It would be absolutely wrong of me not to start this day off with a prayer of gratitude for that beautiful cloudless blue sky out there. It's going up to the low fifties today and what a great thing that is after nine straight days of cold and gloomy and snowy and rainy. I know that God makes all of our days but this is the kind of day I'll bet the Psalmist David was having when he wrote, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Yesterday, as projected, was a busy one but we managed to get almost everything on the list accomplished. It ws really a good day for my visitation. I ws able to share communion with seven people. It has been a long time since I have been able to do that. That is a good thing because it means we haven't had anybody home bound and unable to come to church to receive communion at church. And those couple of folks who were unable to receive communion are or were mentally unable to understand what it would have been about, so I just prayed with them. I don't know how other pastor's handle it, but I don't serve communion to people who have no idea what you are trying to give them or understand what you are saying to them. But, like I said, I do sit and pray for them.

Ms. Kate got all of the bulletins run and folded while I was out doing visitation. Then we stayed around for choir practice which I think went very well. I really like the cantata we are doing for Easter. It is quasi-operatic and has some beautiful music. I need to get busy and put together a narration to go with it. The cantata is one we pulled out of the bottom drawer. I think they last did it in the sixties or seventies. There are some scriptures typed up on some small pieces of paper attached to the book that I have. Maybe they used that as narrative back then; I just don't know. I just need to look at it.

We need to still make our small grocery run today. We're also getting some housework done today; changing sheets on the beds, mopping bathrooms and kitchen; stuff like that. All three of our girls are coming in next week and we need to spruce up the place. It will be a whirlwind trip for them and us but we are so looking forward to it. There will be little time and lots of discussion about Heather's April wedding.

I don't have a lot of backyard visitors today. I can hear the blackbirds off in the trees so I suspect they will be floating down out of the trees shortly. While we are out today, I guess I will pick up some black oil sunflower seed. My container holds 100 pounds and I'm down to about 30 pounds left in it. Hopefully the weather will continue to improve and these freeloader blackbirds and starlings will move on. That will reduce the amout of birdfood I have to go through immensely. I also need to go by Wildbirds and Things for some of my other kinds of food.

So,  it is time for me to get busy, the day awaits and there is work to be done. I hope that your Thursday is just the best one you have ever had! Peace.

It's cloudy and37 degrees this morning although my accuweather forecast says we will have a mostly sunny day. I'm looking forward to mostly sunny as are most people I suspect. The blackbirds are back again this morning in force. They were gone for most of the morning yesterday and it was nice seeing just my regular birds having a chance at the feeders without having to fight the "big beaks". But then by afternoon they had discovered full feeders and in they came. However, --- despite my fussing about them, I'll say this; they have certainly cleaned up all of the residual seed that the other birds and squirrels have knocked and spread all over the ground under the feeders. I knew at some point after the weather turned nice and the ground dried up I was going to have to take my rake and shovel and clean up the piles of stuff out there. But -- the blackbirds have taken that bunch of stuff all the way down to bare ground. So, once again, --- things I fussed about turned out to be a blessing after all.

We have a lot of running around to do today. Ms. Kate is out of ink for her printer. We just bought her  some black ink a couple of days ago and she knew her colored inks were low but thought she had more. She didn't and now she can't print because she is out of colored ink even though what she wants to print is in black. What can I say? It's how the machine works. So, Office Depot is an early stop. Then the grocery store and pick up some creamer for her coffee. We have a meeting at 1300 hrs and then to the church for some work, (it is Wednesday you know), and later this evening we have choir practice and I have visitations with communion to do in between all of that. What will I do in lieu of all of that when I actually retire?

I finished putting together my sermon for the 28th late last night. It took me a long time and I'm not sure I really said what I meant to say or even like it. I'll need to read it over again today or maybe tomorrow and see if it makes any sense, then maybe have Ms. Kate read it. She's a good judge of my messages because she is an honest judge of my messages. As much as I love my parishioners, I know that all of my messages can't be that good and yet almost every week I'll have folks come up and tell me how much they enjoyed my message. But this one I finished last night --- well I just don't know. I have an idea rumbling around in the back of my brain but I don't know if it transferred through my computer key board. I've been known to just hit delete on the whole thing and start fresh and I don't want to have to do that. I already did that once in the middle of this message.

