A new week greets me this morning as I crawl out of bed had head to the coffee pot. It’s a cool 49 degrees outside but at least the sun is shining brightly so that will help with the warmth. The good news is that it is supposed to climb to maybe 70 today. 

I don’t have a lot to share with you this morning. Our Sunday was just a typical Sunday; two church services followed by a 100 year anniversary committee meeting for St. Lucas. Our 100 year anniversary is September 19th, or at least that is the day the church has set aside to celebrate it. I am really proud of the church though. They decided that to mark the occasion we would do a mission project and support the Isaiah 117 project. They decided to collect enough money to buy 100 bicycles for foster children in the southern Indiana area. The goal was to raise $8,000.00 to purchase these bikes and helmets to go with them. I thought this was a lot of money to raise but we decided to set a time limit of doing it by July. Well, yesterday we surpassed our goal. I am so very proud of them. God is certainly in the works to have made this happen. We are going to continue to collect. There are several other churches and even companies that have decided to do this too. But, the director of Isaiah says that they 1500 kids that they are trying to help. So, I’m very glad that we could do something to help. That is the second major project that we have done to help out that organization. We packed 100 backpacks with school supplies and winter clothing items at Christmas. 

Can you believe that the weather dude used the “snow” word for us for Tuesday night? Granted, it won’t amount to much but nobody want snow in the last half of April. I’ve got new plants in the ground and they do not need snow on them. Ms. Kate has a cousin out in Kansas that said they are predicted between one and three inches today. The weather pattern will of course carry that right on over to us. That’s not funny!!

I think Ms. Kate and I are going to Sam’s Club today. WE’ve only been talking about for three weeks. BUt then we just kind of let it go and decide that we don’t need to go or — we order whatever we were thinking about on line. e have become real “old fogey stay at homebodies.” A lot of people have done that and it all is the fault of the COVID pandemic. At first people were,’t allowed to go anywhere and then they were afraid to go anywhere, and now they are used to not going anywhere. Who says we aren’t easily conditioned animals??? But, don’t get me started on that subject. 

If you have a chance, get out and enjoy the sunshine today. It is beautiful out there. In the meantime, may God give you peace of mind and peace of heart. 

 Happy lazy Saturday morning. I’m sitting here wondering if it is going to rain or not. It certainly looks like it could and we are predicted to have some light showers on and off today. Frankly, I would like to see it rain maybe an inch. I put plants in the ground yesterday and I would like to see them get some water. I watered them after I planted them but some more today would not be a bad idea. But —- we are only predicted to get maybe a tenth of an inch. On the other and, I need to go get some garden dirt and potting soil today and try to find some tomato plants, although it might be a little early to br putting tomatoes in the ground. I need to Google that. 

I’m sore today from doing my yard and garden work yesterday. I used my post hole digger to make the holes for my new peonies and that made me have to stop and rest for awhile. It ain’t as easy as it all used to be. I’was planting the peonies and had to get down on the ground and I thought I was going to have call Ms. Kate from my cell phone and have her come help me get back up. This getting old ain’t easy and it ain’t for wimps. LOL. But it beats the alternative. 

We had another mass shooting in this country yesterday. Some 19 year old kid took a rifle to the FEDEX facility in Indianapolis, where he used to work and just started killing people, and then took his own life. I just don’t understand the concept or thought process. If you want to take your own life, that’s one thing, but why take the lives of nine innocent people first. His mother says that he had mental problems and in fact had even reported him to the police last July because she thought he might take his own life. The police had taken his shotgun from him at the time but apparently he got a rifle somewhere. I ‘m only speculating but I reckon he thought the people at FEDEX didn’t treat him right. It is so sad\\. This is the third mass shooting like this in the last month. Of course it just gives fodder to the politicians and left wing groups who want to ban all guns in this country. That would be the same politicians that have surrounded themselves with military people and private armed security. They speak with forked tongues. 

That’s about it for today. I pray your day will be blessed. I sit here and look at all of my Backyard Buffet guests and my beautiful flowers and I give God thanks for letting me wake to another day. Don’t forget church tomorrow, Peace. 

