A couple of things became really obvious to me first thing this morning. First, I need to get the electric bird bath plugged in. There was a layer of ice on each if them when I looked out there and a couple of birds were trying to peck through it. With even colder temperatures predicted tonight, it is time to plug it in.  Secondly, — I’m not rushing outside to do anything today. It is still thirty nine degrees with a stiff wind. That spells cold, I don’t care what you say.

I did get my (okay, Ms. Kate’s) tulip bulbs planted yesterday. Assuming they come up, they will make a really nice display come spring time. I put fifty bulbs out. According to the directions, I planted them in exactly the right time of the year. Hopefully they will do well. We had planted that area with a lot of tulips several years ago but I think those build are all gone because I didn’t find any while I was digging.

If I have time today, I may go out and cut back and dig out the four-o’clock and the okra. They are both done for the season. And after we get the hard freeze tonight, they will just sit there and look ugly. Since the four-o’clock are by the front door and Christmas is coming we don’t want any ugliness by the front door. Dead flowers don’t make a very festive appearance.

Tomorrow we celebrate Veteran’s Day. I was just thinking about that and realized it was fifty two years yesterday that I started basic training at Lackland AFB. Wow! That made me feel old very quickly. But, looking back, I had a wonderful career that provided well for my family and created lives for our daughters that they would never have had if we had stayed around Evansville. I can’t even begin to imagine what my and our life would have been like. Andso, when I think of celebrating Veteran’s Day, I give thanks to God for looking after me and my family and for opening doors all along the way. And — I thank God for my family that followed along with me; albeit not always happily, as we moved from base to base making them rip apart friendships as we pulled up stakes here and moved to there and then did it all over again every two years or so. If you ask me — it is the families of service men and women who are the real veterans.

Ms. Kate has a “plan of action” for us today so I best get out of my recliner and get busy. Peace.