Good morning and a happy hot Tuesday. It’s gonna be another scorcher today. I got up early today so that I could go out and water my garden first thing before the sun started bearing down on us. My little garden will be happy. Now. We keep getting promises of rain but it either goes around us or dries up before it gets to us. Sunday several of my farmers asked me to pray for rain, as if my prayers are any better than theirs. But, I have prayed for rain. I pray that when the rain does come that it doesn’t come with a  strong storm and lay the corn over. We’ve seen that happen and when it does, the farmer loses the crop because the stalks don’t stand back up on their own. But the stalks are still growing and don’t have any ears on them yet so they aren’t as top-heavy. When I was a kid, farmers used to talk about their corn crop and would look for it to be “knee-high by 4th of July”. With today’s varieties and high yield stuff, it is only the 29th of June and the corn is already over my head. Amazing. 

I’m sitting here waiting for the guy from John Deere dealership to come and get my LT150. They said they would be here ”Tuesday morning”, without a specific time slot. I hate it when they give you “morning” or “afternoon” option because you end up sitting around, delaying other things while you wait on them. True —- they did say I could just park it out front and they would pick it up and I didn’t have to be here, but I don’t think that is a very good option. Anybody could come along and take it and I’d think the dealer picked it up. So, I’ll just stay here and wait. Besides, I want to make sure they understand exactly what I want done to it. (Yes, I know, I’m a control guy.)

I got a call from my Plastic Surgeon this morning to schedule my eye surgery. My eye lids are really sagging and it is affecting my peripheral vision and my night driving. The left one is worse than the right one but she is going too do them both. I’m having it done on the 9th of July. I was really surprised to be able to get it done that quickly, but a slot opened up at the surgery center so they grabbed it. I hope it doesn’t affect me too much because I need to be able to conduct my church service two days later. I’ll probably have some black eyes but as long as they aren’t bandaged, it will be no problem. I’ll just be glad to have it done and over with. 

This afternoon, Ms. Kate and I have some running around to do. It’s “ground chuck sale” day at Fresh market and we need to go pick some up. I also have to go by then University of Evansville Bookstore and pick up a sweatshirt that they are holding for me. And, I need to go by Pet Smart and pick up a couple of bags of Sunflower seed for my squirrels and birds. I have a $143.00 order coming in today by FEDEX from Wild Birds Unlimited that I placed yesterday. I have an expensive hobby don’t I?

Time to drop off and do a few things while I wait. I pray you will have aa wonderful day full of joy and laughter. Peace. 

 Good morning and Happy New Week. I hope your week is going to be filled with wonderful things. I hope my week is going to have a little rain attached to it. So far all we are getting is forecasts and no production. I woke up at 0500 this morning and instead of going back to sleep I should have gotten out of bed and dressed and gone out and watered the garden while it was still the cool of the day. The sun is now high and clear and the temperature is currently 84 and going up to 91. I went out and gathered a few more tomatoes awhile ago and the air was already sultry. Summer is doing it’s job.

How was your weekend? It was uneventful around our house. We had a fairly well attended church service yesterday. I can say the church was half full because most everyone sits on one side of the church. I told the congregation they were in danger of tipping the church over. I find that a fascinating little anomaly that folks will crowd in on one side while the other side gets only about a dozen people in it. Habits are habits I guess. The same thing happens at the other church with the parking lot. People have “their spot” that they park and it is in the middle of the lot so other folks have to maneuver around them to get to a place to park. But, it’s only been like that forever and it won’t change. Habits are habits. I’m just glad that people come. 

We’ve had a bad couple of weeks with out video and camera system. The last two weeks we’ve had no sound on the taping so the video was useless for broadcasting on Facebook or You Tube. The problem is actually two fold; we latch wifi at either church and have to rely on “Hot spots” on folks phones. Secondly, Jacob doesn’t have a really trained backup team. We lost yesterday simply because they had left the mute button on. We’re looking for someone to step up and volunteer for this ministry. Jacob and his family haven’t bee able to take a vacation since the beginning of COVID because he is running the camera etc. But his job takes him out of town on some Sundays. I hope at least a couple of people will step up and give him some help. I wonder if the local high-school has a program for students that teach that kind of thing. Maybe we could get a student or two to come do that for $15.00 a week. It’s a thought worth exploring anyway. I wish my grandson Jon lived here, That is right up his alley of interest.

Ms. Kate and I have a funeral visitation to attend this afternoon. It is for a member of my home church. He was really a nice guy. He has been ready to pass for a long time. He has buried two wives and all of his siblings. Life wasn’t a lot of fun for him anymore, especially since he had to move to an assisted living facility. 

