Wow! We get to actually start the day with the temperature above the freezing mark. How great is that? I can see large portions of grass instead of snow. We are supposed to hit fifty degrees today.  So ----- nice day, and my day off, --- Road Trip!

Ms. Kate and I are going to pack an overnight bag and head over to the home of Superman; Metropolis, Illinois. Its only about a three hour drive --- but on the other hand --- its a three hour drive. Its a micro vacation. We'll take our pennies and give them to the slot machine demons. Some people would criticize us for gambling, but we consider it the price of entertainment. Gambling would infer that one has an expectation of winning and we know that doesn't happen!

I am out of some of my bird friends favorite delights. Tomorrow when we get home I need to go to Wildbirds and Things and restock the bird pantry. See --- another cost of entertainment , only this is guaranteed to pay off. How's that for flawless logic? Mr. Spock would be proud.

Our paritioner who had her knee replaced on Wednesday is doing very well and should be going home tomorrow. How amazing is that? I never cease to be amazed at what God has allowed us to do and learn. Ms. Kate has been through a double bi-pass surgery on her heart, had a knee replaced, and made it successfully through a stroke. People somtimes say that miracles are a thing that happened only when Jesus walked the earth but now we don't have them. I say God uses man to accomplish miracles every day through the things that God has allowed us to discover and learn. And for that. I offer up my prayer of gratitude this morning.

I hope your day is filled with recognition of God's blessings and miracles. Who knows, God might use you today as a blessing or a miracle just through a kind word or a smile that you pass along to someone.

Thank you Lord for sunshine and bright skies this morning. It is beautiful out there in critter land albeit a bit cool at 23 degrees. I filled the feeders that hang just out side the door in the Pussy-willow tree. The Cardinals are happy, the Finches are happy and the danged old Starlings are gobbling up the bark butter like it was their last meal on earth. I put that bark butter out there mainly for the woodpeckers --- but it is definitely a favorite of the Starlings and the Mockingbird. Although the Mockingbird actually expends more energy trying to eat it than it gains.

Yesterday was a capital day. Ms. Kate and I did the taxes (finally had the time), then I went to the hospital to see Ms. Mavis and say a prayer with her and her family. Mavis had her left knee replaced yesterday. Bless her heart, she had the right one done many years ago and had to have it redone about six years ago. Now it is the left one.

Finally, last evening we had our Parish Ash Wednesday service. We had around fifty people there. It was put together and conducted by my seven Confirmands and they did an excellent job of it. We are now only about six weeks from their Confirmation  Day. This coming week they will be sitting with their mentors and writing their personal Statement of Faith. They did an excellent job of writing a class Statement of Faith. We used it last night in the service.

So, I have some end of month reports to finish up today for February reporting and the bulletins to run for this week.

I hope your day is full of smiles and love. Remember, if you go out today -- smile at a stranger. It will brighten your day as well as theirs. You have a choice everyday as to what kind of day you are going to have. We have a finite number of days on this earth and we have no idea what that number is. So treat every day as though it were your last and you want people to have happy thoughts of you once you're gone.

God bless you!

From the conditions outside I'd say the thaw has begun. We have lots of fog this morning. My weather guy said last evening that we seem to be headed in the right direction and the artic cold appears to be going home where it belongs. That's not to say no more cold nights --- just not low single digits like we have been having.

Today is Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of the Lenten season. That also tells us that we are only forty days from Easter, which will be April 20th. I have a busy day today. One of my parishioners, Mavis Kruse, is having a knee replaced this afternoon. I need to be there before her surgery to say a prayer with her and the family. Then at 1730 I need to be at the church to get the confirmation class ready to conduct the 1900 hrs Ash Wednesday worship service. Wednesday is generally the day we go to the churches and run the bulletins but I don't see that happening today. Once again the weekend snow and ice screwed up my weekly schedule.

The fog is now lifting as the sun tries to burn through. The normal suspects and entertainers are all out there doing their best to clean out all the feeders. I intend to let them empty everything before I refill. They will do that before today is over, I'm sure. Making them clean out everything ensures I don't have wet and moldy seed in there. So, they have to be part of the "clean plate club" if they want more.

Our granddaughter Amanda called us last night to tell us that she had a job at Cold Stone Creamery, which she knows is my favorite ice cream chain. Frankly, she is lucky to have gotten a job because jobs for high school kids are scarce across the country. But, she graduates from high school on June 6th and already also has two semesters of college under her belt. She is such a fun kid to be around. She's funny, she's lively, she's smart and I think, also full of the Holy Spirit. We're all proud of her.

Its time to leave my porch and get busy for the day. As alwasys, I give God praise and thanks for my abundace of blessings. Right now I need to go in and give one of those blessings another cup of coffee and a good morning kiss.

