Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Early this morning, the dentist, Kevin Timmons, came to care for Sonny's teeth. Of course good dental care is essential at any age, but since Sonny is almost 30 it is especially important. The morning was foggy and full of buzzing mosquitoes, but Sonny was a cooperative patient for the whole process. Cindy Tawes, the horse caretaker and horse whisperer at Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary took these photos. . . check the puzzle for a different view!  Sonny and the dentist Kevin took a look at Willow's teeth too - she gave him a beautiful baby smile!

After a night of heavy rain the horses have elected to graze on the wet grass. Rain is in the prediction every day this week - an excellent thing for the grass and ducks! The daylilies buds are growing quickly and the mulberries are quite plump, although still green . . . the chickens are keeping a careful watch on the mulberry tree waiting impatiently for the berries to turn dark purple - maybe next week.                         grazing horses puzzle

Blessed Trinity Sunday! This hymn by Reginald Heber is the best praise for the day . . . those who preach today would be wise to let the hymn speak for them: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!                                                                                                                                                                Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee. Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy ...

On this sunny Saturday, our kitty PG hopes you enjoy her bright puzzle. PG came to Sanctuary House many years ago when her owner could not keep her.  Originally she was called Pretty Girl  . . . she is still a very pretty girl, and is also called  Princess Georgia or simply PG by those of us who love her. PG is deaf but gets along purrfectly well with her best friend Magda, a calico cat. The kitties' message for today? Have a safe and happy weekend. PG puzzle

Good morning, everyone! This is Gus writing today because Mom is busy with the ducks and chickens. My news this morning is that we have up-dated our wish-and-need list . . . just in case you were thinking of sending us something. Mom always says there is a difference between "wants" and "needs," but you can probably tell which items are which - and some of us "wish" for them all. But our wish list is no puzzle, so I am including a horse puzzle. The horse is Imagine - she is patiently waiting for her breakfast, and doesn't want anyone to pay attention to the sign on the fence! Wish List Imagine puzzle Have a great day!

Imagine how thrilled our beagles were to learn that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a beagle! His name is Guy and he is a rescue beagle from Kentucky. Just as many of the Sanctuary House beagles, he was not successful as a hunting dog . . . but who needs to hunt when he might become a guest at a royal wedding reception. Apparently Guy was very friendly at the reception and eager to eat any crumbs that fell to the floor - "yep, we could do that," the Sanctuary House beagles said. The cats are not so impressed . . .in fact, Sava thought the beagle news was not even worth getting out of bed to hear. "What," he said, "you woke me up for a dog story?" Sava puzzle =

Lots of rain and sun have made these roses really beautiful this year . . . they are in the corner of the duck and chicken yard. Happily, red is a color that birds see well, and according to my sources, it is a favorite color of chickens! Hope you are having a wonderful day. roses puzzle

Good Monday morning! and Happy Victoria Day to everyone in Canada. Our cat Victoria will be celebrating the day and hopes it is a safe and happy day for all! On this sunny, cool morning our four older chicks were allowed out of the coop for their first venture into their yard. They ignored the ducks who were still splashing in a morning bath and were too busy exploring and searching for worms to look at the camera! An hour later, they were back in for a nap and much more willing to be photographed. We also have two smaller chicks who have just moved into the inside coop within the larger chicken and duck shed The chicks do not quite have names yet, but as far as we know they are all hens.                      chicken puzzle

Blessed Pentecost to everyone using the western calendar . . . and continuing Ascensiontide to those using the eastern calendar. Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary is definitely in the west, but the opportunity to be part of a worshipping community at Our Savior Orthodox Church in Berlin, Maryland, is a wonderful way to keep both dates -  and anyway if we live in kairos rather than chronos, the date is of little importance. This icon from Monastery Icons  Monastery Icons  is in our icon corner chapel at Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary. And speaking of time, the completely reliable time-keeper at Sanctuary House is Bessie - no need for an alarm clock here! Bessie first wakes us up at 4:30 am and then sometimes permits snoozing until 5 am. Bessie takes her alarm duties very seriously and so far we have never been late getting up in the morning. Bessie puzzle

Another rainy day! The ducks are quite certain that all of the puddles and rain showers are gifts from God especially for them. Beagles Sammy, Thea, Willan, Bessie, and Chrissi ventured outside, but certainly didn't share the ducks' enthusiasm and came right back inside. On a more somber note, I ask your prayers for all of those affected by the shootings at Santa Fe High School. . . . and share the words of the Very Reverend Barkley Thompson, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston: . . .  our action must be to stand in solidarity with those in our community who have been devastated by the shooting in Santa Fe. We must pray for them in their loss, because in truth it is our own. Beyond the immediate, we must stare squarely into our culture of violence and ask what it would look like to align ourselves with the Prince of Peace who we claim as Lord of our lives. There is no single answer to the question of violence in our culture, but there are numerous responses that, toget...

Very rainy this morning! Only the bravest of beagles ventured outside, and then wanted to come right back indoors. Today's puzzle is a photo of one of the trees near the grave plots at the edge of the Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary property - the blooms are gone now, but it's never too late for a puzzle. Find these puzzles too easy? You can always adjust the game when you click play . . . if you too are caught inside today because of bad weather, go ahead make the puzzle into hundreds of pieces! puzzle - Spring tree

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puzzle   - Gus and his duck . . .

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