Time for me to get busy. We’re doing laundry today and I need to start working on my July 11th sermon and service. Have a blessed day. Try to stay cool. Peace. 

 Hot and steamy are the best words to describe today. There is a breeze and “Lake wind advisory” in effect though to fool you into thinking it is a beautiful day. And the sky is a bit overcast. So, all-in-all, I reckon it is an okay day. 

Out west in Monmoth, CA my granddaughter Lauren is on her MX Bike and is racing again today. I wish I were there to watch her. The last time I saw her race there was the weekend several years ago when she turned Professional. She’s had a lot of races under her belt since that day and has now been picked up by a professional racing team. She is the only woman on the Kilmarten Racing Team and she keeps the guys on their toes, and they make sure they take good care of her, It is a win-win situation for her, and the money isn’t bad. On her off time, she’s apparently one heck of a motorcycle mechanic. It isn’t the life I would have chosen for her, but it isn’t my job to run her life either. I’m very proud of her dedication to her sport. 

A week ago right now, Ms. Kate and I were about two hours from getting home from our vacation. It was such a wonderful vacation and was so great to get all of the family under one roof even if it were only for a few days. Our next vacation will be in the end of August when we go to Michigan for a military unit reunion. It will be good to see some of those guys again but it doesn’t come close to the family reunion.  After that our next vacation looks like it will be in January to Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. I’m excited about that because that has been on my bucket list for several years. That will still leave us one week of use or lose vacation time so I don’t know what we will do to use that. Maybe some week we can run down to Gatlinburg by ourselves and enjoy a little mountain air. I just don’t want to lose vacation again this year. I lost four of my five weeks last year. Not that it was anyone’s fault particularly, —- there was no where to go because everything was shut down due to COVID. 

Yesterday, we dig up a few of our potatoes, picked a few tomatoes, and cut the Swiss chard and had a delicious dinner. I certainly don’t have a big garden, but what I have has done fairly well. Ms. Kate and I also went to lunch with Bod and Brenda as we had planned. That was nice. Bob seemed to be doing better than he had been for quite awhile. 

That’s all I have for you today. I hope your weekend is blessed. Peace. 

 What a lazy morning I am having. I’ve been sitting here my IPad in my lap, having my coffee, watching the birds, and yes, dozing off for short spells. The only thing that is on my agenda for the day is to meet Bob and Brenda and Andy for lunch at 1130. So, I’m just being a lazy bum this morning. Sure, there is a lot of stuff I could be doing, but I think everyone deserves a lazy bum day once in a while, don’t you? 

It looks like it could rain but it hasn’t yet. It is in the forecast but I think some of the rain that we were expecting has either dried up before it got here or it went around us somehow. I need to go out and fill the bird baths. They are getting gnarly again. I don’t know why birds insist of pooping in their bath water and then drinking it. How uncivilized! So I need to take the hose to both of them and clean them up so they have fresh water. I also have a couple of feeders that could use refilling today. 

Yesterday I brought the little JD around and put it in the garage for pick up on Tuesday morning. It is a pain in the butt to do that. I have to take a section of my fence down because the gate is too narrow for the mower to go through. That picket fence isn’t light and it is well made. I made it myself several years ago. That was a real job. But there is so much grown up in the path to get to it at the point I need to that it is just a PITA. But, I get it done when I need to. 

I think this afternoon I may need to dig my potatoes. The stalks are pretty brown and shriveling up which I think means they ready. I won’t be getting a lot but it will be fun to see how my “flower-pot potato crop” turned out. It was an experiment in resourcefulness. The potatoes we had from the store were at the point of throw them out or plant them so I bought a couple of large flower pots, put some really good potting soil in them and planted them. Yesterday I picked the first pea pod from my little micro rows and I’ve been picking tomatoes all week too. My yellow squash has three fruit on it and several blooms, the cucumbers are finally starting to take off, and the Swiss chard needs to be cut. I just saved myself a walk through the produce section, didn’t I? LOL

I finished up my 4th of July sermon yesterday and have that ready to go. I don’t know what size of a crowd to expect. It could be small because folks will be out of town or I could be surprised and everyone will stay home. Regardless, it is done. 

Okay, I gotta get out of the recliner, quit staring at the squirrels and birds and do something useful. Have yourself a wonderful Friday. I pray you will have time to relax this weekend and enjoy some family time. Don’t forget to take time to attend your house of worship. Take a friend along with yopu and share God’s love and blessings. Peace. 

