Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Rain, rain, mud, and more rain . . . the Polish hens are definitely having a bad feather day! For the most part, the chickens are staying dry in their coop, but occasionally they venture out to check on the weather and have a snack. The ducks, of course, think this weather is great, although even they are getting tired of the mud. Sun is promised for next week - fingers, claws, paws, and hooves all crossed for that!

Congratulations to our cousin Hedy who passed the Canine Good Citizen test - and to her mom and dad (Edith and Michael), too. The Sanctuary House doggies are certain that if they could each contribute a skill they could pass the test too - any one of them alone? Not a chance! Merwyn and Sava looked up from their nap to consider the news of Hedy's success. . . "We could pass a feline good citizen test if there were such a thing," Sava meowed, "but we'll just settle for being sweet and cute!"                                                 

Recommended reading - anyone who has ever cared for an aging pet or parent (or who believes he or she will one day grow old) might wonder about the few farm animals who are not killed young, well, here's an answer:  Allowed To Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Animals from Farm Sanctuaries . And yes, it might encourage you to be a (better) vegetarian or even a vegan! [Thanks to  Rikki's Refuge  for sharing information about this book.] Happy Birthday, George Washington!  And copying from The Writer's Almanac :  "It's the birthday of  George Washington , born in Westmoreland County, Virginia (1732), whose favorite foods were mashed sweet potatoes with coconut, string beans with mushrooms, cream of peanut soup, salt cod, and pineapples. He lost all of his teeth except for one by cracking Brazilian nuts between his jaws. He got dentures made out of a hippopotamus tusk, which caused him great pain, which he tried to alleviate with opium. He was not good at spelli

". . . and just my kind of morning," Penn quacked, "rain all night and rain this morning!" But chances are - and the weather report says - that the sun will be returning by noon. If that happens, we might just have more pictures later today . . .

Willa and Willan hope you are having a wonderful Sunday morning . .  at church maybe? They'll be taking a long morning nap, prayers already said, of course. Blessings for today and always!

  Happy Valentine's Day from Sandy, Sava, Chaelie, and all of us at Sanctuary House!

"Well," Possum said, "I was enjoying a nap in the sink, but of course I can help with the Wish List - I always pay attention, and I know what we need!  "So here are the things we most need this week - for the horses: salt on a rope and Rapid Flex (because now Sonny and  Titan need this); for the ducks and chickens: a flock block (because there aren't many bugs now so they need a special treat with protein); for the doggies: Milk Bones; and for the cats scratchers and a window seat (for  Giddy  - he's really too big to sit on a narrow window sill and he loves  to sit in the window!) All of these things (and some others!) are on our amazon Wish List . "Thanks for remembering us when you shop! "OK - I'm going back to my nap!"   

February 10th isn't exactly Bessie's birthday - she was probably born in September - but it is the day she came to live at Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary ten years ago, and so this is the day we celebrate her  "birthday." Bessie is a high energy girl - part beagle and part Jack Russell . . . she is smart, loving, and yes, a little bossy! She has a loud voice and imagines that she could be a real watch dog. She is our wake up alarm every morning. And no one knows Jenny's birthday, but she also arrived on February 10th. Jenny's personality is the opposite of Bessie's. Jenny is calm and quiet - she is happy to watch birds in a sunny window, and is never demanding. She loves to eat and stretch out for a nap on her scratcher toy. Jenny does talk occasionally, in a melodious voice - she knows many cat secrets, but only shares them with those she trusts. Bessie and Jenny - two much loved "fur babies!"

My February calendar includes this quotation from Rudyard Kipling: ". . . His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always . . ."

"Morning already?" Possum said, "I was just having a great dream, but I'd rather have breakfast anyway!" "I'm always ready for breakfast," Queenie said, ". . . just waiting for a person to bring it to me!" "And what did you have for breakfast?"  PG  asked. "Did you bring any to share with me? I'm watching to be sure that you ate breakfast!"

"What are you doing?" Willow asked as she poked her head between the fence rails. Just checking on the garden angel, little Willow. She has been watching over the daylillies since they went to sleep at the first sign of Winter, and now they are beginning to wake up . . . not sure Winter is over yet, but we'll see.

 The morning was sunny and busy . . . mid-afternoon? the sky is overcast and a chilly wind is blowing - time for a nap, so the doggies find a comfy spot and curl up with a friend or two!

Good Morning! Here's Silver Roo calling to the rising sun!

Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple in the Episcopal Church or Meeting of the Lord in the Orthodox Church. Read the whole story in the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 2: 21-38). A poem for the day: Nunc dimittis Now old Simeon can sing his song! This is the baby, this is the Lord! This is the King we have been waiting for, Now old Simeon can sing his song! Now old Simeon can sing his song: A baby - every mother's ordinary light of the world, But, my Lord, this is the Lord! Now old Smeon can sing his song! Now old Simeon can sing his song, Light and glory, salvation and heart-sword: This baby here - this is the Lord! Now old Simeon can sing his song!           (from  Handful of Stars , © 2018) And a very Happy Birthday to  St. Hilda's and St. Hugh's School, NYC And it's Ground Hog Day!  Punxsutatawney Phil predicts an early Spring . . . hope you're right, Phil!

"Second only to Saint Patrick as a patron of Ireland, Saint Brigid  holds a cross woven from rushes ('St. Brigid's cross'), which was her custom to make . . .and which are hung anew in Irish homes each year on her feastday. In the other hand she holds a bowl of 'Saint Brigid's fire,' a miraculous fire which burned at her convent for centuries." (Notes from  Monastery Icons .) A puzzle for today:   St. Brigid's Cross And for our Wiccan friends who celebrate   Imbolc  or St. Brigid's Day - Greetings! May this, indeed, be the day when we turn toward the Spring. For us at Sanctuary House, this is a day of memory for our sweet cat, Alicia. Alicia!  Marion 's cat - Positive Magic - Absolute love in my heart. At the waning, cold Snow Moon, At Imbolc, you leapt Into vast eternity! Bless è d be my Wiccan cat, I so miss you here - See you in the far beyond.