Today is my 73rd birthday! (Cue the music and sing the song) It takes a lot of living to get to be seventy three.  As I told Ms. Kate last night; "the best thing about turning seventy three is that I didn't die at seventy two." But beyond that I'm just blessed to be awake for another day and feeling good about a life filled with an abundance of blessings. I'm blessed to have a family that loves me and I've heard from all of them this morning already. My Facebook page is full of well wishes so apparently I'm still well remembered by friends of my past. I'm confident in my relationship with Christ and so --- I reckon if for some reason I don't reach 74 --- no harm, no foul. As the song says --- God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy. I continue to love my life. I hear sirens coming down the road; I hope Ms. Kate didn't light all of the candle on my cake!! LOL

The sad note of my birthday is that I lost one of my birthday sharing friends this year. Ms. Georgia Ann passed away this spring. She would have been eighty eight. Ms. Kate and I miss her. I will call her husband, Bob, here in a few minutes because I know this is going to be a hard day for him. Bob celebrated at least sixty five of her birthdays with her because they were married that long. For the past several years they and we have gone out to a local tavern for lunch on our birthdays and had deep fried mushrooms, a cold beer, a plate lunch and great conversation. The good times do pass away as our friends pass away. But good memories still remain.

I filled the feeders yesterday and the bird baths. I'll need to fill the bird baths again today. They have splashed out most of the water again. I only put out sunflower seed with the exception of two of the bark butter feeders. I also set out a half of a watermelon in the flowerbed. I cut it yesterday and we ate part of it but it really lacked much flavor. I think it just wasn't quite ripe yet. So I set half of it out there. I think that maybe the birds can peck away on that and get hydration for it. I'll give it a couple of days and if I don't see that they are making use of it, I'll throw it in the compost pile.

I read a novella by Stephen King yesterday called "Gwendy's Button Box". He co-wrote it with another writer and it was really a good little book. It had a bit of "fantasy" stuff in it but wasn't strange or dark like so many of King's books are. Julie gave it to me along with another book called "Stephen King and Philosophy". I've started that one but, --- I need to be in the mood for deep thinking to read that and it's too hot for deep thinking. LOL. But, I recommend you pick up a copy of "Gwendy's Button Box". You can maybe even get it as an E-book, I'm not sure of that though.

I've been chatty enough and I need to refill my coffee cup. Also, it might be may birthday but Ms. Kate wants me to carry the laundry out so we can do that today. I hope your day is blessed. Mine certainly has been already. Keep a close eye on your elderly neighbors. (Dang, I'm getting to be one of those!) This heat is miserable and there are always stories of older people who won't turn on an air conditioner because it costs too much for electricity. Be a good steward and friend.

I gotta call Bob.   Peace!