There is white stuff all over our ground and roofs this morning. However, it isn’t on the roads so I appreciate the “convenient” snow. And, — the sun is coming out now so that will help to eliminate the white stuff rather quickly. I certainly cannot complain. Much of the country is having terrible snow storms in the north and yesterday there were tornadoes in the south. So, we were very lucky with this storm despite all of the cold rain we had yesterday.

I have a lot of visitors at the Backyard Buffet this morning although most frequent are the starlings. I have a couple of squirrels out there and they are really “puffed up” and looking fat. The wind or breeze makes this 32 degrees feels more like 15. The birds are all puffed up too. The doves look like little grey puffballs walking around in the snow covered ground. I’ve had a few cardinals here and a wren or two as well s a few finches. Earlier I had a mockingbird here and it took on a couple of starling for a food fight. The starlings lost that battle. LOL

Ms. Kate is baking cookies this orning. Yesterday she mixed up several batches of dough, Springerlies and what we call “Georgia Ann’s Cookies”. They are an oatmeal cookie with nuts and stuff and they are a crispy cookie and they are delicious. I had some of them for my supper last night. Springerlies are a family tradition and it can’t be Christmas without them. I did ask Ms. Kate to not go overboard with cookie making this year because I know that I would eat 90% of them and I don’t need to do that. So I think this will be it for variety. She did say that she will need to make more of the oatmeal cookies because she has at least four people to make a plate of cookies up for.

Our cantata went very well on Sunday and the service was very well attended. We had 86 in church Sunday. I expect this Sunday will see the pews filled too. The children will be doing their Christmas program during the Sunday school hour and we have a baptism happening during the worship service. So, with two “special events” I expect we will have close to 100 people this Sunday. It is always wonderful to see the church pews full. I finished my sermon and service for January 19th last night. I have one more sermon to put together before I move on to the next parish on the first Sunday of February. 2019 still has three weeks to go and I’m already working on 2020 stuff. It is no wonder I never know where I am.

That is enough for today. I’ve set here long enough and I have things to get done today. Have a blessed week. Peace.