Let’s start off the day with the great news. Ms. Kate is feeling lots and lots better today. She had a good night’s sleep in the bed instead of in a recliner or a straight back chair like she has tried unsuccessfully to do the previous two nights. So, I must begin my day with giving God praise for providing His healing touch by providing doctor’s and nurses who knew how to treat her. I must also give a shout out to Deaconess Hospital emergency room personnel who were very caring in taking care of her.

We are in day two of a week of promised beautiful weather. The sun is shining brightly with no clouds to filter through. Although, we have reached a point in the year when bright sun will not always equal warm days. I think though today it is supposed to get to about seventy degrees which is perfect fall weather and the cool nights will bring on the color to the leaves before they come floating down to the ground for me to rake up. I stayed in the house yesterday after we got home from the ER just in case Ms. Kate needed something. Today I’m going to go out to the yard and get some work done. Lord knows, there is plenty to be done.

It would appear that my buffet guests have also added to my list of things to be done today. I see several feeders out there that have fairly depleted. I had to laugh though this morning at a blackbird that was trying to get some of the bark butter. This particular feeder is about eighteen inches long and hangs horizontally with four holes drilled out on the bottom to put the bark butter in. It is designed for the woodpeckers to eat from because they have no problem clinging to and eating from the bottom of branches etc. The feeder is hanging from a double hook iron pole with a baffle on it to keep the raccoons and squirrels from climbing it. The top of the baffles sits about two feet below the horizontal feeder. The blackbird saw that there was food up there but can’t cling to the feeder. So it would sit on the baffle and try to jump up and flutter long enough to grab a beak full of food. It was literally wearing itself out trying to snatch some of that food. Finally it just gave up and went over and ate some sunflower seed. It reminded me of times that I have tried to reach something that was just out of my range and no matter how hard I might try to jump up and get it, my only achievement is a little exercise.

California firefighters are slowly gaining on the horrible fires that have so far taken forty one lives and destroyed an untold number of homes leaving hundreds of people with nothing to return to. I pray they can finally get these fires put out and people can return and start rebuilding their lives. I wold ask you to join me in prayer today for all of the victims of the fires and hurricanes and floods who are still without homes or power or water or food. I’d also ask you to remember that while we so often ask God to take care of them, remember that God relies on us to be the instrument of His peace and to be the hands that do the work.

Take advantage of this beautiful day. Share some love with someone whether you know them or not. Peace.