Despite the snow, despite the temperature and frozen ground, --- the daffodils and tulips are still coming up. When God sets a plan in motion --- the plan continues. As someone wrote on Facebook -- there are only four more Monday's left in winter! So, it is time to stop writing and take time to give thanks to God for a world of blessings such as yard cleaning blackbirds and brave daffodils. One can find a blessing in most anything if we just take the time to look and appreciate. I hope you will take some time for that today. Don't go so fast on your trip through life that you miss the journey. Have a blessed day.

The fog is thick again this morning and I love it. I've always loved foggy mornings. The air is fairly still and the fog dampens all sound. One goldfinch is eating from the thistle seed feeder and that is the only bird I have out there this morning so far. I expect the cardinals will be flying in shortly although in truth, there isn't much left for them to eat. The snow is about 99% gone from my yard so I should go out and fill everything up again. I'll need to find my boots because the yard is going to be a mushy mess and I'll be dragging hulls etc from under the bird feeder around with me, and I'm sure Ms. Kate doesn't want that in the house and on the carpet. Today's forecast calls for rain turning to snow; a lovely thought. So, I might as well get everything filled up again if I want to continue to enjoy my morning critters.

I started reading an interesting book last night written by John Dorhauer who is the General Minister for the United Church of Christ, in other words the "President" so to speak of our denomination. It is far more interesting than I thought it would be. I bought it because several of the pastors in our Pastor's Circle were wanting to do a book discussion on it. Dorhauer is discussing what he sees as the future of the denomination as a whole and more importantly what he sees as the future of "The Chuech" in this post modern reformation. Unfortunately, it is a fact that the church we baby boomers grew up with is headed for its death bed and if The Church is to survive, there will need to be some major paradigm shifts. I'm enough of a realist to see that picture right in the two churches that I serve.  It is a sad thought but the church buildings that sprang up everywhere after WWII now house congregations that can no longer afford to maintain them.

But enough on the dreary subjects for today. The fog is lifting and the cardinals and the mockingbirds have come in. The junkos are running around pecking at the ground cleaning up after the mess the blackbirds left yesterday. I counted ten cardinals out there and even though the sun isn't shinning on them, they still look beautiful. It looks like I may have to go get some more safflower seed. The dang blackbirds cleaned out that five pounds of food pretty quick. I might as well pick up another fifty pound bag of sunflower seed too because the can is over half empty. I need to re-hang a couple of suet feeders that the squirrels knocked down. If I don't fill the feeders, they will tear something else up trying to get the last crumb of food out of it.

So, I'm off to do my duty and take care of God's pets. I'm glad to do it for the joy I get out of watching them and feel blessed to be able to do it. I hope you find joy in whatever it may be that you are doing today. God loves you and so do I. Never forget that the Holy Spirit is your constant companion waiting to lift you up when needed. Have a blessed day.

Happy brand new week! It is s foggy morning as the temperature tries to slowly climb and the snow pack melts a little bit. We didn't get much snow here; maybe an inch or so. But when it came, it came hard and quick. We left for church at 0800 and it wasn't snowing at all. By the time we finish first service at 1000 hrs, it was blowing and snowing a really fine snow. But by the time we finished second service and a council meeting, the roads were slick and treacherous. Travel was down to forty miles an hour except for the idiots. We only saw one guy off in a ditch on the way home but news folks said there were slide-offs everywhere. By 1600 our part of the snow was over and there was maybe an inch or maybe two on the ground. So, I jumped on the Deere and cleaned our drive, neighbor Dan's drive and the street to the top of the hill. Today it is supposed to get up to forty degrees which should help to melt most of what we have on the ground.

I still have a yard full of blackbirds of all varieties. They have cleaned out most of the feeders and are eating mostly suet now. I can see there is still a small amount of sunflower seed in a couple of the feeders but the blackbirds and the mockingbird are having battles over those. And even the squirrel is trying to eat from a suet feeder. It also came and took a bite of the hot pepper feed block I have out there and I got the exact reaction that I was hoping for. The birds could care less about the hot peppers  in it but Mr. Squirrel sure didn't like it. The cardinals are here this morning and they are finding stuff to eat. They really look pretty against the snow. Obviously there is enough seed and feed on the ground in the snow for the birds to eat or the blackbirds would have moved on and they certainly have not.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. I had hoped Ms. Kate and I could go out for a nice dinner or supper but we stayed in because of the weather. I'll sure be glad when it starts to warm up and this snow stuff gets over. But then, a warm fire place and a Ms. Kate cooked meal is better than going out anyway.

