Happy 4th of July!! What a wonderful thing it is to live in a country that is a free nation. What a wonderful thing it is to live in a country that values life,  and individual freedoms to the point of defining them as human right. Unfortunately we seem to have lost the desire to search for the common good and expect personal "wants" to be fined as the "right to have". I'm not sure that was what the creators of our Declaration of Independence and The Bill of Rights had in mind. I suspect our founding fathers would be horrified at what we have done with what they created.

Having said that though --- there is no place in the world that I would rather live than in the United States of America. I can walk out my door and greet my neighbor without fear that they are spying on me. I can go to the church of my choice and worship God and declare my Christianity without fear of being shot down or beheaded. I have the right to vote and choose those I would like to see govern this city or state or country. If they don't do a good job, or at least the job I expected them to do --- I have the right to try to vote them out of office at the next election.

I love the fact that when we go to a grocery store the shelves are full I love the fact that we are a productive nation with good technology and jobs and decent wages. Yes, we have a 4.7 unemployment rate with approximately 63 million people out of work. But --- people still come to this country legally and illegally and they seem to find work. For too many citizens, generationally it has become far easier and more profitable to not work and collect welfare than it is to work. But again, I would not want to live anywhere else.

The buffet has been busy this morning. I went to the two birdfeed stores yestrday and restocked. I picked up another 80# of sunflower seed from Pet Foods and then then a variety of other things from Wild Birds and Things. Wild Birds had a new feeder and pole set up that I'm interested in and I may go buy that today as my birthday present from Ms. Kate.

I hope your day is wonderful and I hope you take the time today to give thanks to Almighty God for the Privilege of being born and raised in this wonderful country. Take time today to also be grateful for the men and women who are not home today because they are standing the line in harm's way somewhere in the world in order to defend our freedom and our nation. God bless you and may God bless America. Shalomn.