Rainy and cold are the watch-words of the day. No matter how you slice it, it still comes out miserable. And it is supposed to get colder tomorrow.

I had my six month check up and follow-up with my orthopedic surgeon today and it was all good news. I know the ankle and leg is doing so much better and and is getting stronger. The doctor was thrilled though. He felt of the area and said that it is possible that the Achilles’ tendon is in fact regenerating. The area is strong and thickening. I have good strength and zero infection in the ankle and the scar has healed perfectly. I walk well on flat surfaces without my brace although I don’t temp too many stairs and I trying to not take any chances with the ankle. Sometimes it really gets tired and sometimes I tend to limp even with the brace on. But if that thing does regenerate, —- it will be a pure miracle from God because it is extremely rare for that to happen. Frankly, even if it doesn’t regenerate, my healing has been a pure miracle from God. I give God all of the credit. He wants to see me one more time in six months to check my progress and then will release me. Again, “Thank you God”.

I got started on my December 29th sermon last night; nothing more than some scribbles and the scriptures that I want to use. But, it is a start I certainly have plenty of time to get it written but I want to stay way ahead of my work. One never knows when a surprise funeral could pop up or some other thing, so I write ahead.

I don’t have much for you today. I just wanted to to share with you God’s great handi-work. Now I need to get on my recumbent bike and ride a few miles before I give in to the recliner for my nap. Have a great day my friends and ty to stay warm. Peace.  

Good morning! Did you wake up feeling blessed today? I did; —- not for any special reason just a general feeling of being blessed that I had another day here on earth. You know, some days a person just needs to open their eyes in the morning  and before their feet hit the floor, stop and say “Good morning  God, thanks for giving me another day to do something for somebody, even if today it is only for myself.” You know, we sometimes forget that we need to take care of our self too.

It is a cloudy day and I think it is forecast to be this way most of the day. Mid fifties are to be the max temperature today. The sidewalk is recently wet from an obvious rain shower. My Google calendar tells me that I don’t have anything scheduled for today. Although my “Ms. Kate” calendar tells me that we’ll be going to “Fresh Market” today because it is “ground beef Tuesday”. Every Tuesday they have ground beef on sale and we generally try to get there and get some; generally just a pound or maybe two. Kate also has a list of other things that we need from the grocery although I think it is a relatively small list. I know we are out of potatoes and our milk “best sold by” date is today.

The leaves have finally turned in the neighborhood. As I look out my Sunporch windows, everything is just kind of orange. On a cloudy day like today it is actually a little eerie looking, like something you would see in a sci-fi movie. The backyard Buffet is quiet this morning. I’ve only had a few cardinals and a coupe of robins show up so far. One robin was eating out of the bird feeder again. This is the only place I have seen robins eat out of a bird feeder and they don’t do it very often. They are generally ground feeders. But, I guess they wanted a little variation in their diet. I mean, I guess worms are good, but one would not want them as their only staple.

With the exception of writing an article for our church paper I am caught up with my work through Christmas Eve. I have one more sermon to write for December and then three to write for January. That should complete my writing for my current church. Come February, the “easy days” are over and I’ll be back to writing a fresh sermon every week when I move to the new Parish. (Lord, I’m gonna need some help here.)

Yesterday Ms. Kate baked fourteen jars of pumpkin “bread-in-a-jar”. I opened one this morning for our breakfast and it is delicious. There are going to be some very lucky recipients of those jars come Christmas time. She also has made another dozen jars of apple bread in a jar. It is some fine eating.

Time for me to put a period on this page and call it done. I’m going to finish my coffee and then get on the bike to no-where and ride for a few miles. Then I need to shower and get ready to take Ms. Kate grocery shopping. So, you go out there and have a wonderful day. Share your smiles with people and make their day a bit better. God loves you and so do I. Peace.

A very good Monday to you. It is afternoon and just pre-nap time. Ms. Kate and I went out for launch because it is spaghetti day at the Lamasco Bar. Their spaghetti might not be the best in the world but it certainly satisfies us. Ms. Kate tried the baked today and I took my regular order. The waitress recognizes us and asked if we want our regular. Monday is the only day we go there. Maybe there other days are good too but one day a week there is enough.

I cheated about work today although it certainly was not intentional. I had spent most of the morning putting together a couple of worship services and wrote my homily for Christmas Eve. I looked up at the clock and it was almost noon already. So, I packed up my computer and said good bye to Karen and left. I had to stop and get gas and as I did I got a text from Kaaren that said, “You left an hour early today. The clocks haven’t been set back for the end of Daylight Saving Time yet. Sure enough, I looked at my watch and I was an hour early. Oh well, it isn’t like I had anybody coming in to see me and I guarantee, the church gets that hour and many more. But, it was humorous.

