Good morning on this rainy Tuesday morning. The sky is a mass of cloud and will be most of the day.  But, I actually ddon't mind that so much. I was just sitting here thinking how lush and green everything looks out there. Now that the trees have fully leafed out for the summer, and the plants have grown up in the flowerbeds, I feel like I'm in a micro-rainforest and the clouds just add to the ambience. The downside is that it would be so easy to just drift off to sleep out here. I think the past three weeks have caught up with me because yesterday and today I just feel drained of energy. Ms. Kate came out earlier and told me that I should take the day off and do nothing and I just might do that, or at least keep it minimal.

I did get up on the roof yesterday and get the gutters cleaned as well as all of the twigs and limbs that have blown from the trees. I wanted to beat the rain that was predicted. At least the rain held off until I actually got up on the roof!!!.  It wasn't a big deal because it was only sprinkles and they didn't last long. I was able to use my leaf blower to get the stuff off of the gutters and on to the ground. I couldn't believe how many of those seeds were actually sprouting. The gutter looked fuzzy green. There is still some more to do on the north side of the house because my blower ran out of juice. Then it was time to clean up all of the crap I had blown to the ground. I didn't want a million maple trees taking root in my flower beds. I have enough trouble with that as it is. But --- I did get it all cleaned up before any serious rain came.

I put out eight suet and seed cakes yesterday and the birds are having at them today. I also refilled the bark butter sticks, (and will have to do it again today, I think) and I put out a five pound bag of safflower seed. The cardinals are hitting that up pretty hard this morning. I notice that we have several robins out here agin this morning. They are young ones. I know that because they still have some speckle on their feathers. The squirrels have come and gone already. They didn't stay around this morning like they sometimes do.

I'm sitting here listening to "Signature Sound", a gospel vocal group that is part of the Gaither Homecoming system. As I sit here I can't help but reflect once again on just how blessed I am. My life path from birth to today can only be attributed to the oversight and protection by a loving God.  Have all my life experiences been wonderful --- no. But -- each experience and each person has been a useful tool or lesson in life that has made me stronger and turned me into what ever it is that I am today; fully loved, fully blessed, and fully saved by Jesus Christ. No wonder I sit here with my cup of coffee watching God's creation outside my windows in a sense of complete peace. My prayer for you today is that you can take a few minutes today and look at your life and realize how blessed you are, regardless of what may be going on in your life. God is there for and with you. Take a few minutes today and walk with the Lord. It will do you so much good! Shalomn!