Its a crisp blue nineteen degrees out this morning. The "bird-spa", i.e. the heated bird bath has been popular this morning. I had to go out first thing and add another gallon of water to it.

One fat squirrel obviously got up early this morning for the backyard buffet. It was on a feeder when I came out here with my coffee. It would eat for a few minutes and then just set there and kind of snooze. That's kind of what I do out here in the mornings on some days; have a little coffee, watch the birds, doze off, --- repeat. It works well.

I filled all the feeders again yesterday afternoon so maybe it will last through most of the weekend. We are still on tap for some kind of winter storm through part of the weekend. What comes through will determine how quickly the feeders get empty. If it gets really bad, the back yard will be swarming with birds and squirrels trying to fill up with all the energy and the warm water that they can. Its kind of like people at the grocery store. Mention a winter storm and the milk and bread goes flying off the shelves as if we were in for the apocalypse or something. (Okay, yes I did go out yesterday and buy more ice-melt while there was some still some on the shelves.)

This is the last day of February. Two months of 2014 is pretty much gone. When the weather is bad it feels as if time has stopped and when the weather is good it seems as if its gone too quickly. But a sixth of the year is history and I know I could have better use of my time. Thoughts of losing a little weight haven't been activated. There is a new Stephen King novel sitting right where I put it two months ago without so much as the first page read. The cage I want to put around the hydrangias hasn't been started, and the winter haircut for the roses hasn't been done.

But --- life is good. Despite what I have or have not gotten done this past two months, God continues to bless me. I have a life filled with love and a heart filled with peace. What more could I ask for?

Have a blessed day, --- I will.

Brilliant blue and cold and windy is the scenario for the world outside my sunporch. According to my weather app, at 25 degrees right now -- we are at today's high. That is not a happy thing. Unfortunately the bird feeders are again almost empty which means I need to go out in the cold and fill everything. Again --- not a happy thing. So far the weekend promises nothing but more cold, rain, freezing rain, sleet, and throw in a little snow just to complete the mix. I don't know who paid for this winter but they got a bargain and their money's worth. But enough whining! I'm sure that a whole lot of warm and beautiful days will come soon. As Ms. Kate and I were saying yesterday, we think it bothers us more simply because we are getting older.

Speaking of Ms. Kate, we had a nice 48th anniversary day. One of the good things about the world of social media is the connecting with so many friends from around the world and from our past. We received so many notes of well wishes from friends and loved ones on our FaceBook pages. It was heart warming.

Well something just spooked the couple of squirrels that are out there. They suddenly bolted across the yard and high up the trees and are chattering fiercely about something. Possibly there is a Hawk back in the area although they don'seem too bothered by them, so, who knows what goes on in the mind of a squirrel. All I can tell is that they are truly pissef off. One left the yard totally and the other is streaking from one brach to another, back and forth, and chattering constantly.

The coffee cup is empty and I suppose I must get out of my recliner and become productive. As always I thank God for yet another day filled with blessings and the love of friends and family. I hope your day is just as wonderful.

The backyard runway is busy this morning with all the flying in and taking off. A light layer of fresh snow and sixteen degrees has everything scrambling for food and energy. But there is enough out there to feed them sufficiently even though a few of the feeders are empty. Once the squirrels arrive though, they will stay on those feeders until they are empty on a day like this.

Today is our forty eighth wedding anniversary. We have no special plans. We'll go out for dinner at our favorite resturant this afternoon in between running the weeks church bulletins and choir practice. Just being alive and being together is a wonderful present in and of itself. God is good and we are blessed.

There is still some light snow falling. The news folks say there is just enough to cause slick spots on the roads. Several accidents and slide-offs have already happened since midnight.

The snow so far isn't deeper than the spring flowers that are sticking themselves out. That keeps the hope alive that warmer weather really is on the way. However, this is only round one of what the local weatherman call "snow opportunities" for this week. March is likely to "come in like a lion but hopefully go out like a lamb" as the old saying goes.

I hope, as always, that you have a blessed day. Hug someone today and hold tight to those you love. It isn't an accident that those you love are in your life; God put them there.

Tuesday, Tuesday, --- what do we do with Tuesday? Its not a Monday, so we can't "hate it". Its not a Wednesday so we can celebrate it as "hump day". It just kind of sits there waiting to be put to good use.

It is somewhat sunny and thirty degrees this morning. The Cardinals have been out there for the past hour. We had eight this morning. A couple of Robins, several Chickadees, Goldfinches, Housefinches, and Carolina Wrens pretty much round out the visitors list this morning. One squirrel just showed up and has made itself quite comfortable at one of the feeders.