We had 71 in church yesterday, I thought that was pretty good considering I can think of at least three families that were not there. My sermon was well received and we had several people make comments to us about our leaving the church. All of the comments were positive though. The fellow that we were courting to come and replace me as the co-pastor turned us down. So, I don’t know what we are going to do, or rather I don’t know what Art is going to do. There are still a couple of options out there but the picking is getting real slim.

Ms. Kate made up a bunch of pumpkin “bread-in-a-jar” today. I’m anxious to give that a try. Speaking of Ms. Kate, she just turned of her Pad and closed her eyes so it must be nap time. I hope you have a great day. I know I will. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

A happy and glorious Saturday to you on this sunny forty degree morning. There is a breeze  tough so that will knock the “feels like” temperature down to less than comfortable. But my Backyard Buffet guests don’t seem to mind too much. I filled 16 feeders yesterday so everybody has a choice of what they would like for breakfast. Fat squirrel has claimed his favorite spot and will cling to that branch and stretch out to get what he wants until he is satisfied or until another squirrel comes along and runs  him off. I never cease to be amazed at the gyrations that those critters go through to get to food. They are nothing but pure muscle.

The blackbirds and starlings are here of course. I knew they would be i here today. It doesn’t take the long to discover food and I’ve been feeding them so long that they know to come here. Too bad I can't claim them on my taxes as dependents. Yesterday afternoon I filled the feeders just in time for the evening feed. It didn’t take long for the place to look like a busy airdrome with all of the birds flying in and out. It was pure pleasure to sit out here and watch them. I have a regular large gathering of cardinals that stay here year around. It would appear too that the robins are on the move. I’ve had aa fairly steady stream of them coming through for the past week.

Tomorrow is Sunday and it is my week to preach. I’m doing a sermon called Caterpillars to Butterflies. It is, of course about the transition that we must make in our lives when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives and dedicate our life to God. I found some good pictures to go with it for the screen. I hope it goes over well. We never know how a certain sermon will be received when we write them. I just write what I think and what I feel needs to be said. It is a lot like fixing supper. You fix it based on what you think is not only tasty but what will keep people healthy. Sometimes people love it and want more, and some times they won’t even touch it. All you can do is prepare the best meal you know how. Although, I’ll admit that some times you end up just hurriedly putting supper together and hope it turns out right. I know of pastors that say they never write their sermons down ahead of time. They say that they preach on whatever the Holy Spirit leads them to on the way to the church. That might work for them, but it sure wouldn’t work for me.

I guess I’m done for the day. Tie to eat out of the recliner and get a little stuff done. I pray you will have a blessed day and weekend. Peace.

A blessed Friday morning to you. I hope you have a good hot cup of coffee or maybe some hot chocolate this morning. It is 0830 and the sun is shining, but the temperature is on 28 degrees. Everything is frost covered but that will melt off soon enough as son as the sun hits it.

How was your Halloween? Ours was uneventful for the most part. Rather than costuming up this year I sat a box of candy out on the front porch. The kids could take what they wanted. For the most part, they took one or two pieces of candy until the box was pretty well empty. I was sitting here at the table kind of watching them as they come and went. I saw a group of “older kids” coming up the street and sure enough one of them took the rest of the candy, box and all. The box was an orchard basket with a handle on it and I guess they decided it would be perfect to hold their candy. Some people just have to be “yay-hoo’s”. But they weren’t  doing anything destructive, and I do have other orchard baskets. Although last night I did say that I hope a zombie bites their butt. I think we easily had a hundred or more trick or treaters come by. I hope they don’t all have colds this morning. It was brutal out there during the trick or treat hours.

I hope the temperature climbs quickly today I have bird feeders to fill. I also hope he ground is a lot fryer than it was yesterday. I need to get on a ladder to fill a couple of my feeders and yesterday the ground was too soft to safely support a ladder. Yesterday the Cardinals were flocking in as were the woodpeckers and of course the blackbirds. They pretty much cleaned up everything that was left in the feeders. It is supposed to go to 50 degrees around noon so that will be a good time to get out there. The wind is also supposed to be much calmer today.

November 1st; only three weeks until Thanksgiving. Before we know it, 2019 will be a thing of the past. 2020 is election year and the airwaves and television will be filled with all kinds of nasty political advertising. You know, if politicians would just tell us what they intend to accomplish if they are elected and stop lying and spinning crap about their opponents, we the American people would have a lot more respect for them. But rather than that, they spend millions of dollars to bash and trash their opponents. I know there are good people out there with good intentions and motives to become a politician but they get lost in the muck and mire brought about when special interest groups and corrupt people get involved in their campaign. They become lackeys for the special interest groups and and create their own version of truth. I think most Americans are very cynical when it comes to politicians and feel like they are forced to choose the “least horrible” candidate. What scares me is that so many politicians are trying to push us toward a socialist type of government, a type of government that has failed and ruined every country in which it has been tried. They say they want everybody to be economically equal. The CEO should not be making any more than the guy shooting screws on the production line. But, —- enough about politics, just pray my friends. Pray that God’s guidance and desire will be the underlying factors in the decisions made by our elected officials.