 Hello there Thursday morning. It’s nice to see you come around again. Seems like it has been a week since I saw you last. 

We have another beautiful morning, (Thank you very much, Lord). However, today is going to be warmer than it has been in the last couple of days. But, it is summer after all and these last few days weather has been very rare for this time of year. We are supposed to be getting rain by this evening and then rain on and off for the next few days. The heat of the day will of course determine whether or not we have storms with the rain. We are in need of rain. We’ve been watering the garden and the potted plants that we have out on the patio. Yesterday I mixed up some |Miracle Gro solution and watered the garden plants. Things were really getting dry and some were wilting pretty badly. I’m going out and check them as soon as I finish this blog. But, I guess my tomatoes are loving this weather because they are starting to put on very nicely. I also need to pick the squash this morning. My peas have blooms on them but I haven’t seen any pods. My potatoes are looking like maybe it about time to dig them up. I think I told you that I planted some sprouting potatoes that we had around here just to see what they would do. Now it is time to check on them. 

The Pileated woodpeckers are back this morning. I can’t see them at the moment because I’m sitting at the  kitchen table, but I heard them them making their arrival announcement a few seconds ago. They always let you know when they are coming in because their song is very distinctive. So far this morning it has been mostly Bluejays, Red-Winged Blackbirds and cardinals at the Backyard Buffet. Not a bad combination. 

I need to open up the side panel on the fence and bring the big JD into the backyard and mow it. Of course, no worse than it looks, I could just take the weed eater around to the back yard and do some trimming. Then I need to take the little LT150 around to the garage and park it. It isn’t running well and I have the dealer coming to pick it up on Tuesday and take it away and fix it. It’s gaining to cast at least $350.00 to fix it but that’s still a lot cheaper than a new one. I might as well go over the front yard too while I’m at it. If it is going to rain for the next few days, I won’t get a chance to mow. I mowed it earlier this week and since it hasn’t rained, it hasn’t grown, but that’s okay. I like riding it. 

I’m half way through my 4th of July sermon. It will have to be a little shorter because that will be communion Sunday too. I’ll try to get that finished up this evening. Tomorrow, we are meeting Bob, Brenda and Andy for lunch. This is the first time we have been able to do that in months. Bob has had so very many health issues and it will be wonderful to see him out again. 

Tome to get busy my friends before it gets hot. Have yourself a pleasant day. Stop and give thanks to your Creator for another day of blessings. Peace. 

 Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. It is promising to be another gorgeous day out side. It is currently 60 degrees, little to no wind, and a basically cloudless sky. Last night the weather folks said that a few clouds will be rolling in from the northwest by this afternoon. But, no rain is predicted until late tomorrow evening. 

Yesterday was beautiful and we took full advantage of it. Two of the azealeas out front had grown out of control and we could hardly see out the kitchen or dining room windows. So, I got out the hedge trimmer and went to work on them and cut them back to window-sill level. It really made a difference and it looks great from the street and yard. There are areas s of the bushes that look a bit naked at the moment but they will leaf back out. I always say that even a bad haircut will grow out. I need to put the decorative fencing back up but that won’t take too long. The only downside to the entire project is that my wrists and hands are really sore this morning. I’ve taken Tylenol a few moments ago and hope they kick in rather quickly. 

Today is going to be another busy one for us. We really need to go to pick up some groceries, not a lot, but  some of the basics like bread and stuff. I’d like to go down to Franklin Street this morning for breakfast at a place I just heard about called the Kite and Key. I saw them advertised the other evening on a local news show that promotes small businesses. They are open for breakfast and lunch every day and looks to be a quaint little place. Any place that specializes in serving breakfast is my kind of place. I love eating breakfast out. I know that is silly because we can easily fix breakfast around here, but there is just something about it that when we do go out for a meal, I like to go somewhere that I can get breakfast all day. We also need to go to the churches today and run our bulletins and get the pulpit set up for Sunday. I think we’ll pack along a picnic lunch to sit out under the tree at the edge of the parking lot and enjoy the beautiful day. Ms. Kate and I like to do things like that, we’re old folks but we like to “be young at heart”, and having a having a picnic lunch out under a shade tree, watching the crops grow and listening to the birds is just a pleasant way to enjoy the world and each other. 

Of all the things that a person can dream about and think about, I woke up this morning thinking about astrophysics. Now this is a topic I know absolutely nothing about, so why I would be thinking about earth rotations and universe rotations and planetary alignment is beyond me. But, it did cause me to pick up my IPad and and start “googling” questions. And while I found some answers, they now mean no more to me than they would have yesterday. I think that is what they call a “brain-fart”. 

