A Chilly Morning!

At long last we woke up to a chilly morning!!

Chilly according to Troy Dungan when he said, "Folks, this is what passes as Fall here in North Texas!" Troy Dungan was the weatherman here on WFAA from 1976 to 2007 and he will always remain my very favorite weatherman ever!!!

I pulled down a big flannel robe but it wasn't so cold that we couldn't prop our bare feet up while we had coffee!

Louis Dean has made a back yard habitat for the birds! This is right beside our gazebo and we never tire of watching them.

They are just normal sparrows and such but we delight in them.

We do see an occasional 'special' bird as we are fortunate to be in the migratory path.

These are what we call our 'everyday' birds!

This morning we heard a woodpecker in the elm tree above the gazebo but we never found him with our eyes!

I love this water fountain and it makes a perfect bird bath!

It doesn't take much to keep us entertained!

We came in to eat a good old fashioned sandwich for lunch and watch The Blacklist.

We do love James Spader!!!

I had a doctor appointment to go over the CT from yesterday and it was all good news.

I took these Cream Cheese Brownies for them today.

Taking treats to the office is as much fun for me as it is for them.

Once I was on public health care - over 13 years ago now - and it was at a time that I struggled with many health issues as well as going through a tough emotional battle. Parkland Hospital scared me so I turned to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. It took over a year for them to do the surgeries I required and put me back in good health where I could hold down a job. I am forever grateful to those fine doctors who treated me with such kindness and respect. This is a training hospital so I had a gifted teacher as well as an excellent student as my doctors. At every visit I took cookies or cake or something special. With each hospital admission I carried a big batch of snicker doodles or chocolate chip cookies for the nursing staff. I was the very first person in North Texas to have a toe joint replacement - and also the second! Not only did they do the extensive surgery I needed including a hysterectomy - they went the second mile and made sure I would no longer be crippled in my feet.

I have painted a lot of Santa paintings in my time and those two special doctors each have one. I will always remember them. Doctors and nurses give so much to their patients and I count it an honor to be able to treat them with a little something special from time to time.

I was skipping our of there with the good news that I have been pronounced well!

My next stop was the grocery store to get all the food and ingredients for this weekend.

Look what I found!!!

While I shopped, Louis Dean went over to Roy and Ruth Ann's and picked up Lucy!

I must say I was glad to see her! Even if she DID start barking at Louis Dean before the day was over!

This evening I prepped all the food we will be taking tomorrow to the State Park for our Family Reunion. It's mostly cousins now with Mother being the oldest and our cousin Paula the second oldest. When we first started coming, my siblings and I pretty much sat together and I can't say any of us knew very many of our cousins' children. All that has slowly changed and morphed into a true 'Family' gathering. We have all come to know each other so much better over the last few years and this is a real highlight of the fall for us. We owe a huge thank you to my cousin, Anthony, for taking the lead on this and making it happen year after year.

Louis Dean dearly loves finding a 'new' old song!

I have to do it in bits to get it to post......

He's just SO cute!!!!

That's how we are spending our Friday night - in the music room practicing our songs and gathering the music and stands up to take to the reunion tomorrow.

Even as I am surrounded with such joy and happiness, I am remembering those tonight who are struggling with pain and loss.......let's not forget to pray.