Hello Monday Morning! Life looks a bit different today than it did last Monday to us. I don't see a Gulf of Mexico; I don't see any seagulls. no beach, and no beignets for breakfast. Sigh!!! I guess that means that our vacation really is over and it is time to get back to work.

I've been in contact with my daughter Lisa in North Carolina and they are trying to get back to normal with the remnants of Hurricane Florence still raining on them. She and Gary and Matt have gone back home and all is well with the exception of some yard debris. She went to work this morning even though she may have had to do a little route changing to get past some of the flood waters. The storm has moved on and is a "tropical depression" by now but the rain has not stopped. More and more highways are washing out and travel is dangerous. And yet --- people still drive through flood waters. It makes zero sense to me.

I'm praying for a better week for all of my girls this week. Lisa had Hurricane Florence to deal with; Julie got knocked down by a terrible cold and couldn't even talk, and Heather was rear-ended n a four car pile up. She wasn't hurt beyond being sore but the car has over $4K worth of damage to it. Hopefully everyone can be in recovery mode this week.

I had to make a trip back to Wild Birds Unlimited on Saturday. I was out of some of my special stuff so I took my hundred dollar bill out shopping and it came home terribly thin. But, the birds are happy. The leaves are really starting to fall now. My Pussy Willow tree from which I hang several of my feeders is almost totally bare. I bought another feeder while I was shopping. A couple of mine have really gotten worn out. The squirrels do a number on them sometimes and once in a while I lose one because a raccoon has carried it off. I found one the other day that I had been looking for. It was all the way around the side of the house. I've been eyeing another feeder set up I want to purchase but I need to do so re-arranging of a flower bed first. The spot I have in mind is the only spot in the back yard where the squirrels can't jump on it. Or at least that is what I'm telling myself. But, it is going to take a bunch of work t prepare the spot.

I didn't have any visitors this morning while I was in the sun porch. It was early and I guess the gang wasn't up and around just yet. We do still have a couple of hummingbird and hey are eating a lot these days in preparation for their migration. Many of the birds are in the fields now eating barbecue harvest is in full swing. Everywhere we go we are seeing combines out there either gathering soybeans or picking corn. Predictions are that Indiana should have a bumper crop again this year. I hope they do. I have a lot of farmer friends and in fact, have a few acres of corn out there myself that my cousin Allen farms for us.

That is it for today. I pray your week has started off in god stead. Pray for those still being affected by the Hurricane. Have a most blessed day.