My guests are happy in the Backyard Buffet this morning. They have plenty of food, and fresh water. First thing this morning I had my two Pileated Woodpeckers back for breakfast. I didn’t see them yesterday but I did har them. Perhaps it was because I was in the front of the house and most of the feeders are out back. I’ve had my pair of Bluejays here this morning too. It has been a blessed morning while I have my coffee. 

Time for me to wrap it up and get my day started. I hope you can take the time to enjoy this beautiful day and I hope it is a beautiful day wherever you are. Regardless, if you are reading this, God has allowed you to wake up today. How about giving a shout upstairs in gratitude for that blessing. Peace. 

 The vacation that we have been planning and waiting almost patiently for has now come and gone. Was it long enough; —— probably. Did any of us want it to end; —— no. It was everything I hoped it would be, and everything that I think all of us hoped for. 21 people in a wonderful house for a week and I never heard a bit of fuss, nor did they spend time watching tv; —- they were just having a wonderful time getting reacquainted and sharing their lives swimming in the pool, and going to see a few sights together. I have no idea if we will ever be able to get everyone together again but we are already planning for the next reunion two years from now. With God’s blessings, it will happen. 

We’ve all made it home safely and that too is a blessing. Ms. Kate and I only had a seven and a half hour drive each way but some drove from New Hampshire, and others drove from North Carolina, some from Oklahoma and Julie and Jim, like us, drove from Indiana. Unfortunately, those who flew had the actual “bad trips” because of delayed flights and what now adding many hours of frustration to their travels. 

Yesterday was Father’s Day. We had a full church and it was wonderful to be back with the faith family. The blessed thing about our parish is that you can physically and mentally feel the love between the members of both churches and their love for Ms. Kate and I. I personally would love to see the two congregations meld into one congregation. However, I know that isn’t a reality, and that is okay. There is too much history wrapped up in each church, and we have two cemeteries. There are benefits to each church and there are distractions at each church and to make it all work out, —- it would take building a brand new church somewhere in between the two churches. They sit less than a mile apart, and there is no way either congregation has the money to entertain a new facility even if they had the desire. I’m just glad that they like to get together for worship for the three summer months. 

Before we went on vacation, Ms. Kate and I tackled the knockout rose bushed in the front yard and cut them back. I put all of the cutting in the truck bed, tried it down and let it set until yesterday afternoon when we took it to my nephew’s place and dumped it. Next, we gotta’ tackle the azealias out here in front. That’s going to fill up the truck again for sure. They have gotten out of control and we can hardly see out the kitchen or dining room window. 

That’s it my friends. You are caught up on my mundane life. Have a blessed new week. Peace. 

 Friday morning and the gang is getting thinner around here. We lost seven on Wednesday as they headed out and got on back home. Yesterday we all went to a place called "Top of the Rock." It is a beautiful area. Very scenic and you rent golf carts and drive along the golf cart trail at your own leisure. You can stop, take pictures, have a picnic, or do what ever you want to do. You have to stay on the cart trail and can't do any climbing around on the the rocks etc. But it was a wonderful day. After we got off of the carts, we went and had lunch at the Arnold Palmer restaurant on the golf course. It was a huge old barn that he had owned in Pennsylvania so he had the Amish disassemble the thing and number each piece, Then they transported it here to Missouri and fully reassembled it. It was beautiful. My only disappointmnent was the lack of variety on the menu. The food was delicious, but we were basically limited to a variety of burgers and basic mexican food like tacos and enchiladas. 

This morning we had a coffee crisis. Julie had already made and drank one pot of coffee by the time we got up at 0630. But, when we tried to make a new pot, the coffee pot would work. I think we literally wore it out. We have made 60 pots of coffee since we have been here this week. That's a lot of coffee. 

Okay, folks are getting busy and wanting me to move out of the way so I reckon I better quit. Have a blessed day. 

Peace. 

 Lazy Wednesday morning, sitting on the veranda with most of the family. Lisa had to take Amanda and Bryan to the airport first thing early this morning for their flight home. This afternoon Steph, Chris, Caden , Lauren & Jon are taking off for home, so we are losing a few each day. But the time together has been so wonderful and we know the next gathering will not happen until 2023, probably for Amanda & Bryan’s wedding. I hope those of you who live around your children take time to realize what a blessing that is. We talk every day on Facebook Messenger but that isn’t the same thing at all. So, if you read this and haven’t called your loved ones today, why don’t you stop and take a moment to do so right now. 

