Such a beautiful day. Blue sky with grayish clouds mixed with white washed clouds. A loud bird symphony is playing in my yard. I love listening! My goldfinches are all over the feeders, singing and flittering around. Downy, the little woodpecker, has really been eating the suet. I put him a new block of suet out this morning. The cardinal flock is here with the titmice and chickadees. Saw a towhee in late afternoon. Maybe he’ll bring friends with him tomorrow. Penelope is taking a sun bath. My house is so much cooler than the porch it feels like I have air conditioning. All is right within my little world and I’m smiling with God’s creation.

The sunshine is so bright today. I feel it has washed the sorrow of yesterday away. Today is a preview of the summer days ahead, hot and bright. I think my neighbors are sitting around their new pool. I can hear their music. Almost time to get my cow pot gardens planted. The cold nights killed the rosemary but the mint is making a come back. Put some mint in my sweet tea makings at lunch. If the mint grows as well as it did last year, I’m making some mint jelly to put on top of a block of cream cheese. So good on crackers!

I’m enjoying all the comments on my blog about critters in the house. One of my friends said, “You could be in the critter removal business in the big city of Roanoke. I could help you. We could be called Two Ladies and a Net — no creature, big or small, we can’t sweep off your porch.” Ha, ha!

Caught a mouse in a glue trap last night. It squeaked when I folded the glue trap up and tied it up in a Wally World bag and chunked it in the trash cart. That is the end of my critter saga.

My handyman came by this morning and brought me some fresh eggs. He and his wife are so sweet to me. They are “salt of the earth” folks. He said, “You know why you have so many critters?” I said, “Yes, too many bird feeders.” He smiled and said he’d come back and cap my chimney. Can’t do without my birds. They light up my days when my days are dark. And the critters don’t bother me, EXCEPT when they come in the house.

Used to hear that phrase, salt of the earth, all the time when I was a child. Never really knew what it meant except that it was a compliment. Actually comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, a collection of Jesus’ spoken thoughts, found in the gospel of Matthew. He was speaking to the average man, laborers, fishermen, and shepherds. The reference to salt was not to taste but to the value of salt. I think the best adjectives for salt of the earth are down to earth and unpretentious, open and honest, easy to work with. I used another phrase, down to earth, which means practical, friendly and reasonable, wise and sensible. The kind of folks we want on our side.

Told a friend once, when I died, I hope nobody said I was “nice.” Always thought that word was used when nothing better could be said. Like going on a blind date. “What’s he like?” They always say, “He’s nice.” He could be an ax murderer! In researching salt of the earth I thought I’d look up at nice, too. Well, seems nice is a great adjective but all the traits that refer to nice, to me, are better adjectives. A nice person is very good and honest, pleasant and agreeable, polite and kind. Nice people make you and others feel good. They’re selfless and show empathy. Nice people are excited about other peoples’ achievements and successes. So, I’ll accept being nice!

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” — John Templeton