It's a cool crisp morning out there. A sharp breeze is blowing and it almost feels like a fall morning. But here in the sun porch it is very comfortable as I survey my little piece of the world.

I got my lawn mowed yesterday evening as well as Dan's yard across the street. I think the Robin must like it because it is racing back and forth across the yard. It doesn't fly across, it just runs really fast and then stops. Then it is off again to another spot. I have no clue what is going on with it. The young bunny is kind of doing the same thing; back and forth, back and forth. I think this must be a second young rabbit because it is smaller than the one I saw on Wednesday.

I topped off the feeders last evening so there is a full buffet waiting for all the critters this morning. So far though business is slow. I have a few Cardinals and Finches at the feeders and one brilliantly blue Blue Jay keeps visiting the bark butter feeder. It will grab a couple of bites and then go sit and wipe its beak on a branch. The smaller birds are interesting to watch because they will grab a sunflower seed and then go sit on a limb and crack it open on the limb. I just noticed that I filled the mealworm feeder last night but forgot to hang it. I have no idea what eats those things but they are expensive to buy.  They do have a rather pungent oder, especially when I first open the container.

A rather large Red Tail Hawk just flew in and is sitting in the tree at the edge of the yard. That might explain the sudden absence of birds and no squirrels yet the morning.

We got a call from our sixteen year old granddaughter Lauren  last evening, telling us that she received her Professional Motocross Rider license. We are going out to Mammoth Lake, Calfornia in two weeks to watch her ride in her first professional race. I know it will be exciting. She already knows most of the other woman professional riders out there and they are good friends. But she was very excited and we are excited for her and very proud of her. That makes the second of our grandchildren that is a professional in their chosen sport. Our oldest grandson Josh is a fourth degree black belt in his chosen karate discipline, and has been teaching it for several years.

My prayers go out this morning for comfort and a pain-free day for our oldest daughter Julie. She has been in the midst of a horrible flare up of her rhumatoid arthritis the past few days. She is a woman of remarkable courage with the way she manages to keep going and working despite the pain that she always has.  No matter how she feels, she is the one who is the cheerleader for others.


The coffee cup is empty, but the bladder is full. Time to quit for the day. Have a wonderful day!

It's an overcast morning on what was predicted to be a sunny beginning to an equally sunny weekend. I reckon we will see what God has up his sleeve for us.

I have lots of birds out there this morning. The brilliant red of the Cardinals contrasting with the deep black of the Grackels makes for a neat picture. I can hear the beautiful song of the Song Sparrow along with the "get out of my way" cry of the Blue Jay. And --- I have a couple of squirrels out there trying to decide which feeder to rob while at the same time trying to keep each other from getting too a feeder. I do love my view from my sun porch.

I guess it rained last night at some point and I know the power was off too. All of the clocks were blinking this morning which means I need to go around and reset them. It's not a big job because most everything resets itself or is battery operated. My alarm clock is on battery too, but then I only use an alarm one morning a week. It wouldn't be good for the pastor to oversleep and miss church.

I spent an hour and a half out in the flowerbeds yesterday morning dead-heading peonies annd iris and pulling weeds. I only got one area done and have an awful lot more to do. But where I worked looks so much better. Ms. Kate has tons of lilies that are starting to bloom and I don't want old blooms to detract from the picture. Our hydrangias are in full bloom and they are wonderful. The bloom is made up of hundreds of little individual flowers, that creates a single bloom nine inches across. Some people like to amend the soil around hydrangias to change the colors of the blooms from white to maybe blue or pink. We prefer to let them just do what God made them to be.

It is breezy out there this morning which is a good thing because the clouds are being moved out and the sun is starting to peek through. Mowing the yard is on my list today and the breeze will help to quickly dry the grass. I didn't make it to the church yesterday so I must do that today too. And --- I should go out and visit with my mother for a few minutes. This I how I will spend my "day off". Don't I have a tough life?