Last night was Heather and John’s turn to cook the main entree. He fixed lemon chicken breasts and thighs and they were soooo good. They were moist and juicy and tender enough to cut with a fork. Ms. Kate fixed German Potato Salad to go with them and Heather made a huge salad to eat with them too. After the meal and settled for a bit we had home made ice cream, It was phenomenal. Ms. Kate had mixed it up yesterday afternoon and put it in the refrigerator and then I then put it in the ice cream freezer, added the ice and the salt let it freeze. I have a White Mountain electric six quart freezer and it fed the 21 of us with just enough left over for me for a snack. 

Today, Julie is going to be fixing Fried Rice for lunch and them Spaetzal for part of the dinner. I love that each daughter is getting to fix a “family specialty”. 

Okay, that’s it for today, I need to get back to my company. Have a blessed day. Peace. 

 Good Tuesday afternoon from Branson, MO. I'm just going to jot a few notes while we are "between events" on this vacation. Right now the house is empty except for Ms. Kate and me. Everyone else is out and about at parks and trails, and museums and shopping. Grandma and I are enjoying the peace and quiet  and she just finished making the German Potato Salad for tonight's dinner. It was requested by a couple of the family members. 

Sunday morning we started off with me and all of the granchildren and great grandchildren making breakfast of "Papa-Cakes,, breakfast sausages, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.  I divided the grand kids up into teams and gave them each assignments. Some made the eggs, others, cut up the fruit, three of them were assigned duty of making "Lego waffles" (yes, I have a waffle maker that makes waffles that look like Lego Blocks, and yes, you can build with them,) and a couple of the guys were in charge of mixing up the Krusteze batter for the pancakes and waffles. It was a great time and I'm sure brought back fun memories of their earlier times with Grandma and Papa. For the great hrandchildren, it was an introduction to a family tradition. 

Thank goodness the Walmart is only about five minutes down the road because they have made a dozen trips down there for "I forgot to bring" items. But, there is a lot, I mean "a lot" of food and snackss around here.

Sunday night we celebrated Granddaughter Amanda and her fiance's engagement. Two of her aunts threw her a surprise "engagement shower". It was abeautiful gesture on their part and Amanda was so thrilled and I think so was Bryan; although he's a "guy" so who knows. 

That's it for today. I am so very greatful for God for the blesssings of this week. If I do say so myself, I have a wonderful family and they all get along so very well. Everyone of them is a joy to be around. 

Have a blessed week; I certainly am. Peace. 

 Well the day has finally arrived. Ms. Kate and I are leaving for our family reunion vacation that has been six years in the making. This is the first time in six years that all of the family has been able to get together and six years since we have even seen some of them. Excited doesn’t even begin to express it. I have kids coming in from New Hampshire, North Carolina, California, Indiana, and Oklahoma and we’re all meeting in Branson, MO.  We actually meet tomorrow afternoon. Ms. Kate and I are heading over to Springfield, MO today and will spend the night. But the NH, NC, OK, & CA folks are all already on the road. Some are driving, others are flying. I’m very surprised that Ms. Kate and I slept last night but we or at least I got a really good might’s sleep. So, now, I’m doing this and Ms. Kate is on her computer doing last minute stuff. The car is packed and ready.

I was looking at some pictures last night on my computer and just realized that it was two years ago this week that I had my Achilles’ tendon removed. My recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. I was led to believe by my doctors that I would be in a brace for the rest of my life in order to walk because Achilles’ tendons do not regenerate. Well, through God’s miracle, mine has and I walk almost as good as I did pre-surgery. Yes, I get tired \much more quickly and can’t do the seven mile walks I was doing before but I haven’t been in a brace for at least a year. God is so good and miracles do happen. 

I don’t know how much blogging I’m going to get done for the next week. So, y’all have a great week. I certainly plan to. Peace. 

 Nagging rain showers again this morning. Yuk. The rain is so lite that hearing it on the sunporch roof sounds like someone on old typewriter. Then it stops, —- then it starts. Just enough to keep things wet. But, the garden is loving it and so are my flowers. And  —- my backyard guests couldn’t care less, one way or the other. 