This week looks to be fairly uneventful. Hopefully no one I know passes away this week. I don't have any extra meeting scheduled that I know of and no classes to attend. I' got started, barely, on my sermon for the 28th of February last night. I should have plenty of time to write that one and then start on March services. I would love to get several weeks ahead but that seldom happens. But, although it is still February, it isn't that long until Ms. Kate and I start taking a couple vacations; just barely nine weeks which means we better also get seriously busy planning our trips.

I just watched a squirrel work its butt off trying to eat the suet out of a suet feeder. It hung from a branch by its back legs and stretched over and grabbed the feeder with its front legs and pulled it to him. Then it turned it around and around until it actually got the feeder open and the suet fell out on the ground and the little chain fell off and the feeder hit the ground too. But then it just went to another feeder rather than go down and eat the suet that had fallen on the ground. They are so darned destructive. Oh, well.

The fog is burning off somewhat and I need to quit writing and get something done other than watch squirrels tear stuff up. I pray your day is full of joy.

It is a beautiful 16 degree morning! There is a slight breeze which only drops the windchill factor down to about four degrees. Most of the snow we had has melted or maybe evaporated in the cold woud be a better term. We are predicted for another round of it tomorow afternoon and night. Again, I think it is supposed t be just enough to make the roads slick.

I've had a good morning with my aviary friends today. The popular place is of course the birdbath. I've had a lot of birds to it and a couple of squirrels have come and gotten a drink. The yard yesterday was constantly full of black birds and starlings. I'm very surprised there is any bird feed left out there but there seems to be. Where yesterday there was a constant seventy five or more in the yard, today I've had a few small flocks of black birds fly in, grab a bite or two and then fly off. The Robin has been here most of the morning hopping around in the yard and then coming up for a drink. At least it hasn't gotten down in the water and tried to take a bath this morning.

Yesterday turned into a resting day for Ms. Kate and me. I'm trying to stave off a cold and my meds kept me a little drowsy most of the day. Ms. Kate had gotten up at 0430 yesterday for some unknown reason so she needed a nap too. Today we will put on our warm coats and go do a little banking and then go to Office Depot. She's out of black ink for her printer and I just put in my last spare cartridge in mine. So, we might as week get some. We need to go up to our favorite butcher shop and place an order but it is Saturday and they are always packed on Saturday. It can wait until Monday.

I talked to Julie this morning and she said that Jim was on his way to Lowe's for his orientation for his new job. It will be part time but since he has a full time job, that's fine. What is cool about his orientation though is that they have to do an in-store scavenger hunt as part of their orientation. I think that is a great way to teach new employees where the merchandise is located. Now Iknow their secret. I've always been fairly impressed by Lowe's employees knowing what aisle to send me to. Julie says she does the same thing with her new student helpers. She give them a list of books to find and pull. It is a two step benefit. They learn where the different books are and she ends up getting student orders pulled and filled. Pretty smart of her.

This Sunday is Valentine's Day. I didn't buy Ms. Kate anything but I did find a nice card for her and we will go out to eat after the church council meeting on Sunday. Of course, we go out to eat every Sunday after church so ---- no big thing there. But, in that this is our 53rd Valentine's Day, --- we gotten past the need for trinkets or stuff for the sake of buying something. We've gotten to the TNS&W stage and it's pretty great. For you novices, --- that's Touch, Nod, Smile, and Wink. When the mere presence of your spouse or significant other causes one or more of those reactions from you --- You have arrived at a mature relationship.

I better jump off of my IPad and get busy. The banks close by eleven on Saturdays and I've been sitting here enjoying life for two and a half hours. It's time to get moving. I hope your weekend is blessed and I hope you take time out for worship of the God who has created you and provided for you.  Think kind thoughts and do something for yourself and someone else today. Peace.

Another snowy morning and I, of course, broke down and filled seventeen bird feeders last evening and true to form I have a yard full of blassckbirds this morning. I'll be glad when the snow is gone and these guys all get back to the fields. But, with two more rounds of snow predicted -- that won't be any time soon. However, I have a friend in the sky too; a red-tailed hawk. It just came swooping in and sixty or so blackbirds took to the air all at once with the hawk hot on their tail. I need to get my bird book out and do a little research. Most of these black birds are simply black while many of them are what we have always called red-winged black birds; and I wonder if maybe that is the distinction between the male and female. It is interesting watching them. I've tried to take pictures of them several times en masse and everytime I step out side they all fly off. And, they will stay up in the trees until I walk back inside. Then they just seem to "float" to the ground like leaves in the fall. Very interesting. I have one out there that I really wish I could get a picture of. Part of the top and all of the underside of its wings is totally white. I've never seen that before.