It is supposed to get to 38 degrees today and unfortunately that is going to be the high for the week. The forecasters are even using that ugly "S" word again for a couple of days this week. Just when ya' think it might be getting warmer, a bit of winter sneaks back in. However, just like in a Vegas casino, the weather is always the same here in the sunporch. I am so glad we decided to add this thing on to the house. I have spent many, many hours enjoying it.

Tomorrow is our 48th wedding anniversary. Add on the four years we dated and we have been together for fifty two years. I'm quite sure God put young Kathy Parton in my life all those years ago. I have been truly blessed to have her as my wife. Together we have created a family of daughters and grandchildren and now great grandchildren that completely loves one another. God is good, --- every day!

It is very obvious this morning that the Barkingtons are gone back home. Chatter from the top of the tree was evident that the "all clear" sign was being sent. It didn't long for the squirrels to come back down and begin having their breakfast without worry of two dogs chasing them around the yard.

I think the word used in the Bambi movie was "twitterpated". It would appear that many of my fine feathered friends are in fact twitterpated today. The different species have seemingly "paired-up" and are staying in constant close contact with one another. It hasn't gotten to the state of a back yard orgy yet but maybe they are sneaking off to the holly trees for that --- as the holly trees provide more cover and "intimacy" as it were. It won't be long until I start seeing birds carrying bits of grass and mud etc to build their nests.

God is stringing together more pretty days than nasty ones. Its cool outside but the sun is shining and that just makes the day seem so much warmer than it really is. As I sit out here on the porch on a morning like this though, it is easy to drift back off to snooze-land. I think my brain has already switched to daylight saving time as I'm seeing an extra hour in the morning as I crawl out of bed. So when I take my cup of coffee out to the porch and sit in my recliner with a light throw to cover me up  -- sometimes the coffee gets a little cold before I finish it. My life is so good and I totally realize that I am truly blessed.

I have a lot of work to get done today down in my office. The Lenten season starts next week with Ash Wednesday and there will be extra services etc to work on. Again --- God has blessed me with these two wonderful churches that I am privileged to serve.

As you read my blog today, take a deep breath, close your eyes and say a prayer of gratitude your personal blessings.

Its a sunny Saturday and all is well here on the sunporch. Julie and the Barkingtons arrived yesterday afternoon and are now out here with me. I think we are on pot two from the old coffee pot. The dogs have been in and out and in and out numerous times. But the yard is clear of squirrels and will continue to be until they head back home tomorrow afternoon.

I spent several hours out in the yard yesterday raking up winter and late fall stuff. The two huge tulip poplars drop all of their seed pods in the late fall and there were twigs etc that all needed to be cleaned up. I'm maybe forty percent done in the back yard and still have a long way to go in the rest of the yard. The ground is starting to thaw pretty good and that makes things really mushy in some places.

There are lots and lots of spring bulbs sticking their leaves up out of the ground. I have a large pussy willow immediately out side the sunporch door. It is the tree that holds so many of my bird feders. I noticed yesterday that the blooms on it are popping out all over it. That is my best indication that spring is truly upon us.

Mornings here on the porch watching what is going on is such a great glimpse of God's universe. One can only imagine what the world was like before God introduced man to it. I wonder what my little patch of this world looked like. When we read our Bibles and the story of creation --- we think of it happening "over there" in Bible land. We forget that God touches a world all at once.

Up before the birds and critters today, or at least it seems that way. There are only a couple of Goldfinches out there, but it won't be long until the gang all arrives. What is the old saying --- "if you feed them, they will come"?

I must start my morning by saying "thank you" to the Lord. Yesterday my prayer was that no one would be harmed in the storms we were to get. According to news reports, except for some power outages, which we had for a couple of hours, there were no injuries reported or serious damage. So, thank you, Lord, for keeping your children safe.

Its 38 degrees and windy this morning. Weather folks say it will be another couple days of sunny skies but cooler temperatures. I can certainly live with that. Spring is clawing its way back despite winter's attempt to keep it away. I was looking at a front flowerbed yesterday and most of the earliest spring flowers are up. Nature is so amazing. How can people continue to doubt the existence of our great and mighty God? As I tell folks, "you may doubt that God exists, but not for one second does God doubt you exist".

My first fuzzy tailed rat has arrived. They are going to be upset for most of the weekend. Julie is coming over for the weekend and she brings " the Barkingtons"; her two dogs that live to chase squirrels up the trees. So, the squirrels better grab their food this morning  because come noon --- its game - on!

Think kind thoughts today. Hug the ones you love and smile at the strangers. I did that at Target yesterday. I saw an employee stocking shelves and she obviously would rather been anywhere else, doing anything else. I smiled at her and said "hi", and her whole face and body changed. I think I made her day just a bit better. I happened to see her a couple of more times while I was there and each time she smiled at me first. It is so easy to allow God to use us to make a difference in some ones life.

Have a blessed day.