Happy Wednesday! I started on a blog yesterday but then one thing led to another and I got busy. Then I had a doctor's appointment. That led to us going out for lunch; after which then took us to Ms. Kate's sister's house. By the time we got home we had other things to do and I never got back to my blog. So, I deleted my paragraph from yesterday and I am doing my blog first thing today before I let life interfere.

What took up most of my time yesterday morning ws simply sitting and staring at my IPad and reading aand watching video of the massive fire and destruction of Gatlinburg TN and the surrounding Smokey Mountains. Hundreds of businesses and cabins have been burned to the ground and so far three lives have been lost. With God's help, it is raining there this morning and is supposed to rain all day. That should really help to not only put out the fires but also clean the air. The picture people took as they raced off of the mountain were terrifying. I have a cabin rented for this coming June for our family reunion. I have no idea at the moment if the cabin is even standing now. I certainly lift that community up in prayer.

The backyard aviary and buffet is busy this morning. There is a flock of robins migrating through which is always a pleasurable addition to the mix. They mainly just use the birdbath and clean up seed residue, bugs, and worms from the ground. They don't eat from feeders. I also have a pair of blue jays here this morning and three varieties of woodpeckers including a pilated. Unfortunately, all of the bark butter feeders are empty but there is plenty of suet and seed cakes out there. I'll go out afterwhile and fill all of the feeders when the temperature climbs a little.

Today will seem a little strange and a reminder that I am retired now. I have no bulletins to go run, no church sanctuary to set up for Sunday service and no choir practice tonight. I guess I will finish signing and addressing the Christmas cards today and we already have the laundry going this morning. Time to adjust to new routines.

Speaking of Christmas --- Ms. Kate's plan every year is to be totally ready by the 15th of December. Well, the tree is up, the outside decorations are up, the cookies are all baked, her cards are all made and mostly addressed and sent, and the packages are in the mail to the kids. So, we are two weeks ahead of schedule. That is a good thing because next Tuesday we fly out to Las Vegas for a week of vacation.

I pray you will have a most wonderful day. As I sit here and look out at my yard full of birds, there is little color other than the fire bushes in my yard now. Everything has gone dormant for the winter. But the cardinals and the blue jays offer great contrast to the brown. And --- the sun is shining through the fire bushes adding a brilliant red to the north side of the yard. Just a subtle reminder that God is always giving me a blessing of some kind or another. For that I offer Him praise. Peace!