But --- black birds are not my only guests this morning, thank goodness. There are at least a dozen cardinals and lots of junkos out there as well as a few downy woodpeckers. So in between the hordes of uninvited -- the regular customers are getting plenty to eat too. I also hut out a new food. It is a block cylinder that hangs just about fifteen inches from a branch. I did have a seed cake hanging there but a squirrel figured out that it could stretch out and pull it over to himself and just have a private meal. Well, this new cylinder is a tempting peanut blend that the birds love but it is also a hot pepper blend. Birds have no taste buds; the squirrel on the other hand may not either after it takes a chunk off of this. Ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do!

Ms. Kate and I got all of our running around done yesterday that we had to do. One of the things we had to do was pick up her new "computer glasses". She has been having trouble lining up her bifocals  when she sits at her computer. As a result she ends up with a sore neck and a headache. So, we had our optometrist fix her up with a pair just for using at the computer and they are working great for her.  We also went grocery shopping yesterday at our new Neighborhood Walmart. It has only been open for about a week so we thought we would check it out. Honestly, --- I am not impressed. I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't what I saw.

It is time to get my Friday started although I don't have a plan for the day. There is always something to be done, or a book to be read, or maybe even plan my day a round a nap later in the day. Life is good, and God is great! Have a blessed day!

I think it was Carmen Miranda who sang "We're having a heat wave". I guarantee you she wasn't singing it about here. It's a grey and cloudy twenty four degrees here this morning; although we are forecasted to get almost up to the freezing point today. Winter sure took its tine getting here but when it did --- it did it in fashion. I'm just hoping we are in the last hoorah of winter.

I feel sorry for all of my regular birds out there this morning. The feeders are empty and in fact, I have to go get some safflower seed and barkbutter chips today because I'm out. But, --- theere are still a bunch of red-wing blackbirds out there and a few grackles and of course, -- starlings. I know that as soon as I fill everything up --- the call will go out and my yard with look like a rolling black carpet again as the flocks and flocks of blackbirds come flying in. So, right now, they will just have to keep cleaning up and eating all of the stuff they have thrown and spilled on the ground. But even the squirrels are running through the yard carrying little signs that say "Kiss my flipping tail!" But --- I still keep water out there for them and that is a plus when everything else is frozen over.

We had a nice Ash Wednesday service last night although attendance was only about thirty five people which is half of what we normally have. Again, blame the weather. None of my older folks came out and I don't blame them. But, we shared communion at the altar and the imposition of the ashes of redemption and I think folks got the desired benefit out of the service. I hope so anyway. After the service, Ms, Kate and I stayed around and ran the bulletins and go the sanctuary set up for Sunday so we wouldn't have to go back up today.

Today I need to call the funeral home up in Boonville in reference to a funeral I'm supposed to do tomorrow. What was put in the obituary for the man was not what I was told would be happening. So, I need to follow up on that. Then, Ms. Kate and I have a lot of running around to do today although staying home in front of the fireplace would be much more desirable. There are just several things we need to shop for that we keep putting off because we don't want to get out in the cold. But, I guess we will "man-up" and get out there instead of being old wussies.

Youngest grandson, Jon, has his leg and foot in a cast. He and his friend were doing the "boy kind of stuff" and it didn't work it like he planned. They were doing the old "Ring the doorbell and ditch" routine." So they rang this fellow's doorbell and took off and jumped over a six foot fence. He landed wrong and broke his foot. And --- to make matters worse for him --- the fellow had a video camera on the front door and put the video on the neighborhood Facebook page so his mother knew instantly what he had done, and made him go back and apologize; --- a fate worse than death. Aaah well; if that is the worst of his criminal activities in his life; --- he'll do fine.

I just had a bluebird show up at my feeders and there is not much to eat. That is my first bluebird since last spring. I have a bluebird house hanging on the poplar tree. It would be great if it comes back with a mate and rents the place out.

Well, I just got word that my funeral visitation for today and my funeral for tomorrow is off. It seems that "other relatives" had differing ideas about who was in charge and what was going to happen. My friend who had asked me to do the funeral was the ex-wife, constant caregiver, and best friend and soul-mate of the deceased; but his daughter came in and took over and changed everything. It happens. Death often takes more than just a life. ----- So, that frees up some of my time for the next couple of days and I won't have to stand out in the snow while I do a funeral.

The Lenteen season has begun. It is a time of reflection, repentance and service. Take some time in these next forty days and do something to make life better for someone else. Take some time in these next forty days to seal any gaps in your relationship with God.  ---- Have a blessed day.