 There is the cutest little wren sitting on a feeder out there and it is singing its little heart out. Maybe it is celebrating the fact that the sun is finally trying to peek through the clouds. So far it has been a cloudy and cool 49 degree morning. y guests this morning have been mostly blackbirds of one variety or another, Redwings or Starlings. The Redwings are at least pretty. The Starlings are just nasty. 

Yesterday was a take care of business day. First of all I ordered the license plates for the cars and I could do that on line. Here in Indiana we will just get a new sticker to put on the plate showing expiration next year. Then we decided to go to the BMV and get our new driver’s licenses and “Real ID.”. I put together what I thought I needed and we made the trip to the BMV, got our number and sat down and waited. Because of COVID they have very limited seating and even though we were together, we had to be waited on one at a time. So, my turn came and I went up. I told the lady that we were together. She asked for my current DL and my birth certificate which I gave her. She asked if Kate had her birth certificate and I said yes. Then she asked if I had our Marriage license. I said no, but why. She said because my wife would have had a name change and the name on her birth certificate would be different. I said that’s true but she’s had 55 years of DL since then and we never had to show a marriage license. But this was because of the “Real ID”. Also, I had to show my SSN and I showed her my military ID which has my SSN on it but she told me that wasn’t sufficient. So, we went back home for more documentation. Well, I couldn’t find my actual SSN card so I had to take my Social Security tax paperwork to sho proof. But, we finally got our new driver’s license/Real ID card ordered. They should be here within two weeks. Bureaucracy!!!!! 

Next, I went on line to order a new Social Security Card. That’s another “process”. But, I downloaded the form put my “documentation” and the form in an envelope and will be mailing it today. More Bureaucracy!!!!

So, while we got a lot of stuff taken care of yesterday —- maybe today we can get something done! With that said I guess I better get at it. Thanks for letting me rant! Have a great Friday. Peace. 

 Happy bright and sunny and very chilly Thursday morning. I went outside to bring up my trash can and I’m glad I’m wearing my sweatshirt today. It look beautiful out there and it is but, yeah, it’s a chilly 50 degrees and is only going up another 10 degrees today. 

My day began with renewing my plates for all three vehicles. Our tags run out next month but I wanted to get it done before I forget about it and end up with expired vehicles tags. And, it is so easy to do since I can do it on line. It’s not cheap to do though, $650.00 for the three vehicles. Ms. Kate and I need to go get our new drivers license soon too. This new policy of having to have something special put on your license to board an airplane is ridiculous in my opinion. I’ve only had a drivers license for 60 years and my DL has always been good enough to show for identification purposes but now you have to have a special something, a start or plane or something stamped on your license if you want to board a plane. Of course  if a person has no intention of flying you don’t need it. I’m probably making a big deal over nothing. But think about this;  you have to take two forms of ID for proof of residence to get an ID. One form they suggest is a passport and Ms. Kate and I have a passport, —- but I got the out last night and they have expired a week ago. So, that is something else we have to do; get new passports. And just think, if I was an illegal alien, I wouldn’t need any of that. And, I could get free housing and college and health care. Bureaucracy!!!!! We may go get that taken care of today though. 

I need to get my new plants in the ground today. I think Ms. Kate has pointed out the spots she wants stuff so maybe I can get that all taken care of today too. I ought to keep a check list of so on my plate and maybe I wouldn’t be jumping from one thing to another. I worked for a Colonel once who always told us that work is like a Pac Man game. One bite at a time and move on to the next. I’ve found over the years that his advice is sound. 

Okay, I need to finish my cup of coffee and then try to round up documents for my new DL. I also have to take a vision test this time. I’m getting old ya’know. Have a great day. Peace. 

 Good morning, It’s 58 degrees with a clouded over sky and moisture in the air. It was sprinkling when I first came out to the sun porch but has stopped now. But the good news is I have several cardinals out here this morning at the Backyard Buffet. I’ve counted five or six. Some times it’s hard to keep track because they flit around so much. And of course there are some starlings coming in and out, but several other birds too. So, it is a pleasant morning to sit and watch what is going on. Watching the little wrens is entertainment all by itself. 

