Been having trouble sleeping the last few days and have found myself awake at 1:30 AM conversing with Alexa. So when I finally doze off I’m sleeping later than usual. By the time I’ve toasted my bagel the sun has warmed the earth and it’s pleasant enough to eat breakfast in the swing. I’ve missed these porch mornings, contemplating life with a bagel and strawberries and a hot cup of coffee. I’m looking forward to spring. If I can’t have a snow day bring on the warmth of spring.

I’ve enjoyed my bird friends this morning, too. Went in the kitchen earlier this morning and saw a chipping sparrow sitting on the deck railing. Not eating any seeds just sitting still, not even looking around. I’ve never seen a sparrow in my yard. I see them in parking lots around town occasionally. The Alex City Wally World always had sparrows, crumb surfing around the parking area.

Mr. Wood Thrush just stopped by for his morning bath. He splashes with his feathers and ducks his head under the water. He’s loud, fluttering his feathers. This is the fourth day I’ve invaded his privacy and watched him bathe. That crazy dove I call Dum Dum is sitting on a turret on my great-grandmother’s house across the street. He ain’t right! If it was summer I’d chalk it up to eating too many fermented berries. You just have to hear him and see him to understand.

Oh, my Lord…the FedX truck stopped down the street and Penelope acted like he was a burglar wielding a machete. His squeaking brakes set her on fire!

Just counted 8 male cardinals on the feeders. They are absolutely beautiful! Saw a photo this morning of a 700 pound pile of acorns a woodpecker had hidden in a house in California. The exterminator used 8 garbage bags to remove the acorns! I can hear the yellow hammer drilling on the oak tree near the bird feeders. Hope he’s hiding his acorns in the oak tree and not dropping them down my chimney. My yards is full of acorns. Never seen this many. If they all sprout, I’ll have an oak forest to rival my bamboo forest.

When I was in the working world I read The Birmingham News and watched the nightly news. Without Chief to keep me informed on politics I have become ignorant of the world’s happenings. Decided to get back on track and read the news on the internet. Bad idea! The first story I came across was about the mother in Massachusetts who strangled her three children with exercise bands. After she killed them she jumped out of a second story window in her home trying to kill herself. Course she lived…although paralyzed from the waist down. This story has haunted me all day. I just can’t imagine those babies’ last moments, killed by the person supposed to love and protect them. The horror and grief her husband must be experiencing. We need to pray for him. How can he ever find the sunshine again in his life.

My friend has this quote on her desk at work. “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” That is a powerful quote! Think how that would change the world if we just tried following the first sentence — Do all the good you can. Webster’s dictionary defines good, when used as a noun, as “Something conforming to the moral order of the universe.” The moral order implies we live in a spiritual universe with a higher power where we believe good is rewarded and evil eventually punished. Our world and its inhabitants need our prayers now more than they ever have. Let’s all strive to do all the good we can.