Good morning to ya! It is a fine morning for waking up, smelling the coffee, and enjoying yet another day of life here on God's earth. It is a breezy morning out there and already 70 degrees. The sun is beginning to break through the clouds and light up my back yard, and I have several guests at the buffet. Of course the blackbirds are here early. They are rapidly depleting the supply of bark butter bits out there. That is definitely a favorite of almost all of my birds. Next would be the bark butter paste. From there I guess it is a toss up between the sunflower seeds, and the suet, or the various seed and nut "cakes" and cylinders that I put out. I've seen one or two downy woodpeckers use the new horizontal bark butter paste feeder but that is all. I think it was a great theory, --- but lacks in practicality. But, I'll leave it out there.

There is interesting watching going on across the street on the other side of Ms. Margaret's house. The moving trucks have been there yesterday and are here again early today. Ms. Kate and I recognize that routine well. Yesterday would have been the packing day and today will be the load out day. Moving is such a hectic process and we have done it so very often. The boxing up and loading out is bad enough ---- the arrival and carrying in to the new house is hell. First of all you are moving into a house and only have "an idea" of where furniture might go. Some times you're right, other times it isn't close. Then come the boxes, and boxes, and boxes, none of which do the packers unpack. So imagine being in your new home and being surrounded by as many as 400 boxes of "stuff" and not really knowing where anything is. If you are lucky, the boxes were properly marked as to which room they came from and then are put back into the corresponding room on this end. But --- I will tell you that Ms. Kate is the master of it all. When we returned from the Philippines, we received four truck loads in four days. Three fourths of it we had not seen in two years because it was in overseas storage. But --- Ms, Kate had it not only all put away by the end of the week, we had company for the weekend visiting. Just one of the many reasons why she's my hero!

The lilies and the hydrangeas are both blooming nicely now adding a lot of orange and white color to the back yard. My guests at the buffet this week have included one or maybe two brown thrush. It might just be one but it is in and out so often that I'm not sure. It darts back and forth and eats strictly from the ground. I'm not really sure what it's diet is but I suspect maybe bugs although I also see it under the feeders sometimes. But there again it could be eating bugs. I don't know, but it is a welcome addition to the mix. It/they come every year for a couple of weeks early in the summer and then again in the fall.

The coffee cup is empty and I suspect that Ms. Kate might be ready for a refill too. I hope you take time to enjoy the blessings of the day that God is bestowing upon you. Peace.