From near sixty degrees yesterday at this time to nineteen this morning with a thin layer of ice and snow on the ground today; it is no wonder that people everywhere are sick with the flu and colds etc. Fortunately Ms. Kate and I are not involved in that. But then we have tried to stay away from folks even though we did go to the grocery store yesterday. As I told you yesterday, we were out of milk, bread and a bunch of other stuff. So, we went and stocked up.

It is hard to tell but I think it is either doing a very fine snow or freezing rain. I don’t hear it on the sunporch roof but I can see it doing something. Whatever it is, it isn’t slowing down the frantic feeding going on at the backyard buffet this morning. I filled the feeders yesterday again and by now they are half empty. I have probably a minimum of sixty starlings, blackbirds, and red-winged blackbirds out there. There are I think, seven squirrels , plus a few cardinals, junkos. Sparrows, blue jays, finches and wrens. But it is the starlings that are ruling the roost and protecting territory the most. I threw a half a loaf of bread out there and it was gone in thirty minutes. Some of the cylinder feeders have as many as eight starlings all trying to eat from them. The amount of wing flapping, pecking, squawking and out right nasty behavior going on out there is amazing. Survival of the fittest is in full swing at the backyard buffet. And then there are the one actually talking baths during all of this.

I don’t know if you have had any of the Jimmy Dean or Bob Evans breakfast bowls or not but I recommend them when you want a good breakfast but don’t want to go to a lot of trouble I just fixed one while I was making a trip to the coffee pot. It only takes thre minutes in the microwave. BTW, this is going to be a two pot day from Mr. Coffee too. It is certainly a day to stay in. I did go out to see what I could determine about whatever was falling from the sky and it is a mixture now of rain and snow. I have the John Deere sitting at the ready but it would be useless at the moment to go out there.This is supposed to last all day. And, frankly, depending on the layer of ice that is there, The JD might just slip and slide when I do get out there. But, I went out at midnight after it had quit raining for awhile and I threw down a good layer of ice melt as a helper for when it did arrive. I may have done more harm than good. I guess we’ll find out eventually.

That’s it for today. I hope you didn’t have to get out in this weather and are hopefully safe and warm at home. Pray for those that are out in this whether they are working or maybe homeless. Peace.