It's February! Oh, and Ground Hog Day!!

 Oh my, today is Ground Hog Day! I'm sure we are ALL anxious to hear what Mr. Punxatawny Phil is going to prognosticate today!!! I have a feeling he won't even want to come out of his burrow at all!! I'd better go turn on my TV and watch, and then come back to this.

(a little later, Sunrise, Feb. 2, 2026, 26 degrees)

A Frosty Still Very Dry Still Waters Pond

Meanwhile, (I began writing this at 6:00 a.m., and the groundhog doesn't appear for another hour), I am baking some Banana Nut Muffins, and they sure smell good!  I haven't tried this recipe before, so I will have to let you know later if they were really good or not. I kind of overloaded the cups so I only got 9 instead of 12. Looks kind of messy..."but the proof is in the pudding", as they say.

I will have to say after eating these that they were good, but they could've used another banana in the mixture. I only had two small bananas, and I think three would've made them more moist and tasty. Also, I sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon on top before they baked, and I think they would've been better with a little bit of melted butter mixed in with that before sprinkling. The topping was too dry. I'm not sharing this recipe because it needs to be tweaked. They were good, just not good enough to share the recipe!

So, yesterday was the first day of February! And boy, she sure came in like a lion!! Saturday night the winds were whipping up around 20-40 mph, and the temperature dropped down to 20 degrees, with a windchill around 10 degrees. There was a wildfire in an area across our little town, and those poor firefighters had to be out all night battling the blaze in the cold and wind. Thankfully they got it under control. Some of our church family members live in that area and were told to evacuate, but then before they really could get out, they lifted the order. Still the smoke was so thick it couldn't have been very healthy to stay there. I'm just thankful that apparently no homes were burned or people hurt that I know of. It was mostly in a wooded/grassy area of about 300 acres. We are very thankful to the Lord for His protection over our community in the midst of all that.

We weren't sure if we would go to church or not yesterday because of the low temperatures and high winds, but by church time the temperature had risen to about 28 degrees and the sun was shining and the wind wasn't too bad, so we decided to go.  Although our little old wooden country church building  was struggling to get warm, there were many warm hearts and thankful souls present, which soon warmed everything and everyone up. (except for my toes...they were pretty much frozen by the time church was over, LOL).

Although this was pre-recorded earlier in the week, here is the video of our choir singing "I Know Who the Lord Is" and the pastor's sermon on The Prodigal Son.  It was all good, if you would like to watch!

So you may aske how have we been spending this very cold days? Or you may ask, "what about Blackie? How is he surviving the freezing temperatures, poor kitty..."

Well, look for yourself...

I think we are calling him King Blackie now...he has pretty much taken over our couch, our house, and our lives...there he is above enjoying watching Tennessee Ernie Ford on "What's My Line" old reruns from the 50's and 60's, relaxing on the couch and living his best life...

Although I am NOT pleased when he decides to lay on top of MY TV tray, the one that I use to eat my meals on while we watch TV...(yes, we do that a lot since it's just the two of us, or should I say the THREE of us???)  I've noticed that when I am eating my lunch on this tray he sits right at my feet and watches me very carefully to make sure I don't get anything on HIS tray. LOL.  Yes, I have to wash it thoroughly before using...LOL.  

And look who has started playing games with him!  Yes, Daddy, the one who really didn't want this cat in the house at all...now they are playing games...

And King Blackie has now claimed "Daddy's" lap for his naps.  Hubby is trying to get used to this new development in his life...he's not too sure about it, but I think Blackie knows exactly what he's doing! LOL.

Daddy also introduced the rubber bouncing little ball to Blackie, which BTW belongs to our Grandpups Sugar and Spice, who won't be happy to smell cat cooties on their toys...(we will have to buy them some new "cat scent free" balls before they come over again).

Blackie LOVES the ball...

And quickly showed us his skill at batting it around the room like a pro soccer player.

When he's not playing ball or catch the string or sitting in Daddy's lap, he's staring at that kitty in the mirror inside the curio cabinet, and is very curious as to just who that cat might be staring back at him...

And when he's finally worn himself out with games and tricks, he lays down on "his" couch in front of the "fire" and goes to sleep.  Peace at last...

When these freezing days are over I don't know if Blackie will be able to go back to being just an outdoor porch kitty anymore...we shall see how things go...

Meanwhile, this was the full moon Saturday night as the temperatures were dropping...looks like it was riding in on a big cloud...or was that the "weather bomb" they were predicting? Thankfully it didn't bring us any snow or ice...(unless you went outside in the cold and looked up into the sky around 6:00 pm on Saturday, you might have seen a snow flurry in the air, but they never hit the ground here)

Okay, so back to Punksutawney Phil this morning...Here he is...

Look at that face...who could not love such a face as this?

Probably this mob of people...there were a lot of boos from the crowd when he predicted..

Yes, six more weeks of winter!

Oh well, I think we all already figured that one out without his help!  

These kids look pretty happy about it...more sledding and ice skating and making snowmen and having snowball fights...

Oh, did I say it's time for the Calendar Express Roll Call for February! This one is John Sloane's Country Seasons painting. Perfect for today I'd say!

And, oh, doesn't that look warm and cozy? Well, maybe not. I wish we could see the inside. That might be warmer...

And we could have some hot tea and a few more of those muffins I made...

LOL...this is true, although the more you drink, the more you need to run to the "powder room". LOL.

Ah yes, February is  all about LOVE, and here on this Billy Graham calendar we are reminded that The Bible is God's LOVE letter to us!

1 John 4:7-11 tells us a part of this great love story:

"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; 

and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, 

but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Oh, isn't this Thomas Kinkade picture beautiful? Not exactly what February looks like this year, that's for sure, but something to look forward to...and a good reminder to "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth..." Colossians 3:2

Because here we have this promise..."As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9.   

Oh what a glorious day that will be!

And finally, this sweet Susan Branch calendar with a double heart to remind us to be united in love...

"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;"...

Amen!

I hope you enjoyed this Groundhog Day "celebration".  I hope and pray you are all safe and warm in your cozy homes today.  Oh, one more thing, we are SO thankful not to have lost power in the cold weather and wild winds of the past few days.  That was our biggest concern and prayer, and we are so thankful that God heard our prayers.  I know some of you have had frozen water pipe issues and maybe some power outages, etc.  I pray that these are being fixed as we speak and the most important thing is that you are safe.  May the Lord be with each and every one is whatever challenges you may be facing this week.   Thank you for your wonderful comments on my previous posts...I treasure each and every one of you.  

Blessings and peace today...