It is time to get my day started but not before I stop and give thanks to God for another week of blessings. My life is so full of positivity and God's grace and love. I have done nothing to deserve it or earn it. God, out of his love for his children, has simply provided it. I give Him praise and glory. Have a blessed day.

Welcome to a brilliant, blue, cloudless morning --- at least here. North of us it appears they may still be having storms. The weather fellow on television last night said that it has rained on seven of the last eleven days.  As green and lush as everything is right now, I can easily believe it.

It is Thursday and I have a lot to do today, not the least of which is get a haircut. I need to take Ms. Kate grocery shopping and I also need to go up to the church and get things prepared for Sunday service. And --- we have to get out in the yard and get some deadheading done on the iris and the peonies. They look horrible when they aren't properly taken care of. God provides some beautiful blooms, but then we must tend the plants. (Hmmmmm! I think I just found subject for a sermon there in that thought. Thanks God!) Speaking of sermons, I need to write next weeks sermon too. Oiy veh --- too much to do.

I have a lot of the small birds here today. So,  there is a lot of chirping and flittering around. Most are common House Finches and Sparrows. I'm still noticing that we don't have a lot of the Goldfinches around. I guess they are finding their food in the wild now. As we traveled, We noticed that the wild thistle is blooming, so they may be eating off of that. Some times I have to remind myself that they aren't my birds, God just loans them to me for my enjoyment. One lone squirrel has shown up and I'm wondering if it may be new to the yard. It doesn't seem sure about how to get up on the feeder. It keeps climbing the pole, sliding back down, climbing up again and being very tentative about reaching over to the feeder to get a seed. Mostly it is just eating off the ground.

My prayers today are sent out as prayers for hope and strength for several loved ones and friends who continue their battle with cancer. I learned this morning that one long time friend not only has cancer but is also having severe heart problems. So, I pray they will find strength each and every day to continue to fight. I lift up my brother-in-law once again and continue to pray that his treatment plan is slowing the progress of his cancer. I fully realize that we must all pass through the veil at some point and move on to eternal life. But I would pray that we can do so with a good quality of life and peace until the moment comes.

My coffee cup is empty, my Nook battery is almost dead, and my leg is asleep. I got to get moving. Have a blessed day!

And a glorious good morning to the world this morning! I'm back in the sunporch, back to my recliner, having my coffee and watching the world outside. We've just spent a week on vacation. We went to see our oldest granddaughter, Amanda, graduate from high school. We had a wonderful trip, good relaxing times, and a great visit with family. But --- I'm an old horse, and my most comfortable place is in my own stall.

One of the first things I did yesterdy evening was refill all of my feeders. There wasn't a bit of food left in any of them, which I expected to be the case. However, the word has gotten out through the squirrel grapevine that there is food to be had. This mornng I have more Robins than usual hopping around  out there. I had a Bluejay too for a bit but it has since gone. Other than a few Finches, there hasn't been much activity. It will pick up as the day goes on.

We've had around five inches of rain since I have been gone, or at least that was what was in the rain guage. The plants have exploded with growth. From my chair I can't see much of the actual yard because the phlox, the hydrangias, and all of the patio container plants have gotten so tall. The garden has really grown too and is looking wonderful. So, despite the fact that many weeds have also grown, I give God many thanks for the rain. I'm also grateful for all those little tomatos, and squash, and cucumbers that I see coming on my plants and vines. I will be grateful again after while when I go out and pick my raspberries from bushes that are loaded with fresh berries this morning. Everywhere I look, I can see yet another blessing that God has bestowed on me.

My rabbit is back this morning and it has grown too in the past week. The Cardinals and the Downy Woodpeckers have by now discovered that the pantry is open for business again are flitting from one feeder to another. I knew all things would get back to routine if I just sat here patiently. God works in God's own time.

My prayers this morning are prayers of gratitude for the safe travel we just experienced. I'm also thankful for my neighbor who watches over our place anytime we are gone, as does my sister-in-law Karen, who came at least twice to do a walk through. I'm grateful to a loving church congregation who offered up their prayers and kindness to one of our parishioners who lost her mother while we were away. I'grateful to and for Pastor Barb Gaisser who fills our pulpit when I take time away. I have such a blessed life, and I owe it all to God's goodness and direction in my life.

