“We’re having a heat wave — a tropical heat wave.” At least that’s how the song goes. (Now you’re humming it; — sorry) It’s not exactly tropical but it is warmer at 27 degrees than it ever got yesterday. So, we’ll take it.

Not much is happening in the Backyard Buffet this morning. I had a couple of squirrels come by but they were more interested in chasing one another all over the yard than stopping to eat. I had a small gaggle of starlings come by for about five minutes and then they all took off. Now, just a couple of cardinals remain steady with an occasional woodpecker showing up. But, give it another half an hour and it will be morning feeding time for everyone. I have their habits and schedules pretty well set. Even when the feeders go empty, they come back at their normal times. That’s why I try to refill feeders when it is  getting to be feeding times. My guests seem to be watching and as soon as I walk away from the feeders they swoop in.

I had aa productive day yesterday. I left the office and went to do a hospital visitation. I’m happy to report that my parishioner was moved out of SDICU, I think that means “Step Down Intensive Care Unit, for those not as critical. So, he should be back in a “normal” hospital room this morning and maybe they will even get him up and walk him a little bit. He has a long way to go for his recuperation and of course with his particular surgery, he will never have the life he had before. But, as I have said, at his age and with his temperament, he is doing marvelous. He’ll be 91 in a couple of weeks. Heck he may out live me.

After my visitation, I went to lunch at Bob Evans. I like to have breakfast meal any time of thee day and Bob Evans is as good a place as any especially since it was close. From there I came home and Ms. Kate and I sat in our recliners and took a short nap. After dinner, I went down stairs and got on my computer and finally finished the sermon that I had been working on for over a week. It had turned into “one of those”; the sermon that you get half way through and hit a mental road block. But, last evening the brain dam broke and I was able to get the last couple of pages finished. Now I can start on my sermons for March. I haven’t looked at the liturgical calendar yet to see what the scriptures are going to be. But, as of February 26th, we will be in the Lenten season for the next seven weeks so the season kind of dictates what the messages will be. In case you didn’t know, Liturgical Calendars run in three year cycles. So every third year you start repeating the scriptures that you used three years before. That often makes it difficult to try to find something fresh to say especially if you have been preaching sermons for a long time. But, we’ll give it a go and see what happens.

That’s about it for today. Say a prayer or many prayers for our nation. Today the US Senate began the Impeachment Trial for the President of the United States. This is only the third time in the history of our nation that this has happened. I would be lying if I said I even thought that prayerful heads and thoughts would prevail because I know they won’t. This thing has sorely divided our nation and I pray God will place a hand of calm on the hearts and minds of those involved. God be with us. Peace.