Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Looking for an easy read to enjoy on vacation? We hope you'll consider one of the Sanctuary House animal books - you can read our stories and poems, and support us at the same time! Thank you very much. The Cats of Sanctuary House                                         More Cats of Sanctuary House The Dogs of Sanctuary House Following the Path of Life: companions on the way and of course, the puzzle:  The ABCs of Sanctuary House  or the book:  The ABCs of Sanctuary House

Happy Sunday morning! Possum and Louie are spending the morning playing in a Chewy box - and said no thanks to posing for photographs. The horses are calmly grazing, glad for a slightly cooler day with fewer biting bugs. . . . and every single doggie is taking a nap! The ducks and chickens are busy hunting and chasing bugs. And  the last lily of 2018  is blooming in the garden. We all hope everyone is having a wonderful, peaceful day.

Willow greeted her little sister, Moonlight Rose "Rosie," across the stall door, and Macie Tawes shared a quiet moment with Rosie. The next few months will be a time of growing and learning for Rosie, as she gets to know the other horses and people who are now in her life. . .  and even learns her name! (photos Cindy Tawes) The  chickens , on the other hand, pretty much already know their names - Rory, Orie, and Betty take a moment to pose for the camera! (photo Sr. Mary)

Willow is the big sister now, and very happy that she is allowed to stay out in the pasture day and night with the bigger horses! The new Chincoteague  pony  doesn't have a name yet, but she is a friendly, sweet, brave little girl. She still has a fluffy baby coat that is dark brown, but when she grows up she will be black. George the beagle watched her arrival yesterday from his favorite place on the steps, wagging his tail and barking encouragement - and yes, everyone else is as enthusiastic about the new pony as George is!

After days and nights of clouds and rain, we were thrilled to have the bright sunshine back today! Evans, the cat, sat in the light from a southern window: Henrietta, the chicken, found a space of dappled sunlight: Thea, the beagle, took her pink bunny out to the sunny steps: Willow, the Chincoteague pony, looked over the fence before taking off for a snack of grass in the sunny pasture. Willow had outgrown her foal halter and now proudly wears a new bright pink halter!

Yes, here we are to Wednesday again, the best day for wishes, so Sister Mary asked me to write about our  Wish List . Canned cat food is right at the top of things we really need this week, and then paper towels, and horse treats (horse treats are not really a NEED, but the horses think they are, and we like to keep them happy!). Thank you for thinking of us. Love, Gus PS Sister Mary did not give me a puzzle for this message . . . please let us know if you want to have puzzles in the blog - I think they are a fun break to my reading and writing and sleeping and eating and playing, but I wonder if anyone else likes them too?

Today is sunny and cool, so I took a new photograph of our  pecan tree  which is still the Somerset County Big Tree Champion of its genus Carya and species Illinoinensis Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary also has another Maryland Big Tree - a black walnut.

Yesterday the cats got a wonderful new chair - right away Sandy and Remmy claimed it! Actually Remmy loves the chair most of all - Sandy is partial to snuggling in boxes; however, the chair has proved so popular that we have added it to our Wish List  in the hope of having at least one of these chairs for each cat room. Great as the chair is though, some acrobat kitties still prefer the cat towers - Pye  says "just watch me!" The other thing highest on our want/needs list this week is canned cat food. . .  we hope you are getting ready for a spectacular weekend - it's supposed to be cooler here and less humid - we're looking forward to that!

Although it hasn't done much to lower the temperature, Gabby, Kelly, and  Penn  are thrilled to have a rain day! They walked back and forth and took little sips of rain water from the puddles, and then  looked up to the heavens to quack a quick "thank you" to God. Gabby even called to the hens who are not as impressed by the wet weather as are the ducks.

Today being very hot, "we" decided to paint indoors. Sandy, one of the sweetest cats ever, decided that he would help! Kitties Pye and Weej also got into the spirit of painting, and so the job went much more quickly than I had anticipated! It's always good to have help from your friends. Yesterday, I spray painted a chair -  Louie  gave his nod of approval . . . happily he waited until the chair was quite dry before sitting on it!

Yes, it's true, we are entering the canicular season - the dog days of summer . . . those very hot days from July through early September.  Buddy and George  have decided that the best way to beat the heat is to take a long nap in front of the air conditioner. A few other doggies - Thea, Annie Oakley, Will, and Sammy make many trips out to the yard - maybe for a drink of water or to check on the temperature or to see if Cindy might be out with the horses. Of course, whenever there is a truck in the driveway, everyone rushes out. The doggies love our FedEx driver who not only brings packages from Chewy , but also brings dog biscuit treats! So yes, we're into the canicular season and our doggies are staying busy.

Greetings on this very hot, sunny Sunday - Liev climbed to the top of a cat tower to enjoy the cool air conditioning, and no doubt to think cool thoughts! The ducks have stayed close to their swimming pools - more often than not getting in and out of the water; and the dogs have taken long naps inside. Pansy Louise  chose a nap space in the sun, but also in front of the air conditioner. She is a very intelligent kitty as you can tell from her super long whiskers and eye brows! Happy Canada Day to any readers in Canada!