Have a wonderful day.

It is a brisk and brilliant thirteen degrees outside. I went out after dark last evening and refilled my feeders. This morning I can't keep the bushy tails off of them. But then, I expected nothing less.

I spent much of yesterday out front clearing snow. My plan for my driveway worked pretty well and all of the pretreatment did what I had hoped it would. Between some actual shoveling and the John Deere and blade I got my driveway and walks cleared, as well as two of my neighbors and the street / hill in front of our houses all cleared. Of course, I could have simply waited a few more days when the temperatures climb back up to the forties and fifties. But this is the winter that won't quit and who knows what is really coming down the pike?

There is a stranger in the mix out there today. I have a Redwing Blackbird. We get a lot of varieties of "black birds" but not many of these. I've opened the doors and shot my squirrels in the butt several times today just to keep them off the feeders. I have hit them so many times over the months that it has become routine. They position themselves on the feeders so they can watch my doors and they listen for the click of my Red Ryder, and they will try to avoid getting shot. I guess it is an aggravation to them because I know they aren'getting hurt. I would love to use a pellet gun on them but the proximity of houses and the lack of total accuracy on my part prevents that. So we play our little game. I sting their butt, they run up the trees and peek around the branches and wait until they hear the door close, and then come back down to eat again.

I was glad to see Julie writing in her blog again yesterday. If you are reading mine, you should check out hers; its called "An attitude of gratitude".

We didn't get the taxes done yesterday but to we must "render unto Ceasar" today and get that off of our minds.

Look around you today. See all of those blessings that are filling your life? A warm home, food on the table, clothes to wear, friends an family that love you --- your life is full. Take time to be thankful to God who watches over you. Share those blessings with others and give something of yourself to someone else today.

Have a great day --- I know I will.

Its a 14 degree white morning out there in the yard. It looks like we got about three inches of sleet and snow last night. But the sun is shining this morning and if nothing else --- it brightens the spirits.

The trees and feeders are busy this morning as the buffet continues to be visited. We have redbirds, bluebirds, blackbirds greybirds, yellowbirds and a whole bunch of mixed varieties of colors hopping and flying and fussing for the best spot at the feeders. Its like a Las Vegas casino for birds.

I reckon at some point today I need to try and shovel off the drive and sidewalk. I'm hoping that my treating the driveway will make the removal easier. If so then it will be John Deere time. The other job today is taxes. Ms. Kate wants to get them done this week.  Yuk!

The porch is brighter today cause Ms. Kate has come out to watch the birds with me. The sun is really glistening through the ice on the limbs. As usual --- God did good.

Time to refill the coffee cup. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Well, well, well --- hello winter. It has been almost two days since we saw you last. I was really hoping that winter was fading out the back door but we keep getting one more "hurrah". At the moment we are getting rain or freezing rain --- I can't tell the difference. The trees are already ice covered though. Hopefully we won't get too many limbs down or lose power.

The back yard critters are not happy. The feeder poles are ice covered and the squirrels are really having a hard time trying to climb them. The birds on the other hand are glad that I topped off all of the feeders yesterday. They need all the energy they can get today. It would appear that we are in for it until tomorrow sometime.

We cancelled church services today, as has every other church. As Lisa says, worship where you are, and as I sit here in a warm home, watching God's creatures out there --- I have no problem giving God thanks for my blessings.

This current storm has wreaked havoc all across the nation starting with torrential rains in California and now ice, rain, and snow across the midwest. It will be on the eastcoast by tomorrow. A lot of people have lost property and some deaths have been reported across the country. My prayers go out for all of those folks and their families.

And --- despite what is happening weather wise right now  --- a Starling is taking a bath in the birdbath. There is never a dull moment from the sunporch. Have a blessed day. I know I will.

It is a sleepy, snoozy, and grey Saturday morning. Even the backyard is relatively quiet. There are two squirrels up on feeders and two eating off the ground, but none of the frantic running around that we've seen earlier this week.

It is March 1st and 43 degrees right now. The area, in fact the whole middle of the country is bracing for the projected winter storm that will be upon us twenty four hours from now. I'll need to top off feeders again today to make sure all my backyard friends have food available. Then we'll hope the feeders don't get too ice covered to use.

As I sit here, activity is picking up. There are now seven squirrels out there and the chase has begun. Each one tries to protect its area and steal from the others at the same time. Like basketball players, they do offense and defense at the same time. They are fun to watch but they are also expensive to feed and destructive to the feeders because they will do what ever is necessary to get at the food. I reckon that is called survival.

I reckon I have set here long enough for now and should get up and do something productive. Besides, the coffee cup is empty. Whether you are a friend or one of my wonderful family members reading this --- I hope you have a wonderful dy. I know I will because you are in my life.