I don’t have much to talk about this morning. There’s not much happening in my world. I did get an email this morning from the property owners of the home we are going to rent starting Saturday afternoon, She sent me the entry code for the doors. As I told the girls this morning, you know you’re getting close when you get the entry code. Today between showers, I’ll pack some more stuff in the car. I haven’t packed my suitcase yet. Tomorrow we’ll do the laundry and some that will go in my suitcase and in Ms. Kates. The suitcases will be the last thing that gets put in, and there is no real rush to leave here on Friday morning. It’s only a six hour drive and I need to time my travel to avoid St. Louis rush hour traffic. We’ll stop in Springfield, MO for Friday night and will have all day to drive the 44 miles down to the property. All of the kids will be on the road on Friday except granddaughter Amanda and her fiancé Bryan. They fly out Saturday morning. 

This afternoon I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon to look at my eyelids. My optometrist has recommended that I have them lifted because they sag over my vision. My sister has the same problem and called me a couple of weeks ago to see if I was going to have to have it done. She wants to see if it helps me before she does it. Chicken!!! It doesn’t bother me too often although sometimes I do have to reach up and pull it back into place. Just one of my perks for getting to live to be a senior citizen. LOL Today is just an evaluation appointment I think. Or maybe it is something that she can do right then and there. I don’t know. 

That’s it for today. God has given us another day to do something good. So, let’s be good to one another and that each other kindly. Peace. 

 It’s raining again this morning. But it is only a “spring-like” shower, nothing hard or stormy. It’s just part of the weather pattern that is coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. We expect this on and of stuff for the next two days. I got out and mowed the back yard yesterday. I had planned to use the weed eater out there today and if it quits raging before long, I may still go out and do that. 

I got my vacation haircut yesterday. The guy did a pretty good job. The last time he cut my hair it didn’t look so good when he finished. But, I’ve been using him for a lot of years and very seldom do I get a haircut that I’m not as happy with as I should be. I should have had it cut last week but just never did get around to it. If I didn’t do it this week, I wouldn’t be able to do it next week, so I’d go back to church looking like a bum. I can’t do that. 

We did some more running around yesterday too. We went back up to the nursery and bought a couple of cherry tomato plants for Julie since she had not had time to get hers and I returned four of the potting soil bags to them. They are really nice bags and they’re use them. The lady gave me another tomato plant for free. So now I have seven regular tomato plants and two cherry tomato plants of my own. They are all looking really good too. 

While we were out, we stopped and had lunch at Mac Callister’s and then went to Sam’s for some items that we couldn’t live without and forgot at least two of the items on our list. Yeh, that’s the way we are. Next I went to Wild Birds Unlimited and took my feeder back to see if I could get he part i needed to repair it. They took it from me and said they would repair it because it was under a lifetime warranty. They will call me when it’s ready. Then we came home. I planted my new tomato plant and mowed my back yard. I got about half way through the second round in the backyard and ran out of gas. I didn’t have any here so I had to go get some. It’s always one thing or another. 

I had to go out this morning and fill a couple of the feeders . The bark butter feeders were empty and the Pileated Woodpecker was looking for some food. It wasn’t rainy at the moment, so I quickly went out and filled those two feeders. WBU called and said they had my feeders repaired, so I’ll pick that up tomorrow and also pick up a bag of Bark Butter bits. 

That’s all I have for you today. I pray you will have a blessed day. Peace. 

 I’ve already had a great morning at the Backyard Buffet, First thing this morning the Bluejay clan flew in. There are four of them and that’s unusual, —- at least to me. Sometimes you’ll see two come in but not four. They are generally solitary birds who come in and claim their territory. So, this is a treat. I also had my pair of Pileated Woodpeckers here and several cardinals. The cardinals have been missing from the Buffet for a while. But then they’ll come in as if in a flock. So, I don’t know what is happening there. And I had a Bluebird, as well as a couple of Downy Woodpeckers, wrens, finches and a big red headed woodpecker. It only a couple of starlings came in and the “big birds” ran them off. So, it has been very interesting to watch the dynamics of the Backyard Buffet this morning. I hung a different feeder up last week. It is an old one that I had previously hung outside Ms. Kate’s office window. It’s just a square box with a mesh bottom. I put sunflower seed in it. The Cardinals really like to eat from it and apparently so do the Doves. There is almost always a Dove on it. 

W had a really good crowd at church yesterday. I told you that we have started our summer All Parish Worship services. We had close to 60 that came forward and took Holy Communion. It was a blessed event to be a part of. We used actual bread and juice for the first time in a long time. We’ve been using the “communion sets” all through COVID, and that was an option yesterday for those who might feel uncomfortable. But no one took one of those until we got to the last six people, and they only took one because we had emptied the communion juice tray. Folks are so anxious to do “normal worship ritual and practice”, and it felt really good to do it. 

