Excellent Day!

I took a day off from the coop today to catch up on some of the other work around the place and to spend

some time with Daughter #1.  She had most of the day free today and drove up to shop with De yesterday, spend the night, and spend some time on the shooting range with me today.  It was a most excellent time!  We had beautiful clear, blue skies and something like 70 degrees. We took along a couple of my handguns (.22 and .45 auto) and my scoped .22 rifle.  We talked and shot for a couple of wonderful, relaxing hours. The whole time I was thinking how blessed I was to have a daughter who shares a common past-time and who still enjoys spending time with her parents,  how blessed to have a safe place to shoot and the resources to do so, how blessed to have a perfect, beautiful day on which to do it.  Time spent with family is a blessing we should count whether it comes daily, weekly, monthly, or rarely.

I did get some scrub trees cut down, some of the out-of-control landscaping pruned back, as well as some email responses caught up.  We also took time to visit our chicks.  They are getting big, fast!  All the more motivation to get back at the coop and get it done.  Here's a few of the 15 chicks my niece and family are raising up for us.  Another blessing of family!

A little on that topic:  As I've mentioned before we live on a couple acres of the family farm.  My mom still lives on the farm, although at 85 the farming is done by neighbors. My Dad went to be with the Lord some 4 years ago. Both brothers have land bordering the property as well as 2 cousins and an uncle.  Add to that extended 'Church family' and our family gatherings with kids, grand kids, adopted family, etc, often top 30 people.  That is a lot of turkey, although with that many folks we usual don't get too hung up mealtime formalities.  After a prayer with everyone holding hands in a circle, we usually end up spreading out to eat.  No 30 person dining tables in any of our homes!  All that just to emphasize what a blessing our big, extended family has been over the years.  When I see others who have essentially abandoned the extended family, either by choice or by distance, I'm all the more reminded of the blessings we receive by living our lives as God intended us to live: Surrounded by family and friends.  We have much for which to be thankful.

Take care all, Col. 1:9-12,

Mark