I hope you can find time in your busy day today, to stop and count your blessings and then give thanks to God who gave those blessings to you. Have a wonderful day.

Sunshine and warm Carolina weather on tap for today. It is Amanda's high school graduation day and we are all hoping for no rain yesterday evenng it rained a lot.

I've been out to smell the gardenias several times today. The sweet smell is almost breathtaking. I think maybe God created that flower just to perfume the universe. I picked three blossoms last night and put them in a vase in our room and the oder permeated the whole room. It was heavenly.

We had Safelite come this morning and replace the windshield on the Caddy. I'm glad they were able to get it done so quickly. We didn't want to drive 750 miles with a cracked windshield. The guy doing the work was quick and professional.

We are in a pattern of hurry up  and wait right now. Most of us are dressed and ready but we are still two hours out from the graduation. Gary still has to get home from work. Other than visit and take pictures, we haven't accompished much today; but we are on vacation so what do we need to accomplish?

I love Lisa's yard. Besides all of the azelias, camillias, and gardenias, they have about thirty, forty-foot tall yellow pine trees. Looking out her sunporch windows is like looking out on a park. They have a large gazebo in the back yard and have put in a really nice fire-pit. They hold a lot of gatherings with their church friends out there. And --- being in North Carolina, they can do that fairly well year around.

And so, as I look around, I see the wonderful handiwork of God. And as I sit here, I can certainly feel the presence and peace of God. I am so very blessed to have the loving family that I do. God has been so very good to me. I hope you have that same feeling about your family and that you have that kind of relationship with the Lord God.

Have a wonderful day.

I'm sitting in the sunporch, but not my sunporch. Ms. Kate and I are in North Carolina for a few days as we celebrate our oldest granddaughter's high school graduation. Where in the world did the time go?

I'm sitting here looking at a beautiful lawn full of gardenias all in bloom and the smell is heavenly. She also has over a hundred azelias but they are about done. They only have a couple of bird feeders and it appears that they mostly get Chickadees at them. I may have to go sit in the gazebo in the morning for my morning conversation with God.

Our trip has not been without incident. Before we even got on the road, I went out to put the suitcases in the car and found out I had a flat tire. I aired it up and went down to our local garage and they found a nail in the "no repair zone" up by the rim. So, I had to get a new tire. Then --- this morning our windshield got hit by a flying rock and a long crack started down it. Once we got here to Lisa's I called my insurance company and I have to have a new windshield put in tomorrow. Yuk!

But, all of that aside, it has been a good trip. We spent some time in Old Salem, NC yesterday. It was settled by the Moravians in 1766. It was nice to see some of the antiques they have.

As always, I give thanks to God for my blessings. God is so very good. Have a blessed evening.

A little cloudy and grey this morning. It looks like it could rain. I'm hoping it will hold off for a bit. We are heading out for a vacation this afternoon. Our oldest granddaughter is graduating from high school this week in North Carolina and we must be there. We are very proud of her.

All is quiet in the back yard this morning. The squirrels are of course doing their best to empty the feeders. But ---they will have to look for another buffet when they get them emptied since we won't be here to restock. I know though that when we return and I fill everything up --- it will take about five minutes and everyone will be back.

So, my blog is to be short today so we can get packed. I probably ought to start that process about now. But before I go, I must offer prayers for our parishioner who is to be induced for labor today as they have their second child. Ms. Kate and I both wish her and her family good luck.  I know God will be with them. We also send prayers of concern and strength to our parishioner whose mother has taken a real turn for the worse. I pray for my brother-in-law and sister as they work through his cancer treatments and the waiting periods between them. Patience and strength both come from God's hands. And finally, I ask for God's blessings for a safe trip for us.

I hope you will have a blessed day. My blogging will be sporadic for the next week. Just keep checking.