Well, this is the week! Our family reunion vacation week has finally arrived. This vacation of actually getting all of the family together has been five years in the making. Everyone of us is truly excited. Ms. Kate and I will leave Friday and head on over  to the Branson area and spend the night in Springfield, MO.  We can’t get into the house until 1600 on Saturday, but we will have plenty of time to scope the area out ahead of time and go do a little grocery shopping. I have the car half way packed already just to see what will and what won’t fit. I think we are going to be fine. The weather this week is gong to be sporadic rain showers every day this week, but the forecast for next week still continues to look fantastic. But, —- even if it rains every day while we are there, —- we aren’t there for weather, we are there to hug and love, and catch up on one another’s lives in person instead of just on Facebook Messenger. 

I got to go get a haircut today. I’m looking shaggy. I should have donee that last week before went to church, but I just never took the time. So, today is the day. In the meantime, I hope you have a blessed day. 

 Aaah! There is blessed sunshine out there this morning and it is already a beautiful 72 degrees. As soon as I have some breakfast I’m going out and fill the bird feeders. I have a lot of guests out there this morning and they are hungry. I also have a bird feeder that I need to repair. The critters didn’t tear it up, the small cable wire that it hangs from finally broke, I assume due to rust. I think I can repair it with some wire. But first, I want to take it to Wild Birds Unlimited because I think it has a lifetime warranty. Maybe they will just trade it off to me. I really like that feeder and it is the one that the squirrels eat out of most of the time. It’s worth a try anyway. 

We made it to the churches yesterday to run the next three weeks worth of bulletins. We had debated all day about doing it because of the rain. We had kind of dodged passing storms all day. We went to Target to look for a couple of items for our trip, and then to Biaggi’s for lunch. While we were at lunch, it came another down pour and my radar indicated that we were going to have another one coming through soon. So we went home and took a short nap. It never did come another storm and the sky cleared out, so, off to the church we went. I’m glad to have that done, It’s just another thing checked off of my list before we go on vacation. 

I see a lot of cars coming and parking along the street and then leaving again. I guess my neighbor is having a yard sale once again. We could stand to have a yard sale around here. We’ve never had one and frankly don’t want to put the work into conducting one. I don’t even like yard sales because I figure that 90% of the stuff people are trying to sell is just junk they don’t know what to do with. My sister and her husband were big into yard sales and we have gone on “Yard Sale Road trips” with them and they filled the van with stuff. My Brother-in-law and sister-in-law on Ms. Kate’s side were auction people. Oh, my Lord, he would buy boxes full of junk just to get one item that he had his eye on. And she is no better. They have a basement that is approximately 3000 sq ft and a person can barely get through it because of all the stuff they have bought on auction. I have found that one of the biggest problem with have a lot of “stuff” is that nobody really wants it. I have a Kenwood stereo set down stairs that I bought many years ago on sale at the BX. I also bought two what was state of the art speakers to go with it. But it is all big stuff and with the technology advances, I get the same if not better sound through by Bose earphones and my IPad. If I were to put it out on a yard sale, I might get $25.00 for the whole thing, and I paid around $1000.00 for it. The same goes for the extra piano that sits in my living room.  No body wants it. It’s all just going to be left for the kids to find a way to dispose of it when we are dead. 

Time to go feed my guests. Have a great Friday! Peace. 

 Do you need some rain? We have extra that we don’t need. Good morning! Yes, it is still raining, quite heavily at the moment.  Hope this thing rains itself out today. I’m tired of it raining. Again though, there hasn’t been any large accumulation here. It’s just aggravating because I can’t mow my yard and I don’t want to go out in it to fill the feeders. I have a couple of places that I need to go but I don’t like to drive in the rain, so here we are, just looking out the window wishing it would stop. Come August, we’ll be looking out the windows wishing it would finally rain. That’s the way we “never satisfieds” are. 

We decided to not go up to the churches yesterday because of the rain so we still have that to do. Maybe we’ll just go ahead and do it, although right now my lightening indicator is doing a lot of beeping because of a passing storm. 

I’ve gotten a good start on collecting my stuff for our trip. We’re down to 9 days. I’ve been doing a countdown for the past six months, not that I’m excited or anything. Ms. Kate and I are taking an extra day up front and driving over most of the way. That way we can be there right on the money when we are allowed to be in the house and we can go to Walmart and pick up the groceries that we want, assuming we can have room in the car! LOL. That’s why I want to do a dry fit of stuff before we actually leave. Again though, it needs to quit raining. I’m hoping it has quit raining over in Branson, MO. That’s where we are going for vacation. I have a great house rented over there for a week. The owners had a pool put in this spring but they haven’t been able to pour the concrete pad around it because of all the rain they have been getting. I don’t know if that means it can be used or not. I wouldn’t want grass and dirt in my new pool for sure. Right now, the forecast for our vacation period looks very promising. 

