Good Morning from a soggy, damp Midwest! We had some bad weather move through yesterday and last night; lots of rain but thankfully we missed the severe weather this time around. I hope all that have been in the path of this recent round of storms are safe.

Today is a bittersweet day for me, today would have been my mothers 71st birthday. My mother passed on back in 1982, but in some ways it seems like only yesterday. She was a very strong woman who worked hard all of her short life. As I go through my daily chores I can't help but look around and think of how much she would have loved this place. We always lived in town but, like me mom always yearned for a quieter place in which to have her garden and live her life. So I hope on those days I struggle to get through some seeming insurmountable chore that mom is looking down upon me and smiling. Happy Birthday Mom!

Tuesday is egg day here, the day I take the eggs into town and deliver them. We never intended to have so many chickens but during the building of our home an elderly neighbor out here was preparing to move to town due to health concerns. She saw that my husband was building a new chicken coop and stop by one day to ask if I would be interested in her flock. She too had raised chickens not only for her own use but to see the eggs as well, so I not only took on her flock but her customers as well. I learned a lot from her, that summer she had a wealth of knowledge to share. She never asked for much in return but every Tuesday when I make the trip into town to deliver eggs, I always take her eggs and we share a cup of coffee together. So slow down today and take a few moments to look around you, friends can sometimes come to us from out of nowhere and change our lives without notice. Have a wonderful day!