yesterday as we were driving to the church. Better they eat out there than off of my check. I need to be sure and fill my bark butter paste feeders today. There is still some left in them but I expect my Pilated woodpecker will be here tomorrow. It seems to have become a Saturday visitor and I want to keep it coming. Although, it did come around one day this week too and I did have food for it.

Somehow or another Ms. Kate and I have gotten our schedule off kilter. Yesterday was kind of typical of what I mean. We got up at 0830 because we had been up late Wednesday night. Then we didn't actually eat anything beyond having our morning coffee and a peach smoothie while we were at the Vinyard Bookstore, until around 1600 yesterday afternoon as we finished up our running around. She had put a corned beef in the crock pot but we didn't get around to eating our supper until about 2200 hours. I went back down to the office after that to do some more work and finished up about 0130 this morning. Then it was up again this morning at 0830. We need to get ourselves a little more back on keel.

My rabbits are no where to be seen this morning. I kind of miss them running around doing their rabbit antics this morning. And so far I only have one lazy squirrel sitting out there on what I have designated as the "squirrel's feeder". He hasn't budged from that spot and just keeps shoveling in the sunflower seed.

I have an appointment to take Ms. Kate's Cadillac in for service at 1600 today. It is hard to believe that I only have to do this every 7500 miles. I'm used to faithfully doing that every 3000 miles on my vehicles. But with today's synthetic oils, things have changed. Of course synthetic oil changes cost a lot more. Luckily my purchase plan included free oil changes and free car washes for five years. I suspect the cost for all of that was hidden somewhere in the purchase price; nothing comes for free.

It's time for me to acknowledge and give praise to the creator of all of this beauty I am surrounded by. So, I will pray for you too and pray your day is fully blessed. Have a wonderful day.