It is Wednesday and that usually means that we will be going to the churches to run the bulletins. I suspect we will again but maybe later in the day. I’d like to get the plants we bought yesterday in the ground this morning. Just got to wait for “directions and guidance” from the boss. I’m sure she has some very specific locations in mind for where she wants stuff. And —- before I plant, I need to go to the grocery store and get some cans of sardines, and I need to pick up some fresh potting soil. “Sardines”, you may say; —- yep, she wants sardines put in the bottom of the hole that I’m going to plant the peonies in. It adds  nutrients to the soil. It sounds silly but believe it or not, it does work. Of course I rather go fishing and catch some small “throw away fish” but I don’t have time for that and  sardines are less than a buck a can I think. You buy the ones in water, not in oil. And, if you’re worried about neighbor hood cats or other critters smelling  them and digging them up, you put some coffee grounds in the hole on top of the sardines. That sounds a bit silly but I have to admit that I had an experience like that once. When we have milk that is expired, I always pour it out on the ground around the rose bushes. One day I went out there and there was a big dug out place under  one of my roses. I found out that raccoons will dig in there for the certain nutrients it can get from that spoiled milk.  I never cease to be amazed at the things I learn. 

So, that catches you up pan all of my exciting facts for today. Now I got to get cleaned up and start my day. I hope your day is full of blessings and good things. Don’t forget to thank the source. Peace. 

 It’s late at night and I’m just now sitting down to dinner. We have been busy all day; nothing major but just busy. We decided to go to a nursery today and look at some new plants for the yard, like we need more plants. But, we wanted to get a couple more tree peonies and another standard peony. Also bought some squash plants, some cucumbers, wave petunias and other plants. From there we went to Karen’s house for a short visit and she sent home some morels that her son Kevin had found.

I got home and did some work on a program that I will be using in September and got most of that done. Then this evening Ms, Kate fixed the morels for our dinner. Now, we are both winding down and trying to relax before we go to bed. 

That’s it for today. Have a good night. I’ll try to write tomorrow morning before we get started with our day again. Peace. 

 Hello beautiful Monday! You’re very pleasant this morning! The sun is shining, the sky is clear, there is very little breeze and the temperature about 65 degrees. One could not ask for much better. I went out and filled a couple of feeders and had to rearrange the squirrel baffle on one of my poles. Squirrels always find a way to get to the food. The darn critters. I doubt I did much good but it is worth a try. It isi using a fence that I have around my hydrangeas to jump over on the squirrel baffle. It’s a new trick it has learned. So, I raised the baffle. That might slow it down for a day. The feeder it is going after contains a seed cylinder inside a cage. What I need to do is put one of my hot pepper seed cylinders in that feeder. That will discourage it. 

Well we certainly didn’t have the Easter crowd back at the churches yesterday nor did I expect them. But attendance was really good at St. Paul’s, probably 90% of our regular attendees were there. My St. Lucas crowd was down percentage wise. I would give them a pass because they are in the middle of planting season, but it was a rainy nasty day. So, —- no pass this time. LOL. I will tell myself that they were all at home waiting to watch it on the television. (Sure they were, uh huh,)

Speaking of watching it on television,Yesterday was our inaugural run with the new camera and sound system. The picture was so clear and the sound was fantastic. I am thrilled with it. Jacob says there are a “lot of moving parts” to making it work but he did a fantastic job. That was pretty much the final piece of the puzzle. Those guys have done such a fantastic job putting this all together. And to think, none of this would have happened had we not been plagued with the COVID pandemic. There is no way we would have even conceived of doing this and now it is a blessed reality. God points us to some great solutions to keep His word moving against the roadblocks. 

I have a lot of guests this morning at the Backyard Buffet. The Bluebirds and Cardinals and Goldfinches all really brighten up the place. The starlings —— well, not so much. 

Y’all have a blessed day.