Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Clement "Smoky" was thinking, as he took an afternoon rest, that perhaps September will be Gray Cat Appreciation Month . . . yes, it's true that Sanctuary House has more black cats than any other color, and we have celebrated them for the whole month of August. The gray cats need a month too, he said -  Una, Claudia, Cate, Sally Ann, Catherine, Gus, and Nora definitely agree! And while that discussion was going on, Cleggy, the little black kitten, was trying to convince Liev to leave the food dish and play with him.  Clegg and Liev

Here's Holly, near the end of Black Cat Appreciation Month. Holly is a sweet, very shy girl . . . her best friend is Yannah, a tabby cat, who is also very shy. The girls have even been known to play and sleep under the dresser - but they do come for breakfast, and as these photos show, occasionally climb on the cat tower for a view of everyone from above. Yannah declined to be photographed today, but promises there will be other opportunities!  Meanwhile,  Sava and Una  paused two seconds for their brother and sister portrait

Blessings on the Feast Day of St. Augustine! "When you pray to God in psalms and songs, the words spoken by your lips should also be alive in your hearts." - from The Rule of St. Augustine, translated by Raymond Canning, OSA.

 Last Monday in August . . . hot and humid! Sonny went out to graze in spite of the end-of-summer heat, while Titan chose shade and a long cool drink. Along the fence, Sweet Autumn Virginsbower  is almost ready to burst into bloom - a sure sign that Summer will be coming to an end.

Last Friday, our new stove was installed - a thousand thanks to everyone who contributed to the stove which replaced our very rusty old one. And now we have delicious cornbread baked right in our kitchen!  What do the doggies think? Well,  Thea  was quick to point out that now they can have homemade peanut butter biscuits! We'll see about that Thea, maybe so. Blessed Sunday, everyone.

Gabby wants everyone to know that not only the chicken hens are laying eggs, but the duck hen is as well!  Penn, Gabby, and Kelly  flock with the chickens . . . in some ways Gabby is the flock leader - when she goes into the coop at night, everyone else follows; and the drakes, Penn and Kelly, usually let Gabby get in the "swimming" pool before they do. Gabby is a sweet, happy, very talkative duck - and we all love her!

A year or so ago, Sanctuary House was a temporary home for a tiny rescued opossum named Uri. Uri has grown up and moved outdoors. This article explains how really important opossums are. Opossums: Unsung Heroes in the Fight Against Ticks and Lyme Disease

Willow and Imagine share a quiet moment in the early morning sunshine. . . maybe discussing their plans for the day. Upstairs, Jonas and his sister  Jemma  are also getting ready for the new day - hoping it will be a cool, sunny Friday, full of treats and toys! "Remember, this whole month of August is a special celebration for black cats," they say.

Yes, our sweet hens have begun laying eggs! And yes, some of the eggs are pinkish and blue-green, thanks to the two Easter Eggers: Rory and Orie. Thanks to everyone who has sent special black cat donations this August for Black Cat Appreciation Month!   Queenie  and all of the other black cats at Sanctuary House are very grateful for your generosity and promise to share with and love cats of every color.

Oh joy, oh rapture, oh bliss - a rainy day! Exactly what the ducks have been wishing for since they heard rain in the night! Of course, the cats, who live inside, couldn't care less about the rain . . . they have found plenty of things to play with this morning. Toilet paper for one thing - yes, it is a toy according to Louie, Noelle, Gus, Owen , and Possum.

Best friends, Bessie and Bubbles, walked out to greet the early morning sunshine - and probably to check on the horses! . . . and then keeping an eye on the squirrels in the trees just beyond the fence. (photo #1 Cindy Tawes; photo #2 Sr. Mary)

Imagine looked over the stall door to check on her little sister Rosie on this lazy Saturday afternoon - meanwhile, the cats chose to take naps: PG in the bathroom sink, Noelle in a box, and  Possum  in a bed! (Rosie and Imagine photo Cindy Tawes; cat photos Sister Mary Winifred)

Hemmy and Liev began the day with a serious round chair discussion, while Sava pointed out that the food dishes were empty - no worries, I assured him, breakfast is on the way. Of course, for the chickens and ducks, another hot, humid day means another watermelon party And Jemma says, please, please remember us - the wonderful, lucky black cats - in August! We'll be celebrating Black Cat Appreciation Day on August 17th.

This morning Chrissi left us for her journey to the Rainbow Bridge. Chrissi was a very old doggie - at least 15 years old. She came to Sanctuary House in 2014, when her former person died. Chrissi loved to spend time in the yard - she got along well with everyone, except Bessie . . . the two girls had very opposite personalities!  Chrissi moved slowly through life while she was here, never exerting much energy; and she was quiet except when she howled for breakfast or in an effort to tell the barky beagles that enough noise was enough!                                    There is a poem about Chrissi in Following the Path of Life: Companions on the Way , and her story is included in The Dogs of Sanctuary House . Chrissi's photograph appeared in the 2016 Episcopup Calendar.      We all will miss Chrissi here, and hope she has already found her beloved person waiting for her at the Bridge!

With temperatures in the 90s, Henny and Betty (and all of the other chickens) were super happy to have watermelon for afternoon tea! Sonny was happy with a spray of cool water from the hose!

Possum the kitten has grown enough and learned how to jump into the bathroom cabinet! He is, of course, very proud of himself. His big brothers, Gus, Owen, and Louie, may never have a peaceful moment again - they had always jumped onto the counter or into the cabinet when they needed a break from Possum's wild kitten play, but now he just follows them! In one cat room, Una sat in the favorite chair; in the next room,  Morley  chose to balance on the edge!

August 1st . . . and on the first day of every month, every doggie gets heartworm and flea meds. Thea and Sammy say they can speak for everyone - the medicines don't taste bad at all, in fact, they taste like treats. Tomorrow it will be the cats' turn. Pyewacket says really no cats like flea drops, and wonders if we might skip one month? No way, Pye!