Thursday Morning and we are back home again in Indiana. We landed in Louisville, KY last night at 2245 hrs which was a half an hour early. Julie was there to meet us and have our car warm and toasty. We had planned to stay at her house last night but decided to drive home any way. Got to Evansville about 0030 hrs and stopped at Denny's for a midnight supper before heading home. We crawled into our own bed around. 0200. I was awake by 0700 this morning because the birds were singing outside my window. So, I got up, turned on the coffee pot, then bundled up and went out and filled the first 13 feeders that they had emptied while we were gone. I also plugged in the electric bird bath so it could begin to thaw enough for me to dump the ice out of it and refill it. Now, I'm sitting here having my second cup of coffee and watching my birds. Life is back to normal.

It certainly didn't take long for my backyard buffet customers to come around either. I've had a slew of cardinals. Wrens, finches, --- ladderback, downy, & red-headed woodpeckers, and one fat squirrel. I still have more feeders to fill and I need to go get another couple of bags of sunflower seed today because I almost emptied the can today. It didn't take too long for the ice to melt away from the bottom of the birdbath and I got it refilled. It too is now a popular spot. That thing has really been a good purchase. I've toyed with the idea of a second one butI reckon one is really enough.

We'll have jobs to do today for sure. We brought home a weeks worth of dirty clothes and that has to be taken care of. Ms. Kate plans to get busy making some more Christmas cards. I'm hoping Dan and I can get the mower deck off of the JD today and the snow blade put on. And I have to go get a haircut and get de-shagged. It is also only ten days until Christmas so we do have to get the house ready for minimal company anyway. It will be a strange one this years as this is the first time in twelve years that I haven't had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

As much as we enjoyed our vacation, there was one thing that disappointed us and that was the lack of Christmas decoration in and around the hotels I guess they are afraid they might offend some of the people. What a shame. Oh, there were some places that went all out but it wasn't near the spectacle that we have seen in past years. I just find it amazing that 1000 people cand love something and one person gets offended and complains or threatens to sue and businesses and governments cave in to the one and change everything. I just read a story about a Cross being removed frrom a Christmas tree in an Indianapolis city park because the city said they couldn't win a law suit from the ACLU because the cross was on city property. That cross has been up there for years. Let me hear you say Christmas with out the use of "Christ".

Well, I need to get on doing something or another so I'm jumping off before I get into a rant about Christmas and lawyers. Just know I wish you a very merry CHRISTMAS --- with all of the blessing that come with the birth of the Son of God. Have a wonderful day.