Winter is Back!!! :(

Last week on a beautiful sunny day we sat out on our back deck and watched wave after wave of Sandhill Cranes fly over. There were 1,000s of them. It looked as if they were gliding on the winds.......their wings were not flapping. We decided that they find air currents and air thermals (is that the right term???) Anyway, they would glide along and then begin to circle and rise up and up....we figured they had found a current that would take them back up to the higher altitudes.

The other day as I was driving to my cousin Dwight's ranch -- I suddenly spotted a flock of Black Birds....and along with them were some of the Yellow Headed Black Birds --- If you have never seem them you are missing out!! Bright yellow heads and the rest of their body is black. Again we are amazed at God's creativity!!!

This picture is kind of dark.....but you do get the picture.....winter came back!!!! This is our front door. A batch of the wet stuff fell off the door and onto the floor when the door was opened. They predicted right this time. We got about 5 to 7 inches of the white stuff overnight. But they were wrong about the wind. It is windy today but not the 60 mph that they talked about. As I am writing this - the sun is shining through some light clouds. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40's . This was much needed moisture for the grasses and hay lands.....so no one is doing much complaining. Besides--- we know that SPRING will win!

We are doing Easter lessons for the Release Time group and at the Detention Center. Gary gave the lesson of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. This past Thursday went much better at the JDC. We seem to have the group split up in the right way. One young man really never filled out a prayer request sheet.....and then all of a sudden he started writing one out. We were very happy with that. He has been there a long time now. But then suddenly the requests stopped - he wouldn't even take a sheet of paper. We decided that one of the new (repeaters) boys was the cause. And now that we have separated the boys into 2 different groups --- he is once again filling out a prayer request. Could it be that they are in opposing gangs?!?!

We will be heading for Michigan mid May. My mother turns 90 this year and that is cause for a celebration party. Our son Rick will be back from the Netherlands also for a short visit....and then he will head to Thailand. He will be teaching at the Mahidol University just outside of Bangkok.

Thanks for your support and interest!!
Gary and Barb