I’m out of chit-chat so I guess I’ll sign off. Thanks for reading along with me. Have a blessed day. Peace. 

 More rain showers today —- all day. High to be 72 degrees which is 12 degrees below normal. I’ve been sitting in the sunporch watching my birds this morning although they are having to scramble to find food because they have emptied a bunch of the feeders again and I’m not going out in the rain to refill them. Suck it up birds, you’re on your own. LOL So, I just sit here, drinking my coffee, eating a Coconut Creme Parlour Doughnut, listen to some music and enjoy my life. 

Actually, for as much as it has rained, — it hasn’t accumulated a lot. My weather station says we’ve picked up a quarter of an inch. So, that makes it a “good rain” because it has come in spurts and is fairly light. Nothing damaging about that. Elsewhere around the region though they are posting flood warnings.

I guess we will go to the churches today and run a bunch of bulletins. I have three weeks worth created and ready to print. It won’t take an awful lot of time, and it needs to be done. If I do them today, I won’t have to go up and do any next week. And everything will be set for when we get back from vacation. 

I keep telling myself that I need to start gathering stuff together to pack the car. I talked about that yesterday, but nothing has been done. I think I know everything that needs to go, but then I think of something else. Yesterday we went around to different locations getting stuff that are “special requests” from grandkids that they remember from spending time with us. Yes, —- they are in their twenties and we still spoil them. A person only has one life to live and one opportunity to spread as much love as we possibly can. Our only legacy as humans is the memories that others carry with them and that legacy is only good for a couple of generations and is then gone. I want my legacy to be; —- “He was a good person, and He loved us dearly.”

I guess that about does it for today. I pray that you will have a most wonderful day, full of God’s blessings and joy. Take time to be grateful for those blessings. Peace. 

 

 Good morning and a blessed June 1st. Can you believe it is the 6th month of 2021 already. In 30 days this year will be half over. And, I must say, it has been a much better year than it predecessor, 2020. 

How was your Memorial Day? Did you have friends or family over? Did you grill out in the back yard and sit around and relax? Did you go to a cemetery and watch a local VFW or American Legion Honor Guard conduct a 21-gun salute to our comrades in arms who have passed? That’s how Ms. Kate and I honored the day. We went up to our St. Lucas church cemetery where the local VFW was doing a ceremony. I was very impressed with it. It was very well done, and the members of the honor guard were sharp looking. What impressed me the most though was the number of people that turned out to watch the ceremony, and the fact that they brought their children. From St. Lucas, they went up the road to St. Paul’s  and did the ceremony at that cemetery. They have done this for years and the fact that people brought their children to watch gives me hope that the next generation will continue the tradition. 

Our Sunday All Parish Worship service went very well and was well attended. Due to the cool temperatures we had to give up the idea of an outside service. At church start time it was 58 degrees with a breeze. It would have been fine for a lot of people but a lot of others would have felt like they were chilled to the bone. It is best to err on the side of caution I reckon. There will be plenty of hot days to have a service outside. The summer is only getting started. 

I finished my June 27th sermon last night with the exception of the Pastoral prayer. I told Ms. Kate that I’m holding off on writing that because we may have a whole new set of things to pray for or about by then. But, this week, I need to get bulletins run for the next three Sundays. That way I will have everything set and ready for when I return on the 20th. 

It’s a cloudy morning and 61 degrees. I thought that today was supposed to be a sunny day but now the Accuweather forecast is showing ran this afternoon and evening. We have some running around to do today to get ready for our trip. I guess we better plan on going earlier in the day. Right now Ms. Kate has the laundry going so we’ll wait until that is done. 

I need to start “dry-fitting” the load that we need to take for our vacation. Our Prius is a small car and we will be taking a lot of stuff with us, so the logistics will be interesting. Thankfully we also plan to stop at the Walmart there in Branson to pick up stuff too. But, I just need to figure out how I’m going to pack it all. If I had a cover on my pickup bed, I’d put it all in there but I don’t and besides, I like the 55 mpg I get with the Prius. 

Well the first load of laundry is ready to come out of the washing machine and go into the dryer, som I guess I better get busy. Have a great rest of your week. 

Peace.