I’ve rambled on enough today. I need to put my back brace on and then get on the bike and ride. My back has been giving me fits all week and I have had to wear my brace. It is in the L2 region that I hurt during my fall. I take ibuprofen during the day and Tylenol PM at night. I think the winter cold weather. Is going to suck this year as far as pain is concerned.

Have a most pleasant day. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are. Walk with God today and always. Peace.

Happy Halloween! Can you believe that we actually had snow flurries this morning. It is 1500 hrs and the temperature is 36 degrees and a stiff wind is blowing making the “real-feel” temperature a balmy 24 degrees. I generally go sit at the end of my driveway on my John Deere to pass out the candy to the trick or treaters. Not this year. I have set a basket of candy out on the porch and they either take it or they don’t. If the kids do go out tonight to trick or treat, there will be some sick kids tomorrow.

One of the first things we did today was to get the patio plants in to the house. We are expecting our first hard freeze of the season tonight and in the morning. I’ve disconnected the hoses from the taps outside. I don’t think they would have ruptured with just one night but I’m taking no chances.

The news of my leaving my home church hit cyberspace today via the monthly newsletter and I’ve already had feedback. I must be a popular guy. LOL. But,, I just hope we can get a co-pastor to help Pastor Art out quickly.

Ms. Kate and I had to get out and go to MsDonalds for lunch. The McRib is back for its limited time and we do like those. Then we had to go see Bob because he had some turnips for Ms. Kate that he had actually gone out in the mud to pull for her. So we went up to his place and picked the up from him. We love them raw the best.

That’s it for today. Have a Happy Halloween. Can you believe that tomorrow it will be November already? Tie to start thinking about Thanksgiving.

Tuesday afternoon and it is a cloudy “thinking about being warm” day. Ms. Kate and I had an early morning appointment for her at the doctor for a routine visit and while we were there we both got our flu shots for the season. It was time. People are already starting to claim they have the flu although in most cases it most likely doesn’t amount to more than a cold. Not that it matters a lot; either way you feel crappy.

After the doctor’s visit we went to breakfast and called my sister-in-law to come join us which she did. We went to “Nellie’s” one of my favorite places. They have a great breakfast as well as other  meals but I can eat breakfast any time of the day. I had some delicious pancakes covered with bananas, blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream. After breakfast I had to go to Wild Birds Unlimited and pick up some more safflower seed for the Cardinals.

YesterdayMs. Kate. And I joined Julie, Jim and their friend Karen at the Louisville, KY zoo. They have a baby elephant that has grown enough to be viewable by the public for a few hours each day. I have told you before that if there is such a thing as a “spirit animal”, the elephant is mine. We got to the zoo and Julie, Kate and I rented electric scooters to get around. There would have been way too much walking had we not done so. That little elephant is about as cute as it can get. It sticks right beside it’s mama most of the time and imitates the things that she does. But it did take off once and run around with it’s trunk up in the air and it’s ears flapping in the breeze. After our disastrous news last week with the former son-in-law passing away, we needed a day like yesterday. It put some joy back in our hearts.  After the zoo, we went to PF Chang’s  for lunch and then headed home.

I am free to tell you this news now, after the first of the year, I’ll be changing jobs —- again. I am currently the interim co-pastor at Zoar UCC, my “home church” and have been for the past two years.    In November of 2016 I had “retired” from pastoral work because I felt I was no longer being an effective pastor to the Parish that I was serving. I had been there twelve and a half years and just was looking at burnout. So I retired. After a couple of months rest I began to know that God still had work for me to do. In October of 2017 the Interim Pastor at my church came to e and asked if I would come be his co-pastor as the church continued to search for a settled pastor. There had been rumors that our search committee was closing in on a candidate and should be hiring one shortly. So I quickly said yes to the interim co-pastor job. That was two years ago and I’m still there. In January of this year the pastor that had replaced me at my former parish announced that he would be retiring at the end of 2019. They formed a search committee there and began their search. t some pot in their search, they asked me if there was anyway I would consider returning to the Parish as the settled pastor. After much prayer, I said yes. Bureaucracy of the denomination requires that a “trial sermon” be given  so that all of the church members can vote as to whether to accept the candidate or not. Sunday I gave my trial sermon  and was accepted for the job, I’m told by unanimous vote of the parish. Today I sent notice to my current church that I will not be re-contracting with them and will be moving once again. I am thrilled to be returning to such a warm and loving faith family. Being asked to serve as pastor in my home church was a prayer and dream answered by God. Being asked to return to my former parish to once again serve them as their spiritual leader is just blessings upon blessings. God just continues to heap blessings on me and I totally deserve none of them. So, my friends, keep me in your prayers as I again step off in to another journey. Peace.